Dealing With Damnationists Who Threaten Atheists

[aaronclark1989]

Whenever there is some Damnationist Christian threading an atheist I feel the need to defend them. My question is how would you response to a Damnationist Christian who will not stop threading atheists with the nonsense of hell?

[lomarah]

Apologize for their behaviour and let the atheist know that the damnationists think they know God but have no idea who He really is (all who do not love do not know God). Tell them that God is love, He loves them no matter what and created us in love and sent Jesus to save them, not condemn them, and they are included whether they believe it yet or not. If possible do it in private so as not to start a huge ruckus with the damnationists. Just tell the atheist to ignore them because they know nothing of what they speak. (This is not a condemnation against them, they truly just do not know.)

[Lazarus Short]

Hell!  HUH!!  What is it good for?  Absolutely nothin'!  Say it again!!  [apologies to Eric Burdon]

[lomarah]

Who, ha! What is is it good for? Absolutely nothin!

[VineBranch]

Those of us who were kids in the seventies had the Vietnam War on our television screens daily.  I learned a very important lesson from the era.  If you don't like the propoganda you are watching, shut it off.

[Captain.Theophilus]

It bothers me as well. In fact the only sound argument that George Carlin actually has in his act on God is the part where he points out the hypocrisy of God in sending people to roast for not obeying some rules.

:thumbsup: George Carlin!

[Lazarus Short]

Captin T, I'm glad to see you can separate the gold from the dross.  George Carlin is a heavy dose of laughs and offensive BS.  He's a world-class smart ass.  :LH: :eek: :LH:

[eaglesway]

Whenever there is some Damnationist Christian threading an atheist I feel the need to defend them. My question is how would you response to a Damnationist Christian who will not stop threading atheists with the nonsense of hell?

I would apologize for the ignorance of the damnationist and declare the good news of the ultimate reconciliation and restoration of all things.

[ded2daworld]

Yeah Laz about George Carlin (who has gone bye-bye). It seems the most successful acts to come out of hollywood and entertainment are the offensive ones... offensive to christians that is. They'd get their throats cut if they said the same things about Allah as they do Jesus and the Father

[VineBranch]

I confess I never understood George Carlin.  Most of my friends in High School thought he was the greatest thing.  They would quote him in school, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh.  I thought the only thing they were laughing at was that they got to swear.  I listened to some of his stuff and came away thinking he was so obvious.  When he was supposedly musing over the use of words he wasn't doing anything any of us hadn't done.  It was just that most of us didn't think we were geniuses for having observed something. I watched one of his last stage acts recently, and found he become very preachy.  Now, that was an irony I thought funny.

[ded2daworld]

Yep. The irony or illogic of a non-believer saying, "Christians SHOULD NOT tell us what we SHOULD NOT do or say."
and he was no comic genius, he paid people to think up those musings and write most all of his "jokes"

[VineBranch]

Yep. The irony or illogic of a non-believer saying, "Christians SHOULD NOT tell us what we SHOULD NOT do or say."
and he was no comic genius, he paid people to think up those musings and write most all of his "jokes"

That's depressing:  being thought a genius based on someone else's wit.  Now, I understand things less.

[Lazarus Short]

He's saying that George Carlin was largely pre-packaged, a marble front of a brick structure.

[ded2daworld]

IMO, He was still genius in his sense of comedic timing and delivery and facial expressions and gestures.
Let's face it, the greatest actors in the world are merely repeating what someone else wrote and often the character they portray is really different than who they really are.
I think that's why so many are unhappy(besides not knowing the Lord) people say "I love you" to them and they mean I love the character you portray or I love your ability to portray many different characters other than your true self. Few marriages succeed because many are based on physical attraction, star power, and what each can do for the other. :2c:

[VineBranch]

"star power"?

[ded2daworld]

star power is the weight and influence, the salaries and demands that are met by celebrities

[VineBranch]

Boy was I off base on that one.  I thought you were talking about Astrology.

[Captain.Theophilus]

Yes they probably would get their throats cut if they talked about Allah in that way, but it's also a cultural thing. We live in the western culture where Christianity has been prevalent for 2,000 years and since the enlightenment, people are still shedding their cultural beliefs about God which they have inherited. Because of the time and place of history we are in, it makes such an act more acceptable. I couldn't see something like that fly in the 16th century, though.

I think Muslims are more in the "16th" century with regard to their beliefs and have not reached their "enlightenment" yet.

I don't know if that makes sense or I just rambled

[dajomaco]

IMO George Carlin was freaking hilarious.
As a young Canadian growing up ,it seemed funny and ironic.

He mocked the God of the United States of America.
This God was adored as love,
a few simple rules go to church and say you love Jesus.
If you don't go out of your way to prove to people at church you love him.
Jesus will start by reminding you that you will burn in hell for ever.
Keep your teenage kids hair short. or Jesus will turn them in
to drug addicted Grandma rapists .
Jesus wants your kids to kill gooks.
Beat the crap out of hippies.
Burn the enemy with napalm and burn GD rock n roll records .

Listen if you go around promoting a choice
between heaven and hell .
as the bases of Love you disqualify Love.

