When is it appropriate to share your religious faith with others?

China Cat Sunflower said:
Hi Mee!



If you guys can find a way to clone my buddy Eric you could take over the world.

Chris
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well for the GREAT CROWD who are from all nations ,
revelation 7;9-10
they are all looking forward to the time when
no resident will say i am sick ISAIAH 33;24:) AND THAT IS EVEN BETTER:)
 
cyberpi said:
Good stories. Can you describe though in detail for me what you mean by this sentence? To you, what is the nature of 'saved'... what does that mean? Who or what informed you that they were 'saved'?
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What I meant by this is that all four girls came to accept Christ as Savior, recognizing that through a relationship with Him they will have eternal life. (John 17:3).

That is the simple answer. I figured you would've know this, but I suspect you have other intentions with this a leading question.
 
seattlegal said:
Hmm, back to the topic of the thread, would sharing your faith pose an ethical dilema towards the Samkhya tradition, so Prakriti won't evolve for Purusha anymore? (Is that the source of radical atheists, in that Prakriti still wants to evolve and keep Purusha imprisoned?)
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Nope its because Tinky Winky is jealous of Dipsy's head piece :rolleyes:
 
Paladin said:
I'm sorry Dondi, but I would have to agree with Bob X on this one. If I were to justify doing something unpopular, a story like this would suit me fine. I get stories like this in my e-mail from my Dad all the time each with a similar plot line.
It's similar to Cyberpi dredging up "What If" scenarios to justify shaming people into allowing themselves to be imposed upon. I find the whole approach to be manipulative and controlling. The real advantage of using this kind of linguistic strategy is to keep anyone from objecting, for who could object to saving an old lonely lady's life?
Of course no one would object! but that is why it is so insidious, using peoples sense of fairness and compassion in order to further another agenda.
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Stories like this are not the primary motivation for going door knocking. I do it because I happen to believe that a relationship with Jesus Christ changes lives, because I've seen the evidence in my own life and the lives of others I know. I happen to believe that the message is the most important thing in the world, why wouldn't I share it. Sharing the message of badmitton isn't going to change or save a life, but a relationship with God will. And I'm doing so because I believe it to be a command from the Lord Jesus Christ to go spread the gospel to every creature.

I'm not gullible enough to believe every story that comes by me. But I do tend to give a story the benefit of the doubt until proven othe
wise, particularly on these kinds of matters. I beleive it, because I've heard similar kinds of 'divine appointmenst' from people close to me. There are people in my church whose lives have seen radical changes. So it's no small step to believe that the elderly lady's story isn't true.

If you wish to believe it's bullshit, that is your perogative. I respect your opinion of it, but when you start deriding others for believing it, then you have taken the offensive. Do I have an agenda? Damn right, I do. I'm looking to give people hope who have no hope, in the way that I know I've been given the same.

Jesus went looking for the lost sheep, they didn't come to Him.
 
Paladin said:
Yes I am angry and it is my choice to be so. The kind of behavior you exhibit is controlling, and manipulative and believe me whenever I see you using it on someone I'm going to be all over you like a cheap suit.
I've seen you do it to others and don't say much because people like Chris and Tao can take care of themselves, but when you start in on people like Dondi I take it personally. You feel like picking on someone you look me up and I'll be happy to oblige.
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I'm a bit confused. It seems to me that cyperpi has been siding with me for the most part. Where do you see I've been pick on? Is there a specific thread I've missed? I think cyperpi has been rather cordial about it the whole time.
 
SG,

I thought I would give an answer to your question from my belief system. Purusha is spirit. Prakriti — actually Mulaprakriti — is matter. It is the interplay of the two that causes the universe to appear, and allow us to evolve up to a higher level.

I am astounded by the idea that Prakriti (manifested Mulaprakriti) wants to keep Purusha imprisoned. Is that how they see it?
 
Nick the Pilot said:
SG,

I thought I would give an answer to your question from my belief system. Purusha is spirit. Prakriti — actually Mulaprakriti — is matter. It is the interplay of the two that causes the universe to appear, and allow us to evolve up to a higher level.

