Recently became a Christian, taking questions.
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Poast new message in this thread
Date: June 5th, 2005 12:25 AM Author: vivacious casino
shoot.
oh, and to let you know in advance, i'll only be responding to actual questions or comments of substance. if you have a cute one-liner, i'm sorry, but i really don't care how witty you are.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933377) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:27 AM Author: vivacious casino
undecided. i really don't know enough about the various doctrines the denominations adhere to, to make a decision on the matter.
honestly i don't think i ever will - it's not that important - though i'll give the different churches a try.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933405) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:32 AM Author: Chest-beating site
Maybe we can help.
Predestination: yay or nay?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933439) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:37 AM Author: vivacious casino
it's complicated. nobody has ever been able to really figure out the predestination (or if you're secular, determinism) vs. free will problem. somehow it's both.
personally i think we're biologically incapable of ever understanding it, much as a chimpanzee is biologically incapable of learning calculus.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933470) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:59 AM Author: vivacious casino
i believe that if you truly accept Christ then you should actively want to 'walk the walk', as they say. so yes, there's ongoing obligation but it doesn't feel like one.
as to people who lose faith after having been saved - i don't know.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933634) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:43 AM Author: Chest-beating site
Hmm, that doesn't narrow it much.
Maybe this one will:
Gays: acceptable or burning in hellfire for all eternity?
[Too many denominations focus on this for me to list offhand.]
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933525) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:02 AM Author: vivacious casino
i think the bible is clear that homosexual behavior, like any kind of sexual behavior outside marriage, is sinful. lots of things are sinful.
in other words, if you're going to hell you're going to hell, and the path you take doesn't matter.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933650) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:07 AM Author: vivacious casino
not if they were practicing homosexuals.
that said, i think homosexuals should be treated fairly in society at large, including legal union rights.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933682) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:14 AM Author: Lascivious new version
episcopalian is off too.
but anglican is still good.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934159) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:05 PM Author: Turquoise wonderful parlour
Date: June 5th, 2005 1:08 AM
Author: Winnie Cooper ("Why, are you looking for work?")
Okay, nix the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ from your list. (Maybe some others, too. I need to consult some sources.)
------------
This poster doesn't realize that there are at least 5 different varieties of each of these meta-denominations. There is no such thing as "the Presbyterian Church". There is PCUSA, PCA, OPC, FPCS, PCUS, etc.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935874) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:31 AM Author: Bateful Love Of Her Life Stage
Where in "the book" does it say that marriage is only between a man and a woman?
"neither did i set the norms of human behavior throughout history"
So how many slaves do you own?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934624) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:37 AM Author: Bateful Love Of Her Life Stage
Ha, thanks. I'm actually doing a pretty good job of quitting... just a little relapse.
How are you?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934645) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:39 AM Author: buff comical church
Pretty good/hanging in there. I want to get to the stage where I post on xoxo once every week or so, but I can't seem to kick the habit.
I was about to go to sleep right now, for example, but then I saw this thread and that idea went all to hell...
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934654) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:43 AM Author: Bateful Love Of Her Life Stage
Things will get really slow here soon, so hopefully that will help you lose your interest.
Ha. Maybe we should all just to go to bed. :)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934663) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:47 AM Author: buff comical church
Yeah, hopefully the problem will cure itself.
Goodnight!
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934683) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:27 AM Author: vivacious casino
marriage is between a man and a woman - that's been universally true for thousands of years. (in fact it's true of the world today and, outside of a slim sector of elite western society, most people would like to see it stay that way.)
therefore any homosexual behavior within marriage would necessarily be adulterous.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934613) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:31 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
let me make this simple.
hypothetical world: allows homosexual marriage.
question: on your newly discovered religious grounds, do you still oppose homosexual relations between lawfully married couples
how is that necessarily adulterous? your whole claim is contingent on past circumstances. that's a killer argument you have there. "it was contingent on past circumstance, so under hypothetically varied circumstances, it would remain the same."
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934625)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:38 AM Author: vivacious casino
i didn't start this thread to have a debate over gay marriage. honestly it's not something i've put a lot of thought into, but what understanding i do have of the bible indicates that it's not acceptable. i don't have to justify my beliefs to you - i'm not here for apologetics.
but what does it matter, practically speaking? it will never be legalized.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934651) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:05 AM Author: vivacious casino
i think i'd be indifferent to it.
that said, i'm sympathetic to the plight of the palestinians and i think the state of israel has done some wicked things. states, after all, are not moral entities.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933666) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:19 AM Author: Chest-beating site
Is direct experience with God available to all people without meditation?
Would you like to listen to the Holy Spirit?
Is violence always wrong?
Are sacraments unnecesary because every act in life is sacred?
Are plainness and simplicity good ways to live your life?
[See Society of Friends, the Quakers.]
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933747) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:34 AM Author: Chest-beating site
I took the Christian one, and this was my outcome. I do, in fact, live in the leafy university town. Eerie.
Bishop Spong Christian
(a.k.a. "Biblical Revisionist")
You think the Bible is a powerful metaphorical narrative and believe that Jesus was a heroic figure similar to Gandhi. You believe in God as a loving creator and that She will forgive you for just about anything. You're willing to admit that you don't believe in the resurrection. You go to church for the sense of community and the music and because you like to hector your fellow Christians about their backward ways. You read Toni Morrison, Elaine Pagels, and Bishop Spong, the controversial Episcopalian prelate. You enjoyed the "The Da Vinci Code" as a thriller and found its ideas about Christian history thought-provoking, if not always historically accurate. Though you probably didn't see it, you're sure that "The Passion of the Christ" presented an utterly backward version of Christianity. You ardently support gay rights and feel guilty that you yourself are not gay. (If you are gay, you're in a loving, committed relationship). You live in a leafy university town, order Chai at the local coffee house (never Starbucks), and subscribe to The New Yorker. You watch TV so you can talk disdainfully about how bad TV is. You give to charity, preferring the local homeless shelter to those bureaucratic national charities. For you, the crux of Christianity is Jesus' revolutionary message of empowering "the least of these."
I'll take your quiz next.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933868) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:45 AM Author: Chest-beating site
1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (98%)
3. Liberal Quakers (93%)
4. Secular Humanism (89%)
5. Neo-Pagan (76%)
6. Bahá'í Faith (70%)
7. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (70%)
8. Nontheist (67%)
9. New Age (64%)
10. Reform Judaism (61%)
11. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (59%)
12. New Thought (58%)
13. Theravada Buddhism (56%)
14. Sikhism (54%)
15. Scientology (53%)
16. Taoism (53%)
17. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (45%)
18. Mahayana Buddhism (43%)
19. Jehovah's Witness (32%)
20. Orthodox Quaker (30%)
21. Hinduism (27%)
22. Eastern Orthodox (24%)
23. Islam (24%)
24. Orthodox Judaism (24%)
25. Roman Catholic (24%)
26. Jainism (21%)
27. Seventh Day Adventist (18%)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933945) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:16 AM Author: vivacious casino
1. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (100%)
2. Orthodox Quaker (95%)
3. Eastern Orthodox (93%)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934177)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:00 AM Author: unhinged set
1. Nontheist (100%)
2. Theravada Buddhism (90%)
3. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (81%)
4. Jainism (78%)
5. Hinduism (74%)
6. Bahá'í Faith (70%)
7. Unitarian Universalism (69%)
8. Secular Humanism (68%)
9. Mahayana Buddhism (67%)
10. Eastern Orthodox (67%)
11. Islam (67%)
12. Orthodox Judaism (67%
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934510)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 11:00 AM Author: Henna thriller hominid legal warrant
guess Im not a christian afterall.
1. Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (98%)
3. Liberal Quakers (94%)
4. Orthodox Judaism (93%)
5. Bahá'í Faith (89%)
6. Reform Judaism (89%)
7. Neo-Pagan (89%)
8. Jainism (88%)
9. Islam (87%)
10. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (84%)
11. Sikhism (81%)
12. Hinduism (78%)
13. Theravada Buddhism (77%)
14. New Age (74%)
15. New Thought (67%)
16. Scientology (61%)
17. Orthodox Quaker (60%)
18. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (60%)
19. Secular Humanism (51%)
20. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (50%)
21. Eastern Orthodox (50%)
22. Roman Catholic (50%)
23. Nontheist (48%)
24. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (44%)
25. Taoism (43%)
26. Jehovah's Witness (37%)
27. Seventh Day Adventist (36%)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935272)
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Date: August 20th, 2005 1:43 PM Author: maroon multi-colored home community account
1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Reform Judaism (97%)
3. Orthodox Judaism (96%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (90%)
5. Sikhism (88%)
6. Unitarian Universalism (88%)
7. Bah�'� Faith (84%)
8. Neo-Pagan (82%)
9. Orthodox Quaker (82%)
10. Eastern Orthodox (81%)
11. Roman Catholic (81%)
12. Islam (79%)
13. Seventh Day Adventist (74%)
14. Mahayana Buddhism (73%)
15. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (72%)
16. Jainism (67%)
17. Hinduism (66%)
18. New Age (65%)
19. Theravada Buddhism (59%)
20. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (55%)
21. Secular Humanism (51%)
22. Jehovah's Witness (42%)
23. New Thought (41%)
24. Scientology (39%)
25. Taoism (38%)
26. Nontheist (28%)
27. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (20%)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#3638276) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:29 AM Author: vivacious casino
it wasn't a matter of being convinced, exactly. you can't accept Christ with your intellect - it must be done through the heart.
