[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

Brother Wide-Open's friendship is worth a million times more than your usual gay sex friends are.

Personally, I'm not gay, although I've never understood why that's so important to some people. It certainly isn't to me -- unless, of course, I meet a nice woman! I'm also not a Martian, but I'd sure be happy to meet one!

He is offering you the ultimate gift, a passage to Heaven.

I'ts been my experience that a gift is only valuable if it has value to the person receiving the gift. I've never understood how folks came up with this notion of "Heaven" and "Hell".

I get sick just thinking about you.

Why do you do things that make you sick? I think it's better to do things that keep us healthy.

[Zechariah Smyth]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

Wow! You guys are tough! Felicity just "infracted" me again, this time for saying that she has strange ideas. But I don't get it: they are very strange ideas to me! Gee, at this rate, I may get so many infractions that I'll be forced to leave!

Well, if folks in one place don't seem to like me, I generally just move on. There are lots of other places to meet people and to make friends.

Pity.

I didn't ask a question. But I do have to ask you -- and I admit that I might be assuming too much here -- are you afraid of Wide-Open?

You are confusing respect and fear.

One thing that I try never to do is to lie about my feelings. If I tell you that I feel a certain way, you can trust that that actually is how I feel. And I should know, since I'm the only person who could know how I feel unless I tell someone. I have little appreciation for people who want to tell me that I feel differently from what I tell them.

I didn't say you were lying...I said you don't have the perspective to properly gauge your feelings.

Meh.

A thoughtful and well-reasoned reply seems to be beyond your capabilities.

You seem to be a very unhappy person. That's too bad. We have so little time in this life that it seems to be a shame to waste it on being unhappy.

I don't measure time by my corporeal existence.

(John 5:24) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

<---me

Meanwhile:

(2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

<---you

YiC,

Z. Smyth

[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

I didn't say you were lying...I said you don't have the perspective to properly gauge your feelings.

Yes, I can tell that you and I probably will not get along well together. Long ago, I decided that I would take offense when someone tries to tell me how I feel when I've told them something different. That decision has worked out well. It's helped me to avoid wasting time.

A thoughtful and well-reasoned reply seems to be beyond your capabilities.

You should see how I reply when I'm interested in something that someone has said. It's regretable, but that might not happen in our conversations.

I don't measure time by my corporeal existence.

(John 5:24) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

<---me

Well, I'm glad that you're happy, anyway. Happiness is good.

Meanwhile:

(2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

<---you

For that to be important to me, I would have to believe it.

[Didymus Much]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

...That decision has worked out well. It's helped me to avoid wasting time learning anything.

FTFY

But seriously, why are you here? You should have noticed that this is a Baptist Church website, not a loopdeloo feelgood NewAge showers optional drum circle.

Start discussing the Bible and God, or go away. Thanks.

[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

FTFY

Wow. That was sure unnecessarily rude.

But seriously, why are you here? You should have noticed that this is a Baptist Church website,...

I'm sorry, did you not read my original post? I explained exactly how I came to be here. Similar to the series of accidents that lead to my creation, I came across this place quite by accident. I was curious about some things that TamTamPamela had said in a YouTube video that I saw on another web site, and... well, here I am! She said that she was happy and that there were other happy people here, and I like being around happy people. And since I've known lots of Baptists in my life (I even lived with a Baptist pastor and his family for six weeks when I was a kid -- delightful people, they were!), I didn't see a reason that I should necessarily stay away.

It's funny, though. I don't seem to be meeting anyone who seems particularly happy. Some say that they are, so I have to take their word for it, but to me they don't look happy in the way that I've ever seen anyone else who was happy. In fact, they look like they're angry and upset. But I could be wrong. My grandfather always looked like he was ready to chew steel, but he was actually a really nice man and loved me very much. We had a lot of fun together!

...not a loopdeloo feelgood NewAge showers optional drum circle.

Well, that's good, because I'm certainly not interested it that!

Start discussing the Bible and God, or go away. Thanks.

To tell you the truth, I'm kind of worried about discussing the Bible and God. One of the things that I read when I first came here is that "This is not a debate forum", and I really don't want to argue about anything, anyway. To tell you the truth, I'm probably completely unqualified to "discuss" the Bible or God. Although I have read the Bible a couple of times (I'm really sorry for lying about that before), it just doesn't make any sense to me. And I've never met two people who can agree on what the term "God" means. Although that's something that could make God an interesting subject, it requires a certain tolerance of others and flexibility of thinking to engage in that kind of conversation. I'm not sure if... well, I've just avoided getting into it here because I don't want to offend anyone, and some folks here seem to be kind of touchy about it.

