OmegaRED

You've got to love this Pope

What's even more awesome is that we too can fight demons!

Pope's exorcist squads will wage war on Satan | the Daily Mail

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Falstaff

Living a christian lifestyle, emulating Christ, obeying the word of God, and demonstrating Christian vitues is not enough I am afraid, to defeat demons one must first defeat or master the demon within us. Even the righteous and pious must confront the same challenges as the unclean. A christian must believe in Christ as their savior, and that he died for our sins and trust in the Lord that their will be judgement one day, for sinners and faithful alike. Even now the word of the antichrist is spreading to doubt the existence of God, of Jesus Christ and the truth of the second coming.

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OmegaRED

Demonic possession used to scare the Hell out of me (no pun intended) when I was a kid. I think it's very telling that you won't see Atheists or followers of a religion which has no concept of possession become possessed. It is unique only to those who believe in it.

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Falstaff

If your going to quote me Omega please be accurate, out of courtesy or respect, your choice, but that is not my quote, this further diminishes the relevant content of this thread, frankly I am surprised at you. I will post no further on this thread.

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OmegaRED

With all due respect,

is the same as saying "The End is Near".

In any event, I don't care for your proselytizing anymore than you do for my sarcasm.

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OmegaRED

Just saw this on the top of Drudge:




Vatican denies exorcist expansion - UPI.com

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Kazeko

Just out of curiosity, why exactly are you posting this, Omega?


I ask, simply because Christian bashing, at this point, has become a bandwagon. Everyone wants to hammer on Christians blaming, pretty much anything on Christian Doctrine without taking the time to figure out any of the principles therein, merely hammering on what the TV feeds them, or what news outlets feel like Villanizing.

Al_Vampyre

The end might not be near but it would appear that the dark ages are!

OmegaRED

This is a "political and religious debate" forum and it's a controversial story, why wouldn't I post it?

Christians are developing a persecution complex which is simply unrealistic; the most Christians have to deal with is the occasional rude comment and attack on Christmas trees. I don't know of anyone in the media that is hostile towards Christianity, indeed, Atheist authors are the only people attacking Christian principles and their books don't sell as well as all the Christian bestsellers. Could you provide some examples of this villainizing?

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Falstaff

you have a singular wit, enjoy your sarcasm, as for me I am secure in my beliefs and I would hesiate in any attempt to discourage you from expressing your opinion.

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Kazeko

FOXNews.com - Colorado Church Gunman Had Grudge Against Christian Group, Cops Say - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News



I follow what you mean with the persecution complex, but understand that it's not just Christians. It's been going on for centuries among other religions in the world. While they may involve Christianity in some form, it's not necessarily JUST Christians.


The bigger criticism would be toward people who are trying to force their beliefs on others, or force others to live as one group thinks they should.
THAT I would credit you with, and agree. But to hit Christianity as a whole, blankets too many people that don't fit under the idea you're criticizing, but do fit under the category of "Christian."

OmegaRED

That story doesn't vilify Christians at all, the gunman was training for a position in the Church I'd hardly say he had anything against the religion. Also, the security guard who killed the gunman was deeply religious herself and I saw her profiled on the news as a hero who felt she was "guided by God".

Christians haven't been persecuted since the Romans yet somehow developed this complex. By playing the role of the victim this allows Christian leaders to push their agenda (creationism, no gay marriage, etc) and shields them from criticism. Islam does it even better mind you, people in Europe and North America are too afraid to speak out for fear of being branded intolerant, racist or even for fear of their lives.

Whenever I hear a Christian go on about the persecution of their faith I have to roll my eyes and wonder how that compares to the persecution of the Jews, Falun Gong, or any other faith which sees it's members in jail or murdered for their beliefs.

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Senor_Mota

WHOA, WHOA, Whoa, guys!! We (the Logical people of this forum) know that you can't gather a group of "clerics" to fight demons from beyond the bowels of hell - that's just preposterous. It sounds like a poorly-written Dungeon Master's attempt at sparking everyone's interest back into his Netheril campaign.

Most of you have lost sight of what's really important about believing in "God" (which ever "God" you worship) - your own personal salvation. They didn't coin the term 3000 years ago with the formation of Old English because they thought it sounded good. It simply means that by the power of your own will, your own hand, not "God's", you will save yourself from hell - Liberate Te Ex Infernis, as the Greeks put it.

This humble and singular phrase can not only keep your soul in check, but can erase the convolution and contempt that others hold for you when it comes to the worship of "God". The whole reason why organized religion doesn't truly represent divine worship is because it almost always becomes a social inclination - the poor people are poor because "their faith isn't strong enough". Rather than realizing that everyone has their place on this Earth being "a ditch-digger or a doctor", they simply present their financial desperation as blasphemy and that family becomes alienated, hardened and religiously ambiguous - all from one sour misinterpretation of faith.

Had the rich and "faithful" members of the clergy realized that the father of the family had just lost his job, had three kids to feed and a mountain of bills to climb before he could start paying them, they would have known that serving others in need is just another step towards personal salvation. That family would have stayed in church, the father wouldn't have become an alcoholic and subsequently lost his wife and kids to the embittered feelings of contempt that the "Righteous" members of the congregation projected towards them once long ago.

A life ruined, a soul shattered - for not only was the father not strong enough to defy the nay-saying that his pompous peers slung hatefully at him, but his peers had an undefined and distant state of being in touch with "God". Who are you to judge the judges? No one should fall into the "judged" category unless it's under legal representation.

The fact that Christians state that other Christians are wrong, or try to banish another human being to a life of desolation in hell simply based on belief, is just as preposterous as the Dungeon Master thinking that people still want to play D&D Version 2.0. Objectifying another's faith is a trait that "God" doesn't truly approve of - especially if you read the Bible.

This verse is in reference to Jesus being the Christ and Savior of humanity. The Jews persecuted and stoned him for claiming to believe in what he knew was true, calling him a "blasphemer" and "liar". Even Jesus had to deal with being wrong. But as the example shows, you have to endure a great deal of hardship and suffering to prove your point; and it was obviously prevalent enough due to about 25% percent of the population of Earth becoming Christian after Christ's death 2000 years ago. He didn't bitch when it got rough - he just kept spreading his word and worried about his own hide until the end.

The very cornerstone of Christian beliefs indicate that service of man and righteousness for the Lord are the keys to returning to God's presence; yet many of you spend more time making sure everyone else is doing "the right thing" and judging others who aren't "faithful". A good word of advice - Why don't you mind your own f*cking business and worry about yourself and the ones that you love? Really, they're the matter at hand - the less attention you pay to them and yourself, the less attention they'll pay to you and your skewed perception.

If you really want true happiness and warmth in your life, worry about your own personal salvation. Judge ye not, lest ye be judged.

And I'm not even a Christian.

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OmegaRED

To clarify, are you saying we shouldn't worry about our religious denomination but rather keeping our asses from going to Hell (by Hell I mean actual Hell, flames and torture for eternity)?

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