it's kind of a long story, but i'm willing to elaborate.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933419) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:49 AM Author: vivacious casino
i was pretty distressed about peak oil and its implications, which is to say that i was filled with dread about our impending doom. (lifeaftertheoilcrash.net if you're not convinced yet.) i was at work (lowe's) early in the morning, desperately trying to think of a way to save myself and convince my family to sell their stock and real estate and head for the proverbial hills. in thinking this through i sort of likened myself to john the baptist - a wild man coming out of nowhere announcing something big. i guess that thought tipped me onto God - i made an urgent pleading to him: 'deep down i've always wanted to believe but i've never been able to. if you're up there, please, just nudge me over the edge. i could really use it right now'. over the next 10-15 minutes occurred a series of strange coincidences.
first, over the overhead radio came on a breakup song, the lyrics of which went something like, 'it's over now and there's nothing you can do about it'. afterward a second song (i think by carole king) came on, the lyrics of which ran, 'the earth shakes under my feet, the sky comes tumbling down, tumbling down'. afterward a third song came on - 'here comes the sun' by the beatles. 'that's odd,' i thought, 'it tells a little story'.
after that i overheard my department manager talking about natural disasters. (if memory serves, i think he was saying something about how when the tsunami hit, it was a great fortune that not more lives were lost to disease.) i took it into my head that i should go talk to him, that if i told him i thought there was an oncoming catastrophe, he of all people might not think i was crazy. as i went over to talk to him, he was holding a long PVC pipe in his hand, resembling a staff (the 'staff' was curved at one end). he banged it twice against the ground, yelling 'john!' each time (there's a guy in the dept. named john). i'm not sure what significance, if any, that had, but it added to the sort of surreal dream-quality state i remember being in at the time.
when i got up to this guy, my manager, i said, 'hey johnny, there's something i want to talk to you about'. he said, ok, and we went into an empty aisle. 'you might think i'm nuts,' i said, 'but i think there's going to be a big disaster soon'. before i could explain about the oil, he calmly and immediately said, 'i know, i'm a witch,' and pulled out a hidden medallion that was hanging from his neck. 'but i'm a survivor. i'm going to survive this thing, and my family is going to survive too.' he also made clear that he had had these beliefs for a long time, that it wasn't a fad thing, and he made some strange remarks about satan - both that he didn't believe he existed, and that his greatest trick was convincing everyone of the same.
i was tripped out by the whole thing, but i didn't convert just yet. i finished my shift and went on to my other job across town. i was able to concentrate on my work, but i kept thinking about the events of earlier that day, and i kept thinking about peak oil. finally, near the end of the day, i asked my boss, a christian, if he believed in the evangelical interpretation of the book of revelation - did he think it would actually happen. he said absolutely, and not only that but it'd happen soon, and he went on to give some scriptural support of his belief - but i was too consumed by my own thoughts to really listen. then i told him that i thought something big was going to happen soon, too, and i gave a short explanation why.
he said, marcus, if God has put this weight on your heart, then maybe that's for a reason. as soon as he said that i burst into tears, sobbing. i just couldn't control myself. he said, if you want to come to Christ now, you can do that. i nodded, and he led me in a prayer. i was so overwhelmed, though, that i could only get the first couple lines out, though i repeated the rest of them in my head. as this happened, a fire came on me. it felt like i was bursting and vibrating with energy and light - it felt like i was incredibly, incredibly high. i was so overwhelmed that i left right off, i told him that i couldn't be there any more. i walked to my car, still full to the brim with the Spirit, still crying but this time in joy. the high, the highest i've ever been in my life, lasted about 30 minutes. the anxiety and dread of before had evaporated. i called some people who i knew would be happy to hear the good news, people i knew had been praying for me my whole life - like my grandma.
this is the first part of my story. i'm going to take a break now to get something to drink and catch up on the other questions on this thread.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933980) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:40 AM Author: Olive 180 boistinker
wtf @ "the usual suspects" allusion.
KAISER SOZE LIVES!!11
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934655) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:47 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
there's more!
PVC man: part ii?!
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934691) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:30 AM Author: vivacious casino
i'm guessing by 'us' you mean jews?
the matter never crossed my mind.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933423) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:04 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
bible: to be taken literally?
how old do you believe the earth to be?
what is the nature of the trinity?
what saves you, faith or works?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933663) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:33 AM Author: vivacious casino
no, like i said i had flirted with it for a time.
i haven't had time to make up my mind on all the doctrinal matters - i need to read the bible to see what it says about them.
and again, this stuff isn't really the important thing.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934313) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:50 AM Author: vivacious casino
okay - i think the trinity is both one and three. i think there is one God and Christ and the Spirit are His ways of communicating with us.
i think faith precedes works, but that true faith leads to works.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934444)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:32 AM Author: Crawly jap stag film
What were you before?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933438) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 12:43 AM Author: vivacious casino
lifelong, hardcore atheist until i started to flirt with christianity my sophomore year at st. john's. (it was helped along by the fact that i was desperately in love with a fundamentalist christian who would have nothing to do with me romantically since i was an unbeliever.)
that fell apart as soon as it became clear she and i could never be together, and i became agnostic (which is really just lukewarm atheism). i became an uncommitted theist earlier this year after a mushroom trip, and finally i converted a couple weeks ago.
