Pearls wasted?

[Rose2020]

Mathew Chapter 7. Verse 6.

Could it be that Jesus meant we ought not to waste time and energy arguing with atheists?

[Rose2020]

If someone prays but experiences nothing dramatic, they could well be discouraged. Yet God does listen and He acts. It is we who must pray more sincerely and specifically, then look and listen. Prayers are answered but we often cannot perceive the answers because they may not suit us. God gives us only what is right and good in HIS eyes. We are not capable of knowing what is good for us.

[Jose Fly]

If someone prays but experiences nothing dramatic, they could well be discouraged. Yet God does listen and He acts. It is we who must pray more sincerely and specifically, then look and listen. Prayers are answered but we often cannot perceive the answers because they may not suit us. God gives us only what is right and good in HIS eyes. We are not capable of knowing what is good for us.

So your answer is basically "They didn't experience anything because they did it wrong"?

[TRANSPONDER]

So if one can't initially be brainwashed into believing that there are fairies as the bottom of one's garden, keep on trying to believe it and then...one day...you will


I recall Rose that you questioned the skeptical view of the Quran. Well, in many ways that is a good hard rival to Christianity, especially debunking Pascal's wager, because it has an equal punishment if one makes the wrong wager. After all, if you bet on Scientology and Buddhism turns out to be right, the only 'punishment' is another crack at Life.

And the Quran has its' own apologetics. We had tackled them on a previous board and even though 'sweet and salt water do in fact mix' is a no brainer, they could try to disprove that, too. The 360 bones ..well this is bound up with the 'how could anyone write a book like that?'If one assumes that the Quran is NOT the related word of Muhammad but the preferred words of Caliph Uthman who hired the best poets at his court to put his ideas in Quranic Arabic which (as one might say about Shakepeare), one can imitate, but never match.

Then the knowledge of how many bones is just anatomical knowledge of the time. The genetical 'science' is just wrong, the 'fly's wing cure' is so ludicrous that (after fighting to maintain it the Muslim apologists dismissed it as only Hadiths; not Quran'. And binning the Hadiths made life (or apologetics) a lot simpler.
The advanced astronomy is wished on poetic simile that means something else (like the circle of the earth is a flat circle as if drawn by a compass), the knocking star is NOT a pulsar because it only knocks when put through a radio receiver. And the Biggie - the battle in the Low Place - turns out to be history of the battle of Antioch, written after the event and gotten wrong as well.

So yes, we do the Quran as well because Islam is equally a religion that needs Attention And not much help from Christians who can do little more than bomb it back to the stone age and team up with it and Judaism to stand against Doubt brought on by natural disasters.

Yes, we are doing our bit to help our atheist sistas and brothers under sentence of death in most muslim countries, and no thanks to Christianity for no help.

[brunumb]

Actually, "truth sets one free", and the truth of the matter is that one is to "fear God", and "keep His Commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Why should we take some anonymous opinion in Ecclesiastes 12 with anything more than a grain of salt?

[benchwarmer]

It is we who must pray more sincerely and specifically, then look and listen.

Why do we have to pray "more sincerely" and what does that even mean?

"Dear Heavenly Father, please let Brian regain control of his 4 limbs so that he may walk and use his arms again. Thank you!"

<nothing happens>

This time with the whole congregation (the Bible does say if two or more gather and ask and all that...)

"Dear Heavenly Father, please let Brian regain control of his 4 limbs so that he may walk and use his arms again. Thank you!"

"AMEN!" says the entire congregation.

<nothing happens>

What gives? Do we have to stand on one foot, jump up and down, and say the words in perfect iambic pentameter or something?

"Dear GOD, heal BRIAN, pretty PLEASE. We LOVE you GOD!"

<nothing happens>

sigh....

Prayers are answered but we often cannot perceive the answers because they may not suit us.

The answer appears to be overwhelmingly NO for anything that would be obvious. Regrowth of limbs, complete healing of a terminal illness, safety from an oncoming natural disaster, etc. In other words, God only appears to 'answer' when the 'answer' is indistinguishable from pure chance.

God gives us only what is right and good in HIS eyes. We are not capable of knowing what is good for us.

