To Believe or Not to Believe?

[bigguns7]

This is a battle that will never be won by either side.

Christians: Why do you constantly threaten nonbelievers with the prospect of hell and warn them of coming doom? Your job as Christians is to witness to them and tell them how they CAN get to heaven, and how they can achieve spiritual peace, not what will happen to them if they don't. Present your views calmly and peacefully, and then let it go. Don't be offended when someone has a hard time believing. Realize that to a nonspiritual person, the concept of God is very difficult to fathom.

Non-Christians/Atheists: Why is it your crusade to convince Christians that they are "brainwashed" and "closed-minded?" Those are the two most commonly used words on this board, and they don't really even mean anything. Aren't we all brainwashed and closed-minded to a certain extent? You can be happy in believing in nothing, and that is perfectly fine. Realize that Christians are called upon by God to spread the good word, and if you don't like it, respectfully decline their efforts to share their beliefs with you.

We can coexist on this board, and we can have conversations on the meaning of life and the existence of a higher being. But we should be able to do that without calling each other names, stereotyping each other, and trivializing each others' belief systems. The simple fact is, we may end up in hell or in heaven, or we may end up as dust. But we will never know until it is too late to say "I told you so."

 

[Y_lifter]

For me the belief in something greater than me starts with one thought...

The Universe....

We know it is apparently infinite in size and have theories of it's beginning.

I ask myself what/who created the Big Bang and what was in existance before the Big bang....

It gets me thinking there must be something else other than us peeps....

 

[the nature boy]

I'm gonna go watch "Amen".

 

[Latimer]

beLIEve

 

[bigguns7]

Not many comments from either side of the fence.

 

[curling]

I think it was a good post bigguns. But let me give you this example if you saw that a bridge was out down the road would you not warn people of that bridge being out? You see we really believe there is a Hell and that their coming plagues on this earth. I as many Christians just want to warn people of that just as you would warn people the bridge was out to save their lives. We try to warn people to save not only their life but their soul which goes on way past this short life we are living here.

Cause you see at one time we didn't know the bridge was out but someone told us and now we want to return the favor to hlep someone else. Much like people do on this board with gear usage they share their knowledge so others won't make the same mistakes. See what I am saying?

 

[havoc]

Some good words, I don't fall in either category, I just understand that others don't understand. peace

 

[bigguns7]

I think it was a good post bigguns. But let me give you this example if you saw that a bridge was out down the road would you not warn people of that bridge being out? You see we really believe there is a Hell and that their coming plagues on this earth. I as many Christians just want to warn people of that just as you would warn people the bridge was out to save their lives. We try to warn people to save not only their life but their soul which goes on way past this short life we are living here.

Cause you see at one time we didn't know the bridge was out but someone told us and now we want to return the favor to hlep someone else. Much like people do on this board with gear usage they share their knowledge so others won't make the same mistakes. See what I am saying?

Well put my friend. But there must be a line drawn. About five years ago, I tried to witness to a guy I had just met. He was talking to me about not knowing where he wanted his life to go, and feeling like he was not getting anywhere. All I said to him is "Have you tried turning to God, you might find answers where you least expect." He replied, "Oh I gave up on that shit a year ago, if there is a God, I don't want to have any part of it."

My only comment after that was "I'm sorry you feel that way, if you ever need to talk about it, let me know." We're friends now, and he called me back in August and said "I just wanted to thank you for being so cool about things, about not judging me or threatening me with prospects of burning hell. I just joined a church up here and I'm learning great things."

It's my personal opinion that if I had warned him of hell and armageddon at that critical point, it might have pushed him farther away. I think alot of Christians are actually doing more harm than good in their forms of witnessing to others. Their radical and excessive doomsday teachings are like one step forward and two steps back.

My point is, it is better to attract people with positive rewards rather than scare them with negative repercussions.

 

[curling]

I definetely see your point. I don't acually talk to much about Hell. But with the things going on(the chip technology coming soon and the crisis in the middle east) I think it is still worthwhile talking about. Sometimes some people need more concrete evidence so prophesy definetely gives them that.

But normally when I witness to face to face I do it pretty much like you do. Also I don't judge anybody sheesh with the way I lived my life before Christ and even after it is by sheer grace that I am going to Heaven. Judging is definetely wrong.

 

[CAROLINACHICK]

I'm impressed guys!
Who would've thought you could get this level of intelligence on a discussion board! Karma for both of you!

CC.