i'll describe that up above in response to ncchinese.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933523) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 12:38 AM Author: Zippy Roommate Dog Poop
are you in law school? will you be going to biglaw?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933480) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 12:38 AM Author: Rambunctious cuckoldry
are you still gonna shroom it up?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933487) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 12:43 AM Author: angry piazza
are you going to change your behavior in any way?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933522) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:53 AM Author: vivacious casino
no more drugs, no more getting drunk, no more premarital sex.
also i've been going to church and i'm much happier and fulfilled. there's joy in my life and no worry. i've become more generous and forgiving.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934016) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 12:57 AM Author: exciting fighting bawdyhouse sandwich
Very interesting. I'm a borderline fundamentalist here, so I'm glad to hear the news.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933624) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 12:59 AM Author: avocado newt trailer park
flame. real christian would have said it was jesus, not God, who converted them ("i let him into ma harrrt.")
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933632) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 1:00 AM Author: Bisexual bonkers stage wagecucks
DO you admit that the reason you have chosen xtianity and not Islam, Buddhism, Druidism, etc. is because you have been socially conditioned by our society to see xtianity as the only viable option? Doesn't this detract from the legitimacy of your faith?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933637) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:01 AM Author: vivacious casino
many people have abandoned their native ways for the christian way. and many people in our society have taken different paths - until recently i was one of them.
i see your basic point, but i don't think it detracts from the legitimacy of my faith.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934066) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 1:03 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
why aren't you a muslism?
why aren't you a hindu?
why didn't you choose to be a jehova's witness?
why not be a zoroastrian instead?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933652) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:36 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
you heard some songs, a dude rattled a PVC pipe, and you asked someone you knew (likely to be christian given that this is the US) about revelation.
so why aren't you a jehovah's witness? or a mormon? or a 7th day adventist? or a pentacostal?
but more importantly, do you think you experience was somehow special, or were you merely filtering through the lens you had established for youself?
give me a religion and some background knowledge, and i'll bet you i can come up with a set of circumstances for nearly any day of my life just as good as yours.
the bottom line is you wanted to believe something and found a set of occurances that fit your predetermined objective.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934336)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:01 AM Author: vivacious casino
>> so why aren't you a jehovah's witness? or a mormon? or a 7th day adventist? or a pentacostal?
who knows? maybe i am one of these things. but after my experience, my first impulse was to want to start reading the bible and become closer to God, not to find a particular group to belong to.
>> but more importantly, do you think you experience was somehow special, or were you merely filtering through the lens you had established for youself?
i'm not sure what this means. but i do think my experience was special. no christian i've talked to has gone through anything so dramatic.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934512) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:10 AM Author: gaped topaz idiot
People can achieve amazing states of joy and exhilaration through meditation. You achieved such a state and you felt that it was the Spirit coming in to your heart because a little earlier you had asked God for a "nudge."
It could be a simple misinterpretation of the cause of the event on your part.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934548) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:25 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
bullshit.
you were "pretty distressed about peak oil and its implications" and came up with a expectation you could satisfy to your psychological benefit by selectively interpreting information: "if you're up there, please, just nudge me over the edge."
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934601)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:34 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
better interpretation? uhm, yes, i've already offered it.
people give meaning to experiences. you chose to give them a particular meaning. there was no intrinsic meaning.
it's not hallucination. that's observing or experiencing things that have no external stimulus. i'm not disputing PVC pipe and the existence of fm radio.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934634) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:37 AM Author: buff comical church
i often have the same experience with dreams that 'come true' with deja vu. i think that it has something to do with selective interpretation, if a bit freaky.
sometimes, however, it does make you pause. for example, i was once in a vicious fight and at one point was lying on the concrete bleeding profusely from my face. when i finally came home hours later and woke up the next morning, my mom told me [before i told her what had happened] that she had a bad dream where she could see me lying on the ground with something in my chest-- a dream that she had never had before.
so, i think that sometimes the subconscious can play tricks on us, and occasionally warn of us dire things borne from our own intuition, although i don't personally believe there is a divine component to it.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934649) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:25 AM Author: buff comical church
yeah, or through even significantly 'lesser' events.
i got a huge euphoric rush after several episodes in my life, most recently being getting my LSAT back after, and if combined with some sort of serotogenic release [i assume that it was initally some sort of dopamine production], i'm pretty sure that my mind would be blown into space.
as i understand, MDA/MDMA, and the passion of true love, have signficantly similar effects too.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934605) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:10 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
funny how you skipped that last part:
give me a religion and some background knowledge, and i'll bet you i can come up with a set of circumstances for nearly any day of my life just as good as yours.
the bottom line is you wanted to believe something and found a set of occurances that fit your predetermined objective.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934550)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:04 AM Author: useless library
Assuming you did this in the official way, do you feel that you believe more in the idea of a higher power now that you've taken the step to make religion so official in your life? Or were you always pretty sure that God or something like that was out there?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933658) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:04 AM Author: vivacious casino
i've already answered this here.
but yes, of course i 'believe more in the idea of a higher power now'. moreover, the 'official' status of 'religion' in my life doesn't really concern me. what concerns me is being obedient to God and better coming to know Him through Christ.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934084) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 1:30 AM Author: flushed address stock car
I've considered becoming a Christian before, though I'm firmly atheist. Religious people are happier on average than non-religious people. It's worth a shot, anyway.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933836) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:35 AM Author: Concupiscible cordovan den
It's not just happiness.
