BE AFRAID!

Everyone involved with this site and anyone reading it should be VERY carefull - don't mock God - life is not a joke - you are playing a very dangerous game - your soul is on the line - this site is a trick - think carefully - its in your hands.

Anonymous

Is there anything I can do?

Is there anything I can do?

The answer to the above question may well be "nothing", but I thought I might ask your opinion since you have "been there".

Let me explain. This is not a deconversion story, but I hope you don't mind me posting on this site.

I am deeply concerned about my ex boyfriend who has become involved with a charismatic church which seems to be taking over his life. He claims that he is not at all under their spell, that they are all extremely nice and normal people, that he is perfectly rational and just as put off as me by those "christian types". Yet he goes to prayer meetings and church services most days of the week, has admitted that he has recently begun talking in tongues, says that he is experiencing visits by the Holy Spirit, is preparing to be baptised to be born again, and marvels about the church leaders having the gift of revelation (they keep telling him that he is blessed by God, that he is destined to greater things, that his life will soon fall into place...). What's more he is now convinced that illnesses are demons that possess people and that prayer and exorcism has the power to heal. Well, to me this sounds like he has simply totally lost the plot and gone mad. But of course he just thinks that I just don' t want to see the truth and urges me to let God and Jesus into my life As it happens, I am quite happy with the state of my own spirituality, probably best described as agnostic. I cannot rule out that there is a God, but neither can I really believe it. I sometimes pray, but it's probably more a conversation I am having with myself. The point is that I feel no need to be saved and don't even find the prospect of an eternal afterlife particulary appealing. I enjoy this life as it is. But I am digressing, back to my ex boyfriend...

It is true that since he has "found God" he seems much more peaceful and at one with himself. Which in itself is of course great, but yet I cannot help but think that this whole thing is a disaster. You see, he is a lovely, honest person but he is unable to live in the real world. It would take me to long to explain all the ins and outs of his history and personality and our relationship, but suffice it to say that he has great difficulty in taking responsibility for anything in his life and finds it very difficult to take a decision of any kind. He is 39 years old and has been unemployed for years, always hatching great schemes about how to get rich quick which invariably all fail. For the last few years he has been living off the proceeds of the sale of a flat that his mother had bought for him some time ago, but this money is disappearing fast and he will have absolutely nothing left in a couple of years at the most. At this point I should probably say that he no longer lives here (that is London) He moved to Budapest about a year ago, basically to escape all the pressures he felt here (and that includes me) He went to Budapest because he knew some people there and started going to this Charismatic Church a couple of weeks after his arrival and well, he hasn't done much else since.

I know that he was and is lost, so in a way it is not a surprise to me that he has fallen for this Born Again Christianity stuff. I suppose it gives him great comfort because he doesn't have to deal with reality and because those people promise him the earth (or should that be "heaven"?) When I was with him, I tried very hard to encourage him to build a proper life for himself, but needless to say I didn't succeed. I know you can't change people, but do you think there is anything at all that I could do? It breaks my heart to see him sink further and further into this religious madness.

I'd be grateful for any replies and comments.

Kind regards

Georgia

P.S. Incidentally - he left me. He says that his relationship with God is all he needs and that a woman would just stand in his way of getting closer and closer to him. Can't compete with God, I suppose - thing is, people actually answer back to things. Real relationships are so much more of a challenge...

Stop meeting the creed and meet God

As I have browsed this site and read the 'testimonies' of the uncoverting people here...I notice several things. Most here believe Christianity is a set of rules or guidelines that you live by. Every group of people gathered has expectations of those within the gathering and to not adhere to those expectations means you are somewhat ousted from the group....except in "your" churches where you expected these people to accept you no matter how you presented yourself...people are people and they fail each other.

So here is what the truth really is about. Stop meeting the creed and meet God. It's about trusting IN JESUS not about what you can do for God.

Stop following people or churches and their dogma's. Jesus said take up your cross and follow me...not Tom, Dick, and Harry.

The Bible says you will be presented with the trial of your faith in order to prove to you, not God whether you really have trusted him and have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Sadly, most of you here know the answer to this question. You were never saved. That is why you didn't last. That is why you got offended and quit...a person who truly has the Spirit of God in them cannot quit....What is in him will not be overcome by anything in this world. Those who do not overcome the trials or at least get through them with there faith in god either stronger or more resolute...never had true faith in the first place.....because of the reason I stated before.

Here is the deal. 10 commandment show you and I are all guilty...everyone has lied, everyone has stolen, everyone has at some time lusted after that girl or guy that we wanted so bad. All have sinned. What churches are not teaching is that going to church, being baptised..it's all useless. You cannot fill a hole that goes on for eternity and that is the penalty for your sin. You have offended a pure, holy, infinite God. yeah, I know he is a God of love....but he is thrice HOLY....so his holiness outweighs his love 3 times. That's something else churches neglect. If I gave you a glass of water with a drop of sewage in it, it would turn your stomache and you'd be offended at me for even suggesting you drink it...yet you ask God to accept you with all your death from sin, into his holy eternity of life. Since the wages of sin is death, what can you do...you're dead. Dead men do not do anything...all that you do is null, void, vanity....God says even your works of righteousness are as filthy rags.

