(December 5, 2023 at 11:08 am)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:

(December 5, 2023 at 10:59 am)Confused-by-christianity Wrote: San diego????

Yep, this last May.

well done you and well done him !!!

(December 5, 2023 at 11:15 am)FrustratedFool Wrote:

(December 5, 2023 at 10:55 am)Confused-by-christianity Wrote: ummmmm???  I want to say yes - but i dont know now actually.
I think where i was, i dont know if i valued much of anything ???
I'll say yes - i valued those things before my experience.
What i think the real question is, is could this experience be made up by my mind??  a delusion ??  
the answer is yes.  I dont believe that - but it's possible.

it gave me hope.  

i saw jesus and that changed everything for me.  

it sounds like a simple question to answer, but its not - it's really difficult to answer haha

What hope were you given?

that my life wasn't over.

the "demon" was gone.

there is life after this and its good.  there really is a point to it all, a being of love and light is waiting for you when you die, to take you to a higher reality to practice love more and more.  you can help others find him too - so it is important how you treat people.

(December 5, 2023 at 11:44 am)Confused-by-christianity Wrote:

(December 5, 2023 at 11:15 am)FrustratedFool Wrote: What hope were you given?

that my life wasn't over.

the "demon" was gone.

there is life after this and its good.  there really is a point to it all, a being of love and light is waiting for you when you die, to take you to a higher reality to practice love more and more.  you can help others find him too - so it is important how you treat people.

And what if I think people deserve to be treated poorly, and act accordingly? Will Jesus beat me up for that?

(December 5, 2023 at 11:44 am)Confused-by-christianity Wrote:

(December 5, 2023 at 11:15 am)FrustratedFool Wrote: What hope were you given?

that my life wasn't over.

the "demon" was gone.

there is life after this and its good.  there really is a point to it all, a being of love and light is waiting for you when you die, to take you to a higher reality to practice love more and more.  you can help others find him too - so it is important how you treat people.

How did you get all that information from your experience?  Was it communicated via words?

(December 5, 2023 at 11:50 am)Ahriman Wrote:

(December 5, 2023 at 11:44 am)Confused-by-christianity Wrote: that my life wasn't over.

the "demon" was gone.

there is life after this and its good.  there really is a point to it all, a being of love and light is waiting for you when you die, to take you to a higher reality to practice love more and more.  you can help others find him too - so it is important how you treat people.

And what if I think people deserve to be treated poorly, and act accordingly? Will Jesus beat me up for that?

i dont know what he will do.

i trust him though.  i got a sense that absolutely everything is under control.  i have entirely nothing whatsoever to worry about - like a certainty of goodness prevailing ???

(December 5, 2023 at 11:53 am)FrustratedFool Wrote:

(December 5, 2023 at 11:44 am)Confused-by-christianity Wrote: that my life wasn't over.

the "demon" was gone.

there is life after this and its good.  there really is a point to it all, a being of love and light is waiting for you when you die, to take you to a higher reality to practice love more and more.  you can help others find him too - so it is important how you treat people.

How did you get all that information from your experience?  Was it communicated via words?

it was him speaking in thoughts to me and it was accompanied by something like a knowledge.  i just knew things.

So the things that you wanted in life during a dark time: hope, purpose, love, morality, protection, etc you got a strong sense of being true whilst receiving a pleasant numinous experience which you interpreted as being connected to the key religious figure of your existing cultural milieu.

I'm sure it seemed profound and meaningful, and I'm glad that it helped you escape a bad place in your life, and I'm also glad you are not blindly following the bible but rather evaluating it within the light of your own conscience. But it does seem very much likely to me to be a purely psychological experience, the benefits of which could be had without any belief in the supernatural or Christianity.

(December 5, 2023 at 12:07 pm)FrustratedFool Wrote: So the things that you wanted in life during a dark time: hope, purpose, love, morality, protection, etc you got a strong sense of being true whilst receiving a pleasant numinous experience which you interpreted as being connected to the key religious figure of your existing cultural milieu.

I'm sure it seemed profound and meaningful, and I'm glad that it helped you escape a bad place in your life, and I'm also glad you are not blindly following the bible but rather evaluating it within the light of your own conscience.  But it does seem very much likely to me to be a purely psychological experience, the benefits of which could be had without any belief in the supernatural or Christianity.

yeah - we see things very similarly.

except you think its in my head and i think it was from an outside reality.

If im right - one day we will find out eh??!!  ;-)

(December 5, 2023 at 12:07 pm)FrustratedFool Wrote: So the things that you wanted in life during a dark time: hope, purpose, love, morality, protection, etc you got a strong sense of being true whilst receiving a pleasant numinous experience which you interpreted as being connected to the key religious figure of your existing cultural milieu.

I'm sure it seemed profound and meaningful, and I'm glad that it helped you escape a bad place in your life, and I'm also glad you are not blindly following the bible but rather evaluating it within the light of your own conscience.  But it does seem very much likely to me to be a purely psychological experience, the benefits of which could be had without any belief in the supernatural or Christianity.

Indeed. I've had very similar experiences as an atheist. I see them as a matter of my subconscious brain figuring it out and communicating it to my conscious self.

(December 4, 2023 at 8:09 pm)SimpleCaveman Wrote: Hi arewethereyet,

(December 4, 2023 at 7:54 pm)arewethereyet Wrote: Why is it important to some religious people that others believe as they do?  Do they need confirmation from others?  Are they evangelical and on a mission?

Speaking for Christians, yes, all Christians have the mission to be evangelical. It’s called the Great Commission (Mt 28:16 – 20). Some explain and invite. Then it’s up to the other person. Some do get very worked up about it. Each person has to make their own decision, though.

Me? I’m just here for a good discussion about interesting stuff. Unfortunately, that’s very hard on this forum.

(December 4, 2023 at 7:54 pm)arewethereyet Wrote: What makes a person think they have to drag others into their beliefs?  Seems to me the possible reasons are all self-serving.  Doesn't seem to fit that WWJD thing.

This is weird. That’s exactly what Jesus did. I don’t mean the dragging part.

And before we go there, yes, I know, I know. He wasn’t God. He didn’t even exist. Yes, I get it.

But if we look at the stories in the NT. It’s why he became incarnate. Why he preached. Why he accepted torture and death.

Christianity seems to have achieved market saturation. You won't find anyone who hasn't already heard the news. Traditional methods of evangelizing/witnessing are moot and often counterproductive. Jesus advised his followers to be as gentle as doves and wise as serpents in regards to spreading the word. It may be time for a serious change in prosyletizing tactics, if the goal is actually to attract people to Christianity.