It's also about having a metaphorical compass. You will always know where your "north" is, so it will be easy for you make up your mind when it comes to things like politics, and morality.
Sounds cheesy, but you will be surprised how many people have a hard time finding out where they stand on certain issues.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933882) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 1:40 AM Author: flushed address stock car
I don't have a hard time making up my mind on things like politics and morality. I simply don't care about most of it.
One thing that depressed people often have in common is that they have a more realistic, less sanguine view of the world and themselves. That's why they're depressed. If living in a fantasy world can make you, on the whole, a happier individual, to no detriment at all, it might just be worth doing.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933924) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:09 AM Author: vivacious casino
it's not the kind of thing you consider believing or not. it's not about adopting a set of propositions such as 'Jesus Christ is the Son of God' or 'we are all sinful'. it's about that 'personal relationship' you hear so much about, a mystical sort of communion with and growth in God. the doctrinal stuff follows.
you can't understand it if you're not there already, and i'm not sure how much choice we really have in it.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934124) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:15 AM Author: vivacious casino
that would all be helpful, but you can't exactly will yourself into it.
you should definitely try it though.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934166) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 1:34 AM Author: hateful temple keepsake machete
well, fuck -- if dylan can become born-again, i won't think less of you for it.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2933864) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 2:14 AM Author: gaped topaz idiot
"'deep down i've always wanted to believe but i've never been able to. if you're up there, please, just nudge me over the edge. i could really use it right now'.
I think you would benefit from learning about Vedanta, Thersites. You sound like a person who was afraid and thus you have resorted to belief. If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshell upon masses of ignorance, it is the word, fearlessness. Vedanta leads you to joy and fearlessness. You learn to enjoy every moment of your life, no matter what happens.
However, instead of demanding faith and belief, Vedanta calls upon us to understand. It is composed not of doctrines, but of teachings meant to lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves. For me, an orientation emphasizing knowledge rather than belief is crucial.
PS: Just to make the distinction between knowledge and belief: You know that you are in front of a monitor but you may believe the Bible is infallible. Whatever is present in your own experience cannot be a matter of belief. On the other hand, what we cannot experience is a matter of faith.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934155) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:01 AM Author: gaped topaz idiot
Oh, I see the humor in that.
To me, a religion is a system of of beliefs, so Vedanta doesn't qualify as religion. Vedanta is means of knowledge, a method for leading you to discover the truth of yourself. Vedanta isn't a religion any more than calculus is.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934758) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 2:19 AM Author: motley ape
'deep down i've always wanted to believe but i've never been able to"
crutch for weak minds
i didn't really rad after that.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934203) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:28 AM Author: Spectacular gay tank range
"there will definitely be a collapse in the US standard of living in the coming years"
I highly doubt this.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934616) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:44 AM Author: vivacious casino
read through the site i linked.
our way of life is unsustainable. therefore it will not be sustained.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934671) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:23 AM Author: Spectacular gay tank range
"all your desire for macho won't turn your pussy boyfriend into a stud."
Hahaha, I'm a pussy? Alright, fuckwit. At least I don't fuck Asian poon in the vain hope that they'll be more forgiving of your tiny cock.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934595) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:30 AM Author: Spectacular gay tank range
"wow, you're a heartless bitch."
No, she's entirely correct. You're just a moron.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934621) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:31 AM Author: vivacious casino
i laughed and shook my head.
i think when the near future begins to unfold, a lot more people are going to be taking up the 'crutch'. with luck you'll be one of them.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934306) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 2:23 AM Author: buff comical church
Congrats on finding yourself, being found, or both.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934238) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 2:27 AM Author: motley ape
I'm just curious, do any christians after reading his story kind of feel about him the way that atheists feel about, say, nazi atheists? Is there part of you that's thinking "please, don't let this guy be one of us, it's just embarassing"?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934266) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:43 AM Author: gaped topaz idiot
I actually have heard another story like this:
This teenage girl was in her bedroom, depressed and talking to God. She told God she wanted to believe and asked for a sign. Then "Forever Young" comes on the radio and she's like "OMG!!! That's my favorite song!! It's a sign!"
And now she's a born again Christian.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934393) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:41 AM Author: buff comical church
Actually from the anecdotal evidence i have gathered, this is how a lot of people convert to Christianity-- some inherent deep-seated belief that blossoms after a spiritual event.
