spurly

Starboy:

I get the feeling that you are projecting the views and attitudes of other followers of Jesus you have met on me. What you describe, is not what I am. I'm an extremely tolerant person. I will hang out with people who don't know Jesus, and not condemn them for their actions. After all, since they don't know him I don't expect them to live like they do.

But I also love them enough to introduce them to the Great Lover of All Mankind. If they choose to listen, great. If they choose not to, I just continue to pray that they will one day embrace his love.

It's very difficult to judge a person from words that appear on a screen when you can not talk to that person face to face and get a sense of their heart and their passions.

I follow the example of my Savior. I love all people, and I tell them about the incredible love the Father has for them.

Kevin

Opera Nut

I became a Xtian after many years, because of all the people who told me how wonderful it was. I got the full dunk baptism, prayed my ass off, read the Bible and all.

You know what happened? Nothing.

I got so sick of being told what a worthless piece of crap I was that I became suicidal. That's what that fake joy of Xtianity does to depressed people. The last straw was when the choir director lectured us for 45 minutes on how we were not "anointed"!!

I sat three feet away from him during this speech, and cried my eyes out the whole time. And I was the only white person in a Missionary Baptist gospel choir, and I loved the singing and dancing (I have rhythm). I asked how he could tell if we were anointed or not, and I never got an answer.

I sat up and cried in church when the preacher went on about "living in sin", since my BF couldn't find his wife to get a divorce, she disappeared and he would have to pay $5K - $10K for an attorney to represent her, money he doesn't have. We want to get married but nobody would help us get jobs so we could change the situation. We did work for the church, such as videotaping, typing, mixing and mastering a gospel concert, and could not get them to pay us for it, although the preacher was doing well and had his hand in the till. My BF and I were the first white couple to join this church in its 130-year history. It was founded by freed slaves.

One day after a hellfire and brimstone sermon about how King David was such a horrible guy, I went up to the preacher and screamed at him "You know what your sermon does to me? It makes me want to crawl in a hole and die!!". He was stunned. So was his wife. She said she would "call me later". Never did of course.

The message of Xtianity was "You're not good enough". I tried to slash my wrists after yet another phone call from a "good Xtian" telling me I had no right to charge for typing up sermons. I checked myself into the local county funny farm, which didn't help either. I had no chemical addictions so they had no therapy for me other than pills.

My choice: Death or non-Christianity.

Xtianity is socially sanctioned mental and emotional abuse for depressed people like me. Xtianity is all about death, negativity and blood, since it starts from the premise that we all have original sin. That means we have unearned guilt and shame. I refuse to take on unearned guilt and shame.

Sorry, Christians. I can't take the crap.


:banghead:

Magus55

No, as was pointed out I'm a Messianic Jew. And no i don't consider JW's to be True Christians. I don't consider Mormons to be either. Their doctrines aren't based on Jesus or the Bible they are based on their creators ( Joseph Smith for Mormonism).

And by amount of following I mean number of adherents. The entire world wasn't Jewish in Abraham's day. Thats where we get eastern religions - pygmy's and other civilizations that spread their own ways.

Magus55

Actually, we aren't an oxymoron. Jewish, is a race. Judaism is a religion, Messianic Judaism is the combination of Jewish culture/roots/tradition with belief in the messiah. I'm a Jew, as in a direct descendant of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob blood line. I'm Christian ( Messianic) in that i follow and worship Jesus Christ. But call it whatever you want. I'm hardly gonna take the opinion of an atheist to tell me what my belief and character is.

Messianic Judaism is increasing, and its now even acknowledged in Israel ( which it was formerly forbidden and considered heresy).

spurly

Actually a Messianic Jew is not an oxymoron at all. Weren't the Jews the ones who were promised the Messiah would come? Weren't the Jews the ones who were waiting for years for the Messiah to reveal himself?

A Messianic Jew is simply a Jewish person who realizes that the fulfillment of their hope is in Jesus - the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Kevin

mike_decock

I went through several bouts of depression when I was a Christian. Thankfully, I never attempted suicide, I just contempleted it often (I still don't think that makes it a good thing). It took almost 10 years to break the cycle of self-loathing and self-imposed inferiority which is necessary to maintain the Christian faith without being a complete hypocrite.

I'm glad I got out of it and I'm very happy to hear that you crawled your way out of that evil cult as well.

-Mike...

Magus55

Funny, i was beyond depressed and attempted suicide before i found Jesus. Doing much better now. Was a miraculous, day and night turn around from years of self hate, loathing, depression, suicidal thoughts, and darkness. Then Jesus showed me the light and the way to happiness.

spurly

I've been in the church since birth, and I've never once considered suicide. The love that constantly surrounds me from the family of God and God himself is so incredible, I can't even fathom the possibility.

I readily admit though, that some practitioners of Christianity use guilt trips and manipulation in ways that God never intended. I feel for people who are abused by their "spiritual" fervor. My only advice is to get out and find a place where you can be embraced by God's love.

Kevin

mike_decock

I was raised in the church since birth as well. My family's love for me has always been incredible and except for the fact that I wish they weren't wrapped up in the Christian Faith, I wouldn't change a thing about my childhood. Christianity was simply a very unhealthy belief system for me.

-Mike...

Opera Nut

Jewish is not a race. Jews come from various ethnic groups, white, black or hispanic, and any Jew can become another religion. A Jew is counted as thru the matriarchal line. Also, a non-Jew can convert and be accepted as fully as anyone born into the tradition. Judaism is a religion and a culture, and Jewish is any person, born into it or not, who follows that religion and cultural values, at least in the Reform and Conservative traditions.

If you remember the words to the Hallelujah Chorus, which are from Isaiah, I believe, prophesying the Messiah: "His name shall be called Wonderfull, Counselor, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."

In Matthew 10:35, Jesus is quoted as saying "I come not in peace, but with a sword." This is also repeated in another gospel. Therefore, Jesus is not the Prince of Peace, and is not the Messiah, according to Jews.