If I say I am going to introduce you to my friend.
Be really nice to him and tell him you love him.
If you don't he going to cut a finger off of your infants
hand.
Oh here he is, remember what I told you.

I have disqualified your first and everlasting impression of Jesus.

I hope there is a never ending line up of comedians to mock me.

I was 14 years old a group of my Dads army buddies were
over drinking beer. I think they were there to watch
Hockey Night in Canada .It was just all the guys so there was lots of
language .Every time they talked about any one with long hair was a
F N Freak.
It must have been a period break and they turned the channel
Ed Sullivan had George Carlin on.
They started trying to out do each other
at making fun of him.

Then we listen as George did his news cast.

There was a freak accident on the highway today
a converted school bus painted with flowers hit a Volkswagen van. 
As a result 14 freaks were taken to the hospital.

Well I have never heard so much uncontrollable laughter.

Then he did the hippy dippy weather man.

There is a large Canadian low coming our way.
Not to be confused with a Mexican high.

The laughter intensified.
I could not believe that these men new what high meant.

Why would I be offended by people who mock what Jesus IS NOT .

[Lazarus Short]

Just remember, Captain Theo, that the "light" of the "Enlightenment" was the false light of Lucifer.

[eaglesway]

I know Jesus probly had a good laugh :o)

[VineBranch]

Yes they probably would get their throats cut if they talked about Allah in that way, but it's also a cultural thing. We live in the western culture where Christianity has been prevalent for 2,000 years and since the enlightenment, people are still shedding their cultural beliefs about God which they have inherited. Because of the time and place of history we are in, it makes such an act more acceptable. I couldn't see something like that fly in the 16th century, though.

I think Muslims are more in the "16th" century with regard to their beliefs and have not reached their "enlightenment" yet.

I don't know if that makes sense or I just rambled

I've heard this before; it seems to presuppose some general chronology inherent in all religions such that you can see where they are by how long they have around.  I guess if Islam were Christianity there might be an argument to be made.  Personally I don't think it works.

[VineBranch]

daj.  Sorry, I have no idea what your post means.

[Captain.Theophilus]

Yes they probably would get their throats cut if they talked about Allah in that way, but it's also a cultural thing. We live in the western culture where Christianity has been prevalent for 2,000 years and since the enlightenment, people are still shedding their cultural beliefs about God which they have inherited. Because of the time and place of history we are in, it makes such an act more acceptable. I couldn't see something like that fly in the 16th century, though.

I think Muslims are more in the "16th" century with regard to their beliefs and have not reached their "enlightenment" yet.

I don't know if that makes sense or I just rambled

I've heard this before; it seems to presuppose some general chronology inherent in all religions such that you can see where they are by how long they have around.  I guess if Islam were Christianity there might be an argument to be made.  Personally I don't think it works.

I'm not making an argument that Islam must necessarily have its own enlightenment. I'm just making a positive statement that 1,000 years of church-ruled government in the west created a setting for the enlightenment, which makes the cultural/historical place where we are now a culture in which making fun of the Christian God is accepted. Perhaps if we killed infidels it would happen less.

I just don't like the argument that Christians are just victims and everyone hates our God because he's the true God. I don't think it really works. If you ask most people make fun of Christians because we are as much of a joke as the religious leaders in Jesus' day.

The Pharisees were:

• ZEALOUS FOR SCRIPTURES


• SCRUPULOUS IN THEIR GIVING


• DEDICATED TO LIVING UNTAINTED BY THE WORLD


• FERVENT IN ANTICIPATING GOD'S DELIVERANCE


• CONSCIENTIOUS IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S COMMANDS

And they say that the Church is full of hypocrites, we decry them. Most Christians (including myself) are spitting images of Pharisees. They laugh at us for doctrines like damnation, and like the Pharisees it's because we don't represent the true God.

Evangelical Christianity in America understands many of the basic principles, but in my opinion misses the main purpose by replacing forgiveness of sin by works. Most of us are more works-oriented than we would like to admit, even those of us who preach against works.

Non-believers have plenty of reason to laugh at us besides that we worship the true God.

[Captain.Theophilus]

Just remember, Captain Theo, that the "light" of the "Enlightenment" was the false light of Lucifer.

Lots of great things that we benefit from today (including internet forums) began with the scientific advances in the enlightenment.

People had seen a false church represent a false picture of God for over 1,000 years and also borne the horrible religio/political theocracy that existed at the time and caused more death and starvation than most of previous recorded history. We can't blame society for wanting to move past that. Moreover the protestant reformation was a major part of the enlightenment.

The roman church wasn't a horrible failure because it was "Christian," the roman church was a giant failure because it did NOT represent christianity or God's will for man, and people bore the brunt of that.

I really like the enlightenment because people began to be willing to at least entertain other beliefs. How can we show that a belief is false unless we consider the feasability of it first? The enlightenment was the inception of powerful conversations in the fields of both science and the arts. It got the discussion going. Whether or not someone becomes a Christian is going to be their choice, but we have no reason to hold 1,000 years of political corruption above the enlightenment.

Having said all that, however, I would like to note that I do agree with your general statement that there was a lot of false "light" in the enlightenment.