Former Atheist turned Born Again Christian

originally posted by: DaCook

originally posted by: RP2SticksOfDynamite

I can understand one going from Christian to Atheist but the other way. That's being a bigger fool that if you were a Christian in the first place! But you are entitled to change your mind, rightly or wrongly.

Good luck with your new found belief and welcome to the crutch dependent society.

Quoted for the truth.

What a con, organized crime n nothing more. The Bible was conceived for political reasons and rewritten many times for such. Zero possibility that any of the Bible stories can be true. Zero evidence and negates simple common sense. Zero evidence that Jesus even lived. None. What part of the lie do they not get?

Denny

this is correct.

as romans starting encompassing the middle east they chose one of the local religions to keep the locals happy, like they did elsewhere.
here are some examples of greek ones they merged.
sorry christians, little baby jesus was born around march, romans shifted his birthday to saturnalia, try explaining that to saint peter as well as the pagan christmas tree you put up.

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: StandingTallForChrist
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Yes I did...

"The Book of Isaiah, written HUNDREDS of years before Christ CLEARLY describes his crucifixion in stunning detail, long before the Romans even used crucifixion as a means of punishment."

and Yes it does.

You will just have to get used to the fundamental atheist bigots around these parts, they are the same as the christian fundamentalist bigots
They learned their christianity in sunday school so know everything about christianity there is to know, more than you do even, I suspect they believe

Hell they watched zeitgeist


It takes all kinds and well, we are commanded to love them so.....

Welcome, it can be fun

point out all the threads started by fundamental atheists then define what a fundamental atheist is please.
i enjoy sharing your uneducated brainfarts to a wide audience, you're a good advert for turning people off religion.
your ineptitude towards evolution satiated me, now feed me more.

originally posted by: growler

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: StandingTallForChrist
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Yes I did...

"The Book of Isaiah, written HUNDREDS of years before Christ CLEARLY describes his crucifixion in stunning detail, long before the Romans even used crucifixion as a means of punishment."

and Yes it does.

You will just have to get used to the fundamental atheist bigots around these parts, they are the same as the christian fundamentalist bigots
They learned their christianity in sunday school so know everything about christianity there is to know, more than you do even, I suspect they believe

Hell they watched zeitgeist


It takes all kinds and well, we are commanded to love them so.....

Welcome, it can be fun

point out all the threads started by fundamental atheists then define what a fundamental atheist is please.
i enjoy sharing your uneducated brainfarts to a wide audience, you're a good advert for turning people off religion.
your ineptitude towards evolution satiated me, now feed me more.

You sound like an adult, great disguise
your ineptitude towards science indicates a complete lack of logical capacity

Your arrogance and personal attack indicates a juvenile schoolyard wanna be

Thanks, no thanks

Here is a website you will enjoy
www.stardoll.com...

a reply to: Dfairlite

No its not
The victors write the story, it could all be fabrication.

I see no hard evidence, just assumptions from books, no eyewitness accounts from anyone

Whats the difference?

originally posted by: Dfairlite
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I told you to look up the definition of the word: www.abovetopsecret.com...

You responded with something that I didn't ask for (your thought on what the word means).

Then you got mad that I pointed it out.

Here's the definition of bully. Notice how it has exact parameters? Not some wishy washy "I feel like it should mean this or that" garbage?

"To use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants."

The post in which you were calling the poster a bully, used zero intimidation and therefore could not possibly qualify as bullying.

''Typically." Yes indeed. Typically is the use of physical force to get someone to do what one wants. But, as your copied definitition says, to use ''' superior influence to intimidate....

The superior influence here was ops use of a simple tactic of attempting to push around the member with an false accusation.

Well you have known me for ... what about.... zero seconds... and you already have drawn conclusions about me? This is going to be fun.

As that member read the same introduction as I did, and hopefully all who visited this thread, it was clear that OP was offering vast amounts of information about himself. In a friendly manner, that member asked for further information in an attempt to engage an new member. To that the OP accused that member of jumping to conclusions after only zero seconds. Zero seconds. No..

In fact, it was very close to fifty minutes, plenty of time to read the OP with all it's information twice and then formulate a welcoming response, yet op chose to intimidate that member with a false accusation.

With all the Ops knowledge and worldly experience it is not hard to consider that he has come across a plethora of psychological tactics to use against people he considers inferior. This was one.

originally posted by: StandingTallForChrist
2 + 2 = 4 is that an arrogant statement to make?

God is real. Is that arrogant?

God revealed himself to me, he is real and his name is Jesus Christ. Is that arrogant?

Evolution is a lie designed to separate man from God. Arrogant?

Atheism is one of the largest cults in America. Arrogant?

I am a Christian, and I like to stand up for what I believe. I do not bow my head and accept lies in humility. Arrogant?

I can pray for you, love you and debate you strongly all in the same day. Arrogant?

I know you are not a fraud by the use of your words towards God. You have seen, you no longer need faith! This was a gift for you and one worth more than all the gold and silver on this planet. God called you out due to his love for you and he knew you simply needed to see him. God saw your heart and knew what you needed.

You know God, how do I know? Your words have been judged by the spirit and those who walk in the spirit see the truth in your words so walk in confidence but I warn you continue to speak God's word and watch as your friends and family abandon you. Pray for them brother. NEVER fear those who heckle you and insult you.

I too have seen those from heaven including the Holy Spirit (who BTW is a man and not a woman) Reason I say this is due to many who speak of the The Holy Spirit think the Holy Spirit is a female which is not true.

Those who walk in the spirit can see those who walk with them.

You will be often judged on this site and often words will be put into your mouth by liars and those who work for the dark side but rejoice my brother for your words are like a two edged sword that cuts through stone and steel.

You will need a thick skin here at ATS.

Welcome brother, I look forward to your next thread.

From Urantia, 125:0.5:

Jesus simply would not accept explanations of worship and religious devotion which involved belief in the wrath of God or the anger of the Almighty. In further discussion of these questions, after the conclusion of the temple visit, when his father became mildly insistent that he acknowledge acceptance of the orthodox Jewish beliefs, Jesus turned suddenly upon his parents and, looking appealingly into the eyes of his father, said:

"My father, it cannot be true—the Father in heaven cannot so regard his erring children on earth. The heavenly Father cannot love his children less than you love me. And I well know, no matter what unwise thing I might do, you would never pour out wrath upon me nor vent anger against me. If you, my earthly father, possess such human reflections of the Divine, how much more must the heavenly Father be filled with goodness and overflowing with mercy. I refuse to believe that my Father in heaven loves me less than my father on earth."

When one considers the characteristics and behavior of the biblical Yahweh, they will inevitably come to moral crossroad when it dawns on them that the God of the Bible exhibits flawed, human-like, even 'sinful' behavior. Whatever spiritual decisions you make after that realization are by your own volition.

But as for myself, I've never been able to come to terms with and/or justify it, no matter how hard I've tried. As our forefather Patrick Henry said, "Give me liberty or give me death." I will not worship a tyrant.

I do believe that the bible is an important piece of the puzzle of existence, but I know that there is more. To keep searching takes courage and valor; to end your search and proclaim "I've got it all figured out" is the easy way, and the way of the fool. Unfortunately, most people are not equipped for the perilous rabbit hole called "I don't know", so they choose instead to latch onto their ego and the material world, and surround themselves with an echo chamber of self-validation. They've taken the blue pill.

originally posted by: StandingTallForChrist

originally posted by: UnBreakable

originally posted by: StandingTallForChrist
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Yes I did...

"The Book of Isaiah, written HUNDREDS of years before Christ CLEARLY describes his crucifixion in stunning detail, long before the Romans even used crucifixion as a means of punishment."

and Yes it does.

And the same crucifixion story was described 1,500 years earlier by the Egyptians about Horus, before it was plagiarized later by the Christians.

By the way, the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a HISTORICAL... WAIT FOR .... FACT.
If you deny this, you are not living in reality.

Many do not know that crucifixion is a Roman thing not a JEW thing and how they do it has caused some religions to say Jesus was crucified on a tree which is a lie....

In Roman times when they wanted to crucify a criminal, they would plant (set) a large wooden pole into the ground (20 feet high) because nailing someone to these large and VERY heavy crosses and then picking it up (Moving it to the hole in the ground) was too hard and time consuming and often a hand or a foot or two would tear through the large nail due to the sudden stop (shock) of putting the pole into a vertical position due ti its weight and the weight of the criminal.

Did Jesus carry the cross? NO he carried the cross piece (the cross bar).

