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Post by X factor on Oct 13, 2014 6:54:51 GMT -5
I drive by Churches on Sunday and have no desire to go inside and participate in any service.
To be ushered in, and then told to sit and listen, while saying 'Amen' to principles you already know to be true.
Not sure why I need one particular person or Pastor telling me things that I already know.
The only benefit I see about going to church is maybe meeting people who are 'safe' and guided by principle that usually, hopefully, more likely, makes them safe to be around.
Did the whole church thing years ago, and life was still lonely, cause once you left church, no one wanted to just be your friend.
In other words unless you already had friends, a family, church was still a lonely place to be or go, expecially afterwards when you wouldn't see anyone for a whole week.
I'd like to design own church, where everyone is able (who wants to) to participate, and give lessons, share things, life lessons.
If I go to church now I'll simply be told to 'give money' and then and only then will God open doors.
Give money to support that particular church, out of 1000's, and then God will open doors.
In fairness it's the act of being 'unselfish' that they're probably emphasizing that God responds to.
But already unselfish in personal life.
I just no longer give direct credit to 'Jesus' for my wanting to be unselfish.
There's nothing wrong, I suppose, with having faith in Jesus, God.
But I still observe human nature trumps even Gods love, in most peoples lives.
Whether they, we, believe in God or not, we still tend to behave how we choose to, hold onto biases we're comfortable with, hate those we hate and love those we'd love anyways whether believe in God was there or not.
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Post by X factor on Oct 25, 2014 9:55:51 GMT -5
Why I can't relate to typical radio sermons Sorry, but in the year 2014 I just can't relate to Job anymore...or any of the prophets, and or even apostles. I can and I can't Here's the thing, if one is honest, one has to admit those men, prophets, apostles, all suffered as a direct result of doing missionary work for God. It would be equivalent to modern day church missionaries trying to preach the gospel in Arabia or Iran or N Korea ect. Their suffering was a direct result of their missionary work in hostile areas. Now lets be honest, most of us who suffer today, for whatever reasons, aren't suffering as a direct result of preaching Gods word. Most of us are suffering as a direct result of our own stupid decisions, which have nothing at all to do with advancing 'Gods word'. Yet Pastors, whether on radio, TV or in church, preach stories about biblical figures and somehow try to relate their suffering with ours today. There's no connection at all. People today are dealing with secular issues, not spiritual ones. Or spiritual people living in a secular system where all the obstacles are secular based. Debt, high rent, low paying job, cheating spouse, gender identity crisis, bullying, racism, extortion, police brutality, ect. Our suffering isn't do to missionary work, as those in the bibles were, rather our suffering today is mainly do to living in system that is fiscally overwhelming. And many Pastors are dishonest about this. The men in the bible suffered as a direct result of standing up for 'God', we do not. We suffer either do to our own poor decisions, or do to other secular based reasons which have nothing to do with our faith. No ones ever really pointed this out before, the disconnect. Instead Pastors continue to preach sermons as if we're suffering today for the same reasons Paul suffered...  God helped and blessed those people cause they totally dedicated their lives to the gospel, most modern day Christians living in the West absolutely do not. Today we live for self, not Christ...and today a atheist and a Christian life practically mirrors one another. Most proclaimed Christians don't ever go out and evangelize....simply go to church, hear sermon, get home from church then go to beach, or participate in some other recreational activity right along side an atheist or Budhist. So to me it's disingenuous, as a Pastor, to tell people in congregation that some how their lives, relevance to God, issues, are equal to that of prophets and apostles, when truth is most of us don't serve God at all. We may believe in God, Believe in Jesus, want salvation, but to be honest, most of us don't serve God in anymore capacity than a non believing Atheist.
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Post by X factor on Nov 2, 2014 4:02:07 GMT -5
I've never seen or observed the 'Holy Spirit', make anyone 'Holy'.
Conceited and self centered maybe, but I've never observed the Holy Spirit make anyone Holy.
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Post by X factor on Nov 6, 2014 18:51:19 GMT -5
Ever have someone walk over, start discussion and then say 'It was God who sent me to you'
Was it really?
Or was it just their own sense of kindness and compassion that sent them to you?
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Post by X factor on Jan 5, 2015 21:27:28 GMT -5
There seems to be more churches now than ever, yet humanity just seems to be growing cold.
Technology has a way of masking the ugliness of humanity that lies just beneath the surface.
People seem more separated now than ever, not because of color or anything like that, but rather because of individual persuits.
Mass media is partly or maybe mainly to blame for this, for in the past ugly attitudes were usually kept isolated, where as now anyone with ugly opinion is able to amplify that opinion through various media.
Media and technology just seems to have amplified the ugliness of man.
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Post by X factor on Jan 5, 2015 21:36:01 GMT -5
It's sad that man can't turn to anything, including 'God', without adding his own angles and filters to it.  |
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Post by X factor on Jan 5, 2015 21:40:42 GMT -5
I think 'Love' (not to be confused with lust or romance), will become an unknown concept in a few more generations.
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Post by X factor on Jan 5, 2015 22:28:46 GMT -5
I also think many 'common' people around the globe, those reduced to nothing more than labor/consumer class, grow bored with current path and secretly wish 'God'/'Jesus'/even Aliens would return to Earth and rescue people from the mundane path society has so many on.
More and more people want 'closer' to this human experiment other than live, work, pay bills, get sick and die pattern.
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Post by X factor on Feb 6, 2015 0:36:25 GMT -5
If Christianity were practiced the way it should be, according to the bible, would it resemble Islam?
In regards to strict dress codes for women and men, no alcohol, worship only one God, don't steal ect.
I mean aside from militant fighters within Muslim regions, most Muslims live very quiet conservative lives.
And if Jesus came back, I wonder which peoples would he consider closer aligned to his principles of holiness?
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Post by X factor on Feb 12, 2015 22:18:00 GMT -5
Think about it....
If a almighty, all knowing, all loving 'God' were inside anyone, or others, than they'd never be wrong about you, would always know your intentions, would never suspect you of anything, never falsely accuse you of having dirty motives.
From Security guards to cashiers to cops, to people on the streets, to even church goers.
If 'God' is never wrong, than how come all of them are, those who claim to follow him?
I mean if 'God' knows you're honest, innocent and pure, than why don't they?
They may truly have some kind of spirit within them, but obviously it's not 'Gods'...
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Post by X factor on Feb 25, 2015 17:18:07 GMT -5
Not sure why people need 'Gods' to save them or to live right
One could spend the rest of their live changing religions, converting to this or converting to that, and sometimes I wonder why.
Seems to me, from what I've observed, either one is good, decent, or they're not.
I hear smart keen people from various religions, but I observe many of them would already be smart and keen with or without their religious tilt.
Their are smart keen Christians, smart keen Muslims, smart keen Atheists, smart keen Buddhists, smart keen Jewish people, and smart keen Asians, Africans ect...could go on and on.
Sometimes it just seems to me salvation lies in self, and not some 3rd party deity.
But I could be wrong.
Christianity in particular teaches that no matter how decent you are as a human, God will not accept you.
Christianity teaches that God only accepts you based on the goodness, purity of Jesus, and not 'you'.
I guess everyone has to make up their own minds concerning supposed after life.
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Post by X factor on Mar 6, 2015 19:03:33 GMT -5
The longer I live, the harder it is for me to believe Jesus would die for any of us.
Everyone is corrupt, foul, and most aren't looking after your best interest.
The only time most really have meaning is if it's only related to business, or work, but outside of that, once out of circle of friends you grew up with, the majority of people could care the less about you unless you have money to spend.
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Post by X factor on Mar 9, 2015 6:59:52 GMT -5
I try praying, but bottom line is I just want 10 million dollars, not cause I love money or wealth, but rather cause I simply want to be free.
And money seems to be the only tool in which to buy your freedom anymore.
I simply want to be free, in that would use money to by land (cash), home (cash) and everything else in cash which would allow me to live separate and away from 'the system'.
Where every day I woke up would feel like a Saturday, where I wouldn't have to report anywhere I didn't want to, or endless labor all day at job, pretending that someday the money I earn will carry me when older.
I just want to be free.
The other radical side of that is to just walk away from every thing and become homeless, but now days being homeless doesn't mean you're free, cause even when homeless there's still rules you must follow, only certain places you can sleep, it's not like you can be homeless and wild, in that you get a rifle and live off of land.
That kind of back country homelessness isn't allowed anymore as all landed is owned by either government, citizen or realitor.
The only way to really be free anymore is to simply have enough money to where you can out right buy what you want, and still continue to live comfortably, away from mans system of control and exploited labor.
You get to a point where you realize you can no longer impress man, after that point you just want to be free and left alone to live out your life persuing other things than a wage, which barely allows you to get buy.
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Post by X factor on Mar 22, 2015 7:59:18 GMT -5
On Sunday I get annoyed not by God, but by Pastors, and radio Sermons and Church
I've really changed, evolved, can't say for the better or worse, not sure if change can always be measured in terms of better or worse.
As you observe more, experience more, evolving creatures just change, if not than you remain stupid or mentally stagnant.
I still believe in a creator, a majestic divine one.
But sometimes I feel maybe even those are words or ideas we heap upon the or creator.
Not sure if a creator has to be majestic or divine, maybe they're simply a creator, a engineer of life.
I get annoyed at church sermons on the radio cause they're still so basic, still the same message we all have heard since Kindergarden or Sunday School as a hobbit.
They re tell the same stories over and over again, mention the same biblical characters, David, Paul, Saul, Timothy, Peter, Noah and so on.
Same ole stories over and over again, but never seem to link any of it to modern day issues and struggles.
They never hit on the idea that people drift away from organized church not cause they 'hate Jesus' or have an issue with God, but rather maybe cause other needs aren't being met, other social needs.
For instance, going to church as a single person can be tough, when all the sermons center around family life, being married and so on.
I went to church for years as a single person, inside the church 'hi', 'hello', all kinds of greetings, but once church was over never ever heard from anyone during the week, you were totally emotionally on your own, to deal with loneliness and other basic desires all people have.
No one from church wanted anything to do with you through out the week, I guess they figured just meditating on floor about the goodness of Jesus was suppose to sustain all your needs.
Hogwash, cause it doesn't.
The principles of Jesus and or Love really only come into play when you're around others in which to live those principle by, but if isolated practicing the loving principles of Christanity is like talking to a rock.
By Tuesday you're lonely, church people don't want nothing to do with you until services, so you go out and mingle.
Then church guilts you with all this Do not be un equally yoked' stuff.
NO one from church wants to be around you, yet they tell you having 'secular' or 'non saved' friends or associates is bad, a sin.
So you're stuck in the middle somewhere; well sorry but that's a recipy for disaster.
Loneliness is the main reason why people fall away from the church, and oddly enough the same reason why many are drawn to the church.
Anyways I'm just getting started on this, but have a few other things I must do, time allowing I'll continue later, have a lot more I want to cover.
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Post by X factor on Mar 25, 2015 17:41:01 GMT -5
Seems like everyone who believes in God or 'a God' is expecting a different God to return to Earth, one shaped in their own image and interests rather than all
Politics seems to trump religion.
Ethnicity seems to trump religion.
Color seems to trump religion.
Orientation seems to trump religion.
Nationality seems to trump religion.
Heck even what Soccer team or University one attended seems to trump religion or the idea of there being one 'God' of all.
Everyone who claims to believe in God, whether from the Judeo-Christian realm, or Islamic realm or Catholic realm or Hindu realm or Jewish realm or native culture (pre Christianity) realm, everyone seems to worship a different God personally suited for self.
Man creates God in his own image and interests.
No one is interested in a central 'God' or 'Rules' anymore where you might actually have to admit you're wrong or were wrong about stuff.
So instead everyone from ISIS it the Klan to Baptize to Catholics to Gays, to Russian Orthadox, to Rabbis to Islamic clerics to fill in the blank_________, just seem comfortable creating a God that tailors to their own biases and self interests.
The word 'God' has almost become a 'joke' in that no two people seem to be calibrated on same page.
Everyone one on Earth is at war with one another, yet all claiming to believe in the 'right' or same God.
Makes no sense at all.
Why would God be 'racist' in the 30's and 40's, yet not today?
If one is honest, one must admit none of it makes sense, at least how man has gone about defining 'God' or the Supreme being.
Maybe there's many supreme beings?
Sad thing is, if there is no life or individual conscious life after physical death, than no one will ever know.
If man lives simply as a butter fly, here today, gone tomorrow, than none of it will ever matter or make sense accept to those running the experiment.
To be divine is to be able to still have a conscious and be self aware even after body dies.
If man can't do that, or doesn't know or serve a God who can, than in the end now is all anyone has.
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