A simple question.
What have been some of your experiences and how have you dealt with discussing and telling friends and family, about your Christian Universalist beliefs?
I can already see that this will be interesting, from my own perspective.
Please let me know if this has been discussed recently, as I might have missed it.
:Chinscratch:
Quote from: Dandelion on June 28, 2015, 06:34:54 AM
A simple question.
What have been some of your experiences and how have you dealt with discussing and telling friends and family, about your Christian Universalist beliefs?
I can already see that this will be interesting, from my own perspective.
Please let me know if this has been discussed recently, as I might have missed it.
:Chinscratch:
Being not very charismatic and mostly introspective, I don't get the opportunity to discuss it with family and friends much. Most Christians hold to their doctrines and are willing to fight for them, I'm not looking for confrontation in my personal relationships. I will express my beliefs if asked, but I have to work up to in a gentile way that does not draw fire.
Yesterday in a gathering of friends, I quoted the fist Corinthians love verse, but never got into universal reconciliation. The group I was with was mostly not Christian, but discussing relationships, with a very charismatic person leading the discussion. If the conversation had come along to actual Christianity and I could get a word in, I surly would have mentioned best form of Christianity.
The ones who will benefit the most are the ones who are seeking and hurt by the doctrines of hell, annihilation, and elitism. That is what I like about tentmaker, they make their way here, and we can then discuss.
Ed ! Thanks , that was awesome . :thumbsup:
Hi Dandelion,
I have shared this with a few of my friends and family .
Some of my family believe in UR already , my sister Shelia is the one whom first told me about it years ago.
The Lord sent her to us :HeartThrob:
My sweet loving precious husband , whom I have talked to and for years now ,is still not fully convinced ...
But , by the littles ...He is growing in truth and grace .As God gives the increase .
But has not completely rejected it , like he did at first ....
We discuss the Lord often on our porch at evening conversations ...
Believe me he has been indoctrinated and that is a hard root to pull out without uprooting everything ..
He is loving and kind though and his actions speak more than words ,,
And has listened to the bible to and from work for many years and Believe that is what helped him most, hearing Gods Word , besides the HOLY SPIRIT most of all
God bless you in your offerings and efforts to serve the Living God sister .. :angel5:
A fairly long story but about 5 1/2 years ago when I finally came to really understand the love of God and what he has done for everyone, the truth of UR came as a flash of inspiration and I have never doubted at all since. And of all the silly things I thought everyone in my religious family would be thrilled too. I bought a few books and some magazine articles about prominent people who believe in the salvation of all and gave them to some of my brothers and sisters. Oops, they weren't happy. Very concerned about the error I was getting into. The most painful one is my wife who thinks it goes against everything we know to be true. Otherwise she loves God and is loving to others and more spiritually minded than I am (maybe). So now days I don't push it but just am waiting for the Father to shine the light into them.
Thanks Rose, for what you wrote about your family and especially your husband. I'm pretty sure you are a lot better than I am about talking spiritual stuff with others. I am always interested in hearing about how others families have taken it. It is the heaviest thing for me so far.
Quote from: bushy on June 28, 2015, 09:49:46 PM
A fairly long story but about 5 1/2 years ago when I finally came to really understand the love of God and what he has done for everyone, the truth of UR came as a flash of inspiration and I have never doubted at all since. And of all the silly things I thought everyone in my religious family would be thrilled too. I bought a few books and some magazine articles about prominent people who believe in the salvation of all and gave them to some of my brothers and sisters. Oops, they weren't happy. Very concerned about the error I was getting into. The most painful one is my wife who thinks it goes against everything we know to be true. Otherwise she loves God and is loving to others and more spiritually minded than I am (maybe). So now days I don't push it but just am waiting for the Father to shine the light into them.
Thanks Rose, for what you wrote about your family and especially your husband. I'm pretty sure you are a lot better than I am about talking spiritual stuff with others. I am always interested in hearing about how others families have taken it. It is the heaviest thing for me so far.
Blessings Bushy
I thank you for sharing that ! we all have so very much in common it seems :thumbsup:
I ask this because I am realizing that, though not even a handful of people know my belief in UR, I am getting some extreme reactions.
One of my male friends, I heard, was in tears. Oy Vey. That was a surprise.
As Bushy said, they think that I am going to Hell....because I don't believe in Hell.
People thought lots of things about me, I am sure, but I am also sure that going to Hell was most likely not one of them.....before now.
Not that I am surprised.....and not that I didn't expect interesting responses.....but, I thought sharing our experiences and thoughts, might be helpful to all of us.
:gimpossible:
Quote from: Dandelion on June 29, 2015, 05:09:49 AM
I ask this because I am realizing that, though not even a handful of people know my belief in UR, I am getting some extreme reactions.