Who is praying only for US? The most heartfelt prayers are often for our loved ones. What about poor Brian above? God wants him to live in misery even after we asked so nicely on his behalf? What a neat guy this God is. What's the point of asking if God is just going to do what's best? Seems like a waste of time that could better be spent actually doing something else.

[brunumb]

If someone prays but experiences nothing dramatic, they could well be discouraged. Yet God does listen and He acts. It is we who must pray more sincerely and specifically, then look and listen. Prayers are answered but we often cannot perceive the answers because they may not suit us. God gives us only what is right and good in HIS eyes. We are not capable of knowing what is good for us.

There are so many built-in loopholes regarding God answering prayer that one can be confident in concluding that it is a useless waste of time. I actually get the same level of response when I pray to my pet rock, Rocky.

That said, your silence regarding the following request actually speaks quite loudly. I suppose silence can be regarded as safer than providing a lame response that barely reaches the threshold of credibility,

When Christ makes himself known to you, it is unmistakable.

Please enlighten us on the nature of such a circumstance.

[JoeyKnothead]

I don't know. I have heard of pigs building their own homes. Not that the houses were all up to snuff.

Lol

I couldn't quite figure how to link em in.

Apart from having their set apart bath space, pigs can be a little gross. Mud bathing, and then getting in their feed troughs to eat. It just doesn't sound inviting.

Mud baths are a great way to ward off sun and insects. Remember, they ain't got thumbs enough to open a bottle of lotion.

But you got em on the feed trough.

As per the "wrath to come", Mother nature, in the form of a "great earthquake", seems to be a major portion of the coming problem (Rev 16:18). Apparently, Gaia, the mother god of Progressives, is going to be upset.

That wrath's been coming for so long, I'm starting to think God's just scaring us about it.

[2ndpillar2]

I don't know. I have heard of pigs building their own homes. Not that the houses were all up to snuff.

Lol

I couldn't quite figure how to link em in.

Apart from having their set apart bath space, pigs can be a little gross. Mud bathing, and then getting in their feed troughs to eat. It just doesn't sound inviting.

Mud baths are a great way to ward off sun and insects. Remember, they ain't got thumbs enough to open a bottle of lotion.

But you got em on the feed trough.

As per the "wrath to come", Mother nature, in the form of a "great earthquake", seems to be a major portion of the coming problem (Rev 16:18). Apparently, Gaia, the mother god of Progressives, is going to be upset.

That wrath's been coming for so long, I'm starting to think God's just scaring us about it.

You are confusing the "tribulation" (Revelation 24:9), which we have been in for a long time, with the "great tribulation". The "great tribulation" will have to be cut short, less no one would survive (Matthew 24:22). The "great tribulation" will be set off when the nations come against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14). It will be a judgment on the nations, and will include a "great earthquake"(Revelation 16:18). It is like Jonah and Nineveh. Jonah had to warn Nineveh many times. Apparently Nineveh made steps to repent, and apparently simply repented of repenting. Other than the "fig tree" has put "forth its leaves", you wouldn't know the difference between today and yesterday. (Matthew 24:32)

[2ndpillar2]

Actually, "truth sets one free", and the truth of the matter is that one is to "fear God", and "keep His Commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Why should we take some anonymous opinion in Ecclesiastes 12 with anything more than a grain of salt?

You have the free will to take it or leave it. I was just trying to put your quote into biblical context. The basic quote is "truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32) As for "fear", well, most Progressives live by and in fear, mostly because they are godless, and have no God, no hope, and no reason for living, other than to eat, drink, have Mary, and pursue money, which eventually becomes boring, and leads to drug or alcohol use, with the ensuing incapacitating of one's mental acuity and physical soundness. Have you listened to the leaders of the US Progressive party when they speak?

John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

[TRANSPONDER]

Your above two posts are

(a) claims of an ongoing unfolding prophecy which is a claim I don't buy and see as having no credibility and

(b) the weary old theist view that without God -belief our lives are miserable and despairing and we can only try to drown our sorrows in various ways.

Sorry chum; you know not whereof you speak. Non - believers find plenty to make life worthwhile, and I for one would hate to think that the only thing stopping me from jumping off a cliff and ending it all was believing a lot of fairy -tales.