Why I no longer worship.

Smellin Coffee said:
The adamant rejection of the validity of Liberation Theology is all the necessary proof needed.
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It seems you’ve assumed the position that if anybody disagrees with you they, by fiat, are wrong, which is the petard you seem to continually hoist yourself upon.😉
 
ALAYMAN said:
Your word usage of “coercion” doesn’t fit within a proper semantic range of applicability relating to this forum’s existence. We’re not Phred Phelps nor the Conquistadors, lol.
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I would contend the ideals presented here do get replicated with coercion outside this platform by those who participate here.

Simply have someone come out as gay in the average Evangelical church as an example.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
If I am trying to convert someone, yes. If it is a testimonial as to what is going on in my life and the metamorphosis of my thought processes over the years, I wouldn't think so.
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Everyone is trying to convert someone else…some just try harder than others.
 
ALAYMAN said:
It seems you’ve assumed the position that if anybody disagrees with you they, by fiat, are wrong, which is the petard you seem to continually hoist yourself upon.😉
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Fair assessment because we ALL think our positions are the correct ones or else we wouldn't have them.

Oh, and kudos on the Shakespearean metaphor. :D
 
Smellin Coffee said:
I would contend the ideals presented here do get replicated with coercion outside this platform by those who participate here.

Simply have someone come out as gay in the average Evangelical church as an example.
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Ok, but I don’t think coercion is the right word, unless you’re using the word in relation to political force, and that’s a stretch of its meaning too, unless that street runs both ways and you’re going to say that gay marriage legislation was likewise a form of coercion.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
Fair assessment because we ALL think our positions are the correct ones or else we wouldn't have them.

Oh, and kudos on the Shakespearean metaphor. :D
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Oh, I agree that everybody who genuinely believes any idea really thinks they are right. That’s a little bit off my point though. You not only do you think you’re right (as I would assert about my positions as well) but there’s a morality to your judgment of other people’s opinions, one that finds its expression in the form of defending the oppressed, for instance. I feel oppressed as a father of a heterosexual male white son, who has to pay his college tuition and is overwhelmingly excluded from multitudes of scholarship opportunities merely because of the color of his skin and his gender preference. There’s a morality to that judgment, and somebody is right and somebody is wrong. I don’t pretend that it’s just an opinion and that it’s neutral.
 
abcaines said:
Darn good Buddhist.
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ahh.... the buddhists..... hawaii is full of them..... they can believe in everything and nothing all at the same time.... . talk out of both sides of their mouth at once ...and live life fully in synch with the idea that the truth is nothing more than a lie undiscovered......

i used to think of buddhist as being the epitome of those a lutheran theologian once spoke of when he said the greatest trick the devil ever played was to convince the world he didn;t exist........ but i have come to believe that many in the christian world... or world of former christians.... have fallen victim to that trick as well.......
 
aleshanee said:
ahh.... the buddhists..... hawaii is full of them..... they can believe in everything and nothing all at the same time.... . talk out of both sides of their mouth at once ...and live life fully in synch with the idea that the truth is nothing more than a lie undiscovered......

i used to think of buddhist as being the epitome of those a lutheran theologian once spoke of when he said the greatest trick the devil ever played was to convince the world he didn;t exist........ but i have come to believe that many in the christian world... or world of former christians.... have fallen victim to that trick as well.......
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I'll bet you do run into your fair share of Buddhists there in Hawaii.

This discussion with SC is giving me flashbacks from nearly 20 years ago when I worked with a self proclaimed Buddhist. I was debating relativism with him and thought I had him cornered but he slipped out of it like an eel. Very similar to what SC is doing right now.

If you ask me what Buddhism is, I still can't tell you but then that's probably the most accurate way to describe Buddhism.
 
subllibrm said:
The inclusion of all white men in your theory is all the proof needed that liberation theology is racist.
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He reminds me of some of those wet-behind-the-ears self-loathing white college kids who grew up with two parents, a reliable hot meal every night, and opportunities in life, and threw it all away to become a parrot that screams like he was trained by the Nation of Islam.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
Nothing like gaslighting with faux sympathy.

But then again, that is not a bug in Evangelicalism, it's a feature.
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There was no false sympathy expressed…my regret is genuine. You, sadly, are just one of many who were left in the wake of the false religiosity of the IFBx movement.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
View attachment 4442
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Do you want to hear some real irony Dan? I (this white male) taught from Micah in my Old Testament survey to the adult IFB Sunday School class this past Lord’s Day. The pinnacle of the message was from the classic verse 8

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I talked about the injustices that marginalized people face. I talked about showing mercy to those that rarely see it. I spoke about not judging people on the basis of their social status. I spoke about being Christ to those around us and treating those less fortunate as we would want to be treated. Not everybody in evangelicalism/fundamentalism fits the sad caricature you would like to demonize us with.

Never once did I package our image in anything like a Disney hero(ine) narrative.
 
Tarheel Baptist said:
There was no false sympathy expressed…my regret is genuine. You, sadly, are just one of many who were left in the wake of the false religiosity of the IFBx movement.
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In no way can I believe this. You know as well as I the underlying motive behind both Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism (others as well) is exactly the same: Protect the Brand.

No, the brand is not "Jesus". No need to protect someone who has already been killed then resurrected. The brand is not "truth" i.e. "the gospel". No need to protect truth. Truth will always survive and I believe will at some point prevail. If "the gospel" dies, it was never truth.

Nope, the brand of Evangelicalism is its influence, political power and of course, $$$. It's all a grift.

You've been around long enough to see this. I certainly understand you have much to lose to confront the reality so I will just let you deal with your own conscience. I thought I was losing my soul when I left but I realized the church was "the world" and the marginalized "the soul" so I'm glad I now find my new friends among the immigrants, misfits and queers. I can just be imperfect me and accepted for who I am despite all my years trying to suppress their existence through my Fundagelical faith.
 
Smellin Coffee said:
I thought I was losing my soul when I left but I realized the church was "the world" and the marginalized "the soul" so I'm glad I now find my new friends among the immigrants, misfits and queers.
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What are you really hiding, Smellin? Methinks there’s more to the “marginalized” story than just friendship seeking….
 
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