Has a friend ever tried to convert you to Christianity?

[Jabberwocky]

The Debt has been paid by His Son Jesus Christ, Now will you beleive thats the question?????

"Eternitys too long to be wrong"

Pascal's wager always struck me as coercion. Plus weren't you a TULIP toting Calvinist, SececaRD? Two thing in this thread don't compute with TULIP by my thinking. According to TULIP the atonement was only for the elect, if I'm not elect what skin off my knee is it that Christ died cause it was not for me. (limited atonement) Bringing up Pascal's wager seems contrary to Irresitable Grace as the elect will find the message if they are intended to. No weak human arguments are the real cause of the chosen finding the gospel message and no amount of human arguments are going to save the unsalvageable. If you are a Calvinist please explain as Evangelical fervor among the TULIP crowd has never made sense to me.

To stay on topic with the original point in this thread one thing I like to do is ask people trying to convert me to Christianity is "Can this God of yours do anything?"

They say yes.

"Can he make a problem so complex that he can't solve it?"

I also like to point out that the Bible states that John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah. This puts them in the position of calling me a big silly for taking the Bible to literally which turns out to be in my advantage latter on.

 

[SececaRD]

First off Im not a toting calvinist TULIP or what ever you called me.

I do beleive in the 5 points on calvinism only cause they came directly from the bible. John Calvin did not come up with these points, he found them in the bible.

If you ask me my creed I dont reply "a calvinist", Im a bible beleiving christian.

Whos pascal wagner and I didnt bring him up.

And You might be one of Gods Elect and you dont know it. You might get converted like the apostle Paul did. He used to kill Christians, then one Day while riding his horse God saved him like the twinkleing of an eye!!

 

[Shrooms00087]

But what if there is a God, And I didnt beleive there was one, and I had to spend eternity in hell cause I failed to bleive in a God??? Wouldnt that suck???

"Eternitys too long to be wrong"

Well lets just say out of 2,870 cataloged deities, you've chosen one. Atheists just drop the dice instead of roll.

"There's no particular reason to pick on the Judeo-Christian god, in which by the sheerest accident you happen to have been brought up and, and ask me the question, "What if I'm wrong?" What if you're wrong about the great Juju at the bottom of the sea?" ~R. Dawkins

 

[Sweet P]

Whos pascal wagner and I didnt bring him up.

Pascal's Wager is a philosophical argument stating that one should believe in God (even though God's existence cannot be proved), because having faith in God has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Personally, I don't buy it.

Linky

 

[Droppersneck]

I never got the whole religious zealotry thing. Every religion has the exact same amount of proof that it is real imo. But this just in my opinion Christianity is alot less obtrusive than Islam.

 

[badandwicked]

Well lets just say out of 2,870 cataloged deities, you've chosen one. Atheists just drop the dice instead of roll.

I like this

 

[Sweet P]

But this just in my opinion Christianity is alot less obtrusive than Islam.

I dunno... so far I've never had a Muslim knock at my door, spreading the "good news".

 

[CoffeeDrinker]

I like talking about religious messages and themes with people. I read the bible some. I am closer to being an atheist than an agnostic, but that doesn't even remotely matter to me.
I can talk to christians for the most part, it's just the people with Born Again Disorder who need to try to desperately(seeming) convert you in almost every conversation, and every conversation leads back to "god did it" then it's just something along the lines of "Well this relationship isn't working out...moving on" and I politely avoid further contact with that person.
That only applies to what I call Born Again Disorder that seems to usually show up in "Born Again Christians"

My mom has told me "seek jesus" and really wants me to start going to church, which I might, I want the community.
I really don't see myself actually converting fully to Christianity.

 

[SececaRD]

Theres only one kind of Christian and thats Born again.

If you havent been born again your not a Christian.

John 3:7 (New International Version)
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

 

[Fawkes]

Well lets just say out of 2,870 cataloged deities, you've chosen one. Atheists just drop the dice instead of roll.

"There's no particular reason to pick on the Judeo-Christian god, in which by the sheerest accident you happen to have been brought up and, and ask me the question, "What if I'm wrong?" What if you're wrong about the great Juju at the bottom of the sea?" ~R. Dawkins

nice! and this is why i can't help but find organized religion to be a bunch of bologne; no matter how you slice it, that's a lot of "wrong" people:

i'm agnostic and probably lean more toward the atheist side. much like CoffeeDrinker, those that are faithful interest me and it's always interesting to talk with them and providing they respect my stance as i respect theirs, usually it's a very thoughtful conversation.

i once worked, and was very good friends with a devout Christian - a true Christian - a Christian that respected my right to choose a different path and loved me for the person i am; as it is taught in the Christian faith that "Christ" loves "sinners". she once said to me, "Even though you may not believe in Him; i just want you to know that Jesus loves you." i was really taken aback by such a kind sentiment.

 

[hobhead]

fuck a bunch of gods . no friend of mine is superstitious thus no evangelizing come from them .

 

[pally pete]

This happened to me the other day. One of my good buddies goes on a rant about how I am "leading a lost, sad life" because I'm agnostic. I tried to brush it off, I said "Well you know, to each his own. I respect your views and would never put you down for simply being Christian." But my friend wouldn't let it go. He asks me why I don't believe that Jesus was the son of God. I reply "What makes him the only son of God? Am I not one of God's children, and therefore the son of God as well?