You are left with a question. You have tried church. You have tried putting Jesus on for this life and he failed you because things got tough, people didn't love you like they should have and life is just plain unfair. Join the club. Don't think I say this without my fair share of trials. In the last 6 years I have went through things that I couldn't imagine and are far worse than anything I've read on this site yet. But I am still a Christian because I didn't put Jesus on like suit for this life...I put Jesus on as a parachute for eternity...big difference in perspective.

Forget all this stuff about Jesus helping you with your marriage or your finances or whatever.....none of that applies to you until Jesus saves your soul from Hell.
The little banner over there talks about everyone being God's beloved creations and how could a good God send his beloved creations to Hell. Because he is HOLY and you are a rebel in the infinite presence of a holy God....his grace is on you now as you read this...because you should be in hell as you read this. You are a rebel. You believe yourself to be higher than God, more important than God. This life isn't about you. God made you for his pleasure, not for yours. While that may offend you, the fact is and will remain...one day you will die, you will not be received blameless before a HOLY God, you will be guilty of lying, you will be guilty of stealing, guilty of Lust...and in all those you will be guilty of setting yourself up over God making yourself as God. The fact is Jesus said do not be afraid of him who can destroy your body...but be very afraid of him who can destroy your body and soul.

There is only one thing and one thing only that changes a person so that no matter what happens, they are always a Christian...and that is truly believing in Jesus Christ for their payment of their guilt of their sins and accepting him as a Holy God and repenting from your sinful ways...it may sound cliche, and it may nauseate you.....but I've been through worse than most of the spoiled brats in here for the cause of Christ and I've had my fair share of temper tantrums with God, but when you belong to HIM, you ever let go because HE SAID...I will NEVER LEAVE YOU, NOR FORSAKE YOU....a true believer can't escape from God and become an unbeliever because God has sealed that promise with his own blood covenant. Only someone who never believed can escape and become an unbeliever because they never had that promise from God and so therefore are perfectly able to run away from God. You are not his, you are of your father the devil....Good Daddies never disown there blood children....I know, mine is still with me and we've been through Hell on earth.

Scott

SATAN IS ALWAYS ABOUT...

Satan is always about in everybody's lives. To see that he has confused so many people at one place is very disappointing. Satan's job in Christian’s lives is to confuse them so that they rethink their decision. I wish all of you would realize what Christ has done for you, died so that you may have life. I am not talking about a boring Sunday service. I am talking about an every day encounter with the God who made the world and you. I can definitely understand where many of you are coming from. Sometimes it feels, as what church teaches is not enough to keep you going. And I would agree it is not, most churches do not teach relationship, they teach religion. Religion is nothing, that is what the Pharisees had in the bible and Jesus did not get along with the Pharisees if you recall. That is all I have to tell you, but before I leave I have one warning for all of you. 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continues with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that non of them were of us.” Beware that your salvation was not authentic. If I were you I would give Jesus at least one more chance, since eternity in heaven or hell, is hanging the balance.

droopie1030@aol.com

am i appalled, horrified, disgusted and threatened?

yo,

i am a Christian.

if i had to say i was any sort of Christian in particular, i would say im pentecostal, even though i attend a uniting church (i also happen to be an aussie)

am i appalled, horrified, disgusted and threatened? do i want to tie you up to a pole, cover you with gasoline and throw a match on you? do i feel any form of hatred towards you?

the answer is a resounding no!

(however, i am rather curious about the cross spinning around over the flames... it's making me dizzy looking at it...)

recent posts seem to be from catholics (which means that i automatically question the christian-ness of the person in the first place), or from people with wishy-washy spirituality, who didn't really connect with the whole christian thing. there are others, they just seem to be the ones that stick in my mind.

there are certainly many interesting ideas that have been put forward on this site. I would disagree with many of those ideas. I would agree with others.

there are a number of sad stories on this site. from my perspective, that is. the hurt, sadness, pain, wrong behaviour that they have experienced is quite simply, not nice, and, in some cases, blatantly wrong.

can i tell you why I am a christian? if you dont want to know, skip ahead to the next paragraph. i'm a christian because i am convinced that there is at least some form of deity, some kind of force behind the universe. i also believe that the situation that the world is in, is not the originally decided upon situation - there is evil in this world, and it has corrupted this world from its original state. I believe that the deity who created the world would want to restore it, because the way things are, we are unable to come before that deity-figure. I believe that Jesus came and did the dirty work of restoring, however, the final "victory over sin" (i cant think of another way of putting that, sorry) is yet to come (though it is imminent, since, well, it's all been done through Jesus).

you know, some people have claimed that they are now "empowered" because they've left "christianity" (im tempted to not call it christianity because of the fact that it's a world apart from where I am). i've been empowered by becoming a christian. i dont know where those people went to church, but personally, im encouraged to question and to think rationally. and i do - i have questioned my pastor on things he's said a number of times.

oh, hey, i just noticed that warning you have about keeping the Bible away from children due to its violence, obscenity and filth. isnt it great that it describes life in such a raw gritty, almost offensive way? i think so.

have a great day,

-timb.
mailto:timbond@canada-11.com

ps. - if you're wondering, -timb. is i guess my tag, im not trying to hide my real name from you. you may have noticed that it is in my email addy.

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