Sunday Sermon

[Malak]

2 Peter 2:1-3

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way.

I'm sure it's not difficult for anyone to see where this verse applies. There are plenty of televangelists that make a name for themselves, but don't fool as many as they hope for. Because of them, TBN has jokingly been referred to as The Blaspheme Network, despite having some real men of God preaching on there as well. Knowing the truth, it's easy for me to know which are false prophets and which are real, but I can't ignore the false ones. They intentionally sway people away from the truth.

It may be that one day soon I will have a face to face with a famous group that everyone here is well aware of, the Westboro Church. It is shameful that such a group of people can even exist, spreading hate as they do. I have an equal measure of freedom when it comes to speech though, so I will use it any chance I get if they are out with their signs.

Hate is not what I will spread, nor slander. Those are by definition tools of the enemy. So what should I say? The clear message of the gospel is to love your brother, your neighbor, your enemy, and pretty much anyone else. Jesus himself ate dinner with people that most others despised, should I do the same?

Romans 12:19-20

Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord. Instead, do what the scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you."

So it is that whenever I must face another man, I must do so respectfully regardless of their attitude. I do not change or alter my attitude, it should be consistent. This is a very important lesson to myself, being that I am going to school for social work. I have chosen to be a servant to people who make mistakes, people who want to hate, people who want to be loved.

 

[KeithTalent]

Shouldn't you know to do those things anyway? I've never gone to church, well not since I was really little a few times, but I know to respect my fellow human beings without having to have it recited to me every Sunday morning.

Whatever works for you though, if it helps you to be a better person and not be hateful toward your fellow human beings, then that's fine with me.

KT

 

[Malak]

Shouldn't you know to do those things anyway? I've never gone to church, well not since I was really little a few times, but I know to respect my fellow human beings without having to have it recited to me every Sunday morning.

Whatever works for you though, if it helps you to be a better person and not be hateful toward your fellow human beings, then that's fine with me.

KT

The title, and my reputation, are quite clear. Anyone who doesn't want to read this can of course ignore my thread.

 

[KeithTalent]

The title, and my reputation, are quite clear. Anyone who doesn't want to read this can of course ignore my thread.

What's the point of posting this stuff if you do not want to discuss it? I was not attacking you and I have no idea what your reputation is nor what that has to do with anything I said.

Oh well, carry on, have fun.

KT

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I'm sure it's not difficult for anyone to see where this verse applies. There are plenty of televangelists that make a name for themselves, but don't fool as many as they hope for. Because of them, TBN has jokingly been referred to as The Blaspheme Network, despite having some real men of God preaching on there as well. Knowing the truth, it's easy for me to know which are false prophets and which are real, but I can't ignore the false ones. They intentionally sway people away from the truth.

Anyone that is predisposed to believe in fairy tales about invisible men in the sky is by definition too stupid to to protect himself from scams. Therefore he is the perfect target for scammers. Amen.

 

[IronWing]

What's the point of posting this stuff if you do not want to discuss it?
KT

See second paragraph.

 

[Malak]

What's the point of posting this stuff if you do not want to discuss it? I was not attacking you and I have no idea what your reputation is nor what that has to do with anything I said.

Oh well, carry on, have fun.

KT

I was responding more to the 2nd part where you said you don't need someone reciting it every Sunday. I'm not taking it as an attack, just pointing out that of course most will know what to expect given the title, and therefore if they don't want to read it they don't have to. Just like going to church.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Organized religion is BS. Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them". You don't need to go sit in church at all...of course, it makes people feel all squishy to get all dressed up and try to impress each other..

 

[Malak]

Organized religion is BS. Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them". You don't need to go sit in church at all...of course, it makes people feel all squishy to get all dressed up and try to impress each other..

Even better, Isaiah 29:13

And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote."

But of course that is a generalization, and there are always exceptions. Not all churches necessarily get all "dressed up" let alone try to impress anyone. There are good people doing good things, and not just on Sunday. In fact, going to church on Sunday has nothing to do with being a Christian at all! It's what you do the rest of the week, in public, in private, and how that reflects on you. Sunday service is good as a means of being a part of a community, learning from an elder, and coming together to act as one body.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Even better, Isaiah 29:13


But of course that is a generalization, and there are always exceptions. Not all churches necessarily get all "dressed up" let alone try to impress anyone. There are good people doing good things, and not just on Sunday. In fact, going to church on Sunday has nothing to do with being a Christian at all! It's what you do the rest of the week, in public, in private, and how that reflects on you. Sunday service is good as a means of being a part of a community, learning from an elder, and coming together to act as one body.

Bolded is where it gets murky. What I may consider ok to do in the privacy of my own home, ie watch adult movies, wank it, etc etc, others may not consider ok. The only thing you need is the Golden Rule and the rest is just fluff. And you don't need to be a Christian or worship some "all powerful" imaginary figure in the sky to be a good person. Put others well being before your own, and they will do the same. In conclusion, organized religion is BS..

 

[Kadarin]

Malak, your quote there from Isaiah 29:13 pretty much defines all of Catholicism. I honestly think Jesus himself would be horrified at what the Vatican has become over the past couple of thousand years. These people are so absorbed in themselves that it's become all about the rituals and appearances of being "men of God", and it's disgusting. And particularly disgusting when they deliberately cover up atrocities for the sake of those appearances.

On a lighter note, I'm curious as to what you make of Judges 1:19.

 

[olds]

Just so you know, if you go to church on Sundays, you are going to hell. The sabbath is on Saturday. It's like one of the commandments or something.

