Hello Brothers and Sisters!

[Josh Crowell]

My name is Joshua Crowell. For the majority of my life thus far, I had been an atheist, mainly due to my indoctrination in the public school system that embraces science as the only authority.
However, both my mother and my late father were Christians, so obviously I was exposed to Bible scriptures and many traditional doctrines. My father read the Bible to me some before he died, although I was too young to really remember or understand much.

I did attend a number of different churches in my early childhood, but it stopped when my mother realized that the doctrines they were teaching were unbiblical, and every church had their own doctrines. My father was Pentecostal, so my mother was mainly exposed to their wacky, insane teachings like talking gibberish to God, and dancing around like chickens with their heads cut off.

My mother is a Reformed/Calvinist Christian. She was first introduced to reformed theology when she began researching on the Internet regarding the Antichrist and the man of sin. She found Tony Warren's website, The Mountain Retreat, and ever since then, has been very dogmatic with her Reformed beliefs.

I first felt God call upon me about a year ago, when I developed a major depressive disorder. I felt as if I was worthless and insignificant in the world. I wanted to find purpose in God.

I began researching, and was intrigued by the doctrine of the New World Order, which is a very literal interpretation of scripture, and things just didn't add up (literal beasts, literal dragons?). My mother taught me that I needed to understand the spiritual side of scripture, and condemned my NWO beliefs.

I began studying reformed theology, and quickly realized that it taught a very twisted and cruel interpretation of God's sovereignty and his loving and merciful character. It taught that God ordained from the foundation of the world for most of humanity to die in sin and be tortured in a literal eternal hellfire, and that was their ultimate purpose in creation. Yet my mother says "God isn't bad, we're bad because we sinned, and we deserve hell" even though God planned everything from the start, and everything is in his will.

I began to feel a hatred for God, because I believed that God was flipping a coin whether to love me or hate me. She had told me before that God loves me, but by saying so, she contradicted her own beliefs on election.

I began researching Universal Salvation, because I could not fathom that God would do this. I soon learned that the KJV my mother believed was inerrant was full of mistranslations. And it was also plain obvious to me that the elect is the elect and the world is the world, and Reformers are making private interpretations.

[eaglesway]

 :thumbsup:

[Ross]

I did attend a number of different churches in my early childhood, but it stopped when my mother realized that the doctrines they were teaching were unbiblical, and every church had their own doctrines.

quote]

Welcome!
For me this life seems to show man trying to define God.
Isaiah talks about man trying to order God around- the pot telling the potter why it has been made.
Paul quotes Isaiah some 600 years later, hence an on-going process for all generations.

Mans' doctrines are so far from the truth, yet they seem to appeal to our senses/emotions, which can over-ride the mind.
Actually knowing the true definition of love releases the fear of rejection and encourages the desire to walk forward to a glorious future.
But like we all go to school and are at different levels of growth and development, so too in the spiritual sense; we will all graduate but each in our own appointed time.
Stripping away the lies of men clarifies to depth of God's love- indescribable.

[jabcat]

Welcome Josh.  I hope you find the Lord is kind and merciful, full of compassion, and not His will that any should perish - as He draws you unto Himself.

[Dandelion]

Welcome, Josh!

I find this to be a pleasant place and a place to explore our
thoughts regarding God and our relationship to Him, through
the lense of Universal Redemption, through Christ.

We are a friendly group of travelers, all heading home, talking
about our journey there.

D.

[rosered]

  Welcome Josh ,

  :dsunny:
  The world is cruel , But God is not .
Truth is a beautiful thing 
 

[marie glen]

  If God made all things through the Logos.. and from the root logos comes the word logic, to me a good 'rule'. Surely He is perfect and has engineered all things just as He has in order to bring about the best of all possible 'end' results. The more we read His Word no longer blind to Christian Universalism, the more we see it, both straight forward and implied throughout its pages.
             :welcome: and God bless! :hiya:

[jugghead]

Sorry I missed your welcome Josh, I tend to get caught up in His Word and Spirit and forget to welcome new members of the body of Christ

my name is Rick and I live just south of Nashville, TN

Blessings and I believe you will find much Love here

[marie glen]

I enjoyed re-reading this thread!  And Josh's message! :friendstu:

               Amen.. He is "father" and He is Love.. :HeartThrob: :HeartThrob: