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personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 5:09 am
(This post was last modified: August 7, 2009 at 5:49 am by oldjonesy.)
In my discussions with christians I am always intrigued to hear them go on about having a 'real personal relationship with Jesus/God'
Further questioning reveals that they talk to Jesus and get a warm fuzzy feeling that Jesus is listening or guiding them in some way.
I have also met those people who not only talk to Jesus but get a reply!
My own father in law is a born again fundie who just won't shut up about Jesus/God, all day every day. It starts raining and its praise God, it stops raining and its thank you Jesus. He also claims to be speaking with God/Jesus all the time and that God speaks to him. I am too afraid to ask if God is actually replying in an articulated voice or not as that will usually set him off on his favourite discussion - religion, for many hours.
So I ask those on this forum who may be reformed christians - did you have ever have a personal relationship to Jesus and did he ever reply back to you when you spoke to him?
I am curious if my father in law is actually hearing voices or when he refers to God talking to him is he just referring to that fuzzy warm feeling.
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 5:44 am
Yeah, there's a place for those who talk to other people or things that no one else can see ... it's colloquially referred to as the funny farm.
For some reason theists seem to think it is fine to have a cuddly personal friend no one else can see ... they don't seem to think it doesn't equate to be deranged but it's hard to see why!
Welcome to the forum ... why not introduce yourself?
Kyu
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 5:55 am
I like warm fuzzy feelings... i don't like it when voices ruin them.
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 5:57 am
Let's see...
Strange fuzzy warm feelings, talking to an invisible flying all powerful and knowing guy in the sky....yep that's pretty delusional.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan
Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.
Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.
You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 6:01 am
(August 7, 2009 at 5:44 am)Kyuuketsuki Wrote: Yeah, there's a place for those who talk to other people or things that no one else can see ... it's colloquially referred to as the funny farm.
For some reason theists seem to think it is fine to have a cuddly personal friend no one else can see ... they don't seem to think it doesn't equate to be deranged but it's hard to see why!
Welcome to the forum ... why not introduce yourself?
Kyu
Thanks, will do.
I am concerned for my father in laws sanity hence wanted to found out a bit more of this personal relationship with Jesus business. I can understand those people who think they are talking to God if it is a one way conversation, but when he says God speaks to him then he is either Joan of Arc or something else is wrong.
Of course, God COULD actually be speaking to him. I did consider this briefly.
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 8:35 am
I envy you. Really.
Religion/God/whatever is also my favorite subject. I'd be asking him those questions to spark the discussion.
Sometime I like to discuss those things like a game of 'chicken'. Get it started and see who swerves (quits, begins name-calling, gets threatening, stomps off, etc...) first.
I haven't lost yet, however it's been years since I've found any players. They are still found on the internets, but that just ain't the same.
I used to tell a lot of religious jokes. Not any more, I'm a registered sects offender.
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...the least christian thing a person can do is to become a christian. ~Chuck
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NO MA'AM
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I heard a lot of Christians talk about their relationship with God/Jesus, how great it feels, how they talk to him and he listens to them but none of them said anything about God/Jesus talking to them. How old is your father-in-law? senility might be kicking in.
Personally, it's not God I dislike, it's his fan club I can't stand.
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Dotard,
You should engage in that game of chicken with the Mormons when they swing by. If you show interest, you can get them to come over one day a week for 7 weeks to talk about their beliefs. Me and a friend did that one time and we sat with them next to a computer with the bible on it and looked up every reference they made to see what the context was. We were theists at the time but it was still fun! Elohim wants to give you a planet or something.
I like your game,
Rhizo
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 7, 2009 at 8:43 pm
(This post was last modified: August 7, 2009 at 8:44 pm by oldjonesy.)
(August 7, 2009 at 1:35 pm)Overmars Wrote: I heard a lot of Christians talk about their relationship with God/Jesus, how great it feels, how they talk to him and he listens to them but none of them said anything about God/Jesus talking to them. How old is your father-in-law? senility might be kicking in.
He is 62
But he has been like this since his 40's when I first met him. He actually had a period about 7 years ago when he stated he feared he was losing his faith but he came back to God worse than ever.
Yeah I might just have to 'play that game' and get to the bottom of exactly what he means when God talks to him.
Also curious what this 'talking in tongues' is all about. Do you just get the urge to start talking gibberish? Whats with the raising of the hand - are you receiving some power ray like superman receives power from earths yellow sun
That sort of thing.
It wont end well.
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RE: personal relationship with God?
August 8, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Always recall the wisdom of H. L. Mencken when dealing with the invisible friend nonsense, Jonesy, (and 'hello', btw)
Quote:God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable. They find not only sanctuary in His arms, but also a kind of superiority, soothing to their macerated egos: He will set them above their betters.
-- H L Mencken
Having this special (but invisible) friend makes them feel special.
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