(March 10, 2017 at 3:31 am)Jesster Wrote: Meh. The bible never did much to motivate me when I was Christian. It only me more depressed and a bit suicidal. I'd recommend skipping that one.

You were not ever a Christian, if you were the Bible would have been a support for you.

GC

(March 10, 2017 at 4:00 am)Godschild Wrote: You were not ever a Christian, if you were the Bible would have been a support for you.

GC

So I take it that you've never heard of the "No True Scotsman" fallacy?

Besides that point, if you are asserting that the bible is capable of being painful to a non-Christian, why would you ever recommend it to a non-Christian?

(March 10, 2017 at 3:21 am)Godschild Wrote:

(March 10, 2017 at 2:51 am)Thena323 Wrote: Aww...It makes me sad that you're sad for no reason, friend.

I'm not sad, l find it a sad thing when people see God as a cruel being when l know that is not true through my relationship with Him. So my friend don't be sad, be happy God cares.

GC

In all honestly, GC, I don't view Biblical God as particularly good or evil. As a character, his actions can quite easily be interpreted as either; it basically depends on who's doing the spinning. I've been presented with what I'd consider to be sensible explanations as to why Biblical God is a being who actually loves and cares for his creations.

The issue is: I don't believe anyone's up there. 

Not because I'm angry or hurt. 
Because, as far as I am aware, these things are just not possible.

(March 9, 2017 at 12:54 am)Tea Earl Grey Hot Wrote: Any recommendations for good motivational books? Preferably ones that aren't rooted in religious, new age, magical thinking, and/or pseudoscience. I'm thinking of books that help address things like low self-esteem, depression, procrastination, lack of motivation, stress, anxiety, phobias, etc.

I have two:

(March 10, 2017 at 4:07 am)Jesster Wrote:

(March 10, 2017 at 4:00 am)Godschild Wrote: You were not ever a Christian, if you were the Bible would have been a support for you.

GC

So I take it that you've never heard of the "No True Scotsman" fallacy?

Besides that point, if you are asserting that the bible is capable of being painful to a non-Christian, why would you ever recommend it to a non-Christian?

Yes l have, regardless you were never a Christian. I did not say the Bible would be painful to anyone, you said that it was painful, l said you were never a Christian.

GC

I've been a self help book addict since I was 15. I'm 28 now. They're the only books I really buy. I have tried to quit because none of them have ever helped me ever even remotely. But sometimes every few years I get depressed and desperate and buy one anyway and it reminds me that all I've done is wasted my money.

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(March 10, 2017 at 8:07 am)Ben Davis Wrote:

One of many of the self-help books I bought over the years.

It tells me to feel the fear and do it anyway but telling me to do that never gets me to actually do it.

There are so many things I know I should do but I struggle to do them. That's why I need help with motivation in the first place.

Over the years I keep thinking I'm going to find some self-help book that offers advice that isn't already obvious and that actually impacts my life.

Nope.

And most of them say the same things anyway.

(March 10, 2017 at 10:07 am)Godschild Wrote: Yes l have, regardless you were never a Christian.

So you've heard of "No True Scotsman" but you don't understand it.

(March 10, 2017 at 10:07 am)Godschild Wrote: I did not say the Bible would be painful to anyone, you said that it was painful, l said you were never a Christian.

Then you aren't denying that the bible can be painful to someone? Are you accepting that this could lead someone to suicide, like it almost did with me?

(March 10, 2017 at 10:55 am)Alasdair Ham Wrote: I've been a self help book addict since I was 15. I'm 28 now. They're the only books I really buy. I have tried to quit because none of them have ever helped me ever even remotely. But sometimes every few years I get depressed and desperate and buy one anyway and it reminds me that all I've done is wasted my money.

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(March 10, 2017 at 8:07 am)Ben Davis Wrote:

One of many of the self-help books I bought over the years.

It tells me to feel the fear and do it anyway but telling me to do that never gets me to actually do it.

There are so many things I know I should do but I struggle to do them. That's why I need help with motivation in the first place.

Over the years I keep thinking I'm going to find some self-help book that offers advice that isn't already obvious and that actually impacts my life.

Nope.

And most of them say the same things anyway.

If you can't make your life any better, just help others so they live a better life.
And that would be your motivation, right there.

I don't use these books, I used to follow motivation pages on social media; though. There were stuff that made me feel better about myself in the morning.

But the rule is (what really matters): help those who don't hurt and bite. Love yourself so you don't get chopped by negativity, a beast might bite at first but becomes your friend at the end; a chance one should not waste. 

And that's your motive right there.

(March 10, 2017 at 10:07 am)Godschild Wrote:

(March 10, 2017 at 4:07 am)Jesster Wrote: So I take it that you've never heard of the "No True Scotsman" fallacy?

