Dogs names not allowed anymore?

[sparky]

the pastor usually says something ridiculous about evolution or atheists or gays and then my blood boils.

Heck man I haven't agreed with every thing that I've ever heard a pastor say,but that's ok because the ultimate goal is to reach heaven. You've made some rough comments on here lol,but from reading your post's it does seem like you have a good heart. I believe you can go to heaven ole buddy,you just gotta make that choice,I think it's in your heart..Johns 3:16

[Pine Lakes]

MO 5000, i don't think scientists are evil & I think most on hear feel the same as I. God gave us the capacity of thought and
we should use it to the fullest. I also believe that the Bible is God's direction to living a good life that leads to ever lasting peace. I think because the answers to every question you seek may not be given to you or any man for good reason. I would like to say that every person that claims to be a christian is not a good example of one. I have no faith in man and without God's grace anything he touches becomes a disaster. It is unfortunate that someone has lead you to not believe. My hope is that someone can undo what has been done and bring you peace. We believers are no better than you and if any should proclaim such then they are truly not. What I do hate is those that misrepresent what being a Christian truly is which turns nonbelievers away. There is no greater sin in my eyes.

I think you are mistaken about the United States not being a Christian based nation. Those that came here did so to escape persecution for thier beliefs. Those core beliefs are what inspired the authors of our constitution. Even those that were not totally sold on Christ being our savior. I'm worried for our children.

[New York Hillbilly]

You know MO, this morning I was going to post this:

So here we have the story of two teachers:

The first teaches forgiveness, love, kindness and the promise of life after death.

The second teaches we are apes, and therefore should accept we behave as such, and that there is only the here and now, with no hope of life after death. A rather dismal outlook!

Which class do you want your children sitting in?

But after thinking more about it and reading more of what you write, I think my fleeting impression about you last night was probably more accurate. Comments like;

“I am an atheist and I coach a summer team, volunteer for our cancer donations at school and left food to a guy in town who broke his foot and lost his job but because I didn't go through the church charity (they did the same thing) no one even knew about it because I don't give because I expect a reward in heaven for it, I just do it because one day maybe I will feel what that is like.”

Speak to someone with a good heart. A worthy Christian quality!

And then;

“I have not had a bad experience with Jesus, I promise.... I was "saved and went to church for over a decade and have a bible degree and everything. I still can do weddings. Church was my escape from a really crappy childhood... My parents were dope heads (mom is clean now and really well off) and I was ignored and church was my outlet. I went to camps and seminars and never missed a service. I just don't believe because I was presented with too much evidence contrary and it was hard.. Even know I still listen to christian music and I even pray for people, just in case there is a higher power and even though I believe there isn''t, it makes me feel good when I do.”

What you are saying is God was there for you when you needed God as a child living in such conditions. In fact I would argue God was there for your mother as well, turning her life around.

Personally, I think you are just confused, or in denial for some reason. But guess what? He will still be there when you change your mind again someday. And I bet so will all the Christians on this board, which is something we can’t expect of the monkeys! hahahaha

Funny thing about Christians, no matter how many insults or stones get thrown at them they don't come after you or your family, they only pray harder for you to see the light. That’s why they are so easy for everyone to gang up on.

I any event, not that it matters to you now, or maybe ever, but I feel better about you. I think in the end you will come back home.

Peace Brother
NYH…….currently hanging out in Alaska

[T Hynes]

It takes more faith to not believe in God and that everything was made from nothing than to believe in a God who created everything.

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

Weird how really we are all pretty much just people when we drop our egos. Again, I apologize, I love debate and talking with people who have different beliefs and this board is full of people who have different beliefs than me.

My mom is now a Christian and sometimes I wonder if she became one and then became well off, or if she became well off and that is why she started believing....I think about things like that a lot.

The first teaches forgiveness, love, kindness and the promise of life after death.
The second teaches we are apes, and therefore should accept we behave as such, and that there is only the here and now, with no hope of life after death. A rather dismal outlook!
Which class do you want your children sitting in?

