I am not friends with anyone on this board. I dont know you all and really have no desire to. I came here for support during a transition in my life. I just have a couple of things I would like to say.

People who hide behind the Lord to chastise other people or use the Lord to make others feel guilty should be ashamed of themselves. HOW DARE YOU drag the Almighty God into this kind of bickering. Do you keep God on the same level as yourselves?? Keep Him on a leash and turn Him loose whenever it makes you look good?? I can't stand when pious people throw this "I will pray for you crap" around to make them seem holier than thou.. Just as bad are the people who use your christianity to slap you in the face. "I thought you were a Christian"... As if that is something they just came up with and haven't used that line time and time again to attack people. Christians are sinners, people. Jesus is the attonement for our sins. Paul, David and Moses were all murderers for God's sake and the Lord used each of these men in mighty ways. They each wrote major portions of the Bible. God created us to worship Him not to use Him for our own foolish gain. Come ONNNN!!!!! Enough if enough. Dont you all have friends in "real life"?? If your so unhappy online then step away from the keyboard... Shut the dang thing off... move on with your lives.. find another message board where everyone is perfect.. Or do SOMETHING!!!! But leave God out of your petty, childish bickering. If your not a Christian then be a decent human being and leave Him out anyway... He is very important to some people.

My Advice to all the angry people: Get a grip and move on past it.

Kathy

As a christian I DO believe that being supported by a christian family is important for accountability reasons as well as support.

I'm just wondering.... do you mean your actual family when you say christian family or do you mean your church family?

Nothing more to add, but NurseK, can you change your thread name from sick of this crap, (which started lots of noise) to somekind of theological debate title. It depresses me to see "sick of this crap" at the top of the posts list. Too many bad feelings associated with that time period.

I do like reading this thread. Funny thing it lasted, at one point, you did want it locked away.

I do like reading this thread. Funny thing it lasted, at one point, you did want it locked away.

Isn't it amazing when people can discuss issues without fear? That is the American way or at least should be American way.

I fear, though, if enough people (like the senatorial candidate that I quoted) take over, there will be a stifling of free speech such as what happened in countries like Iran where God is used as an excuse for limiting debate and Nazi Germany were God was used as an excuse for limiting debate, and in the countries where God is suppressed like China or North Korea.

The US constitution put both freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the same amendment; its first amendment. How odd is it that those two thoughts should be at such odds with each other?

I'm just wondering.... do you mean your actual family when you say christian family or do you mean your church family?

I mean my church family.. or a group of people with my belief system.. which could be just family and friends.. not necessarily a church per se...

Nothing more to add, but NurseK, can you change your thread name from sick of this crap, (which started lots of noise) to somekind of theological debate title. It depresses me to see "sick of this crap" at the top of the posts list. Too many bad feelings associated with that time period.

I do like reading this thread. Funny thing it lasted, at one point, you did want it locked away.

I tried to change the name of the thread but I don't know how!! I changed the title on my original post but it didnt change the name of the thread so I changed the name of the title back.. I wish I could also change some of the things I posted in mt first post but so many people have responded to it that it just wouldnt be right to edit it. So the message and the title will stand as is.. unfortunately I came across sounding like a jack ass!!! one good thing about the title.. it is a constant reminder of why NOT to post while you are angry!!! LOL

Anything in particular you would like the thread title changed to? :huggie:

Anything in particular you would like the thread title changed to? :huggie:

I dont know.. maybe "SOTC thread" or "Belief system discussion".. the only bad thing about changing the name is that it was an eye catcher and got people to read it.. a new name might be a "thread killer".. How about "SOTC thread...Why NOT to post when your angry"??

Faith is very important. I would never want to take faith from anyone, nor try to break their faith by logic or showing contradictions in their faith.

However, no one has the right to claim his/her faith any more valid than the next person's. If you have faith that you are on the correct path to eternal life with your God, you do not have the right to tell another person who has faith that they are on the correct path to eternal life with their God (or who worship the same God as you, but in a different way), that only your faith is true. If you want to feel it and believe it, fine. But do not put down other people's faith any more than you would want them to put your faith down. It is the "Golden Rule".

Many people say, "Money is the root of all evil". They are wrong. "The Love of Money is the root of all evil".

Many people say, "Never discuss religion". I believe they are wrong. "Never try to convince anyone that your faith is better than their faith" would be more appropriate. I have spent much of the last 7 years speaking to people in person and through forums about religion. It has caused me to listen and to go to the Bible to verify or disprove what was said. I had read the Bible cover to cover, first when 17 and then about 19 to 20. I started reading it much more while talking to people about religion.

I then read the "Holy Qur'an". It was illuminating. I am reading "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren right now. I am attending church regularly for the first time in 40 years. Why? Because I got interested in religion by talking about it.

I found that many people of faith know the Bible very well.

I found that many people of faith don't know the Bible very well or at all.

I found that many people of faith take the Bible and use it for very unchristian behavior.

I found that many people of faith who claimed to be Christian only knew the "Old Testament" or at least only quoted the "Old Testament".