Besides that point, if you are asserting that the bible is capable of being painful to a non-Christian, why would you ever recommend it to a non-Christian?

Yes l have, regardless you were never a Christian. I did not say the Bible would be painful to anyone, you said that it was painful, l said you were never a Christian.

GC

You can't expect folks to take you seriously when you say ignorant shit like this, GC. You're being childish as hell.

Jesster believed, then she didn't. The same is true of myself. Your being fearful of that potential raising the question of whether it's possible for anyone (including yourself) to lose faith at some point in life, doesn't mean that you have to respond to such an uncomfortable prospect like a scared, silly brat. My gawd. You're so afraid of your bubble bursting, that you've essentially resorted to sticking your fingers in your ears, and saying "Nuh-uh! Nuh-huh! ". It's ridiculous.

You're a grown man,GC. Is that really the best you've got?
If so, you have absolutely no business evangelizing. You're terrible at it.

Sorry, bud.

(March 10, 2017 at 5:12 pm)Thena323 Wrote:

(March 10, 2017 at 10:07 am)Godschild Wrote: Yes l have, regardless you were never a Christian. I did not say the Bible would be painful to anyone, you said that it was painful, l said you were never a Christian.

GC

You can't expect folks to take you seriously when you say ignorant shit like this, GC. You're being childish as hell.

Jesster believed, then she didn't. The same is true of myself. Your being fearful of that potential raising the question of whether it's possible for anyone (including yourself) to lose faith at some point in life, doesn't mean that you have to respond to such an uncomfortable prospect like a scared, silly brat. My gawd. You're so afraid of your bubble bursting, that you've essentially resorted to sticking your fingers in your ears, and saying "Nuh-uh! Nuh-huh! ". It's ridiculous.

You're a grown man,GC. Is that really the best you've got?
If so, you have absolutely no business evangelizing. You're terrible at it.

Sorry, bud.

No need to get bent, I've said the same thing many times and all of a sudden you object. My bubble bursting, l do not live in a bubble l know what's happening all around me. I've been here longer than any other Christian and most of the non-believers and no one has come close to changing my mind not even a thought of changing. The people of my church have always thought l was good at evangelism and frankly their opinions don't matter all that much either, it's all about what God thinks.
The scriptures tell us in more than one place that once we become a Christian nothing nor no one can move us from God. Look at it this way being a Christian means you know God without a doubt, so if you could change your mind about staying a Christian you certainly couldn't deny that God is real. You could say I'm no longer going to serve Him and worship Him, but you can't say He doesn't exist.
You being a non-believer look at Christianity with the belief God isn't real and that Christianity is more of a social club or whatever. Myself I know God is real and I know what is involved in the Christian belief, understand I'm not biblically uneducated, I've studied the scriptures for a long time and dug deep into them. Just going before the church and saying you believe want save you, you will still be as lost as last year's Easter egg if your confession wasn't from the heart. I've seen many people who thought they were Christian spending their whole life in church and active in the work come to realize they were never saved. They had the answers to questions when asked, they went through all the right motions, they went before the church and confessed their belief and for years were empty inside and never asked anyone what was going on. Then one day God the Father actually called them to accept Jesus as their savior, that's when they realized they were lost and need to do something about it. God the Father doesn't call people to Christ at a certain age or certain time, He calls them when He knows they are ready to accept Jesus if they will. To many well intentioned Christians try to talk not just kids but everyone they meet into becoming a Christian, kids feel the pressure and try and please others by making a commitment that they have no idea what's involved, without the Father's call it's all for nothing. Jesus said only the Father can open the heart and call people to Christ, that's a paraphrase. Adults and older teens rebel more than they listen and search, they've already tasted the pleasures of the world (the forbidden fruit so to speak} so fewer come to know Christ at a later age.
With all that said I hope you can see that you and l look at Christianity with different sets of eyes. When I tell someone they were never a Christian who says they are no longer a believer in God l do not mean it as cruel or hurtful it's simply the truth according to the scriptures. Being a Christian means one is a follower of Christ the living God and, if someone claims they were once a Christian and now no longer believes God is real, then they could have never been a follower of the living Christ. It just doesn't work the way that those who called themselves Christians and then jumped ship believes it does. In my opinion they are trying to put on a face that will fit both sides of this issue, they just do not want to look bad for whatever reason.
If you never believe anything else about me just remember this, l do not tell those who have left what they believe was Christianity that they were never a Christian with any sort of malice, that's not me nor is it a proper way for a Christian to act. I actually do it in hopes they might re-examine what they believed to a be Christianity and allow God to once again convict their heart. I guess l've said all that can be said my friend, hope that I did not offend you in what I said.

GC