I used to argue with Christians a lot but after reflecting on it a bit I just realized that people are going to believe what they're going to believe, and no persuasion [either towards religion or against] is going to change that. It just tends to introduce tension without any net benefit.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934378) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 2:47 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
"The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching."
i learned that from some assyrian tablet written in 2800 bce
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934418) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:55 AM Author: vivacious casino
i knew and was convinced that civilization as we know it is coming to an end, before i converted.
as to whether the world is really going to end, meaning apocalypse - i don't know. no one does.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934479) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:12 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
right. right.
people have been saying that shit for thousands of years.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934556) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:15 AM Author: vivacious casino
and sometimes they've been right. rome came to an end, athens, persia - many civilizations. ours is next, and the fall will be the greatest.
i challenge you to dispute the substance on the site i linked.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934568) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:27 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
who gives a fuck what it says? i'll let you suppose for the sake of argument that it's entirely true.
jesus (and various other religious figures) didn't come in the past and there's no good reason to think they're coming this time either.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934608) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:34 AM Author: vivacious casino
there are some good reasons, actually, but i'm not going to debate them.
i said elsewhere on the thread that i don't know when the return will be. it's perfectly likely that it won't happen in our lifetimes. nevertheless i think it might.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934632) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:57 AM Author: appetizing pit
You should have done debate in high school to stock up on an endless supply of doomsday scenarios, and an equal number of counterarguments.
I for one welcome this peak oil scenario as it will finally shock some sense into our energy policy (and everybody else's, esp. China). Your site's discussion of energy alternatives is really weak. Sure, the alternatives might not look so great now, but I'd bet they'll be a whole lot better once we're motivated to seriously pursue them. Look how much this country accomplished technologically when we thought we were on the brink of nuclear annihilation. I'm sure there will be some rough periods but ultimately we and our kids will be better off for it.
But hey, I'm not going to knock religion as a backup plan.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934738) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:01 AM Author: vivacious casino
what about the discussion of alternative sources was weak?
what i find weak - logically untenable in fact - is the faith that since we have overcome adversity in the past, we will be able to in the future.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934756) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:22 AM Author: appetizing pit
Nuclear energy, to take one example. Its main obstacle is bad PR, which will ease considerably once people get tired of eating in the dark. The site's main criticism is that we'll run out of uranium. This of course doesn't consider alternative nuclear fuels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power#Fuel_resources
Really, if you are going to believe one website's treatment of a topic, it should be enough to just give you links to some others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil#Hubbert_theory_criticisms
I haven't researched this, but there's probably a substantial connection between doomsday theories and cultlike behavior. You get dissatisfied with life, and you take this out on some aspect of the society/economy/etc. You want to believe that you alone understand the world and thus the source of your dissatisfaction. Then, of the legions of would-be prophets who proclaim varying explanations, you run across one whose voice matches your preformed beliefs and seize on it, ignoring or dismissing all evidence to the contrary.
I don't have anything against Christianity, but I just suspect your faith in it is not unlike your attachment to this peak oil thing.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934793) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:38 AM Author: vivacious casino
nuclear energy will definitely start to supplant dwindling electricity production (though according to president bush our future is in coal). but electricity production is a small part of our energy consumption. uranium will not power our cars or trucks or factories or airplanes or militaries.
the hubbert theory criticisms you linked aren't very convincing. in fact, most of them aren't criticisms at all.
i understand your suspicion, but it's not the case.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934846) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 3:13 AM Author: orchid diverse mood
weren't you boinking some christian chick?
you better stop boinking if you're a christian now. that's the true test.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934559) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:14 AM Author: orchid diverse mood
and the dope too. it's gotta go.
you're about the last person i wouldve expected as OP on this thread.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934566) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:20 AM Author: orchid diverse mood
no offense, but your narrative above sounds fucking insane.
who converts for fear of an oil crash?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934586) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:53 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
you strung a bunch of shit together and concluded that it must have been for a predetermined purpose, and you had no reason for that other than your own desire to see that sign.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934722)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:57 AM Author: vivacious casino
yes, i believe this is the third time you've explained this to me. trust me, it's not as though the possibility hadn't crossed my mind.
since you didn't address anything i just wrote, i'll take it that you concede my points.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934741) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:00 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
no, you dipshit. you're not responding at all. you're blabbering about various forms antipathy when it's irrelevant. so what if it's emotional antipathy? either way, you're still stringing stupid shit together. so what it it's logical antipathy? either way, you're still stringing stupid shit together.
you seem to have an uncanny knack for attributing meaning to the irrelevant -- in your story and now.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934752) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:06 AM Author: vivacious casino
how is it irrelevant to point out that you're misrepresenting me? i'll admit, however, that it's not necessary to speculate on why that might be (being the emotional antipathy part).
as to my stringing stupid shit together, i already explained that it's not subject to debate. i know that it was meant for me and we both know that you won't convince me otherwise.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934766) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:07 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
how do you "know that it was meant for" you?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934768)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:13 AM Author: vivacious casino
i don't know. i just do, and did.