I found that many people of faith who claimed to be Christian never practiced the teachings of Jesus Christ, but claimed that they had a personal relationship with him.

I found that many people of faith who claimed to be Christian really acted towards other people in the way that Jesus wanted us to act towards people.

But most of all, I found that only by reading and talking could I have found these things out. I never had to put down anyone's God. I did many times question the use of their claims that only their faith was correct. I even chastised people who said that all believers of this protestant sect or all Roman Catholics or all Jews or all Muslims would go to hell for not believing in the ways of their (only true and correct) way of worshiping (their only true God).

I have had people tell me that they are not condemning those people to hell, “it is in the Bible. It is word for word in the Bible". When I look up the passage, it does not say that "word for word". When I tell them that, they say "well what that means is..." Sorry, that is an interpretation, their interpretation, not "word for word".

The Bible and/or the "Holy Qur'an" can be read as "word for word" or it can be read as stories to help you in your life and help you gain eternity. Some people call me a "Cafeteria Christian" because I don't believe in certain things in the Bible, but then when I ask them about certain passages, they say that the passage doesn't mean what it says "word for word" or that was replaced by the "New testament".

My point is that there is more than enough Bible interpretation to last for a few millennia. Faith is wonderful, except when used to put other people's faith down. I believe that was the idea behind the post that started this thread.

TOM

PS: When I used the word "you" above, it was rhetorical and not addressed to anyone.

I totally agree. And (ooops) I forgot to say that too that "you" was not pointed in any direction...it was just my way of not sounding preachy or self-important. :huggie:

I have a friend from years back, and she met this guy she wanted to marry. He was divorced, but it would be her first marriage. She wanted a catholic church wedding, but again, he was divorced. he applied fo an annulment, and was denied... afterall, he was married for 6 years and had two kids... how can you annul that, they said.

He later donated $5000 to a papal charity fund... 2 weeks later that reconsidered his annulment and granted it. What does that make his kids? because now, in the eyes of the church, he was never married to their mother? Besides, what hipocracy!

I have a problem with this post.

It sounds like an attack on the Catholic church - MY church. And I feel the need to address it..

Even though this is 3rd party info, IF this were a true story - your friend would have grounds to possibly sue the Tribunal in his Diocese - in the least, bring in the Bishop on this situation.

There's more to an annulment then an application and denial.

And yes, Ive seen MANY annulments granted to those that were married for 25 years with 4,5,6 kids. Years and kids have nothing to do with proving that a sacramental marriage never existed. Thank you.

Most of the time the roots of ignorance, stem from a lack of understanding OR knowledge. There are many good and holy priest, religious and laity in every community that give classes on apologetics, church doctrines, papal encyclicals and so forth - basically they teach why Catholics do (and believe) the things we do. This is just a FYI - incase one is interested.

If anyone is interested in discussing this, you are welcome to pm me. I will not reply to attacks.

Now, excuse me while I go pray my rosary.:biggrin1:

I dont know.. maybe "SOTC thread"

it will make perfect sense when you tell me, but what is SOTC? Doh!:huggie:

it will make perfect sense when you tell me, but what is SOTC? Doh!:huggie:

SOTC = Sick Of This Crap

I have a problem with this post.

It sounds like an attack on the Catholic church - MY church. And I feel the need to address it..

Even though this is 3rd party info, IF this were a true story - your friend would have grounds to possibly sue the Tribunal in his Diocese - in the least, bring in the Bishop on this situation.

There's more to an annulment then an application and denial.

And yes, Ive seen MANY annulments granted to those that were married for 25 years with 4,5,6 kids. Years and kids have nothing to do with proving that a sacramental marriage never existed. Thank you.

Most of the time the roots of ignorance, stem from a lack of understanding OR knowledge. There are many good and holy priest, religious and laity in every community that give classes on apologetics, church doctrines, papal encyclicals and so forth - basically they teach why Catholics do (and believe) the things we do. This is just a FYI - incase one is interested.

If anyone is interested in discussing this, you are welcome to pm me. I will not reply to attacks.

Now, excuse me while I go pray my rosary.:biggrin1:

I don't think that was an attack, its just factual information on some policies of The Catholic Church. My mom is catholic, she has told me the same thing. Her own church would not let her get married not because my father had been prev married, it was because his first wife was prev married.....how messed up is that. My mom couldn't get married in her church beccause it was "her fault" that my protestant dad married a divorced woman??!! Please! I don't knock the catholic denomination, my uncle died and the methodist reverend wouldn't give him last rites because he was not an "active" member...hmmm no, he had cancer and was ill, couldn't attend. It was a catholic priest who gave his funeral services....what an honorable man, Father Michael, I will never forget him! I hope he is truly blessed in his life for such a random act of kindness. Even though I am agnostic, I believe blessings are important.

So there is good and bad (yin and yang) in everything.

Yup, I went DOH! Thanks.

Yup, I went DOH! Thanks.

your not alone, I went DOH too!!

your not alone, I went DOH too!!

I just didn't have enough guts to ask. I thought everyone knew but me.