Apologetics

Before I respond to this I would like to say that all human beings are worthy of repectful treatment.:)

u ne la nv i u we tsi said:
There is actually good reason for these deep emotions. Its not that they actually believes there is a God deep down but that they think religion can be harmful to individuals. Many outspoken atheists have a strong sense of care for the well being of the civilization and their fellow human. If they see religion as something that can cause damage to other people and the civilization as a whole then of coarse religion is something thats gonna stir up a lot of emotions with them.
You and I dissagree on this no surprise but still lots of love for you.
Not only that but a lot of them do get attacked religious people over their lack of a believe. Hence it often makes it seem like religion is a threat to their well being. The lack of respect they get from religious people helps lead to the lack of the return of respect (and vice versa... its a vicious cycle). And disrespect towards the non-religious is not rare even among large figures, take President Bush, Sr. saying;
It was this rudeness that kept me away from religion for so long. It doesn't stop with simple sayings like this either, it continues with the very idea of blue laws. It continues into the adding of "Under God" into the pledge and "In God we Trust" onto paper money in the 1950s to make it seem like the United States is simply a christian nation. Luckily I was eventually able to see through this but it took a long time to be able to do that.
It must be the circles I travel in but the Christians I know for the most part are loving and kind and the athiests display dispostions similar to angry crocodiles at the very mention of that Name Jesus. They are bound in darkness and decption and the spirits that control and manipulate them hate even the thought of Christ.
This of course is not a blanket statment and there are goofballs to be found in any crowd.

A common non-believer response to this is asking the question "Is satan more powerful than God?". If you respond that God is more powerful then they will ask "Then why doesn't god get rid of him." The line of questions they can bring on from here can actually be quite hard to respond to... at least for me but I have never been good at arguing.
Click to expand...

Personally I have never had an issue responding to any questions like that. There are of course folks out there that will make you think and explore the depths of your faith but that is a good thing.

Luk 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
Luk 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

If one spends enough time in the presence of his Father then the Holy Spirit will help that one speak the words of life that will reach even the hardest of hearts.:)
 
Ramsey said:
we should tell those who come up with that argument "don't you have freewill?.. look at you, do you help those who suffer?"
they don't help
Click to expand...
I wouldn't necessarily say they don't help. I know plenty of atheists that give money to worthy organization and even give donate food to my church (though never money to the church). I feel that the argument they use is purely a moral question posed at God and doesn't necessarily go into the argument of free-will but more into the continuing existence of the devil.

Boanerges said:
Before I respond to this I would like to say that all human beings are worthy of repectful treatment.:)
Click to expand...
But of coarse.

You and I dissagree on this no surprise but still lots of love for you.
Click to expand...
I'd like to know exactly what points of it you do disagree on.

When I was an atheist it was not based on anger or any sort of want. It was simply a different mind set based on the information I had about the world available to me about the time. I had lots of people who loved and cared for me in my life and I never had to get over anything before I was able to accept the love of God.

I am still friends with many atheists. The vast majority of which grew up in loving households. I have a friend who I have known since before I even began elementary school that is an atheist. She has never mentioned any sort of bad experience that happened to her during childhood and her family, from what I have seen overall these years, is very caring and loving. They are also very religious while she is not. She will even donate her time in events at my church if she feels that "the cause is worthy". Even after all of this she still feel that overall that the kind of faith that her parents and myself have as a negative thing.

It must be the circles I travel in but the Christians I know for the most part are loving and kind and the athiests display dispostions similar to angry crocodiles at the very mention of that Name Jesus. They are bound in darkness and decption and the spirits that control and manipulate them hate even the thought of Christ.
This of course is not a blanket statment and there are goofballs to be found in any crowd.
Click to expand...
Though I do find a few angry and very negative atheists, a brother of a friend of mine included. But I also see proportionately the same amount of angry and rude Christians towards non-believers. Guess the areas we live in most be very different.
 
revlynn said:
The most important thing Christians can do is read the Word. I am constantly amazed by the number of Christians who, it would seem, never open their Bibles. They get their teaching from other people, but never go back to the Word to check whether what those teachers are saying is accurate (and a frightening amount of the time it is not!)

It takes very little time each day reading the Bible to get through it cover to cover in a year. If Christians did that every year, they would soon have enough knowledge of the Word to be able to recognize the false things that are being taught.

In terms of defending the faith (apologetics) there are some great resources at http://creationscience.glorytotheking.net

blessings,

Lynn
Click to expand...

Yes Pastor Lynn ... I hear you . It is so true . Why would others just sit in the pew and listen and not check for themselves. People in third world countries are crying for Bibles to read andI am sure many of us have more than one in our house.
 
"There is actually good reason for these deep emotions. Its not that they actually believes there is a God deep down but that they think religion can be harmful to individuals. Many outspoken atheists have a strong sense of care for the well being of the civilization and their fellow human. If they see religion as something that can cause damage to other people and the civilization as a whole then of coarse religion is something thats gonna stir up a lot of emotions with them."

that is very true and I don't know why Bo did not agree. that's actually a fact and it's what we see in front of us daily.
even I would be turned off if that's what religion does. but good thing that Yeshua is not a religion!
 
u ne la nv i u we tsi said:
I wouldn't necessarily say they don't help. I know plenty of atheists that give money to worthy organization and even give donate food to my church (though never money to the church). I feel that the argument they use is purely a moral question posed at God and doesn't necessarily go into the argument of free-will but more into the continuing existence of the devil.
Morals are commendable but will never save a soul.