One of my male friends, I heard, was in tears. Oy Vey. That was a surprise.
As Bushy said, they think that I am going to Hell....because I don't believe in Hell.
People thought lots of things about me, I am sure, but I am also sure that going to Hell was most likely not one of them.....before now.
Not that I am surprised.....and not that I didn't expect interesting responses.....but, I thought sharing our experiences and thoughts, might be helpful to all of us.
:gimpossible:
I don't think that anyone who knows you can question your dedication to Christ. You can still have wonderful spiritual conversations with them, that may lead to your belief in universal salvation..............but it does not have to. I find fellowship with believers who have a differing doctrinal stance to be a wonderful communion in Christ.
I work with a fellow Christian who happens to be deaf, making it hard for us to communicate well, mostly smiles and hand gestures. He was unashamedly reading a book called,
23 Minutes In Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in that Place of Torment. He kept it at his desk for all to see and read it during breaks for all to see.
He often walked past my desk, with Tentmaker on my computer screen. I gave him a few articles to read from Tentmaker. I don't think that he ever fully understood what kind of Christian I was, we just had and continue to have good fellowship.
Our doctrinal stance does not exclude us from wonderful Christian relationships with those who differ with us, and it does not have to be the pervading topic. Often the topic is love, or a struggle that one is going through. If the struggle is related to the doctrine of hell, the only soothing remedy is the truth. We are honored to be able to help in those type situations.
Quote from: ed on June 29, 2015, 03:23:29 PM
I don't think that anyone who knows you can question your dedication to Christ.
Yes, even people very close to me will question me. Some of them will question everyone and everything.
You can still have wonderful spiritual conversations with them, that may lead to your belief in universal salvation..............but it does not have to. I find fellowship with believers who have a differing doctrinal stance to be a wonderful communion in Christ.
I love discussion and fellowship. I don't want to change anyone. That is not my calling, nor anyone's calling, IMO. At most I can introduce some thoughts, and then, the Holy Spirit will do His work from there.
I work with a fellow Christian who happens to be deaf, making it hard for us to communicate well, mostly smiles and hand gestures. He was unashamedly reading a book called, 23 Minutes In Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in that Place of Torment. He kept it at his desk for all to see and read it during breaks for all to see.
He often walked past my desk, with Tentmaker on my computer screen. I gave him a few articles to read from Tentmaker. I don't think that he ever fully understood what kind of Christian I was, we just had and continue to have good fellowship.
Our doctrinal stance does not exclude us from wonderful Christian relationships with those who differ with us, and it does not have to be the pervading topic. Often the topic is love, or a struggle that one is going through. If the struggle is related to the doctrine of hell, the only soothing remedy is the truth. We are honored to be able to help in those type situations.
I think some of my friends have very different personalities from your friends. Very different! :eek: Hahaha.
Quote from: Dandelion on June 29, 2015, 05:09:49 AM
I ask this because I am realizing that, though not even a handful of people know my belief in UR, I am getting some extreme reactions.
One of my male friends, I heard, was in tears. Oy Vey. That was a surprise.
As Bushy said, they think that I am going to Hell....because I don't believe in Hell.
People thought lots of things about me, I am sure, but I am also sure that going to Hell was most likely not one of them.....before now.
Not that I am surprised.....and not that I didn't expect interesting responses.....but, I thought sharing our experiences and thoughts, might be helpful to all of us.
:gimpossible:
People imagine all sorts of strange things when they hear you are believing in the salvation of all because they dont know what it is, and they usually have all kinds of fear about it and they dont know the scriptures- and confuse it with ALL WAYS LEAD TO HEAVEN like Unitarian Universalists. Thats why I share in very short bursts as the Spirit gives me direction.
"I believe Jesus Christ is Lord and He is the only Savior"
"I believe in the judgment of God upon the wicked- I just dont believe it lasts forever"
"I beieve every person will eventually be saved because I believe every knee shall bow to Jesus and every tongue confess His Lordship, some after enduring correction in the fire of God in the age to come."
"I believe only the blood of Jesus cleanses from sin"
"I believe in the virgin birth and the death burial and resurrection of Jesus, and I love Him and He loves me"
These kinds of sentences will disarm most of the worst fears of people who love you and think you are losing your faith. Soem people will chalk you off no matter what you say- but God will use the testimony of your faithfulness up until now as a question in some seeking minds, and they will give you an opportunity to explain yorself from the scriptures.
And I have given out a good number of copies of "Hope Beyond Hell" by Gerry Beauchemin :o)
Thank you, everyone, for your wisdom and encouragement.
Yet another journey to go on, and in the process, to learn to trust our Lord.
Isn't that what it is all ultimately about, anyway?
:girlheart:
:thumbsup: