SOTC thread...Why NOT to post when your angry

[foodstampchamp 3]

your not alone, I went DOH too!!

I just didn't have enough guts to ask. I thought everyone knew but me.

[S@ssen@ch 745]

Faith is very important. I would never want to take faith from anyone, nor try to break their faith by logic or showing contradictions in their faith.

However, no one has the right to claim his/her faith any more valid than the next person's. If you have faith that you are on the correct path to eternal life with your God, you do not have the right to tell another person who has faith that they are on the correct path to eternal life with their God (or who worship the same God as you, but in a different way), that only your faith is true. If you want to feel it and believe it, fine. But do not put down other people's faith any more than you would want them to put your faith down. It is the "Golden Rule".

Many people say, "Money is the root of all evil". They are wrong. "The Love of Money is the root of all evil".

Many people say, "Never discuss religion". I believe they are wrong. "Never try to convince anyone that your faith is better than their faith" would be more appropriate. I have spent much of the last 7 years speaking to people in person and through forums about religion. It has caused me to listen and to go to the Bible to verify or disprove what was said. I had read the Bible cover to cover, first when 17 and then about 19 to 20. I started reading it much more while talking to people about religion.

I then read the "Holy Qur'an". It was illuminating. I am reading "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren right now. I am attending church regularly for the first time in 40 years. Why? Because I got interested in religion by talking about it.

I found that many people of faith know the Bible very well.

I found that many people of faith don't know the Bible very well or at all.

I found that many people of faith take the Bible and use it for very unchristian behavior.

I found that many people of faith who claimed to be Christian only knew the "Old Testament" or at least only quoted the "Old Testament".

I found that many people of faith who claimed to be Christian never practiced the teachings of Jesus Christ, but claimed that they had a personal relationship with him.

I found that many people of faith who claimed to be Christian really acted towards other people in the way that Jesus wanted us to act towards people.

But most of all, I found that only by reading and talking could I have found these things out. I never had to put down anyone's God. I did many times question the use of their claims that only their faith was correct. I even chastised people who said that all believers of this protestant sect or all Roman Catholics or all Jews or all Muslims would go to hell for not believing in the ways of their (only true and correct) way of worshiping (their only true God).

I have had people tell me that they are not condemning those people to hell, “it is in the Bible. It is word for word in the Bible". When I look up the passage, it does not say that "word for word". When I tell them that, they say "well what that means is..." Sorry, that is an interpretation, their interpretation, not "word for word".

The Bible and/or the "Holy Qur'an" can be read as "word for word" or it can be read as stories to help you in your life and help you gain eternity. Some people call me a "Cafeteria Christian" because I don't believe in certain things in the Bible, but then when I ask them about certain passages, they say that the passage doesn't mean what it says "word for word" or that was replaced by the "New testament".

My point is that there is more than enough Bible interpretation to last for a few millennia. Faith is wonderful, except when used to put other people's faith down. I believe that was the idea behind the post that started this thread.

TOM

PS: When I used the word "you" above, it was rhetorical and not addressed to anyone.

I agree with most of this and feel it's very well said. I also agree with those who said in the first few pages of this post that if they had come here to discuss religion, it would be called "religious chat" or something of that nature.

A few months ago, I kept noticing that certain individual(s) posts came off very condescending towards others and then when questioned they got argumentative and finally, they quoted their faith as their reasoning for becoming so judgemental. When it was pointed out to that individual that he/she was not behaving very christian-like, the comment went seemingly unnoticed and he/she continued to troll. I added that person to my ignore list.

I suggest to anyone who is offended by another's comments, especially on a consistent basis, add that person to the ignore list. Then you don't have to read it anymore.

[wavydaby 1]

. My mom is catholic, she has told me the same thing. Her own church would not let her get married not because my father had been prev married, it was because his first wife was prev married.....how messed up is that. My mom couldn't get married in her church beccause it was "her fault" that my protestant dad married a divorced woman??!!

Some Bishops are more strict on this than others and also Vatican II loosened up some of the rules on divorces and re-marrages.

I was divorced when I married my husband, technically in a Catholic Church, but by a non-denominational deacon.

I could have gotten an anullment, but didnt have the time nor the inclination to pursue it.

I was also told that if I wanted to have my priest marry me, I would have to have my husband to go thru Catholic Education classes, which were 12wks long and sign a form swearing to let my children be Catholic.

Due to discussions we had, we decided not to pursue that part.

But I got my church wedding and I am a member of the church, a bad bad high holiday only going church member.

But dont ask me to quote the bible, Im Catholic, we only read the church bulletins.

[foodstampchamp 3]

But dont ask me to quote the bible, Im Catholic, we only read the church bulletins.

LOL :huggie: :pound:

[nursekathy2u 0]

Some Bishops are more strict on this than others and also Vatican II loosened up some of the rules on divorces and re-marrages.

I was divorced when I married my husband, technically in a Catholic Church, but by a non-denominational deacon.

I could have gotten an anullment, but didnt have the time nor the inclination to pursue it.

I was also told that if I wanted to have my priest marry me, I would have to have my husband to go thru Catholic Education classes, which were 12wks long and sign a form swearing to let my children be Catholic.

Due to discussions we had, we decided not to pursue that part.

But I got my church wedding and I am a member of the church, a bad bad high holiday only going church member.

But dont ask me to quote the bible, Im Catholic, we only read the church bulletins.

ROFLLLLLL @ the church bulletins remark!!!!!

In response to the all of the remarks about the Catholic Church.. Catholicism is a religion.. a branch of Christianity.. As with all organized religions they have their own beliefs, habits, rules, rituals, doctrines, guidelines etc. Adults are Catholic by choice, not by force. If they dont like "the rules" they leave...Just as with any religion. By staying in the church they are effectively saying that they support the doctrines of the Church. So why all the bellyaching about abiding by the doctrines?? They abide because they want to. Most of the Catholics I know are very passionate about their religion. They practice their faith more often and more passionately than many other friends of different religions. I see nothing wrong with that.. They are lucky to have something that means so much to them and brings them peace.

Just my take on things and I hope I didnt offend anyone as this was not my intent... Let's PLEASE not attack anyones beliefs.. you should feel free to state your own beliefs but let others have theirs too...

[Bettina 0]

I am a firm believer of to each his own. I hope I didn't offend any Catholics with my Mom's story...that was not what it was supposed to be...just me saying I thought it was odd. And again I think Father Michael is da bomb! lol...should I tell him that if I ever run into him again? Oh did I tell you I saw Mary's drape/scarf that she supposidly wore when she gave birth to Jesus??!! It's encased in glass in a church in Rome...drats can't remember the name. Even though I am agnostic, it was still totally cool to see!!!! I wish we had old old churches here in the US like they have in Europe. Hmmm ..It just dawned on me that I was more of a believer in Europe than here. I am gonna have to think about that more.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

All Catholics are sinners. All Christians are sinners. All members of every Jewish denomination is a sinner. Every Bishop, every minister, every Rabbi, every Ayatollah, every atheist, every agnostic, every priest, every cardinal and even the Pope are all sinners.

Some may not call themselves sinners, because they don't believe in the concept of sin. The people of all the Christian faiths believe that only Jesus Christ was without sin.

All churches, all religious organizations are made up of sinners. If you prefer the terms imperfect or flawed or people that make mistakes or people that do the wrong things, it all boils down to the same thing. A story about a member of a group, be it a church, religious group or nation, does not have to be taken as an attack on the whole church, religious group or nation.

There have been Catholic priests in the news for the past few years for molesting children. There have been stories about the church protecting the priests. That is not an attack on the priesthood or the Catholic church. It is a story about some people who did bad things and who were priests and Bishops or Cardinals.

People who worked for the post office have been in the news for shooting up their work-place. Those stories are not an attack on the post office. They are stories about some postal workers who did bad things.

Complaining about the president is not an attack on the United States. It is an opinion of someone that the president did a bad thing. The president is also a sinner. The last president was a sinner and the next president will be a sinner, no matter which party he (or she) comes from.

Every time (or anytime) a member disagrees with another member's post does not require personal retaliation. It is one member's opinion that another member's opinion is wrong. The member should be saying that the other member is wrong, not bad, not stupid, not mean, but wrong.

For the life of me, I can't understand why people have to take everything personal. If someone says something negative about the way someone of your religion did something, please do not take it as an attack on your religion or your god. If your god really is God, he can take care of himself. I doubt, though I may be wrong, that God is smiling when he hears about his children killing each other to prove who loves him the most and who is most worthy of his love.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

A pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. He was so pleased that he entered the donkey in another race, and it won again. The next day, the local newspaper headline read:

PASTOR'S ASS OUT IN FRONT

This upset the bishop, so he ordered the pastor not to race the donkey again. Next day, the headline read:

BISHOP SCRATCHES THE PASTOR'S ASS

This really upset the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun. The newspaper posted the headline:

NUN HAS THE BEST ASS IN TOWN

The bishop fainted. He told the nun to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it for $10. Next day, the headline read:

NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10

This was too much for the bishop, so he told the nun to buy back the donkey and let it run wild and free. The paper ran the headline:

NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE

The bishop was buried the next day.

