I will give my two cents worth on this at time goes by.
The Following is an article written by someone completely unaware of what a Christian
actually is, so I will be refuting each point down below.
Here it is:
Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian
10
- You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies
the existence of yours.
9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other
life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
8 - You laugh at polytheists,
but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed
to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and
ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!
6 - You laugh at
Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the
Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the
sky.
5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth
(few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents
and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.
4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the
exception
of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of
Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
3 - While modern science, history,
geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues"
may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.
2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes
to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was
simply the will of God.
1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity,
and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.
http://www.vortexmind.net/index.php/2005-11-22-top-ten-signs-youre-a-fundamentalist-christian/
Critical Article Says:
10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions,
but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah,
but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the
elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!
4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those
who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering.
And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
Now for the Rrrrrrrrrrest of the Story:
Also at:
https://cuf5.tripod.com/id160.html
I'm dealing with these four points in one message because they all seem to reveal
the same basic misunderstandings of God.
Article:
'You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions...
'
Well, fortunately that comes through simply reading the scriptures and looking at the
creation.
Whenever I read or hear of the mythology of the gods that the Greeks promoted I am amazed
at how their gods didn't have a full scale nuclear war right then and there.
So much conflict and warring.
The Greeks and Indians may have been partly responding to the oldest Religion 'In the
beginning God(s) created the Heavens and the Earth.' (Genesis 1)
The Counterfeit and older religions are misrepresentations of the real thing.
For everything genuine you have a cheap and blurred imitation.
If in fact they had studied the subject rather than generalizing, they would have realized
that Gods-Elohim-Hebrew is in fact a plural representation of the one God, not a polytheistic religion.
Had they applied themselves more and actually read the Rrrrrrrrrrrest of the Story they
would have seen that the Hebrew word (Yahweh) one possible pronunciation, is singular, so when Elohim is presented with Yahweh
(Lord God), we have a plurality in the One God.
The rest of the OT and NT teaches that there is only One real God, though there are many
counterfeits and false Gods. (Isaiah 44:6.45:23; 1 Corinthians 8)
Just listen to Greek mythology and no one in their right mind could believe such things
or even make a comparison to the biblical account of the one God.
Nature bears this out as well.
Have you ever heard of the triple point of water?...Liquid, Ice and Gas all different
forms of the same substance. A beginning in the understanding of the Triunity of God. (1 John 5)
How about 'Black Matter' and 'Nuclear Binding Force.'?
Scientists still cannot explain how everything holds together but the bible knows. (Colossians
1:15-17)
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known
about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible
qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so
that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but
their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and
animals and reptiles." (Romans 1)
Here it points out that:
1) Men 'suppress the truth by their wickedness
This explains why wicked men seem so intellectually and spiritually challenged.
What is plain to the believer escapes the wicked.
2) God's 'eternal power and divine nature, can be seen and understood through what
has been made.
3) That wicked men 'exchange the glory of the immortal God for images made
to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles'
This is being done through evolution, animism, Hinduism, and many polytheistic religions.
God's 'eternal power and divine nature, can be seen and understood through what
has been made.
AND
'what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to
them'
Interesting statements here.
So we should be able to see the 'eternal power and divine nature' of the One God through
what He has made.
When I see the creation of God, I do not see the work of Krishna, Brahman, Zeus or Allah,
I see the work of the One Loving Creator spoken of in the Bible.
These false Gods don't claim to Love us or really care. This is what sets our God apart
from the other false gods.
Krishna, seduced women then stole their clothes, Allah has many Muslims thinking
that unless they commit Jihad, they have no guarantee of salvation, Zeus is only concerned with keeping his status and wives.
Article:
7 - Your face turns purple when you hear
of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the
babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and
trees!
It is interesting that often prochoice advocates will be concerned about why God ordered
the killing of children but push for the right of the women to decide whether their unborn child lives or dies.
The God of the Bible, which includes the New Testament Loves us and is not a cosmic Killjoy
waiting to ruin our day with commands we cannot keep. He truly cares for you and is warning you of the dangers of straying.
What this article is really saying is, 'How Dare the Creator tell his creation what He
expects of them.'
When the firstborn of Egypt died or people perished in hell, or villages were destroyed,
it was because they didn't listen to their maker and instead wanted to go their own way.
God always gave warnings prior to judgment.
During the Passover the Egyptians had the option of staying at an Israelites house thereby
sparing their own children and Pharaoh had the option of Letting the Hebrew slaves go.
But do the pagans mention the cruelty of Pharaoh or the judgment of God on those that
don't listen?
"And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the
upper door post of the houses, (Sign of the Cross) wherein they shall eat it. ...13 And the blood shall be to you for a token
upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy
you, when I smite the land of Egypt......The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand
men on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many
other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds...An alien living among you
who wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then
he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. 49 The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you." (Exodus 12)
Article says:
4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception
of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of
Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
From what I can see, Hell is nothing more than the unbeliever getting what he wanted
and that is away from the God that Loves him.
God lovingly gives man what he wants.
Then man blames God for giving him what he asked for.
Article:
"but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours."
8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune
God.
Is this Christian (Me) outraged at those that believe in other gods. Of course not, you
can do whatever you want.
You can drink Liquid Drano if you want, but it is my job to lovingly warn you of the
dangers doing such things.
This articles' complaints are like someone reading the warnings on the bottle of Liquid
Drano and then saying, 'How cruel telling me what is going to happen if I drink it.'
This is not hate, it is love, it is not narrow minded, it is truth.
If the God of the Bible is right, and He is, Then everyone that veers from Him is wrong.
One can only argue against such a biblical view if they reject or don't understand that
this is just the way it is.
To say, 'How dare one wake me up out of a deep sleep and tell me and my family that my
house is on fire.'
This person conveniently forgets that his house is really on fire and warning him is
the most loving thing to do.
Nature attests to a Loving Creator that will not share His glory with another.
God is Love so therefore, he had to be love even before He created us.
How did he express his Love prior to the creation of man?
"The inconceivably complete identity of God is the paradigm of all personhood, at its
very plurality is the foundation of all relatedness. Such is the 'image of God' in which we are made. In that light, the doctrine
of the Trinity is not some facile mystification, but a straightforward statement of the multiple personhood of God ... If
God is a Person, that ... translates into moral absolutes for us ... humanity's alienation from God has occurred at precisely
that level of character and relationship. (1)"
(Dave Hunt, The Mysterious Trinity)
http://www.apocalypsesoon.org/xfile-51.html
The Triunity of God is not polytheism but three loving persons in One God, demonstrating
to us how to love each other.
"that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May
they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave
me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them
and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you
have loved me." (John 17; NIV)
Without this divine model we would be robots incapable of loving or being loved.
The other Gods are not personal and therefore cannot even create or expect personal beings.
The One Loving God of the universe, preexistent in three persons has created us in his
image, which includes the capacity to Love, reflect and Think. (Genesis 1:26,27)
No other religion offers a personal loving God with personal and loving creatures.
Look at the polytheistic religions and you see that they are neither personal or loving
and in fact are often at war with each other for supremacy.
There is a yearning in our hearts to love and be loved, but these false gods don't even
know what love is.
Just as living matter cannot evolve from non living matter, so non personal gods cannot
create personal creatures. But the Loving God can breathe the 'breath of life' into dust and create more than just dirt. (Genesis
2:7)
How could the many gods be real gods when they in fact cannot even comprehend what it
means to love.
How could the creatures have more noble qualities that the supposed gods that created
them.
"Tielhard de Chardin, the French theologian and anthropologist, points out that love
is whatever unifies or brings things together, Thus, it is with love that God creates the universe. Electrons are unified
with protons to form ...It is no wonder Christ's Gospel is misunderstood. He glorifies powerlessness in a world that worships
power. He offers meekness to those who teach aggressiveness. His message is foolishness to those committed to a lifestyle
that prefers power to love." (The Power Delusion, Campolo, pg. 31)
However, what gets in the way and subverts God's love is mans unloving rebelliousness
and this must be dealt with before God can unite all things in Him.
How does God deal with man wanting his own way?