He explains that Jesus worked miracles, turned water into wine, made the blind see. I reply saying that I believe Jesus was a great man who tried to stand up against an oppresive Roman government. I said that I'm sure that Jesus helped many of the poor and sick. He gave them something to believe in, he gave them hope and raised their spirits, therefore "healing" many people. I say that the whole miracle thing was probably an exaggeration by one of the 40+ writers of the Bible, which was written over the course of 1500 years, and translated and re-translated numerous times.

Then the motherfucker goes out on a damn hellfire and brimstone (or whatever it is) rant, telling me that if I don't accept Jesus before I die, that I will burn in hell for all eternity.

I stormed out of the apartment and went somewhere else. I just don't see why an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving God would send a good dude like me to hell. Although I don't believe in heaven or hell, it would be freakin sweet if Hitler is burning in hell as I type. I've had Christians tell me that anyone who is not baptized is going to hell. Why would their great God send a good person (as in one day I want a wife and kids, and I'll raise my kids to the best of my ability) like me to HELL. Give me a freakin break here!

It seems that Christianity has turned into the religion of judging-people-for-no-good-reason-assholes. What happened to "Only God can judge me"? Why the hell do some Christians feel the need to judge others for being different?


If you've had a experience like mine, please post. Also non-judgmental Christians are welcome to post, I've got nothing but love for you guys. I'm also intersted in this Christian idea that 'We are right and you are wrong, you must become like us or you'll burn in hell'. I mean, what parts of the Bible say stuff like that?

dont have none of it! although you shouldnt of stormed out the apartment.

i was brought up roman catholic,quite strict upbringing,church every sunday,catholic primary and secondary schools,confessed,communion,confirmed and all the rest of it.

was never ever told others should follow our faith or need to believe in it otherwise they will burn in hell etc sounds like your mate is a bit of a religious nutter,unfortunately there everywhere in every religion and only end up harming the very religion they are trying to promote.

the only philosphy i follow is 'treat others as you would wish to be treated' now i dont know whether thats my religion,every religion or just general deceny talking.

oh yeah i nearly forgot...peace to you my brother

 

[theotherside]

I always fend them off by telling them that I'm already a christian(which I am most certainly not) but sometimes they ask me which church I go to and I say "all of them"

 

[CoffeeDrinker]

Theres only one kind of Christian...

No, there's only one kind of wrong. I hope you're just being facetious.

Not that spirituality hinges even remotely on some arbitrary labels. It'd be nice if people did away with their juvenile hang-ups.

The dangerously misguided thing is when people are influenced politically by their pastors and churches. It's such a malfunction of logic that you can't even have a normal debate with them without "playing the God card" as it were.

 

[theotherwoman]

Yes! My best friend. Her and i used to do drugs together and drink together but since she has found jesus she has stopped all of that, and tried to get me to stop too.
We both didn't believe in religion but a few months ago she started going to church and youth groups and since then she has been preaching to me about the word of god and whatnot.
She would harrass me into going with her because she said it would make me a happier and better person. I told her i don't need religion to be happy and a good person. But I went once to her youth group just to make her happy, and only once, and never will i go back.

 

[qwe]

Yes! My best friend. Her and i used to do drugs together and drink together but since she has found jesus she has stopped all of that, and tried to get me to stop too.
We both didn't believe in religion but a few months ago she started going to church and youth groups and since then she has been preaching to me about the word of god and whatnot.
She would harrass me into going with her because she said it would make me a happier and better person. I told her i don't need religion to be happy and a good person. But I went once to her youth group just to make her happy, and only once, and never will i go back.

i've been to the omgz-rolling-on-floor churches, catholic churches, black people three-hour-long-church, and mainly united methodist (much more relaxed, but still plenty of brainwashing)

i was atheist by grade 9 but the closest people to me have been majorly headfucked by religion... and not just the brainwashing...

i can see the value in the spiritual experience. but religion has grown into something entirely different. a giant human failure that has been stopping our progress as a species and causing an immense amount of suffering. from what i've read in the holy books of the major 'abrahamic' religions (and any mainstream interpretations of them), if there is a God belonging to the bible, koran, etc, i'm quite firmly on satan's side for what should be obvious ethical reasons...

 

[fivelinefury]

I always fend them off by telling them that I'm already a christian(which I am most certainly not) but sometimes they ask me which church I go to and I say "all of them"

Ha, thats a good one

I had a friend who never used to actually try to "convert" me to Christianity, but talked about it alot to me. I have nothing against anyones beleifs, but i'm not religious.

 

[Apostacious]

I tell them that we both have already made up our minds about such matters, and leave it at that.

 

[qwe]

Ha, thats a good one

I had a friend who never used to actually try to "convert" me to Christianity, but talked about it alot to me. I have nothing against anyones beleifs, but i'm not religious.

yeah i just let them talk to their heart's content (and talk back on their own level)

listening to their opinions on philosophy is like watching a retard trying to do maths, though. quite amusing, but also sad

 

[Jabberwocky]

^ I kind of join their reality also. If they are eschatological I try to find out if they are pre-, mid-, or post tribulation rapture. I sometimes probe their soteriology.If they are predestination oriented I like to find out if they are supralapsarian, sublapsarian, postlapsarian. On soteriology the big distinction is usually Armianinism vs Calvinism, but people almost always have personal variations. I ask them what they think about Origin's proposition that eventually all will be saved. Exploring the nature of the trinity is a lot of fodder for discussion. On Christology I might explore why the reject monophysitism.

I also like to find out what people think of the devil. Some Christians turn out to be closet Manichaeans. Anyways the level of joining their reality depends on both them and me having the time. Sometimes I come close to violating the prime directive and get pulled by Star Fleet Command before the mission is completed.