Well, maybe you're right. This probably isn't the place for me. Heck, with all of those infractions flying around, it might not even be a safe place!

[ExGay Alex]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

Wow. That was sure unnecessarily rude.



I'm sorry, did you not read my original post? I explained exactly how I came to be here. Similar to the series of accidents that lead to my creation, I came across this place quite by accident. I was curious about some things that TamTamPamela had said in a YouTube video that I saw on another web site, and... well, here I am! She said that she was happy and that there were other happy people here, and I like being around happy people. And since I've known lots of Baptists in my life (I even lived with a Baptist pastor and his family for six weeks when I was a kid -- delightful people, they were!), I didn't see a reason that I should necessarily stay away.

It's funny, though. I don't seem to be meeting anyone who seems particularly happy. Some say that they are, so I have to take their word for it, but to me they don't look happy in the way that I've ever seen anyone else who was happy. In fact, they look like they're angry and upset. But I could be wrong. My grandfather always looked like he was ready to chew steel, but he was actually a really nice man and loved me very much. We had a lot of fun together!



Well, that's good, because I'm certainly not interested it that!



To tell you the truth, I'm kind of worried about discussing the Bible and God. One of the things that I read when I first came here is that "This is not a debate forum", and I really don't want to argue about anything, anyway. To tell you the truth, I'm probably completely unqualified to "discuss" the Bible or God. Although I have read the Bible a couple of times (I'm really sorry for lying about that before), it just doesn't make any sense to me. And I've never met two people who can agree on what the term "God" means. Although that's something that could make God an interesting subject, it requires a certain tolerance of others and flexibility of thinking to engage in that kind of conversation. I'm not sure if... well, I've just avoided getting into it here because I don't want to offend anyone, and some folks here seem to be kind of touchy about it.

Well, maybe you're right. This probably isn't the place for me. Heck, with all of those infractions flying around, it might not even be a safe place!

Why ARE you here? What do you wish to accomplish with your visit here?

We welcome all newcomers, of course, for Bible study and fellowship, but if you are not interested in the Bible how can we help you, seriously, on your Christian walk?

You are not just here to harass us, are you? We have so little patience for trolls. Same as God, by the way.

[MitzaLizalor]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

"EveningStar" … "MorningStar" … Cherokee … Native Americans … "White Buffalo" etc.

It would appear that you have become infected with aboriginal demons.

However I agree that the scientific illiteracy of many teachers is not good. And it is not rectricted to government run secular education programmes. Even supposedly "Christian" schools teach the most ridiculous rubbish! Recently I was looking over some prep. (child of a family member) and was amazed to see a reference to "the observable universe" with an estimated diameter of 90,000 million light years! It is outrageous that indoctrination of that sort is foisted on young minds before they have developed the critical faculties to sift fact from fiction.

None of those teachers have been "in space" and even at our best private
schools, supposedly "Christian" (although non-denominational ),
this sort of wild speculation is disseminated as truth.
Although really it is not speculation, is it? It's a deliberate lie.

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make warre with the remnant of her seed, which keepe the Commaundements of God, and haue the testimony of Iesus Christ.
©1611

This was foretold by John (on the Isle of Patmos Revelation 1:9) and is happening now. We know that God made the world, the sky: He has told us so. I sometimes think of this as like an architect who designed a house, and who is able to describe unseen features (such as some internal structure). Then when you look for them: there they are!

God has told us many things that we could never work out for ourselves. He made everything, and of course knows the whole truth of the matter.

JOB 9
4 He is wise in heart, and mightie in strength: who hath hardened himselfe against him, and hath prospered?
5 Which remoueth the mountains, and they know not: which ouerturneth them in his anger:
6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, & the pillars thereof tremble:
7 Which commandeth the Sunne, and it riseth not: and sealeth vp the starres.
8 Which alone spreadeth out the heauens, and treadeth vpon the waues of the Sea.
9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of the South.
10 Which doeth great things past finding out, yea and wonders without number.
©1611

We know that nothing beyond 6,000 "light-years" would be visible from the earth - even if any light could penetrate such a distance!

Then they start teaching sex, even though they know - SHOULD know, in a "church" based curriculum - that just about everything they teach leads to Hell. In reality they seem to know very little about their "subject" just as God told us: Ecclesiastes 11:5

One day soon, it will all end, and the sky will be rolled up again Isaiah 34:4 Revelation 6:14

That is reality, and THAT is what should be taught in schools. FACT. Not fiction. Psalm 139:14

PRAISE HIM !

