What is the biggest insult to God? Atheism of ETism?

[WhiteWings]

Question is clear I assume.

I voted ETism because I think it is worse to picture Him as an incompetent sadist, than denying His existance.

[CHB]

I would have to say, "both". I don't see one worse than the other, they are both bad to me. But I would have to say God allows both views to exist so who am I to judge either.

CHB

[WhiteWings]

Well, erm.... if I had added a "both are bad" option the poll would be of even less use.
Just a guess  :laughing7:

[Raggedy Anne]

Claiming one is certain of ET seems worse to me.   But I think extremists in both camps are hurtful to the people in this world.

[Paul Hazelwood]

(Atheism) Look, I've never been an atheist, but I still maintain that an Atheist primarily understands the possibility of the unknown and that in a nutshell man cannot prove any assertion they make about God.  Whether anyone likes an atheist or not, this is not an insult to God, there just is no grounds for it.

(Eternal Hell)  The belief that ones personal choice to not accept is more powerful than Gods desire to save them.

[jabcat]

I voted atheism, with the reasoning that atheism purports to totally deny God, whereas ET'ism acknowledges Him but lacks understanding.  However, the bottom line is we are to actively love and be available to both groups, and I agree with CHB...God knows what to do with it/us all  :thumbsup:

[WhiteWings]

In a way Atheism is (possibly) also a lack of understanding?

Does ETism acknowledge Him or a selfmade version/image of Him?
How much wrong can we be before the God we worship isn't really the God anymore?

[jabcat]

all good questions, and after i posted i had the same thought as your question regarding atheists lacking understanding...I happen to believe we all lack understanding, just to varying degrees.

regarding "the god/God we worship"...scripture says "that if thou mayest confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and mayest believe in thy heart that God did raise him out of the dead, thou shalt be saved...whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved"...beyond that, we've all got a lot to learn and much room to grow in Him.

[chuckt]

Question is clear I assume.

I voted ETism because I think it is worse to picture Him as an incompetent sadist, than denying His existance.

etism is why they are athiest for the most part.

thats what ive seen, they say "" i cant beleive in a God that would eternally torment his creatures""


so in reality the athiest are not beleiving in a false god, so they are in better shape then those who malign the character of God.


:2c:

chuckt

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: From my limited exposure to one of the atheist boards, it would seem to me they spend an inordinate amount of time denying someone that they don't truly believe exists.

I think Shakespeare said it best when he said, "Me thinks they do protest their innocence too loudly." Blessings....

[noname]

this is what some people don't get, no matter what WE believe or not...God loves us all just the same :thumbsup:

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Yes, He does...... :thumbsup:

[Nathan]

I voted Etism as well because of all the examples of the confrontations Jesus had to deal with . .not with the atheists, but with the religious.  I think WW asked a very profound question

How much wrong can we be before the God we worship isn't really the God anymore?

Are not the Pharisees a prime example of this?  They worshiped . .hard core . . an image of God that was not God at all . .so much so that when he showed up in the flesh . . .they killed him.  And Jesus spoke of a great darkness . . .the biggest sin . . .if there is one . . . is those that have convinced themselves they have the light in them, but it instead is actually darkness.

Matthew 6
22 "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

I've also found and preach when people come in with no background of any churching at all . .they actually have an advantage over those who do have religious roots . . .because for the latter, you spend most of your time tearing down doctrine rather than planting new in them.  As I stated in another post somewhere in the vast wisdom of this forum . . .the hardest step for an alcoholic is to get them to admit they're an alcoholic . . .the hardest thing for any person is to get them to admit they may be wrong. 

[WhiteWings]

I voted Etism as well because of all the examples of the confrontations Jesus had to deal with . .not with the atheists, but with the religious.  I think WW asked a very profound question

How much wrong can we be before the God we worship isn't really the God anymore?

Are not the Pharisees a prime example of this?  They worshiped . .hard core . . an image of God that was not God at all . .so much so that when he showed up in the flesh . . .they killed him.  And Jesus spoke of a great darkness . . .the biggest sin . . .if there is one . . . is those that have convinced themselves they have the light in them, but it instead is actually darkness.

Let me start I have no clear picture of what exactly "Jesus returns" means. But if it means He returns in the flesh. A normal visible person then I think the same thing will happen again. Just the unbelieving part that is.
The ETs will never believe that someone who preaches UR can be Jesus.

[chuckt]

I've also found and preach when people come in with no background of any churching at all . .they actually have an advantage over those who do have religious roots . .

greetings Nathan.

i experienced this first hand with a coworker, he knew i was a beleiver, he had some experience and wanted to start seeking God and reading the bible. so he did and started asking me all types of questions, he had never gone to church.

i had no idea how to answer his questions about hell and  the ot so i started looking online and thats when i found UR, i had never even heard of UR  but man a LIGHT WENT ON  and its been awsome ever since.

my coworker is UR and we now have 4 here at work whom beleive in UR.


