Stayed Too Long

Some describe sin as missing the mark or coming up short. God certainly came up short when he created man in his image. If god is perfect, then his creation should also have been made perfect, right? But the answer is god is not perfect because he made all of his creations with sin capabilities. The angels he made sinned as evidenced by Lucifer and his band of devils rebelling and sinning. Man also rebelled against his creator, and only because the creator gave him this imperfect ability. I can only surmise that god is not perfect because of the imperfections he allowed in his creation. A better realization is there no god at all. Then thousands of religions don’t have to be made up by men, which all contradict each other, to explain how a loving god actually loves his sinful creation. Somehow Man “A” decides what he believes, but Man “B”, decides something different…and on and on. Thousands of different ways supposedly to get you to the same place. You can’t go North and expect to arrive at the same destination by traveling West. Which is correct? What is your reasoning for choosing the Islam religion over the Jewish religion? What makes Buddha so appealing over Jesus? I guess the best one can do is figure how they “feel in their heart” at the time. But what happens tomorrow when you “feel” different and chose a new path? Was the first belief a complete waste of time and cause you to loose rewards you can never recover? That sure doesn’t sound fair does it? Religion is so contrary to common sense. It just doesn’t make sense at all.

Every ROA I attended required a fee.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series by defeating the New York Yankees 4 games to 1. Congratulations!

That is true in the long term, but day to day, the survival of the fitest rules. Man slaughters beef to eat, man hunts trophy animals to hang their heads on a wall to boast about, the lion kills the antelope, the eagle snatches the fish, large trees rob small trees of sunlight, and the list goes on.

In all levels of life on the earth, dying is required for life to carry on. Plants require previous growth to die and decay for new life to begin and flourish. Survival of the fittest rules the animal kingdom. The bigger and stronger animals must kill the smaller and weaker animals to carry on their existence. Man is the greatest preditor of all, that kill not only to survive but for pleasure also. This instinct to kill has apparently been built into all life forms by God their Creator in order to carry on their species. This concept seems quite cruel that one life must be murdered in order for another to carry on. God has the ability to send manna from heaven, because he did so in order to feed his people in the desert, why not send manna all the time for all of creation to live? If man did not have this built in need to kill, would all the senseless murdering done in the world, not exist? Would wars be unheard of in life?

Great atticle defining a cult https://findingmyway12.substack.com/p/waityou-grew-up-in-a-cult

You didn’t have to extrapolate on it because no one furthered the conversation until i did.

A few posts up you said cman was babbing because of his posts. Apparently you decided this was irrelevant to the discussion.

Show me a topic where a Christian has declared they have no answer to what an atheist has said. They don’t.

What I see is someone who is spewing psycho babble that refuses to be pinned down as to what is the meaning of his statement. This is so typical of Christians who hate to be challenged for their beliefs. They just cannot accept the fact someone would disagree with their beliefs and just leave it at that. No..they keep ranting about stuff that is not at all relevant to the conversation.

Very interesting…..destroys the concept that a nation must believe in god for there to be peaceful coexistence in that country.

Your journey to realizing there is no god sounds similar to mine in that it took a longer period of time and did not happen over night. As a boy and man I was totally sold on the concept of worshipping a loving god in the RC religion, and it was a very high priority. I attended daily mass two times each day, served as an alter boy, sang in the church choir, and volunteered my time at church events. After becoming disillusioned with the RC’s I quit going to church, but always wanted to please god in my mind. Then a fellow sat down next to me while eating lunch and convinced me his group knew the word of god like no other. God has audibly spoken to its founder and assured him god would teach him the bible like it had not been known since the first century. I was sold and bought into the whole idea by taking all the classes offered, gave what little money I had on a regular basis, and went WOW for two years. Over the years, approximately 25, I did not see the signs, miracles, and wonders the group spoke of coming into fruition. I abundantly shared but my needs were not being met. But I dared not question any of this because others had and were severally chastised for doing so. I quit the Way and slowly figured out all religions are the same. They all chase some invisible being, but each has its own rules for pleasing their god. Which one is correct? Christian, Jew, Alluh, etc etc. Flip a coin I guess and come to the conclusion none have any truth. This realization there is no god did not happen over night, but after years of disappointment and disillusionment. Now I lead the best life I know and am not concerned about pleasing some imaginary god.