[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

It would appear that you have become infected with aboriginal demons.

Well, I do prefer to leave judgements about my character to others. Some people like me, some don't. I guess that's just the way things go.

However I agree that the scientific illiteracy of many teachers is not good.

Oh! I'm so happy to hear that!

And it is not rectricted to government run secular education programmes. Even supposedly "Christian" schools teach the most ridiculous rubbish! Recently I was looking over some prep. (child of a family member) and was amazed to see a reference to "the observable universe" with an estimated diameter of 90,000 million light years! It is outrageous that indoctrination of that sort is foisted on young minds before they have developed the critical faculties to sift fact from fiction.

None of those teachers have been "in space" and even at our best private
schools, supposedly "Christian" (although non-denominational ),
this sort of wild speculation is disseminated as truth.
Although really it is not speculation, is it? It's a deliberate lie.

Uh-oh. Maybe not.

We know that nothing beyond 6,000 "light-years" would be visible from the earth - even if any light could penetrate such a distance!

Okay, this brings up exactly what I don't get. While you've undoubtedly heard this question a million times before, I've never heard an answer to it, and I would really like to know what you think:

If God (however you understand "God") created everything, then God also created the dinosaur fossils. It also follows that God gave us the ability to observe and learn, and the Laws of Nature to guide us in that learning. All of the evidence that we've gathered based on those "God-given gifts" shows that those dinosaur fossils are millions of years old. But how can that be if the world is only 6000 years old? I'm not saying that God actually did this, but did God put those fossils there to trick us? I just can't believe that God (again, however you understand "God") is a liar.

Is God a malicious prankster? I sincerely hope that the answer to that is "No".

God has told us many things that we could never work out for ourselves.

This brings up another thing: God gave us curiosity and an ability to learn. It seems logical then that God would want us learn, right? After all, we would be learning about God's work, and that would be "to the greater glory of God", I suppose.

What's more, every time we find a question that we can't answer and just leave it as "It's God's will and not for us to know", somebody comes along later and answers that question. I mean Isaac Newton felt that he had to attribute some things to God that he couldn't explain, but then other scientists came along later and explained them.

Why should we believe that there are some things that "we could never work out" when we keep working out more and more difficult questions? It seems to me that it's just a matter of time and diligence.

[Jedediah]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

It seems you have a choice to make. Are you going to follow the Word of God and be guided by the Holy Spirit, or are you going to be deceived by fallen men who concoct these bizarre "theories" either out of ignorance or contempt for the Judeo-Christian Principles upon which our Great Nation was founded? I suggest you contemplate on the following verse of Scripture. I do not think that it can be overemphasized.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Our job is not to ask "why." Our job is to obey God and to glorify God in all that we do and to seek His Face. He has told us all that we need to know in the Holy Bible, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide our actions on a day-to-day basis.

Are you familiar with Occam's Razor? Simply put, it is a principle that states that the simplest explanation is always correct. What simpler explanation could there be for these questions than to just say "the Bible is right"?

[Pastor William Nathaniel Sampson]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

Okay, this brings up exactly what I don't get. While you've undoubtedly heard this question a million times before, I've never heard an answer to it, and I would really like to know what you think:

If God (however you understand "God") created everything, then God also created the dinosaur fossils. It also follows that God gave us the ability to observe and learn, and the Laws of Nature to guide us in that learning. All of the evidence that we've gathered based on those "God-given gifts" shows that those dinosaur fossils are millions of years old.

According to what? Has any person ever actually observed the half life of Uranium 238?

But how can that be if the world is only 6000 years old? I'm not saying that God actually did this, but did God put those fossils there to trick us? I just can't believe that God (again, however you understand "God") is a liar.

Don't be ridiculous. Man and dinosaurs clearly lived together. Haven't you ever been to the Creation Science Museum? Haven't you ever read about the dragons and behemoths in the Bible?

I'm a gold donor to its important work in preserving the purely scientific six day creation theory.

[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

It seems you have a choice to make. Are you going to follow the Word of God and be guided by the Holy Spirit, or are you going to be deceived by fallen men who concoct these bizarre "theories" either out of ignorance or contempt for the Judeo-Christian Principles upon which our Great Nation was founded?

That's just it: those theories don't seem to be at all "bizarre". Once you understand a little math (which I suppose you would have to say is another of God's gifts to us), those theories begin to make perfect sense!