By giving man what he wants.
"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged
natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for
one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. (Sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS) Furthermore,
since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind,
to do what ought not to be done." (Romans 1)
God often gives man what he wants and lets him see the futility of his own way.
But Because God is Love, he wants to rescue us through Christ.
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head
of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have
the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all
his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood,
shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from
God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior."
(Colossians 1)
More Later
Bj Maxwell
10/14/2006
Copyright ©
Once again I am compelled to deal with a few points at once.
Keep on checking out my site where I will have all my responses to the critical
article about Fundamental Christians at:
https://cuf5.tripod.com/id160.html
Here are the points:
Critical Article:
9 - "You feel insulted and 'dehumanized' when scientists say that people evolved
from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt."
I would only feel dehumanized if I believed this theory.
Obviously, if I came from life forms other than human, that would qualify as
'dehumanizing.'
Actually, there is little more involved in the actual creation of man than dirt.
7 the Lord God formed
the man from the dust of the ground AND
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2)
Notice that God breathed the 'breath of life' into man's nostrils.
The Evolutionist believes that man evolved from the primordial slime all by itself.
Living matter evolved from non living matter.
Life from slime, according to the evolutionist.
Chemical Makeup of Man:
"The raw material, the basic chemicals in our body, can be found in the ‘dust
of the ground’. However, these chemicals cannot arrange themselves into cell tissues, organs and systems. This can only
happen with an input of intelligence.
The book of Genesis teaches that God took ‘the dust of the ground’,
a heap of chemicals, shaped a man and then blew into his nostrils the breath of life. Then man became a living soul. Human
beings are different from animals, for ‘God created man in his own image’ (Genesis 1:27). Our bodies have
been designed with the ability to pass on to the next generation the programmed information required to form another person
from simple chemicals."
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i4/humanbody.asp
Critical Article:
5 - "You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically
established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen
sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old."
Little Loopholes?
ROTFLOL, I have spent some time putting together 'You're a Hopeless Liberal If
You.", where I point out these so called 'little loopholes' and actually found the Grand Canyon.
Though it is not finished yet, you can read it at:
https://cuf5.tripod.com/id153.html
A Great Site where these Gaping Holes are exposed are at:
http://answersingenesis.org/search/Default.aspx?qt=Age%20of%20the%20Earth
I did a search on this site with 'Age of the Earth' and these Holes in Evolutionary
Theory amount to about 1390 articles on the fallacy of the Old Earth Theory.
One article points out that some of the dating methods that evolutionists use
are based on an assumption that that there was not a universal flood and then interpreting the evidence differently.
So they conclude that the biblical account cannot be true THEREFORE we must find
an explanation that they like.
They also pick and choose what dating methods they are going to believe and discard
the others.
So if we are going to criticize the picking and choosing of what to believe,
we must point this out.
Ironically, NASA scientists accept that there have been ‘catastrophic floods’
on Mars7 that carved out canyons8 although no liquid water is present today. But they deny that a global
flood happened on earth, where there is enough water to cover the whole planet to a depth of 1.7 miles (2.7 km) if it were
completely uniform, and even now covers 71 percent of the earth’s surface! If it weren’t for the fact that the
Bible teaches it, they probably wouldn’t have any problem with a global flood on earth. This demonstrates again how
the biases of scientists affect their interpretation of the evidence."
http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/re1/chapter8.asp
This doesn't look like loopholes to me. This is akin to saying that the Grand
Canyon is just a loophole.
Critical Article:
3 - "While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed
to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to
"prove" Christianity."
Actually, I have a problem with Holy Rollers but the Scripture does as well.
You see rolling around is not scriptural.
But Tongues were a great testament to those when they saw Christians speaking
in their own language.
"Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors
from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts
to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!' 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?' 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'
14 Then Peter stood
up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain
this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not
drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this
is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:" (Acts 2)
Babeling is wrong whether it comes from a Holy Roller or an Unholy Evolutionist.
If it does not make sense to the hearers then it should be condemned.
"I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you
prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
6 Now, brothers,
if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy
or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that
make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in
the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call,
who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with
you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just
be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of
languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11
If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.