Moral: Being concerned about public opinion can bring you grief and misery, and even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life. Stop worrying about other people's asses and you'll live longer.

[PhotoNut 7]

I recently found out that my first husband, the biological father of my two grown kids, the man who spent four years in prison for trafficing drugs (looong after our divorce), is a Methodist pastor who is just completing his 5th year in Divinity College at Duke University.

I have a friend who's church believes things that make me go.. HUH? Wait.. wha??? and yet, I love her to pieces and don't think I know of anyone else who loves God as much as she does. Even tho she believes God requires things of her that I think are too legalistic, the thing which impresses me most is that she lives by those things out of her love for her God. How can ya diss that?

And finally, last night, my son poured out his heart to me and his step-dad, Dawg, and told us how vital we have been to his progress in fulfilling his calling to become a pastor. Um.. I dont know about you, but to me.. that was MONUMENTAL and I am so overwhelmed by God's grace for this family.

Now, all that said.. I don't know what purpose it served to share this with you all other than I just felt like it was time to say.. "Praise God! He does love us and wants the best for us!"

Thanks for letting me share..

And for those of you who find comfort in saying there is no god... wow, ya dont know what you're missing out on. The guy really knows how to love and care for his kids. I hope you find that out for yourselves some day. But until then, I fully respect where you are in your walk right now and I wouldn't dare presume to be qualified to say anything other than.. Hey, we all have our roads to walk, and for some reason, at this point in time, our paths have converged, and while we are on this stretch of the road together.. I extend a hand of friendship and hope with all my heart that we all get safely to where we are going.. and that we aren't too terribly disappointed when we get there!

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

Peace, Faith & Love to you all.

[PamRN 0]

Bravo!:clap2:

Have I ever mentioned that I really like the way you think?

All Catholics are sinners. All Christians are sinners. All members of every Jewish denomination is a sinner. Every Bishop, every minister, every Rabbi, every Ayatollah, every atheist, every agnostic, every priest, every cardinal and even the Pope are all sinners... For the life of me, I can't understand why people have to take everything personal. If someone says something negative about the way someone of your religion did something, please do not take it as an attack on your religion or your god. If your god really is God, he can take care of himself. I doubt, though I may be wrong, that God is smiling when he hears about his children killing each other to prove who loves him the most and who is most worthy of his love.

(see above for full article)

["Just" Paul 1]

I have a problem with this post.

It sounds like an attack on the Catholic church - MY church. And I feel the need to address it..

:biggrin1:

Not an attack on the Catholic Church, simply a statement on hypocrisy.

It is not 3rd party information... I was there during the whole "ordeal". The friend wanted a catholic mass mainly for her dying grandma, otherwise she would have gone another route.

BTW, I was not only raised Roman Catholic, I was an alterboy, then a lector, and was on the church board at the age of 15. I attended catholic school, and was accepted into the seminary, but declined. I have 2 great uncles who are priests, a cousin who is a priest, an inlaw who is a priest, 2 great aunts who are nuns, a great aunt who was a mother superior and founder of a library program at a major Catholic university, and an inlaw who is an ex-nun.

Believe me, I DO know the Catholic church... very well. Don't think I need to go take a quick class on it.

Be happy to debate the Catholic church at any time. Not against it at all, but disagree with may of it's policies.

Not a criticism, not a personal attack. Simply an observation.

[rainbow 0]

the bedside of my mom

she did not believe in god and stayed that way right up until the end and she was not all that brave about dying (cancer). she lived her life as a very good and giving person, better than some christians i have known

i miss her

[paula 4]

It sounds like an attack on the Catholic church - MY church. And I feel the need to address it..

I shouldve never posted the sentence:It sounds like an attack on the Catholic church

I apologize.

Photonut - what an honor and awesome blessing for a family to have a son choose to follow the path of being a minister. Thanks for sharing! You and Dawg have every right to be proud!

[rainbow 0]

ps

i am very very very anti organized religon ( some of the reason this world is messed up i believe)

but i try never to put down someones faith as they keep to themselfs

i do not have the answers and do not care to have others tell me what i should think and feel