and whether you attach meaning to it or not, you have to admit that that was a remarkable string of coincidences, considering what i had just been thinking.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934778) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:04 AM Author: lake autistic pistol
you say: "he was holding a long PVC pipe in his hand, resembling a staff (the 'staff' was curved at one end). he banged it twice against the ground, yelling 'john!' each time (there's a guy in the dept. named john). i'm not sure what significance, if any, that had, but it added to the sort of surreal dream-quality state i remember being in at the time."
you also say: "stated explicitly that i didn't attach any significance to the PVC."
i say: you're a fucking liar, or you're unable to write and read worth a damn. first, your story says the significance was unknown. your later claim says there was no significance. did you change your mind in the middle of the thread? your story says the significance added to the surreality. why would it add to the surreality of the situation if it had no significance? why would it add to the surreality of the situation if you did not attribute meaning to the PVC banging nonsense?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934762)
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:11 AM Author: vivacious casino
>> why would it add to the surreality of the situation if it had no significance?
i don't know, it just did. the world physically felt different, as though i were in a dream. again, this is before my conversion.
when i said i didn't attach any significance to it, i meant that i didn't interpret it as an explicit sign. i'm sorry if that was unclear to you.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934773) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:38 AM Author: Spectacular gay tank range
"your narrative above sounds fucking insane."
They're almost universally either insane or silly. The silly ones are great. "I got cancer and survived so there must be a God." Except that tons of innocent little kids die of cancer, but whatever.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934650) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:43 AM Author: vivacious casino
eh.. *shrugs*
it's more complicated, but i think that the more i try to explain, the less sense i'm going to make to you guys.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934851) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:23 AM Author: motley ape
in regard to coincidences, the question is not "what about them was flimsy?" the question is "what about them *wasn't* flimsy?"
There was nothing in your story that was so unlikely as to qualify for "a sign from god." Not that it would matter if there was. There are billions of people in the world, wildly unlikely things are bound to happen. Furthermore, even if it was a "sign from god" how do you know it was the right god and how does such a sign make someone worthy of worship?
What if it was a sign from satan and you were meant to bring satanism back into the world (or at lest, bring more satanism into the world)? You could be going against your destiny!
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934796) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:44 AM Author: motley ape
I'm sorry. Do you bleieve you "waste them" by speaking them out loud? Do you also have problems with having your picture taken by any chance?
Satanism isn't as bad as you think. Most real satanists (not the flaky goth kind) don't think they're evil, or that they're worshipping evil. They believe it's god that is evil and satan, with humanity's help, will someday rise against him.
At least they respect humanity, whereas christians, meh, not so much.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934856) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:48 AM Author: motley ape
oh. well that's always a good sign.
If you need it, or if you even like it, go for it. There's nothing wrong with religion in and of itself. Just don't do anything weird and mess up your life, or other peopel's lives.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934869) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 3:52 AM Author: gaped topaz idiot
Thersites, why aren't more people filled with dread about "Peak Oil," like you were?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934717) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 3:55 AM Author: vivacious casino
i know plenty of people who were, or are. more people will get that way when they see the writing on the wall.
but to answer your question, i think it's because the implications are so horrendous, and the whole idea so foreign to everything we've ever known, that we refuse to believe out of some kind of cognitive dissonance. either that or we dismiss it because of all those who have cried wolf before.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934728) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 7:00 AM Author: floppy glassy state bbw
HAHAHAHA. no seriously man, think of all the money you could make off of this:
when crude oil goes up, take a long position on the religious stocks. my pick for large caps: Catholicism (VAT). for small caps: Evangelical Baptist (EBAP).
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935039) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 4:33 AM Author: gaped topaz idiot
Have you pleaded to God for a nudge often in the past?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934823) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 4:52 AM Author: Razzle Senate Potus
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934882) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 4:57 AM Author: Razzle Senate Potus
i'm going to sleep so i'm editing this out. let's try later.
gnight
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934904) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 5:01 AM Author: bronze lettuce twinkling uncleanness
You know, I am, seriously, a Christian, so I'm sorry if this isn't just flamebait... but wow, that story with the PVC pipe prophet and whatnot was absolutely hilarious.
Whatever else, you've brought some joy into my life today.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2934921) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 11:03 AM Author: Seedy Kitty
How'd you pick Xianity? Do you feel as though you've been infected with a memetic disease?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935276) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 11:08 AM Author: Henna thriller hominid legal warrant
Thread is too long to consider reading, Ill just congratulate you for making a decision to let go and follow the path that has been proscribed for you, whatever that may be.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935288) |
Date: June 5th, 2005 11:12 AM Author: Aphrodisiac persian
Interesting enough..... i just recently lost my faith. This coming from a guy who never would think to even question his faith. And not only has my faith been severly tested these past couple of years, but i've given up on it and don't know if i'll ever get it back.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935296) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 11:21 AM Author: Aphrodisiac persian
I guess it's really personal. My reason's for losing my faith would be criticized heavily on here, so i'll pass.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935324) |
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Date: June 5th, 2005 2:10 PM Author: grizzly irradiated native blood rage
i am so near that feeling...i am starting to believe that ther is no god at all, that everything is just run by physics and that this idea of a "caring god" is just evolution doing what evolution does without any caring about me personally or individually and that the only perosn that truly cares about me is me, so wtf. Have a good time while you are here and just do the best you can.