I'd like to know exactly what points of it you do disagree on.
I will try to elaborate.:)
When I was an atheist it was not based on anger or any sort of want. It was simply a different mind set based on the information I had about the world available to me about the time. I had lots of people who loved and cared for me in my life and I never had to get over anything before I was able to accept the love of God.
That makes yo the exception to the rule. 9 of 10 that I have spoken to (and there are quite a few) all got angry at the sound of His Name.
Mental deception (the one you were under) is just another form of deception- perhaps theirs was more overtly demonic but any spirit that denies Jesus as the Living Christ is demonic. I am glad you have gotten free of that.
I am still friends with many atheists. The vast majority of which grew up in loving households. I have a friend who I have known since before I even began elementary school that is an atheist. She has never mentioned any sort of bad experience that happened to her during childhood and her family, from what I have seen overall these years, is very caring and loving. They are also very religious while she is not. She will even donate her time in events at my church if she feels that "the cause is worthy". Even after all of this she still feel that overall that the kind of faith that her parents and myself have as a negative thing.

Though I do find a few angry and very negative atheists, a brother of a friend of mine included. But I also see proportionately the same amount of angry and rude Christians towards non-believers. Guess the areas we live in most be very different.
Click to expand...
The area may be different my friend but all those souls are completely lost without Christ no matter what delusion they are living under.
I am in total agreement that some Christians are obnoxious. Many are in religious bondage as they try to please God in their own strength- this always makes for frustration and bitterness. Others are new converts (or old converts who have not renewed their minds by the word through the Spirit) and can be quite rude. But at least they have their foot in the door of the Kingdom of heaven and for them there is hope.
I am quite sure that your friends are nice people but sadly nice people go to hell at an alarming rate. Our goodness is a filthy rag before a Holy God and only in Christ may we stand before Him. Nice folks can be the hardest to reach for Christ because they are often blind to their dire need for redemption.
My friend I will be praying daily for your friends, God can use such people mightily if they but open their hearts.
Many blessings on your day, brother Larry.
 
Atheism is the ultimate deception and denial of the truth- selah.
 
I do not understand this apologetics thing.

a⋅pol⋅o⋅get⋅ics

   /əˌpɒl
thinsp.png
əˈdʒɛt
thinsp.png
ɪks/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [uh-pol-uh-jet-iks] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun (used with a singular verb
thinsp.png
) the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity.

I don't see a need to defend the Christian beliefs. Offer an alternative to what they have. Let the Holy Spirit do His work. Of course we need to live our beliefs too
 
I think it falls under "study to show thyself approved." I have been in situations were someone was railing on God and/or the bible in front of a large group of people and I was quite glad to be able to offer them the truth. Rather than be silent and let them spread their poisin I was able to demonstrate the foolishness of what was being said. Perhaps one could look at it as sowing good seed. If but one soul was kept from demonic influence and decpetion it was certainly worth it.
Then of course you have the scripture twisters and cults that creep in and ravage the young and unlearned of the flock- sound doctrine presented in the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit is oft the tool that prevents and undoes this. So I defintely see it as having a place.
 
I don't see a need to defend the Christian beliefs.
Click to expand...
It is important that the truth be preached to protect people from being led astray.

We are all as Christians commanded to go and make disciples, that is to share the Good News.

I agree with Bo about atheism, but it is important to remember that there are many other false teachings in adition to atheism that are leading people into eternal damnation.

Some have 90% of the truth, but fail on a few points like the Deity of Christ or who Jesus Christ actually is, or on Justification. That is why it is imperative that the true doctrine of God be taught and that scripture interperet scripture and not man.

It isn't the 90% of truth that saves, it is the 10% of lies that kill.
Remember, even rat poison is 90% good food.
 
So I have to stop eating it?:o:p I was wondering why my wife was giving me pellet shaped cereal for breakfast!:eek::D
 
I have a really good policy with Jesus Christ Mutual Insurance.:cool:
 
I have a really good policy with Jesus Christ Mutual Insurance.
Click to expand...

That reminds me of an expression I like to tell people..

Being a Christian is a low paying job with long hours and very hard work.... but the retirement package is out of this world! :D
 
Christian Ministries International

looking for any and all links on/about converting peoples of other beliefs to Christianity, they may already be posted in here, if so, please refresh my memory. I know only God converts hearts, but He calls us to the vinyard. Thanks and God bless

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/

Brother Bo put this up, this is good;
left column has diff. religion links

http://www.carm.org/index.html

Looking to make custom-profiled tracts appealing to conversion of specific faiths to Christ...don't know if there are already any out there and poss. in other languages
 
a⋅pol⋅o⋅get⋅ics

   /əˌpɒl
thinsp.png
əˈdʒɛt
thinsp.png
ɪks/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [uh-pol-uh-jet-iks]
–noun (used with a singular verb
thinsp.png
) the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity.




I really have to ask. I've never looked into Apologetics before.

Why Apologetics? Why do some Christians feel its their job/ministry to defend anything Christian?

I accepted Jesus and Lord of my life and my Savior thirty five years ago. Back in 1973 or so. I've always thought that if Joe Blow thinks I'm nuts for believeing in a God I cannot see, Ok. He has the right to think I'm nuts. He also has the right to follow his god whom he cannot see either (he can only see the things his god shows him, money etc)

So why should I waste my time with such thingys? I'm not looking to step on toes here. I would really like to know though.

Apologetics seems to be to be a rabbit trail. Is it?
 
Apologetics seems to be to be a rabbit trail. Is it?
Click to expand...
I recommend reading Acts 8
Philip was instructed by the Holy Spirit of God to go to the Ethiopian who was reading Isaiah.

"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."

That is apologetics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top