12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to
have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful." (1 Corinthians 14)
There is an end result of speaking in tongues and interpretation.
Evolution theory is nothing but babeling in the ears of those interested
in making sense.
A theory that believes that it took billions of years to get what we got, that
the design designed itself is nonsense.
Should we really be listening to those that think living matter came from non
living matter, sense can ever come from nonsense and order from nonsense?
"Professing Themselves to be wise They Became Fools." (Romans 1)
https://cuf5.tripod.com/id160.html
Bj Maxwell
10/17/2006
Copyright ©
============================================
1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about
the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.
http://www.vortexmind.net/index.php/2005-11-22-top-ten-signs-youre-a-fundamentalist-christian/
This is a funny one and quite humorous to me but not for the same reasons that
the unbeliever may find it humorous.
This is like someone saying I understand more about Civil Engineering than Civil
Engineers.
Then you ask them, have you ever built anything like a bridge or a building and
they reply with, Well, No, but I have blown up a few.
Destroying is typically less difficult than building something.
Those that criticize but don't offer a viable alternative are only Ivory Tower
Builders.
Most if not all Democrats, Unbelievers, Terrorists, Liberals and Some Republicans
fit this bill.
Osama Been Hiding had a degree in Civil Engineering but is only widely known
for destroying something.
I don't need a degree to know that flying a couple Jumbo Jets into a High Rise
is going to do monumental damage.
This is also why it is harder to fight terrorism than it is to be a Terrorist.
The U.S. has to find the terrorist and try to kill him not the women and children
he or she is hiding behind.
All the Terrorist has to do is blow up things without any regard to innocents,
including fellow Muslims.
Then he justifies it with, Well those Muslims are not fundamentalists so Mohammad
says I'm justified, and Mohammad does. (Surah 4:65)
Now I have been a part of Coffehouse Ministry where many Unbelievers know much
about scripture but most of the time all that proves is that they could win a Bible Trivia Game.
And 'Trivia' is the watchword. In other words they may know how many wives David
had or the specifications of the Ark but this qualifies as trivia not life changing knowledge.
I have heard many unbelievers say that they have read the Bible frontwards and
backwards.
Good For Them, how much of that have they applied to their lives, and have they
believed and applied the important parts?
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what
it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man
who looks at his face in a mirror 24
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has
heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself
and his religion is worthless." (James 1)
It is not enough of an excuse to say that there are many alleged Christians
that are not applying scripture either.
The Terrorist and the Unbeliever have this in common:
They are both hiding.
The Terrorist is hiding behind innocents while destroying things and the Unbeliever
is often hiding behind the hypocrite while critiquing Christians.
It has also been said that 'You have to be smaller than the hypocrite you are
hiding behind.'
What good is it to know how to build a building but not be willing and/or able
to put a door in it and enter.
Jesus says: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to
them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters
through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief
comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10)
Also Knowledge by itself doesn't impress God.
Knowledge without Love in Nothing.
Claiming to Know the Truth without applying it in Love is useless.
It is the most loving thing for the Christian to warn people that their house
is burning and that they need to wake out of their slumber and get out of the house. The Silent Christian is not exhibiting
Love.
If the person that is warned insists on staying in the burning house while declaring
how smart he is, he will soon feel the effects of such trivial knowledge.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can
fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. ...Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never
fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." (1 Corinthians 13)
"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.
What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
...14 For
Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and
was raised again.
16 So from
now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5)
As far as knowing Church History, Unbelievers often don't know to make a distinction
between those that call themselves Christians or Catholics and do dastardly deeds and the real Christians who do the
word not just listen to it.
Bj Maxwell
10/25/2006
Copyright ©
Also at my site at:
https://cuf5.tripod.com/id160.html
Top Ten Signs You Are a Fundamentalist Christian?
Article Says:
2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You
consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.
Bj Responds:
This statement tells me right away that this person doesn't even understand prayer.
But neither do a lot of religious folks, including many Christians.
The Fake it Until You Make it Folks define prayer as telling God what to give you.
One alleged Christian song says it this way: 'Jesus on the mainline, tell him what you
want.'