WOOOOOOHOOOOOO :bgdance:

chuckt

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Wow, Chuckt, look at the seed you planted! That's awesome...... :thumbsup:

[chuckt]

:cloud9: Wow, Chuckt, look at the seed you planted! That's awesome...... :thumbsup:

thanks, looking back i see it God's plan and me not really doing anything but what i was drawn too. many things leading up to that point..... and up and away....woohoooooo :bgdance:

grace and peace to you C.

chuckt

[sparrow]

I keep reading "ETism" as "Elitism".
Which, really....
that's pretty much what it is.

[WhiteWings]

ETism=Elitism because the elect are the elite...

[Shadow]

....

[martincisneros]

Not sure that I'm not an atheist, doubting my own sanity, during moments when the Hand of the Lord isn't specifically on me and moving me to do or say this or that.  I'll look back on things I've done and said in His Name when I seemingly didn't have a lot of choice in the matter and think:

"Was that really necessary?"
"There's gotta be medication for that!"
"What the H***??!!!!"

Then again, I'll get to thinking that if such and such had been me, then here's all of the ways that I would have approached it TOTALLY differently....

So, :dontknow: on this thread.  I've just always gone out of my way to be more honest than anyone on the planet would ever think that I should have ever had to be.  And that's usually what's gotten me in trouble with people.  At the same time, can't think of anything that I've ever done that I'd of done differently.  Might have been less bashful about some stuff that I knew that God was saying, but that in the way that He did it, it sorta made it awkward for me along the lines of one of those "Well, he would say that..." kinda deals.  But why would I?  Certainly there are many more ways that are quite a bit more couth to deal with things than the ways that I've dealt with them!! 

I wasn't even aware until last year of the fact that from cover to cover in the Bible, when God was dealing with His prophets, His number 1 bottomline was meeting their needs.  And He was always putting them on the spot.  Although there are types, shadows, principles, and all kinds of lessons, rules, and whatever to be learned from what God did in the lives of His prophets in the Old Testament, His primary concern was the meeting of their needs.  And if He had to make 'em look like a horse's behind the whole time He was doing it, then all the better for a more entertaining eternal read in the Bible!  Plus, years later, we're able to see what aspect of His wisdom in Christ that He was bringing forth for our eternal learning through Elijah, Hosea, etc., etc., etc.

Perhaps His ways of getting each of us from our needs to our provisions will ALWAYS be at least slightly unnerving, humbling, etc.  He doesn't mind making HIStory TOTALLY CREATIVE every single step along the way, and then on judgment day giving us all of the credit for having been the clever ones, the romantic ones, et. al. (1Corinthians 4:5-6)

It's the awkwardness of both belief and disbelief that's got many people befuddled, including His called, chosen, and faithful.  In such a context, how would many among us not slip into thinking that either He's not there for everyone, or He's there for people every time but the last time, or in the end He's only as faithful as you were -- or, the big pearly gates in the sky had no Creator, He died in the 60s, or in the 1700s, etc.??

[Paul Hazelwood]

Maybe the question is if God is fickle and dramatic like a human and we can't offend God in the same sense that we are offended in the first place.

Personally I get really tired of all this stuff that God created us and people act like he didn't know what we were gonna do then we deny him, after knowing we would and then he gonna get all bent out of shape.

Jesus didn't get offended at peter.


I figure if Gods offended with me he can freakin get over it.

[martincisneros]

I figure if Gods offended with me he can freakin get over it.

Yup! 

God [and mature believers] endures long and is patient and kind; God [and mature believers] never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, God [and mature believers] is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display Himself/Ourselves haughtily.  God [and mature believers] is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); God [and mature believers] is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. God [and mature believers] does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; God [and mature believers] is not touchy or fretful or resentful; God [and mature believers] takes no account of the evil done to it [pays no attention to a suffered wrong].  God [and mature believers] does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.  God [and mature believers] bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, God's [and mature believers'] hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and endures everything [without weakening].  God [and mature believers] never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

[WhiteWings]

I figure if Gods offended with me he can freakin get over it.

Erm..... dumb question of the day....
Surely we shouldn't offend God. But isn't Jesus in full control of the punishments (if any)?
Jesus even forgave those who whipped and crucified Him.
So, Paul, somehow I think He's already over it  :laughing7:

[WhiteWings]

Not sure that I'm not an atheist,

What was on those vegan pizza's you ordered yesterday? Must have been those magic muchrooms if you are starting to think you are atheist.