Once the cross bar is carried to the crucifixion site, the criminal lays down on the ground and his hands and arms are tied with rope, then each wrists had a nail driven into them, then a few ladders are placed around this large pole which is already firmly in the ground, made for crucifixion, height of pole and circumference of wood was important. Designed to hold a man (sometimes until the flesh rotted off the cross) so many days.....and no one wanted the pole to be knocked down by high winds and storms so the standing pole (TREE) would be anchored three to four feet into the ground and then high enough above the ground for all to see....

The rope tied around the cross beam with the criminal attached and then would be hoisted up the pole and the cross pole would be nailed and tied into place with rope so that the cross beam held in place. A small platform was attached to the pole for the criminal to stand on while the nail was driven through the ankles of the criminal. This was NOT done on the ground but in the air. Often criminal were not nailed to a cross but to a T. The T was used with ropes to host the man's body..... Jesus had a cross due to hanging a sign above his head.....King of the Jews.. so an additional cross bar at top of pole was used to raise the body and then removed and a sign nailed above his head.

If you (ATS) ask for proof tells me you have not even researched the art of crucifixion.... and yet you judge.

sorry.....double post.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

So what's your beef with the OP? He got the Crucifixion a bit wrong. Aren't you missing the bigger picture here? The guy turned his life around. Give him a pat on the back, not a knife!

Being Born Again—The Road to Salvation? (article - page 1)

True Christians Respect God’s Word

True Christians have always accepted the Bible, “not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) A brief review of how people in the past either used the Bible or ignored it will show the difference between those who truly respect God’s Word and those who do not.

Like Trump and everyone who voted for him.

Has Christianity Failed? Awake!—2007

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Has Christianity Failed?

ABOUT a third of the earth’s population claim to be Christian. Yet, the world seems more politically divided and more violent than ever before. Does this mean that Christianity as Jesus taught it is somehow flawed? Or, rather, does the flaw exist in the way many people apply Christ’s teachings?

This article will examine what Christ actually taught and the example he set for his followers. It will also consider a common view among professed Christians, one that is actually in conflict with the true meaning of Christianity.

A Distorted Form of Christianity

Hundreds of years after Christ’s death, a distorted form of Christianity was made a favored religion in the Roman Empire. No longer unwelcome outsiders, members of this group of professed Christians soon found themselves at the center of the political and social mainstream of Roman society. Church leaders, such as Augustine, reacted to this change by teaching that the awaited Kingdom of God had now arrived. Such leaders taught that their newly acquired political and religious influence was the means of bringing about the will of God on earth. Thus the value of human effort in directing earth’s affairs was emphasized.

As a result, many have come to believe that a Christian has a role to play in the political fabric of society. To do that, most believe, a Christian must at times subordinate certain aspects of his beliefs to the will of the society in which he lives. For example, many people pay lip service to Christ’s teachings of love and peace, while at the same time supporting vicious wars. For the same reason, churches may encourage their followers to pray for the Kingdom of God but at the same time lend support to rulers who act oppressively.

This counterfeit form of Christianity is not the religion that Jesus established. Rather, it is a man-made version and is practiced by most professed Christians today. This version of Christianity has indeed failed, as evidenced by the widespread disregard for Bible principles in all of Christendom today.

What Did Jesus Actually Teach?

It may come as a surprise to some that Jesus actually said that his followers should be “no part of the world, just as [he was] no part of the world.” (John 17:15, 16) Why would Christ encourage his disciples to take such a stand? Jesus’ beloved disciple the apostle John provided an answer. He wrote: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”—1 John 5:19.

Hence, Christ’s teachings direct people, not to human entities, but to the heavenly Kingdom of God as the agency that will create a just and righteous world here on earth. (Matthew 6:10) Jesus himself did not show the slightest inclination to interfere with the social structure of his day. He rejected political office outright. (John 6:15) He also rejected violence as a way of settling disputes. (Matthew 26:50-53; John 18:36) Jesus left behind no constitution or canon of civil laws. He took no political stand on the issues of his day. For instance, he did not become an activist for the rights of slaves, nor did he involve himself in the struggle of the Jewish people against Rome.

This does not mean, however, that Jesus was unconcerned about people and their problems. Jesus taught a great deal about an individual’s responsibility toward his fellow man. He encouraged honesty in the payment of taxes and stressed the need to be submissive to those in legitimate positions of authority. (Matthew 22:17-21) He taught how to show an active interest in the welfare of those in need. He also taught how to show respect for the dignity of others and how to be empathetic, forgiving, and merciful. (Matthew, chapters 5-7) It is a well-known fact that the focus of Christ’s teachings is love of God and of neighbor.—Mark 12:30, 31.
...

Song 21 Happy, the Merciful! vocals

originally posted by: thepixelpusher
a reply to: DeathSlayer

So what's your beef with the OP? He got the Crucifixion a bit wrong. Aren't you missing the bigger picture here? The guy turned his life around. Give him a pat on the back, not a knife!

I think you misundertsood my post.

I am not slamming my brother ..... I am only talking about crucifixion.

I am overjoyed to see a new brother or sister have their eyes and heart opened and who have accepted Christ!!!

Praise be to God.

a reply to: StandingTallForChrist

Welcome!

I agree with all of your statements. Apologetics is tough business, especially here on ATS, but I'm glad we have another Christian Soldier in the Kingdom.

I used to write for Prophecy News Watch - just a few articles before I moved on to different work, being said, it's tough to change the mind of people who put their faith in secular science, something that changes daily.

I once read a book that provided apologetics when debating other religions or lack there of. The best was debunking atheism. It can be done with very few words... "to know there is no God one must be omnipotent, and a god themselves, therefore atheism is a philosophical impossibility."

some ask me to prove there is a God; then I ask, prove to me there isn't. If I am wrong then I only wasted an hour each Sunday and lived a life as a generally good human being who loves others and cares about people - if you're wrong, well you spend eternity in hell.

As a Christian who has had doubts about the bible, I can share a few things towards both sides of the argument.

I've attended an Evangelical (non-denominational) church for the past several years along with bible study each week. I've read and re-read a dozen great courses lectures on religion, the making of the bible, eastern religions, western religions etc.

The biggest problem with Christians, from my vantage point is that most Christians haven't taken the time to really understand the history of the book they base their life and soul on. It's the INSPIRED word of God, not the written word of God himself. THAT is the major point and if you keep it in mind, it suddenly becomes even more impressive (to me anyway). In other words these are the "visions" of people we give authority to and through time, oral cultures to written, language and life experience we get to where we are today, where Christians assign a magical power to the bible with little to understanding beyond "my bible tells me so".

The biggest problem with Atheists, again from my perspective, is their equally stubborn insistence that the entire universe just "happened" and ignore God's fingerprints and clues. Because at the moment something is unknown or unproven does not make it any less true. Einstein had to wait quite a while to prove his theory...which is now the most proven theory in history, relativity.


The bible is a collection of stories, history, songs, poems and is not "all true or isn't". Some of it was absolutely meant to be symbolic as it was simply the best way they could describe something in languages that were often less descriptive than Greek or English and demands context to be truly understood.
Personally, I believe the earth itself is very old and that scripture does it's best to describe the point where something special happened to allow man to be defy evolution and leapfrog ahead (Genesis). Now you can believe it was God, a creator God, aliens or whatever, but it WAS something or now we're ignoring scientific principals. For me it all comes from God, and any answer that proves true would not shake my faith.

The bottom line, most Christians need to acknowledge and understand their bible, their spiritual connection (holy spirit) and personal life experiences (most of us have had an undeniable experience or two) are all meant to work together and have shared along with very personal truths. Forcing narratives through willful ignorance is only fooling yourself, there's a reason some things don't feel correct the way they're presented...if you research your faith further, you often find alternative weightier views than DO fit better. I don't worship the bible, I worship God. The bible is simply a tool that bridges my understanding to God and absolutely takes time to have what it offers revealed. Atheists are equally arrogant in their stance and assume they have all the information to draw conclusions on...I can assure you this is not the case. An open mind towards accepting that there are spiritual components to this universe and that there is simply no scientifically accepted proof would be a start.

Both science and religion have been twisted by man to serve their own interests. As with most things, the truth is in the middle. Science and religion can absolutely co-exist, but it requires acceptance of things that will feel uncomfortable. It also requires intellectually honest people to participate. Now, we have tribalism at it's finest with each side only focusing on the low hanging fruit and arguing extremes and exceptions as the rule.

There is a God. When you experience it first hand, you know it in your bones and this is the passion you see Christians trying to get others to understand. Sadly, it's often misguided or misunderstood, but no less real. You can see from the previous comments are many people have no interest in finding any truths (either side), they like division, they like tribalism, both ignore the obvious. You see, these are largely "non-salvation" issues. True Christianity is when you believe in Jesus Christ and that he is the way to salvation. You are not REQUIRED as a Christian to believe ANYTHING else is "true" or not.

Maybe we get what we believe...if that's the case, I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm going. If you believe in nothing, you might just get what you asked for...or worse.

a reply to: StandingTallForChrist

I believe God came to Earth in the form of man 2017 years ago, and died on the cross only to resurrect himself three days later to save mankind.

You have made much progress my young Padawan, but if you really think God died for three days and then resurrected himself, well then he actually never died and paid the ransom for us.

Just as evolution was the spawn of Satan for the ungodly people so is the trinity for the spiritually minded. It is the most devastating ideology Satan has devised for those that want to worship Jesus and his Father Almighty God.
The council of Nicaea is the biggest religious conspiracy of all time.

Even ATS knows it see #20


Jesus is the son of God, he actually died, and not just his fleshly body, then Almighty God resurrected him.

John 4:24

God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.

Since you are a Trump supporter I will put it in to terms you will understand, CNN=Trinity

originally posted by: StandingTallForChrist
My name is Keith, I am a former atheist of 35 years, who had a supernatural experience 11 years ago that revealed the true nature and identity of God... in the fully human and fully divine person of Jesus Christ. Politics, UFOS, conspiracies, I have enjoyed MANY MANY MANY of these types of discussions my whole life and look forward to actively participating here at ATS. As for my politics...

GO TRUMP BABY!!!!!

I believe that UFOS are in all likelihood fallen angels in disguise, another tool of the enemy to separate man from God.



Homey don't play

So....what do you make of the ufo in the first chapter of Ezekiel? Apparently God's throne was on board one......

originally posted by: TerryMcGuire

originally posted by: Dfairlite
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I told you to look up the definition of the word: www.abovetopsecret.com...

You responded with something that I didn't ask for (your thought on what the word means).

Then you got mad that I pointed it out.

Here's the definition of bully. Notice how it has exact parameters? Not some wishy washy "I feel like it should mean this or that" garbage?

"To use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants."

The post in which you were calling the poster a bully, used zero intimidation and therefore could not possibly qualify as bullying.

''Typically." Yes indeed. Typically is the use of physical force to get someone to do what one wants. But, as your copied definitition says, to use ''' superior influence to intimidate....

The superior influence here was ops use of a simple tactic of attempting to push around the member with an false accusation.

Well you have known me for ... what about.... zero seconds... and you already have drawn conclusions about me? This is going to be fun.

As that member read the same introduction as I did, and hopefully all who visited this thread, it was clear that OP was offering vast amounts of information about himself. In a friendly manner, that member asked for further information in an attempt to engage an new member. To that the OP accused that member of jumping to conclusions after only zero seconds. Zero seconds. No..

In fact, it was very close to fifty minutes, plenty of time to read the OP with all it's information twice and then formulate a welcoming response, yet op chose to intimidate that member with a false accusation.

With all the Ops knowledge and worldly experience it is not hard to consider that he has come across a plethora of psychological tactics to use against people he considers inferior. This was one.

If you recall the thread, I was being called a fake christian by some and a fake atheist by others, oh and troll. If you think you know me enough to make the statement that I am a fake anything, you are a fool.

This is not bullying, this is pointing out a truth to you, so perhaps you won't jump to conclusions about people. My OP does not encapsulate all of who I have become in 45 years, shocking I know.

a reply to: Blue_Jay33

These are the words of Jesus
John 2:19 and 10:18

a reply to: starlitestarbright

Well the first sparrow ever seen flying in the sky was a UFO...
So maybe we need a better definition.

I assume by UFO you mean a spacecraft piloted by beings from another planet.

If that is your definition, the object in Ezekiel was NOT a UFO

a reply to: StandingTallForChrist

You my friend, just summed up exactly what you do in one sentence... This is what religion is...

"I am a Christian, and I like to stand up for what I believe. I do not bow my head and accept lies in humility. Arrogant?"

Being a christian is all about bowing your head and accepting lies in humility... this is it's basis... You are not worthy to understand, nor are you worthy to question the ridiculous myths and tales....

Nice one...

PA.