They quote part of a scripture that says: '...Ask What You will and he will give it unto
you.' (John 15:7)
The problem with this incomplete quote is that the first part of the verse says this:
"If You Abide in Me and My Words Abide in You..." (John 15:7)
This is a conditional not unconditional promise...If....
The following are some links that expose the Faith Movement as unscriptural.
http://www.equip.org/free/DC755-1.htm
http://www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm
The difference between Fundamental Muslims and Fundamental Christians is that Fundamental
Muslims are in gross error because they literally believe what their Quran says and Mohammad, their leader said and did.
Fundamental Christians are only to blame when they refuse to literally believe what the
Scripture says.
The Bible doesn't primarily teach changing God's mind through prayer but changing us
through prayer.
Prayer isn't really about Changing God's mind but changing our mind.
This is also what Repentance is. Changing Ones mind is the definition of repentance.
It is changing ones mind so that one can think clearly.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect
will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with
the measure of faith God has given you." (Romans 12:1,2)
A Real Christ One thinks better than anyone that has rejected Christ.
The Word Made Flesh is Christ. The Greek Word for Word in John One is Logos, from which
we get our english word logic from. (John 1)
God is not illogical He is infinitely and eternally logical but logic will never fully
explain Him.
If we base our reasoning on finite foundations, we will never understand eternal and
infinite things.
Ones conclusions are only as good as their first premise.
Christ is the foundational Premise on which all the rest of our logic should be based.
Reject Christ, who is the proper starting point and all your brilliant logic leads to
the wrong conclusion.
To believe that Prayer is about our Changing God's mind on something is similar to us
saying that the President of the United States ought to make a foreign policy decision based on what we think.
We don't take into account that the President has access to much more intelligence reports
than we do and he sees a more complete picture than we do because he has access to more information.
He is not obligated to give us all the intelligence reports that he has, because that
might jeopardize his fight against terror.
To reveal everything to us would be revealing everything to the enemy.
But people still claim that the President ought to do things the way they think he should.
They believe he should make decisions based on their faulty knowledge or on what David
Letterman says.
Praying to God is praying to a being that knows more than any president and he is not
obligated to give all the reasons for not answering prayer the way we think He should.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your
paths straight." (Proverbs 3)
God is not illogical He is infinitely and eternally logical.
If we base our reasoning on finite foundations, we will never understand eternal and
infinite things.
Ones conclusions are only as good as their first premise.
Christ is the foundational Premise on which all the rest of our logic is based.
James says this about proper and improper prayer:
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires
that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't
get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do
not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive,
because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don't you know
that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."
(James 4)
Here James explains where personal fights come from and it comes from those that are
willing to go to any lengths to get what they want.
This is generally a self absorbed mindset that thinks that God is our butler.
Here it says that we don't get what we want because we ask for the wrong things.
There are false teachers that are rich because they have convinced gullible folks that
everyone is supposed to get what they want, firstly themselves.
"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare
the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after
them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three
years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all
those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted
anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of
my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by
this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give
than to receive." (Acts 20:28)
Whether it be alleged Christian teachers or those that claim you can get rich through
Creative Real Estate, you have to purchase something from them to find out the details of how they got rich.
Fact is, many of them are rich through getting you to purchase their propaganda.
These scams are just proof that the endtimes are here.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing
into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But
if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge
men into ruin and destruction. 10 For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people,
eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6)
Prayer is not just subjective but objective.
Josh McDowell says that it is not about a Great Faith in God but faith in a Great God.
To push the value of prayer is meaningless, unless the one we are praying to is the God
of the Bible.
Praying to Allah will only doom you.
The power is not in prayer itself but who we are praying to.
"And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have
believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Timothy 1)
"being confident of this, that he who began a
good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
The confidence and focus is God, His Will not ourselves, our will or the act of praying.
So it is a moot point to talk about percentages, when the real question ought to be how
much are you willing to listen to God.
Remember God is God and we aren't. (Psalm 90:2)
In short it is about Him not about us, so we need to get over ourselves.
Bj Maxwell 11/10/2006
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