(Weezy - sorry you have had a rotten time lately. I guess things can only get better from here)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#2935885) |
Date: July 3rd, 2005 5:15 PM Author: charismatic insanely creepy school cafeteria multi-billionaire Subject: true story
This thread helped me hit on a girl
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#3180490) |
Date: August 20th, 2005 3:24 PM Author: stimulating roast beef nursing home
You know it's a good thread when "PVC" shows up in a search 13 times!
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#3638787) |
Date: October 24th, 2005 12:34 PM Author: exhilarant theater factory reset button
taggin' any christian booty yet?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#4124252) |
Date: December 10th, 2005 6:06 PM Author: lake autistic pistol
those were good times.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#4520413) |
Date: January 24th, 2006 9:40 PM Author: Blathering embarrassed to the bone internal respiration
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#4904573) |
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Date: February 4th, 2006 3:55 AM Author: vivacious casino
i have mixed feelings about them. part of me is embarrassed about them, but part of me is nostalgic and grateful. for a time my life was very intense and very pure, and i've since lost that; i've fallen back into my wicked old ways - i've been losing the struggle to be holy and chaste, and i honestly fear my eternal wellbeing hangs in the balance.
my core beliefs remain unchanged, only my devotion to them has faltered. it's a radically different way of living when you feel the presence of God, when you pray and you know He's listening, when He shares your joys and suffering. it's very rich and full of life and purpose, but now my life is colder and more detached and secular and dead, like it used to be. these modes of being are very distinct from each other...there will never be understanding between true believers and the elite, secular society this board represents, because they're really living on two different planets.
as to the experiences themselves, i'm still not sure what to make of them. was i merely mentally ill - i have been diagnosed with schizophrenia - or was i really touched by a divine finger? i vacillate between the two positions without a firm conviction in either direction. it may be that both are true.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#4992163) |
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Date: February 4th, 2006 4:14 AM Author: mind-boggling painfully honest brunch
thanks for the interesting response. regarding your diagnosis of schizophrenia. i went to a panel discussion on the utility of dsm-iv recently. one of the speakers was heavily involved in the making of it. it turns out that dsm iv's utility isn't so much for diagnosis, but to ensure that people in diverse clinical and research settings share the same language so they can communicate with each other. as a diagnostic tool, "it stinks" per the speaker. i bring this up because it sounds like you might have had features in the past that were also found in people who have impaired function in current societies. but that doesn't mean that it was always that way, that such people would always have been considered dysfunctional. there's some debate about whether blake had a touch of schizophrenia. christopher smart almost certainly did. it's probable that many old testament prophets, if they were alive now, would be receiving treatment as schizophrenics.
it can be very tough to reconcile a strong subjective experience with the common sense world view. paul had one such experience that was enough to transform his life and put his life on an entirely different trajectory. of course, from a current psychiatric standpoint, he was delusional or had suffered a brief psychotic disorder.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#4992192) |
Date: July 2nd, 2006 8:08 PM Author: exhilarant theater factory reset button
Thersites, we LOVE you!
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#6124991) |
Date: July 4th, 2006 3:16 PM Author: Khaki cracking stain
Interesting discussion.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#6136170) |
Date: August 30th, 2006 5:27 AM Author: insane old irish cottage menage
what a fucking idiot.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#6524777) |
Date: August 30th, 2006 7:38 AM Author: Supple poppy meetinghouse prole
Oh man... I just realized that this is old. I thought Id lost a friend. Thersites, regarding your scizophrenia (cant spell it), thats rough, I hope you remain in good health.
--------
As per God et al., well more specifically related to the bible, it just goes against any reasonable or rather logical view of our universe and our existance. There is nothing wrong with believing strongly in something, just as long as it doesnt require "faith," the antithesis to logic.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#6524875) |
Date: November 15th, 2006 8:34 PM Author: appetizing pit
"Today, the Cambridge Energy Research Associates released a report dismissing the Peak Oil theory, suggesting that world oil production will continue to increase for the next 24 years, and then only level into a plateau. The report, which suggests that world reserves are enough to last 122 years at our current rate of consumption, also blasts Peak Oil theorists for repeatedly making unscientific predictions and then shifting them whenever their predictions fail to materialize."
http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/06/11/15/1723227.shtml
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#7000249) |
Date: May 3rd, 2007 4:37 PM Author: Blathering embarrassed to the bone internal respiration Subject: PEAK OIL PEAK OIL PEAK OIL
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5798
However, all “western” nations, (with the exception of Norway and Canada) are net oil importers. For these nations, decreasing energy levels in their economies will mean decreasing economic activity.
PRAISE JESUS
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#8055392)
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Date: September 17th, 2008 8:16 PM Author: Chocolate sick principal's office fat ankles
this kid's prediction of economic collapse may not have been so crazy after all.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=193235&forum_id=2#10172769) |
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