I now , and also at that time, live in Montana.. VPW and a group of TWI motocycle enthusists were part of a caravan riding to the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When the group rolled in, our twig was expected “to be blessed” by providing them with a evening meal. Our twig of 6 or 7 was expected to feed several dozen bikers. The caravan included VPW’s motor coach which he slept in, and also pulled a notorcycle trailer, so when he got tired of riding he could jump in the the coach to relax.

https://ctcoftexas.com/about/

https://ctcoftexas.com/about/

In my original post, the number 2 fact was the souls in purgatory can pray for those on earth, but not for themselves. It seems if God would reverse this, they would get their cleanding done much more quickly. But who knows why this stumbling block was placed on suffering individuals by a loving God? Maybe, as the song says, “farther long we’ll know all about it, farther along we’ll understand why?”

“There is a lot of terms” for sure in the RC religion, many that no other religions even acknowledge or know/care about. Take for example mortal sins…an act that will directly send you to hell, if you do not find a priest to forgive you, for your serious sin, before you die. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Curse God and you have a direct line to hell. Be a glutton and eat too much, and you will secure a place in eternal flames. Get drunk on a Friday night after work, and you have a confirmed reservation with the devil forever. Here is a list of actions the Roman Catholic’s claim will get you forever seperated from God: https://www.holyannunciation.com/images/List_of_Grave_Sins_from_the_Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Church.pdf Good luck staying in the graces of God!

https://www.beautysoancient.com/ten-ways-to-bring-relief-to-the-poor-souls-in-purgatory/ The RC’s have a concept known as purgatory, that when one dies they may not go directly to heaven. Instead, they require soul cleansing and are rerouted to a place called purgatory. In purgatory they suffer greatly until God decides to release them and join him in heaven. In this transient state, poor souls not only suffer, but their release from the suffering, is dependent on prayers offered up by souls on earth. For a sum of money, a family member or friend can buy the release of their dearly beloved, by having a mass said for the release of their soul. If you don’t have the money to spare, and unable to afford a Catholic mass, the article points out other means available to secure their release. Interesting to me is there is no way of knowing when your loved is released, sent to heaven, and seated with God? If they are already in heaven, what happens with the prayers sent up to release them of their cleansing? Does God apply them to another deserving soul? Do they just go into the universe and frought for nothing? What happens if numerous masses are offered for a loved one and then you stop? When do you know when to stop because they are in heaven? What if they were only one mass short of deliverence and no more were offered? Is there a time limit on being banished to purgatory? What if the poor departed soul has absolutely no one on this planet to offering up a mass or prayers? How about all the non Catholics who have uttterly no idea purgatory exists, how will they make it too heaven, assuming of course, they have not been immediately cast into the eternal fires of hell?

2 Timothy 3:6&7 6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Explanation according to https://www.bibleref.com/2-Timothy/3/2-Timothy-3-6.html “These men are certainly targeting those who are vulnerable. The second half of this verse is constructed in Greek to show that the traits are about the same "weak women" Paul mentions. Such women are noted as having three concerns, two of which are listed in this verse. First, they were "burdened with sins." In other words, they had other sinful actions in their lives in addition to the problems brought upon them by false teachers. Second, these women were "led astray by various passions." These were likely not only referring to sexual passions, but to "various" areas of life in which weaknesses occurred.” It is always, according to the article, gullible, horny women who possess evil desires. Do not turn to evil women and imitate them in order to make up your mind. There are many wholesome men to imitate for much better results in your lives. I can’t image where these ideas came from…just another example of how crazy the bible can be at times. It is very difficult for me to understand which ideas in the bible to follow and which ones to throw out. How to you determine ideas to follow as Girard suggests?

I was bless patrol at some function in our city and the motor coach was parked in the parking lot taking up 4 or 5 parking spaces. I was given a roll of quarters and when a meter ran out of time, put a another quarter in. It was some time until VPW finished up. I thought I was so privileged because when VPW left the building and returned to the motor coach, I got to walk with him, holding an umbrella over him, to shield the sun light from the man of god.

This would be a good topic for its own thread. You should consider starting it.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. This is one reference of the word faith in the bible and clearly states that whatever is hoped for is not in existence at the present time. Whoever wants something to happen knows it is not now happening. Is Jesus Christ coming back sometime in the future? There is no “evidence” or “proof” that it will happen, only the word of some writers in the bible. One has to line up, roll up their sleeve, and be vaccinated, to believe Jesus is coming back (did he really ascend into heaven in the first place.)

https://www.britannica.com › dictionary › faith As the definition states there is no proof of the belief, only blind adherence, hence the subject of this thread; Reason or logic does not have to be explained or expected.

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Song about those who abuse and those who want to be abused https://genius.com/Eurythmics-sweet-dreams-are-made-of-this-lyrics