Hi, I am so glad to have found both tentmaker and this online group. I have been a believer since I was a child, and have always been very anxious over the whole idea of a large chunk of humanity being tortured forever. I couldn't make sense of either Calvinism or Arminianism, Calvinism seemed to contradict verses that spoke of God's great love and desire to not see anyone perish, and Arminianism seemed to tie the hands of a sovereign God so that He could only sit back and watch most of His children be lost forever. Neither approach made sense and neither was comforting. The "good news of great joy" only seemed truly joyful if I was only thinking about myself and my own salvation. To think of a large portion of humanity suffering forever grieved and frightened me, l felt like there was something much worse than the holocaust waiting to happen to humanity on a grand scale, and it just did not gel with the God who I knew to be the great love at the heart of the universe, and a Savior who surely must triumph over His enemies. Satan seemed to still come off as the winner in the whole scenario, capturing still so many souls. But I did not yet know anything about the gross mistranslations in the scriptures until I had access to the Internet and then came upon tentmaker, which explained about the eons, the words translated into "hell", and explanations of various problematic verses such as the rich man and Lazarus. I am very grateful for this site, and for the great peace of mind I now enjoy as a result. The one thing I am struggling with now is where to find fellowship, I don't know whether or not to continue going to church, I feel so out of step with it now. I am also facing an empty nest soon and so feel sad that I may not be able to have a church community to participate in. Any thoughts as to how you all handle the issue of fellowship would be most appreciated.
Welcome to the forum. You can fellowship with me anytime. Feel free to contact me to talk about any issues. Here to help.
-Paul
Welcome!
I hope you find this cite as much of a home as I have.
I still go to church, but I also have friends who are Christians, who I assist in some ministries with. I also am part of some other Christian organizations. I have one friend who is very knowledgeable about UR, and we talk frequently. I live alone....divorced 6 years now, after a 27 year marriage, and both my children are on their own. My daughter lives in LA. I am in NY. My son lives about 45 min. away. And, I have this and one other blog I participate in. I would like to learn more about UR, and perhaps get more involved with it. We each have to try to find where the Lord wants us to be.
I am on here quite a bit. Feel free to message me, if you like. I will get back to you, asap.
D.
Thank you, Paul and Dandelion, for the warm welcome! :dsunny:
Quote from: Doxiemum on April 26, 2016, 04:42:21 AM
Hi, I am so glad to have found both tentmaker and this online group. I have been a believer since I was a child, and have always been very anxious over the whole idea of a large chunk of humanity being tortured forever. I couldn't make sense of either Calvinism or Arminianism, Calvinism seemed to contradict verses that spoke of God's great love and desire to not see anyone perish, and Arminianism seemed to tie the hands of a sovereign God so that He could only sit back and watch most of His children be lost forever. Neither approach made sense and neither was comforting. The "good news of great joy" only seemed truly joyful if I was only thinking about myself and my own salvation. To think of a large portion of humanity suffering forever grieved and frightened me, l felt like there was something much worse than the holocaust waiting to happen to humanity on a grand scale, and it just did not gel with the God who I knew to be the great love at the heart of the universe, and a Savior who surely must triumph over His enemies. Satan seemed to still come off as the winner in the whole scenario, capturing still so many souls. But I did not yet know anything about the gross mistranslations in the scriptures until I had access to the Internet and then came upon tentmaker, which explained about the eons, the words translated into "hell", and explanations of various problematic verses such as the rich man and Lazarus. I am very grateful for this site, and for the great peace of mind I now enjoy as a result. The one thing I am struggling with now is where to find fellowship, I don't know whether or not to continue going to church, I feel so out of step with it now. I am also facing an empty nest soon and so feel sad that I may not be able to have a church community to participate in. Any thoughts as to how you all handle the issue of fellowship would be most appreciated.
Hi Dox
and Welcome to the Tentmaker , :icon_flower:
Glad to have you .
Fellowship is important .
Being in the world and yet , not of it .
I am here more often than I should be .
I spend a lot more time just talking to the Lord now than ever before .
and the LORD has blessed me with 3 very near and dear loved ones that make a difference .
God bless you Dox with more of Him ! :dsunny:
Thank you, rosered, God's blessings to you also. I'm glad you have the three people in your life. I know that God always brings to us those he wants us to be with.
Hello, Doxiemum, welcome here. We grow, we grow! :dsunny:
WELCOME!
Welcome Doxiemum!
Thank you CST, Lazarus Short, and Shev! :ty:
Hi !..and welcome ! :thumbsup: :dsunny: :dsunny: :gimmefive:
Welcome; we are part of an awesome family.
:welcome: I loved your intro post! I love God's Word, but I also love logic!! You echoed many of my own, and very likely many other's, thoughts! And we are all so glad you have found this group!!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :girlheart: