The Self-Delusion of Christians in Their Christianity: Let Us Count the Ways

I encourage everyone to read actual accounts of near death experiences from people -- not some egregious religious texts edited as time goes on to accommodate as many people as possible to join and feel good.

Most of the NDE accounts do not describe a heaven or a hell. They see light and feel love on average. Why rely on some 1800+ year old edited documents when you have people today who can tell you their experiences when considered dead?

Near Death Experience Research Foundation - Recent NDEs

a reply to: Philippines

I had a supernatural encounter in 1979 that left me KNOWING without any question that the Bible was written by GOD.

My experience was enough to convince me 100% but since then, I have read about many others who have had very similar experiences.

IF the Bible were simply another "religious text", WHY does He so often refer to the Bible as "my word" or "my book":

A few examples:

"In fact, everything that My children need to know about how God thinks and works and judges and rewards, either before or after the Cross, is already in My Book. That is why I commanded mankind to ‘engrave My Words upon their hearts,’ and to pass them along from generation to generation. I wanted everyone to hear and know just Who I AM, the Messiah, their one hope of Salvation, their Most High God." www.ctestimony.org...

"Didn’t you read my book?"

"If you had read My Book you would have known all the answers."

"You don't believe my word the Bible..."

"an audible voice telling him to read a Bible..."

God spoke to me and said, "You have no need I appear to you. You now know all I ever did say and ever will say is what the Bible says. The Bible is My Holy Word. It is YOUR responsibility to read the Bible and find out what it says."

To this day, if I have a vision or appearance, and IT DOESN'T AGREE WITH THE BIBLE, I reject it. Period. God stays in line with the Holy Word. Jesus Himself said the scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35, Matthew 5:18.) If you want God to speak to you, read your Bible. The Bible IS God talking to you. And yes, stick with the 1611 King James version. Spend time in praise and worship so you can discern what the Bible is saying.

OUR NEED TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP HIM

Praying all night in the mosque, he asked God to help him. Suddenly he felt drops of oil falling on him and even smelled its fragrance, he says. He claims another time he heard an audible voice telling him to read a Bible — an abomination to a Muslim. “We would not touch a modern-day Bible,” he says. “This voice immediately put a desire in my heart. It is so vivid, so clear, so overwhelming. Still today, I could not forget that voice.”

Why Revival is Exploding Among Muslims

Jesus, where am I？I gasped！ Suddenly in a new body in a new place with new life, I was ecstatically joyful: no pain, no tears, no sorrow, no memory.

Instantly, before I could complete my query, that same Voice in a tone of gentle thunder echoed within my head:　"Didn’t you read my book？"

　　He was speaking to me (in fact, in me) with a speed greater than lightning, and in a language of sweet purity unlike anything that an earthly tongue could utter. I gasped again. I had HIS MIND, impossible as it seemed！ Every word clearly meant exactly what was being said. We seemed to have a joint mind: I would ask, and He would answer. (The speed of this communication in such a MIND is hard to describe in human terms. Perchance I can now liken it to a printed page on which the questions being typed have the answers typed upon them, line upon line, at the same time, instantly.)

　　Yeshua began His answer: "If you had read My Book you would have known all the answers."

"In fact, everything that My children need to know about how God thinks and works and judges and rewards, either before or after the Cross, is already in My Book. That is why I commanded mankind to ‘engrave My Words upon their hearts,’ and to pass them along from generation to generation. I wanted everyone to hear and know just Who I AM, the Messiah, their one hope of Salvation, their Most High God."

Dr. Richard Eby dies, visits heaven, and returns with a startling message

Not long ago, the Lord gave me $200,000. I said, "Lord, what am I going to do with it? I don't need it. What did You give it to me for?" He said, "You passed my test."I said, "Passed your test? What in the world did I do to pass Your test?" He said, "You fulfilled a scripture. Tell them everywhere you go...tell them that the Bible is my test; every time they fulfill a scripture, tell them to never worry about the answers to their prayers."

Misguided Faith

I have asked the Lord, "Jesus, why do you bless me like this?" "Because you passed my test," He answered. "How did I pass your test?" You fulfilled the Scripture," He said. "My test for the human race and the Church is obedience to the Scriptures." This statement seems simple to me. God has a test He wants you to pass. He said, "I don't have any other test except the Scriptures. Tell my people that there are blessings attached to each verse that is fulfilled by any believing Christian.

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

originally posted by: Murgatroid

IF the Bible were simply another "religious text", WHY does He so often refer to the Bible as "my word" or "my book":

"He" doesn't. And nor does she.

The bible does.

originally posted by: Murgatroid
a reply to: Aloysius the Gaul

Of course you don't...

I was once an atheist myself so I know exactly where you're coming from.

I was once a christian* myself, so ....

But when God shows up in a persons life like a Mack truck with no brakes, things change fast.

If that ever happens to you, I can assure you 100% that remaining an atheist no longer becomes an option.

....you are just plain wrong.

* - speaking in tongues, witnessing, singing hallelujah, swept away by it all.......etc

So now I'm betting yo're going to tell me it wasn't really jesus, because if it was I could not have recovered, right?

And that is the sort of stupid circular argument that has confirmed me in my belief that religion is just a con job.

Of course if that is NOT what you were goign to say then please - enlighten me.

originally posted by: Aloysius the Gaul
"He" doesn't. And nor does she. The bible does.

Personal experience trumps opinion every time.

People are going to believe what they want to believe until they see it with their own eyes.

originally posted by: Aloysius the Gaul
....you are just plain wrong... please - enlighten me.

A person cannot see that which he knows doesn't exist...

You are dead right about religion though.

