Badfish

Hey those were my hugs wildernesse, step back!

Ok, then Goliath is abrasive, maybe oh 80 grit or so.

Radorth

Goliath, you can go to church with me anytime. They even take in 60 grit folks, like myself.

If only I was Catholic. We could smoke huge cigars afterwards without corrupting the kids.

Rad

Ronin

Matthew ~

10:34
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

10:35
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

10:36
And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

and...

Luke ~

12:51
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

12:52
For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

12:53
The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.


The cause of strife is obvious...atheists merely get involved by speaking out and refuting this nonsense.

With this knowledge, any expression of love, compassion or affection by a christian to a unbeliever is routinely perceived as disingenuous...and, by default, taken as such by anyone who knows that book of fable.

Sabine Grant

You almost sound harsher than the God you despise...." any expression of love"... might the judge be more guilty than the accusee? you mean verbal expressions I hope or the " hug" Goliath was rejecting earlier. Surely you allow yourself to see some degree of goodness and authenticity in actions whether the person is or is not a christian... no way my favourite humanist would segregate and reject the possibility that a christian may express love with a genuine intent by " helping the lesser of these".
I hope you are in a good mood on this beautiful afternoon...

Radorth

On Saturdays apparently, some atheists don't consider the truth worthy of arguing with relatives about.

It was my unbelieving relatives who rejected, shunned and patronized me, not I them, when I became a Christian. I loved them all the more.

These verses are oft trotted out for lack of anything else, but they tell us virtually nothing, and in practice the divisions are just as likely caused by unbelievers as believers. Besides that, Jesus is merely stating a prophetic fact, well born out by the personal attacks and gratuitous slander we have seen here. He can be accused of nothing more than saying his message is so radical that it will upset our comfy belief systems and relationships.

Too bad about that innocent fig tree though. Terrible thing.

Rad

hezekiah jones

Originally posted by Sabine Grant
You almost sound harsher than the God you despise....

I think Christians are the ones that despise magical beings (i.e., Satan).

hezekiah jones

Originally posted by Radorth
Too bad about that innocent fig tree though. Terrible thing.

There, there. It's just a made-up story. The fig tree is just fine. So are the little piggies.

openeyes

Small towns can be toxic. Hope IIDB helps you keep your sanity.

Sabine Grant

salut " son"...I can relate to some extent to being the object of rejection by relatives because of my faith. In my situation it was moreso because I did not want to partake into bashing another member of the family. My choice of how to deal with the problem is what led some relatives to react negatively towards me. When I gave the reason for my choice, I made it clear that as a christian I would not follow their lead rather I would want to " work" with that person. That is when " hell came loose" ( so to speak). At times it is not the expression of our faith which disturbs others.... when a crowd yells out " punish, bannish" and puts a thumb down and the minority says" no... let me try a different way"....there is rejection. How we may choose to deal with other people can be upsetting indeed to the ego.... Even some of Christ's disciples " fussed" at Him for honoring the gift from a " woman of bad reputation". If we defy conventional attitudes based on hatred and warmonging, you can be sure that we will get in trouble and face rejection.
And we were warned about it.

Goliath

Sabine Grant,

First of all, I apologize for not responding sooner. It is nearing the end of the semester, and school has kept me from the IIDB.

Really? So would you feel grateful for the love of a stalker?

That's the point: there isn't a lot of love around, and there shouldn't be a lot of love around. That's a part of what makes love so damn special.

....your point?

I never said otherwise.

Yes, those are the ones that you need to keep your eyes on.

Agreed.

Tolerance is not acceptance. There are many things (including religious beliefs) that I tolerate, but do not accept.

Again, I will never accept religious beliefs. I was a xian for many years, so I was as open to xianity then as I ever will be.

Religious beliefs have shown time and time again that they deserve no such benefits.

Not true. The answer to the question "what is your greatest need?" will be a function of who you're asking as well as a function of time.

And I still say that this "touch" cheapens love.

Sincerely,

Goliath