I am astounded by the idea that Prakriti (manifested Mulaprakriti) wants to keep Purusha imprisoned. Is that how they see it?
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I'm no expert in this area, but I think that the explanation is that it is really Purusha mistakenly identifying itself with Prakriti that causes Purusha to be imprisoned. However, if you look at it from the 'mistaken identity's' point of view, it would appear that the "Prakriti identity" (the confused Purusha) wants to imprison the spirit so it can continue to evolve.

Like I said, my understanding in this area is limited, so I would greatly appreciate clarification by someone more familiar with it than me. (That's why I asked the question.)
 
Just a gentle word from a friendly mod...

Please be as polite as possible to each other and refrain from name-calling and personal attacks. It's just a conversation, folks, and I'm sure we can debate our points effectively without being rude to each other.

Peace,
Path
 
SG,

I find this discussion fascinating. The way I see it, Purusha (spirit) gladly allows itself to be imprisoned in Prakriti (matter). And, Prakriti gladly imprisons Purusha.

"Prakriti ... wants to imprison the spirit so it can continue to evolve."

--> Yes! And it is a great thing. I think the problem is that we have been told this is a bad thing, when the reality is that it is a good thing.

The way I see it, this is exactly what Christians refer to as "God sacrificiing his only Son for us." (Although I disagree with such a visualization.) To me, the Fall was not bad, it was good.

How do you figure Prakriti is a confused Purusha?
 
seattlegal said:
Hey, I'd be more than happy to discuss the finer points of punctuated equilibruim with you. The idea of rocks hitting the earth causing apes to change into people...
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Your second sentence proves that you have zero familiarity with the finer points, or even the grosser points, of the subject matter.
 
path_of_one said:
Just a gentle word from a friendly mod...

Please be as polite as possible to each other and refrain from name-calling and personal attacks. It's just a conversation, folks, and I'm sure we can debate our points effectively without being rude to each other.

Peace,
Path
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You are amazing... :)
 
seattlegal said:
That's the point, Chris. When it all comes down to where the the rubber meets the road, belief regarding origins of whatever flavor breaks down due to a lack of concrete evidence that can be proven in a definitive manner, leaving only faith to fill in the gaps. All you're left with is MU!
purplecowsmallmujs3.jpg
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OK. I had unrealistic expectations. You're very good at playing the conversation game without ever giving anything away SG. That's understandable I guess. Of course, if one has nothing to offer but quips and quotes one shouldn't engage in smug condescension over people who've actually got chips on the table.

Chris
 
I like the card playing analogy but nobody's chips are down. That's a ridiculous assessment. I can think of times when everyone here has played the conversation game, because that's what forums are about. Suddenly all of Seattlegal's posts are reassessed as having been nothing but "smug condescension of others?" And I thought I was the one using Seattlegal as a crutch!
 
Dream said:
I like the card playing analogy but nobody's chips are down. That's a ridiculous assessment. I can think of times when everyone here has played the conversation game, because that's what forums are about. Suddenly all of Seattlegal's posts are reassessed as having been nothing but "smug condescension of others?" And I thought I was the one using Seattlegal as a crutch!
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Don't pretend that you know something you don't Dreamy. You're another one who won't take a solid position.

Chris
 
There's nothing wrong if you say that up front, Alex. But you can't then pretend to engage people with a thin gruel of intellectual sounding goo gaw that never, ever, goes toward making any SOLID point that someone might be able to craft a rebuttal to. I'm calling bullshit on that.

Chris
 
Your judgment in this, Chinacat, seems questionable. You underestimate the effects of your own zeal and religiousness -- your own mission.

Yes, some lame excuses for science have graced the public with non scientific propaganda and fallacious arguments for instantaneous creation. Yes, the Institute for Creation Research lied about this and stretched that. Yes, they truncated rationality to make the world fit their point of view. Yes, the Intelligent Design people are panicky religious types. This is beside the point and does not address the issue.
 
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