Ya, I would MUCH MUCH MUCh rather preach a loving god, life after death and roses and things but I can't prove any of that stuff. I can however prove (well I suppose not some people) about dinosaurs and DNA and biology and things. I am in New Mexico visiting my mom this week and we went to the Albuqueqe Museum of natural history and got to touch, see and look at bones being excavated out of different layers in the ground and examine rocks made from the crater that made the dinos go extinct... I just don't see how or why people in the church have a hard time with that. You can be Christian if you want and not ignore evidence. I have plenty of students who believe in Jesus and evolution.

The creation museum that Kenn Hamm is making literally makes you guys look silly and backwards when clearly, I bet if I met every poster here on the street, you would be intelligent, caring awesome people. It is only when we add religion that we draw these massive dividing lines. Like tryin to run brace dogs with my ukc H&H dogs if we want to bring this back to beagles.

I will leave you with this though New York Hillbilly: We have had one male and one female homosexual student at my school over the past 3 years that I am aware of. Both straight A kids and their parents are both church going people and struggle with it. The male gets bullied a lot but the girl is pretty and super athletic and no one even says anything to her about it. The thing that annoys me the most when the male got bullied, it was almost always from Christians. I know that isn't what Christianity is about but they are learning it somewhere and then I log onto here and see "Queers shouldn't be allowed to own dogs" Then I see this confederate flag debacle and it is mostly Christians who want the flag to stay up and yet do any of you think Jesus, the Jesus of the bible, would be against removing that flag? Honestly... ask yourselves that question. I don't think Jesus would carry around a Jewish or Christian or American flag around because he cares about people, not government, if the guy is real..

[Newt]

We have had one male and one female homosexual student at my school over the past 3 years that I am aware of. Both straight A kids and their parents are both church going people and struggle with it. The male gets bullied a lot but the girl is pretty and super athletic and no one even says anything to her about it. The thing that annoys me the most when the male got bullied, it was almost always from Christians. I know that isn't what Christianity is about but they are learning it somewhere and then I log onto here and see "Queers shouldn't be allowed to own dogs" Then I see this confederate flag debacle and it is mostly Christians who want the flag to stay up and yet do any of you think Jesus, the Jesus of the bible, would be against removing that flag? Honestly... ask yourselves that question. I don't think Jesus would carry around a Jewish or Christian or American flag around because he cares about people, not government, if the guy is real..

The beauty of Christianity, I don't have to ask forgiveness for others sins. King James Version of Matthew 7:15.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Jesus addressed "Traditions of men" in Mark 7 and John 8. His objective was to shake people from their firm faith in their man-made traditons with the truth. Sadly, then as now, some people won't let go of their religious upbringing even when faced with the fact that it is unBiblical. They are scared. Mark 7 shows how traditions can control people. Notice: Verse 3 they were, "holding the tradition of the elders." In verse 5 they tried to hold Jesus to these. "Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders?" Jesus responds in v.7-13. "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Verse 8, "For laying aside the commandments of God, ye hold the tradition of men." Verse 9, "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Verse 13, "Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition..." Col. 2:8 says, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

[sparky]

Flag,No flag,Gay,Straight,Believe,Non believe,Science,Religion,Right,Wrong.. When we take our last breath I don't think it all ends there,I believe each an every one of us has a soul,and I believe every soul is worth saving if they wanna be saved.

[John Way]

Was out of internet access for past several days. Caught up on this thread last evening. Wow. great read. 5000, I prayed out loud for you from my mountain top camp. The lord has never let me down ! There is room for science in Gods world. I think this thread was a great reflection for all. Thanks.

