Ron Cusano

Tommy O, Please reread my post! I referred to the actions of several people, not specifically YOU! And I referred to not allowing myself to get down to that level of name calling, etc. You were never even mentioned or implied. I didn't threaten you with God, I told you what the Bible has to say about unbelief. It is the Word of God that is threatening you. I didn't write the book! I did take ownership of losing my cool, but I havn't heard you do that. Have you! Look back at your posts to me, starting with the very first one, and tell me with all honesty that you did not try to provoke me, needle me and talk down about my faith! Calling me "Rony Boy", asking me if I am angry yet . . . come on Dude! Be honest now! Have you have ANY interest in serious discussion? If not, why post to me then if not to try to "make me angry" which you already admitted to. I don't want to continue with all the hostility anymore, and am perfectly willing to end it. Are you??

I can understand that even if I disagree! And no, you don't have to share it with me, but since we have an ongoing discussion about it, I thought it fair to ask you to clarify your belief system. If you choose not to, so be it! You said that "that there is a God and that following the teachings of Jesus will help me" which comes "from your pwersonal faith" and I agree completely! What I was getting at was, how do you know what Jesus actually taught without taking what He said literally. Help me to understand that!! I know you don't take the Bible literally, but I want to ask you what you think about a verse that actually pertains to the scriptures that say's, (referring to the scriptures) "these thintgs I have written unto you that you may KNOW that ye have eternal life"!

I accept your right to believe any way you choose. I to know ministers of liberal Christian church's that believe as you do, but I certainly don't agree with them. They too can believe as they choose. I don't question that you "accept Jesus"! What I asked you, and this is a sincere question, on what basis and by what authority do you accept Him, if not by biblical implecation? Where does your understanding and belief come from? Isn't that a fair question to ask on this subject??

Please believe me when I tell you that I am in no way looking to "make myself feel superior"! I have no desire to be the topic here, and I have no illusions of being someone special. I am just someone who loves the Lord! You are right about losing my temper! I can take all the heat anyone wants to throw at me personally, but I do lose my cool when people denigrate my God and my faith, especially what what they say seems to be baseless and insulting. Yes, I should be above replying in like manner, but I am human, have emotions and, wrong as it may be, have allowed some to bait me into reacting that way. Admittedly, I need to be more conscious of this, and deal with it differently. I will not allow myself to be brought down to that level again. I think the reason that I get so upset, is because I do care so deeply for those who don't know the Lord. The Bible say's the it is "God's will that none should perish", and I guess I feel the same way!

Please reread what I wrote again. I am not being judgemental. What I am saying is, if some does not believe the Bible to be true and the Word of God, then they obviously won't believe the things that I an saying which is based on the Bible! If you don't believe in the Bible, thatn how could you not be closed minded toward it. Do you disagree with this?? I don't want to "preach to the choir", I would much rather have serious dialog with those who diagree with me. And I have had some serious discussion with some who disagree with me, but there is a small minority who seem only interested in discord. Do you disagree with that??

In what way do you consider that to be a "Freudian slip"?? As a fellow Christian, let me ask you a serious question? When you hear remarks to the effect the "there is no God", " the Bible is just a bunch of stories", "if there is a God why doesn't He do this or that", and when you try to give a serious answer, you are talked down to, ridiculed for your faith and some openly try to goat you into being angry and provoke arguments . . . HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD REACT?? Please give me an honest answer! Even you remark here about a "Freudian slip" is taking a shot at me, isn't it?

Forgive the typo . . . I meant FUSTRATION in my post!

If my fistration in defending my faith comes across as being aggressive, I apoligize! That is not my intent.

Of course, you are right! I will no longer respond unless someone wish's to have a serious discussion free from all of this nonesense. Since my beliefs and dialog is based upon the Word of God, those who believe there is no God or who do not believe that the Bible is the literal Word of God will have closed minds and react negatively. Perhaps a more apporiate dialog would be why many millions of Believers, including myself, consider the Bible to be the literal, infallible Word of God in the first place. That is an area where I can see people having honest objection, but I think there is ample evidence to reach a conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt.

It seems like whatever you experienced in your youth made you a bitter, closed minded person. You can't judge all people of faith by a fraud that you may had encoundered as a child. I have no hatred or even dislike for those who believe differently. Weather you believe it or not, I actually care about them, because from what i know from the Word of God, they are eternally lost, and I don;t wish to see anyone suffer that. I have tried to engage you in serious conversation. You return with remarks and innuendo about my faith, my God and the Bible, and you wonder why I get defensive? There are people who do speak aout of both sides of their mouth and mislead people. I can not dispute that, but don't paint all of us with the same brush. A lot of what you described, I also experienced in my youth! If you have any desire to discuss and exchange seriously, without the baiting and name calling, I would welcome it, but enough already with the verbal abuse. That is not what I am here for.

My remarks have been in response to verbal barbs for some others. Maybe I should just ignore the rude and insulting remarks and not respond, which is whay you seem to want. If the things I say seem to be "absolute" it is because they are, according to the Word of God, and I make no apoligies for speaking the truth. I am not threatening anyone with going to hell, the Word of God is! I am just repeating what God has spoken in the scriptures. No one wants to hear about Hell, nevertheless, it is biblically true. If you have a problem with the idea of unbelievers going to Hell, take it up with God! I am not in the least "vindictive and vengeful", I am fustrated that some people are so closed minded to the possibility that the things of God are true, that they won't even explore the evidence and have serious discussion on it's merit, without attacking the faith. You can attack me all you want, but when you attack the Lord, the scriptures and my faith, my back goes up and I get very defensive. I don't lash out at anyone who disagrees with me, I ask for their reasoning as to why they disagree. If you make statements and take a position, is it unreasonable to expect one to justify what they say? You expect it of me, but seem to have a double standard when it come to unbelievers. You seem to ingnore that some here post only with the intent to disparage others and provoke arguments, but them you get upset with me for defending myself in the face of these barrages by sometimes several of you at a time. It seems like you feel that it's OK for you to be abusive, but not for me to respond in any but the most humble manner. I have to wonder how you would respond if the tables were turned!!