It is just a con job.

But I don't base my beliefs on Religion, I base them on personal experience.

Did you learn this as a child?

A children song:

Jesus love me
This I know
For the bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong.

Yes Jesus love me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me. He
who died
heaven's gate to open
wide.
He will wash away my
sins
let his little child
come in.

Yes Jesus love me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me, he will stay
close beside me all the way
He's prepared a home for me
then someday his face I'll see.

Yes Jesus love me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The bible tells me so.

Are you a child of God?

originally posted by: Murgatroid

A person cannot see that which he knows doesn't exist...

I don't know that god doesn't exist - I see no evidence that s/he/it does.

There is a difference.

You are dead right about religion though.

It is just a con job.

But I don't base my beliefs on Religion, I base them on personal experience.

And yet above you are using biblical references to justify the existence of god - what is that if not religious?

One thing I do know is that the religious are ingenious in justifying their beliefs to themselves.

And yes Deathslayer - I learned that song!!

a reply to: Aloysius the Gaul

Religion and truth are complete opposites.

The root meaning for 'religion' means to "reconnect with God" (from the original Latin).

“Religion, from religare, signifies to tie or bind, because by true religion the soul is tied or bound, as it were, to God and His service.”

Museum of Antiquity A Description of Ancient Life

The agenda behind false religion is to keep you disconnected from God.

This relates to the sig quote I use also...

Satan always creates a counterfeit in order to discredit the genuine.

A counterfeit is something that looks almost exactly like the real thing, but isn't the real thing.

Whenever you have a genuine, there will ALWAYS be a counterfeit...

Now, passing counterfeit money is a crime, causing inconvenience, loss and disappointment to the victim. But counterfeit religion is even worse. It’s deceptive, because it looks so much like the real thing. But sooner or later, it will catch up with the person who tries to pass it off as genuine religion. And when that happens, people get hurt; especially the people who know genuine religion. They often get turned off on all religion, and want nothing more to do with it.

Counterfeit or Genuine

When the Secret Service trains its members to recognize counterfeit money, they begin by studying and learning the genuine article. They study in great detail all of its protections, its paper and markings, and the very smallest details to ensure they know the “real thing” better than anything. A bank teller deals with money all day long and he or she can get a good feel of the currency and know the “real thing” from experience and handling the bills on a daily basis.

We begin by finding the genuine article by looking at the name…one that honors its founder and creator. As Christ pointed out to Peter, in Matthew 16:18, Christ is the founder…any other is an imposter/man-made/counterfeit.

Counterfeit Religion

The real agenda of all illuminati created false religion is to blind and misguide you AWAY from the truth.

"Today the religions of the world remain a major tool of the Illuminati agenda." Link

"What if there were people within the various Churches of God who covertly were guiding the members to slowly accept new ideas which are alien to the true faith and who were dedicated to destroying that faith at all costs?"

JESUIT-JEDI MINDTRICKS

a reply to: DeathSlayer

Keep on chanting that it is a great way to pound it into children.
It's scary once you grow up/escape it and read it.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: TombEscaper

Jesus is praying for all Believers, not everyone in the world. The full context of the verse you cite makes this clear, not everyone will be brought to belief.

We pray that as many as may will be brought there, and the tragedy is that the way is open for all if they would only meet Him halfway.

As far as I know, nobody ever prayed themselves into belief; they either have it, fake it or don't.
Everything else is just a label placed to differentiate themselves from others.

originally posted by: RealTruthSeeker
So in other words your saying that for the past 2,000 years Christians have not been doing their job. Ok, if that is true then how did Christianity become the largest religion on earth? Such a feat would be impossible if this was done blindly don't you think?

Conquest, torture, domination, and subjugation.

a reply to: TombEscaper

It ain't over till its over.

a reply to: TombEscaper

Organized religion must be destroyed if there is to be any hope for all things.

Word.

a reply to: Murgatroid

Jesus was speaking of the OT as scripture, the NT wasn't even written down when he said that. Besides, he was talking to the Pharisees who believed scripture could not be broken, Jesus obviously broke scripture in many different instances, particularly in his Sermon on the Mount.

To say that being anti-Paul is to be anti-Jesus shows the level of brainwashing Christians have gone through, putting the word of a man on equal ground with the word of who they consider to be God himself. Paul was unnecessary and is nothing but a middle man, Jesus' words should be enough.

Tearing out the heart of the NT? LOL I thought Jesus was the heart, not Paul. But I guess that's the way it goes with Paulianity.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Jesus Cleaned the inside of me and makes me acceptable unto God.

So are you saying that because Paul struggled with his sin nature that the inside of his cup was not cleansed?

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Jesus Cleaned the inside of me and makes me acceptable unto God.

So are you saying that because Paul struggled with his sin nature that the inside of his cup was not cleansed?

psychological mortification is NOT cool dude.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

That's exactly what I'm saying because Jesus says that when the inside is clean then so will the outside.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: ChesterJohn

That's exactly what I'm saying because Jesus says that when the inside is clean then so will the outside.

sounds like a false flag operation on a psychological level. convince you theres something wrong with you, then present a solution that is available exclusively through these channels...which i control...and will graciously provide to you for the very affordable price of unmitigated servitude.

textbook business strategy.

a reply to: TzarChasm

Exactly, that's how Christianity has gotten so big, parents telling their children that there's something wrong with them and then proceeding to bash an answer into their heads until they actually believe it and will die for it. Those children grow up to teach their children the same thing and that's how it has been for thousands of years now. It all started with torture and conquest in the name of the Roman god Jesus.

Very sad. I was a victim of it, but luckily I broke free from it.