 

[Malak]

Bolded is where it gets murky. What I may consider ok to do in the privacy of my own home, ie watch adult movies, wank it, etc etc, others may not consider ok. The only thing you need is the Golden Rule and the rest is just fluff. And you don't need to be a Christian or worship some "all powerful" imaginary figure in the sky to be a good person. Put others well being before your own, and they will do the same. In conclusion, organized religion is BS..

But you cannot define a "good person" by any measure without God. If God didn't exist, morality doesn't exist. Inevitable death makes life irrelevant. People like to attack God for the existence of hell, yet are more willing to believe in the scarier idea of simply ceasing to exist.

 

[Malak]

Malak, your quote there from Isaiah 29:13 pretty much defines all of Catholicism. I honestly think Jesus himself would be horrified at what the Vatican has become over the past couple of thousand years. These people are so absorbed in themselves that it's become all about the rituals and appearances of being "men of God", and it's disgusting. And particularly disgusting when they deliberately cover up atrocities for the sake of those appearances.

I completely agree. This goes back to the time of Jesus, and even shortly after. Religious sects of Judaism where what killed Jesus, and I have no doubt the early Catholic church would have done the same. They were willing to murder men simply for translating the bible into English rather than Latin. You can see this starting in the Christian church in 3 John.

On a lighter note, I'm curious as to what you make of Judges 1:19.

Do you mean the reference to Jebus? :sneaky:*Everyone scrambles for a bible*:sneaky:

 

[ch33zw1z]

But you cannot define a "good person" by any measure without God. If God didn't exist, morality doesn't exist. Inevitable death makes life irrelevant. People like to attack God for the existence of hell, yet are more willing to believe in the scarier idea of simply ceasing to exist.

You sound just like my brother! Can we not hold ourselves accountable for our own actions? Who created the moral code, MAN. I don't care if people claim that they were "inspired" by God...that is BS also. Man wrote the words. Morality exists because we are self-aware beings. We understand the consequences to our actions. It's no long "fight or flight" once we evolved to that point. Morality exists because self-awareness exists. This is a difference of opinions with no resolution.

 

[Malak]

Just so you know, if you go to church on Sundays, you are going to hell. The sabbath is on Saturday. It's like one of the commandments or something.

That is a Seventh Day Adventist belief. A religious sect that was born out of a doomsday cult. The sure sign of a cult of course is when they believe they are the only correct church, something both SDA and Roman Catholic churches do, among many others.

 

[ch33zw1z]

That is a Seventh Day Adventist belief. A religious sect that was born out of a doomsday cult. The sure sign of a cult of course is when they believe they are the only correct church, something both SDA and Roman Catholic churches do, among many others.

newsflash, they ALL do that. You can't believe 100% that you're correct and then accept that another church with differing beliefs is also correct. By your definition, they're all cults.

 

[Nik]

Matthew 27:5-8: So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10:37: Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

Time to follow your bible, Malak.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Matthew 27:5-8: So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Luke 10:37: Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

Time to follow your bible, Malak.

Do unto others...

 

[Nik]

But you cannot define a "good person" by any measure without God. If God didn't exist, morality doesn't exist. Inevitable death makes life irrelevant. People like to attack God for the existence of hell, yet are more willing to believe in the scarier idea of simply ceasing to exist.

Why can't you define a good person without god?

God clearly does not exist. Morality clearly still exists.

What does "ceasing to exist" have to do with the fabricated idea of a creator and greater being?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Why can't you define a good person without god?

God clearly does not exist. Morality clearly still exists.

What does "ceasing to exist" have to do with the fabricated idea of a creator and greater being?

Ceasing to exist IS the reason religious beliefs were created in the first place. Man needs answers to the unknown, and man gave themselves the answers..

 

[Malak]

You sound just like my brother! Can we not hold ourselves accountable for our own actions? Who created the moral code, MAN. I don't care if people claim that they were "inspired" by God...that is BS also. Man wrote the words. Morality exists because we are self-aware beings. We understand the consequences to our actions. It's no long "fight or flight" once we evolved to that point. Morality exists because self-awareness exists. This is a difference of opinions with no resolution.

But your self-awareness feels there is no consequences to your actions in private. There are social evolutions that come about from things done in private. You think watching adult movies is ok because it has no consequences, but only because you don't know what the consequences are. Anyone can watch adult movies thanks to their popularity, even kids.

Why shouldn't kids watch adult movies? Because they don't "get it" or is it because it is wrong? Well if it is wrong, why does it somehow become right, and when does that magical moment occur? And if morality is based on what is socially acceptable, then it has nothing to do with self-awareness or consequences either. In fact, morality doesn't exist if right and wrong is based on what is socially acceptable, in private or public.

That doesn't mean some people don't make standards that are pointless, but it does mean standards should be beyond what we might think is ok. After all, Hitler just thought he was doing what is right.

 

[Nik]

Ceasing to exist IS the reason religious beliefs were created in the first place. Man needs answers to the unknown, and man gave themselves the answers..

You can't possibly know why religious belief was created.

Personally, I believe that religion was created as a method for men without power (poor class) to have power over the noble class.

 

[Malak]

newsflash, they ALL do that. You can't believe 100% that you're correct and then accept that another church with differing beliefs is also correct. By your definition, they're all cults.

Maybe they are.

 

[ch33zw1z]

You can't possibly know why religious belief was created.

Personally, I believe that religion was created as a method for men without power (poor class) to have power over the noble class.

Sure as shit I can't 100% know, but based on what I know about myself that's what I would've done. If the "poor class" acheived power then they did a shitty job passing it down.