But I do think you're right that I have a decision to make, although I don't agree with how you framed it -- and you might not like the decision that I make. But I'm sure that you've made some decisions in your life that I wouldn't like much, either. And what was it that Jesus said? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". That was always my favorite thing in the Bible.

To each his own, I guess. Live and let live. You go your way and I'll go mine.

I suggest you contemplate on the following verse of Scripture. I do not think that it can be overemphasized.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Well, I'm pretty sure that's what I've done. I mean, if you follow logic (another one of God's gifts to us), it gives us a pretty clear direction. That would certainly mean that God is directing our paths. It seems like logic would be an easy way for God to do that. And if there's one thing about God that I absolutely do trust, it's logic.

Our job is not to ask "why."

Well, now, that's where you lose me, because I think that God does want us to understand, and that God does provide the answers, but we have to look for them and accept them when we find them. Asking "why" is just the way we start down the path toward a better understanding of God, to "praise" God, so to speak.

Our job is to obey God and to glorify God in all that we do and to seek His Face.

I honestly don't know how it is possible to disobey God, when you get right down to it. One of his Laws, for instance, implies that you can't have an action without an equal and opposite reaction. No one has ever found a way around that Law, and it seems certain that no one ever will. All of the rest of the Laws are like that, too.

He has told us all that we need to know in the Holy Bible, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide our actions on a day-to-day basis.

Now, look: God sure didn't tell us how to build harvesters, tractors, and trains in the Bible, and while we might not have needed them when there weren't so many of us, we sure do need them today if we're going to feed everybody, and we had to figure out how to build them starting, a long time ago, with nothing but rocks and sticks and the brains that God gave us!

Are you familiar with Occam's Razor? Simply put, it is a principle that states that the simplest explanation is always correct. What simpler explanation could there be for these questions than to just say "the Bible is right"?

You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say that that was pure genius on your part. But I don't see where the Bible says that we shouldn't learn how to build tractor with which to grow more food to feed the hungry or a telescope that can see billions of years into the universe's past.

The "simple" explanation seems to be that if we have a question then we should figure out how to answer it.

[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

According to what? Has any person ever actually observed the half life of Uranium 238?

Yes! Where were you? You don't have to see the whole 4.5 billion years of it to know what it is. All you have to do is to watch how fast a part of a sample decays. After that, it's a simple problem of arithmetic to figure out how long it would take half of the sample to decay.

C'mon. That's simple stuff.

Don't be ridiculous. Man and dinosaurs clearly lived together. Haven't you ever been to the Creation Science Museum? Haven't you ever read about the dragons and behemoths in the Bible? I'm a gold donor to its important work in preserving the purely scientific six day creation theory.

Well, it seems more likely is that what is "clear" to you and what is "clear" to me are two different things. I don't think I'm likely to spend any time at that museum you fund if that's the kind of stuff I'd have to listen to there.

But I did read about the dragons and behemoths in the Bible. We just have different names for them today.

[Pastor William Nathaniel Sampson]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

That's just it: those theories don't seem to be at all "bizarre". Once you understand a little math (which I suppose you would have to say is another of God's gifts to us), those theories begin to make perfect sense!

Math is absolute crap. The Bible clearly tells us that Pi=3. There's no decimal point in the Word!

1 Kings 7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". That was always my favorite thing in the Bible.
To each his own, I guess. Live and let live. You go your way and I'll go mine.

Personally, I would prefer that someone would warn me if I was doing wrong. I hope someone would push me back away from the speeding bus coming to hit me, but I guess you wouldn't.
Live and let live as the house burns down and I did nothing to try to save you. Why do you think I hate you so much? Why do you hate Jesus so much?

[MitzaLizalor]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

Original posts by EveningStarNM

If God (however you understand "God") created everything, then God also created the dinosaur fossils. It also follows that God gave us the ability to observe and learn, and the Laws of Nature to guide us in that learning. All of the evidence that we've gathered based on those "God-given gifts" shows that those dinosaur fossils are millions of years old. But how can that be if the world is only 6000 years old? I'm not saying that God actually did this, but did God put those fossils there to trick us? I just can't believe that God (again, however you understand "God") is a liar.

Well if I dig up a skeleton, I can tell what sort of an animal it was (or not, as the case may be), there is no room for "opinion" - either I know what it is or I don't. Similarly with a human skeleton - most people would recognise one. Some animals are extinct, e.g. the dodo.

That bird was alive recently enough however for drawings to have been made. Anyone digging up a dodo skeleton might recognise it.

Other animals have been extinct for longer. Some of them have been described quite accurately and we can recognise those too. Some of those descriptions are in The Bible.

Obviously they were all created on days 5 & 6 of that first week, 6 millennia ago.

Is God a malicious prankster? I sincerely hope that the answer to that is "No".

It is.†
The Bible tells us that by His Word, all things were created.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

John 1:1,3,14
1 In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
3 All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among vs (& we beheld his glory, the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father)
. .†full of grace and trueth.

There is a deceiver, however.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the deuill and Satan, which deceiueth the whole world: hee was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

This brings up another thing: God gave us curiosity and an ability to learn. It seems logical then that God would want us learn, right? After all, we would be learning about God's work, and that would be "to the greater glory of God", I suppose.

Although we might have an ability to learn, we are more likely to be deceived. God made everything, is not some "prankster" and instructs us, through His Word. When some liar asserts that some of the animals described in The Bible lived millions of years ago, we know that is wrong because it disagrees with what God Himself has told us. Digging up the skeleton of some extinct animal does not prove that the world was not made in the way God said. Secular so-called "science' is a massive lie, perpetrated by an army of Satan's liars (and by fools).

II John 1:7 For many deceiuers are entred into the world, who confesse not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiuer, and an Antichrist.

What's more, every time we find a question that we can't answer and just leave it as "It's God's will and not for us to know", somebody comes along later and answers that question. I mean Isaac Newton felt that he had to attribute some things to God that he couldn't explain, but then other scientists came along later and explained them.

Why should we believe that there are some things that "we could never work out" when we keep working out more and more difficult questions? It seems to me that it's just a matter of time and diligence.

Virtually everything taught in the atheistic secular "science" classroom is false. It is part of a satanic indoctrination programme. The answers that seem to excite you so are not answers, they are lies. We know they are lies because they contradict God's Word: they are antichristian. God knew this would happen, and tells us two things:

1} Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shal shew great signes and wonders: insomuch that (if it were possible,) they shall deceiue the very elect.
25 Behold, I haue told you before.

God is quite clear here: forewarned is forearmed.

2} I John 4:1 Beloued, beleeue not euery spirit, but trie the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the spirit of God: euery spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God.
3 And euery Spirit that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof you haue heard, that it should come, and euen now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and haue ouercome them: because greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speake they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: hee that knoweth God, heareth vs: he that is not of God heareth not vs, hereby know wee the spirit of trueth, and the spirit of errour.

[EveningStarNM]

Re: Is this an interesting place?

Math is absolute crap. The Bible clearly tells us that Pi=3. There's no decimal point in the Word!

1 Kings 7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

Well, THAT certainly is very interesting! I would be interested in a demonstration of a circle that has a radius of, say, one inch and a circumference of six inches. Could you post a picture of that, please? I'm always interested in learning more about geometry.

By the way, you wouldn't happen to know the formula for converting cubits into other units of measure, would you? I can't seem to find one, so I'd be grateful if you could tell me what it is. The reason that I ask is that I suspect that my Bible is 1/4 cubits by 1/3 cubits in dimension, but I'd like to make sure.

However, that does bring up an important question: are there any slashes "/" in the Bible? If not, does that mean that measuring something that is less than one inch, for instance, also is "crap"? Or one foot? Or one mile?

Personally, I would prefer that someone would warn me if I was doing wrong. I hope someone would push me back away from the speeding bus coming to hit me, but I guess you wouldn't.

Live and let live as the house burns down and I did nothing to try to save you. Why do you think I hate you so much? Why do you hate Jesus so much?

Gosh! I have no idea why you would think any of that about me! I certainly would try to put out the flames on your house if it was burning! I would try to save you from a speeding bus, too! If something was trying to hurt you and you were in immediate danger, I would be willing to risk my life to try to help you! But that's just me, and I wouldn't expect you to do the same. After all, you do hate me, as you said.

But there are so many things where "doing wrong" is just a matter of opinion that I wouldn't presume to try to correct you on everything that I thought you might be doing wrong. For instance, if you tried to put peanut butter and chocolate and garlic on a sardine sandwich, I would never try to correct you even though that is a disgusting combination! I would naturally assume that you would be able to make that decision for yourself. After all, God gave you free will, therefore I could only think that it was God's will that you have the opportunity to taste such a sandwich and decide for yourself if you liked it or not.