That sounds about right!! That is how God works!

May God bless and keep you!!

Another serious post! I thought we agreed to be adults here!

I used the word "fool" in the quote that I think you are referring to which goes, "The fool hath said in his heart that there is no God"! BJean, in the last couple of days I have had some lively, meaning and serious discussions with several people on this board, including yourself. This joker Tom has done nothing to bait me and insult my beliefs, and has hod no intention of entering into any serious exchange. I never initiated any conversation with him. He is the one who jumped in and started with the remarks trying to provoke an argument. In fact he even said that we wnated to get me angry! Anyone that has the sole intent to cause problems and make snide remarks in the face of serious questions is, in my book, a fool, and I make no apoligies for that. He is what he is! He makes statements as if they are fact, but when I ask him to give me some reason why he things what he said is true, he changes the subject. He claims that I made certain statements, and when I ask him to show me where, he is strangely silent. I don't expect everyone to agree with things that I say, but we all do deserve a little respect. And I think that you know from recent exchanges that we had that I am not lying in wait for some unsuspecting heathen you can tear into!! I don't think that you mean that.

:clap2: Is that the best you got?

Another county heard from! Listen, if you think God is an imaginary being, go right ahead! The time will come when you will be face to face with this "imaginary being", and you can continue this discussion with Him then!

Not at all, considering where it's coming from! The Bible was right when it said, "The fool hath said in his heart that there is no God"! If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it's a duck!! Not name calling, just making an observation based upon the things you say, and don't say! If your sole purpose in posting to me is to bait me, don't waste your time or mine. I would rather use ti to have discussion with people that have the capacity to have serious intelligent discussion. I don't know how old you are, but I do have an ideal of how old you are mentally.

Nice try again, Tommy Boy! Keep changing the subject! You apparently have nothing to back-up anything you say! Like I said previously, you are real good at making accusations, snide remarks and innuendo, but when it come to showing that anything you say has any merit, you fold up like a cheap tent. Johnny Cash decribed you well in the words of a song when he said "you still is what you are" - a windbag looking to incite trouble, and sounding like a fool!! If you can't come up with something to back up what you say, Tommy Boy, maybe YOU should get out of the kitchen.

You would like me to get upset, wouldn't you? Not going to happen. Nice try though, trying to change the subject!! I'm still waiting for you to back up all of your hot air Tommy Boy. You don't want everyone here to think you're a big blowhard would you!!

Well Tommy Boy, If you took the time to read the thread, you would know that I am not a Pastor and do not have a flock. So why don't you just show me where I made that claim!! I challange you!! You are fast with the wise cracks and snide remarks. Do you have anything to back them up, or are you just a lot of hot air??

I don't get to decide who goes to heaven or hell or what is right or wrong . . . God does. You have a problem with that, take it up with HIM! If you call dialog based upon what someone things or feels, with nothing to back it up as being intelligent debate, perhaps we have a different understanding of what intelligent debate is. Accepting that would be like having your doctor give you an injection of whatever he feels like, for any reason he wants, with no evidence to substanciate that it have any value. If you were to present some evidence to back-up all of your remarks and opinions, maybe we would have a serious debate here, but it's apparent that it won't happen, will it?? You seem to always want to get back into politics! It seems like your hatred of our President if far more important to you than anything else. Maybe it's you who needs to get a sense of humor. I have a great sense of humor. I'm talking to you!!:clap2:

Interesting that you would choose to quote from the Bible that you don't believe in. Of course, I am familiar with all of these verses. Is there some point to you quoting them??? By the way, I never said that I have "full understanding of God and his intent"! It seems to be very charactaristic for those who do not believe in the God of the Bible, to make up quotes to try to make a specific point! Would you care to show me where I made that claim??

You know, everyone on the board has agreed to leave the personal attacks and the snide remarks out, and engage in serious discussion. I find it interesting that you find it necessary to keep baiting, but that you don't seem to be able to present intelligent, thoughtful foundational reasoning for your remarks. Perhaps what is not fair here is trying to engage you in a meaningful discussion. That is very sad!

Well, Tom, The Bible says that "all have sinned and come shore of the glory of God"! I would imagine that includes you and me! If you have ever lies, been angry, and a bad thought, stolen a paperclip from work, whatever, then that makes you a sinner by God's standards. You presume that I have terrible things in my life that need forgiveness. Since you don't know me, that presumption is as baseless as your other comments and arguments. I am a father, grandfather of 9, worked hard to support my family all my life, never killed anyone, robbed a bank or did anything that would land me in jail. And yet, by God's standards I an a sinner and in need of forgiveness. You think of yourself as a "good person" and by the worlds standards I have no doubt that you are. But, God's standards are not the world's standards. The Bible say's, "They are all gone out of the way,they are together become unprofitable;there is none that doeth good,no, no one" You say you "are not a sinner by anyone standards" but you are by God's standards which demand perfection to be sinless. You say you don't believe in God, and I am sorry to hear that! You apparently think you have it all together and that God is a fable. All I can say to you is that God has an answer for that . . . "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominal works, there is none that doeth good" Psa. 14:1 I think that you are in need of forgiveness, as are we all.