[adirondackjoe]

well put john. amen.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Today the humanist asserts" I am sufficient within myself.I cannot understand something, it does not exist.Only what is tangible in the universe has existence.Only what I can discover and discern is reality.Nothing exists outside the realm of materialism.There is no interaction between so called world of spirit and the world of matter. There is no such thing as divine revelation.We need to abandon what we used to call divine revelation because we have chosen to trust ourselves. There is nothing beyond the grasp of man.
The early evolutionists chose not to place their trust in God.If there is no God they reasoned, what could have happened? They tried to construct a world view that left God out of the picture.The individuals who developed the theory of Charles Darwin into a philosophical system were committed to naturalism and materialism and were opposed to the supernatural,including divine revelation.Yet its proponents place a tremendous amount of faith in the theory and rely on it as if it were fully tested and proven as scientific fact.Believing in their own ideas, they build their philosophy on the basic premise that there is no God
All of us have to make a choice about our presuppositions.We have to decide whether our basic premise will be belief in God or belief in man.The choice is simple, but it has ultimate consequences.
Everyone has faith in something.Everyone begins with a basic premise.The atheist may say,"There is no God," but he believes in himself,and on that basic premise he builds his humanistic philosophy.Everyone builds his worldview,religion,or philosophy on a basic premise.The basic premise of the Christian is faith in God.
We all have a choice to believe or not to believe in the existence,power, and sovereignty of God. As finite creatures we can never fully approach God with our intellects,but if we start with the premise of faith,we will be able to find understanding.We could never completely understand all there is to know about the infinite Creator ,but we do not have to know everything about God in order to believe in Him.
The fact that we are limited in our ability to understand does not mean that the Christian faith is illogical or irrational.It is reasonable to accept God and His authority as part of our philosophical database.

[Alabama John]

Good post Shady Grove
When we were young, we followed and did what our earthly, human father told us without question. We didn't understand but very little of why he asked us to do something but we did it willingly without question, having faith, trusting in his leadership and good will for us.
So, its hard to understand how some rebel against the Father (interesting that He too is called Father isn't it) who asks us to follow out of faith what he is asking us to do, and not do, and it starts with believing in Him.
Why should there be a difference in our obeying one and not the other out of faith?
Both have our best interest at heart.

[warddog]

The difference being that our fathers were physically before us and it wasn't blind faith in following his words. I'll guarantee you my back side suffered many of hands on experiences when I doubted his word. On the other hand when I followed his words of experience the outcomes were less wear and tear on not only my back side but my life in general. My faith in my Father's words was a learned experience as I was not born with the ability to know or understand right from wrong. I'll also say that my father was NOT a religious man, nor was his father and I never saw him attend church or pray BUT what I will tell you is he was as good a man as ANY. My grandfather on my mothers side was NOT a Christian until later on in life after he had sowed all the seeds of that could be sowed from a brown bottle. When he finally realized his life appeared to be going nowhere outside of the brown bottle and he hadn't the inner strength to kick it from within he turned to an imaginary friend to assist. I will say that it did take him from the realms of the brown bottle syndrome as it did my grandmother and if that is what it took for them to straighten themselves out, then more power to them. My dad died saying that he needed no minister as my grandfather was his. Sometimes that inner belief is what I think some folks need, while others already have that ENERGY within that they can summon when need be. I will say that all the discussion of religion and faith in the world will NOT change one single person's mind until they themselves come to the innermost realization of what spirituality is, to them! Faith in and of itself is a belief in something which there is NO proof and that works from both sides of the issue because there is no proof either way but man has been taught religion for thousands of years. I have NO idea of which side is right or which side is wrong BUT what I do know is that my father taught me what was right from wrong so I will continue to live my life following what my earthly father taught me even though he was not of the spiritual nature. I will continue to believe that goodliness is Godliness and that is the journey in this life.

[WELLS WOODS]

Christ is alive! Get on board before it's too late.

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

I appreciate the prayers... I really don't think/know if they do any good but they certainly don't do harm and you all are mostly really good people so good times!

The fact that we are limited in our ability to understand does not mean that the Christian faith is illogical or irrational.It is reasonable to accept God and His authority as part of our philosophical database.

No, it does not... What makes it irrational is...................... Just kidding, lets put this thread to rest for a while. It was fun. Maybe we can do it again one night in a live thread if we all pick a date we wanna discuss things.

[adirondackjoe]

mo, i'm in. let's meet at church to discuss it.