Bijou wrote:
Hence my suggestion you take some course(s) to better understand the Scripture and the actual history concerning The Way, from His time to ours.
Well, I do thank you.
At the risk of sounding preachy here, though: His way never changes no matter what time we are in.
I'm not sure if that is what you meant by that.. the Word doesn't change with the times. What changes is the way that we try to manipulate what it means to suit whatever times we live in or whatever rationale we want.
As far as the history of the organized religion known to history as "christianity" is really not much different than the rest of history. Once John died you can see immediately where all of the various factions begin solidifying into all of the various proto-denominations that sprawl throughout history into what we know as christianity today as well.. a fractured mess just like it was from as soon as humans got their dirty little paws on it. It's a good thing that the Good News cannot be tainted despite of taint of those that touch it because in fact it touches them.
But yeah, I've been a connoisseur of history since a child and I try to be no less tenacious with my Christian studies.
Bijou wrote:
At the risk of sounding all pretentious and stuff I'm a staff member at a Christian Mission/Homeless Shelter, which I would think you'd know; most everyone else here does. I don't work there for the pay, believe you me. I work there because I was called to work there. You know what that means, right?
I have no idea where you are or what your situation is. That is surely commendable what you are doing however. Do I know what that means? If it means what I think it means then it means that like Jeremiah or Jonah you have a burning desire inside of you that you believe is from God that is compelling you to so this thing.
Either way, your outreach shall be in my prayers.
If your real problem is with my attitude or whatever.. I indeed don't think I would come here if people didn't seek to truly speak their minds toward opposing viewpoints. I think I try to make at least an attempt these days to not be unnecessarily insulting to anyone. I don't know what you would expect from me unless it be like most other Christians that I have seen here that actually speak their minds about it and start arguing using scripture and clearly not having the biblical understanding enough to hold up to the scrutiny. As a result, yes, I don't expect you as a Christian to try to actively discuss the Good News here in this environment.. if the spirit doesn't hit you to do that then I don't think that I'm being a better Christian than you because of that at all.
That being said: I don't feel it to be un-Christian like to actively challenge another Christian here in any particular discussion whether it be theological in nature or not. In saying that I suspected that you were a certain 'kind' of Christian.. I will openly admit if I am mistaken or speaking out of turn because it would delight me to be proven wrong in such cases.. and it seems to me that people that truly believe that a man was raised from the dead shouldn't have any problem with such challenges.. Keep in mind please I mean in the context of this particular message board...I do not run around at work bringing up Jesus in every conversation.. If the subject comes up.. great. but I don't try to force such things out the "the world". Now if I am at work and I hear another Christian say something like "I believe that Buddhist can get to heaven without Christ" then I will probably respond my feelings honestly and wherever it goes from there.. Clearly there would be some point where the crux of the disagreement would mean a judgement call on how far to take the conversation.
Here, I like to think that people are a little more thick skinned than our HR department.
But really, there is no reason to instantly believe that anyone that says they are a Christian is actually a person that truly believe that they are Saved by the resurrection of "The Anointed One"
Ha'mashiach.
But I don't try to discriminate with my opinions.
I recently told a bunch of people at church that I thought that the "Pharoah"(Great House) of the Plagues was actually the Grand Vizier Rekhmire during the reign of Amenhotep II.. O the looks I got were priceless