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Thread: I know that most of us here are Theists

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by JWFilips View Post
    The only thing I know about all this ....is that Divinity had only asked of us that they be "Praised every day" Praise the Lord twas all that was asked of us!
    Read it, Learn it, understand it!
    This here is well put. Yes, praise be unto God that God's will be done. Maybe prayers are not for asking but should just be an expression of thankfulness. Thank you God today in prayer until I can thank you in person.

    Tim
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  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by tankgunner59 View Post
    ……... Because He simply wants to hear from us! I pray at least once every day, not bragging just an example, and sometimes it's just to say thank you God for the simple things.……...
    As a child, I prayed at least two times a day. We prayed before dinner and we prayed before bed. I don't think that God wants to hear from us. I think it is good for us to be thankful and be consciously thankful many times each day but I don't think God needs or wants to hear it.

    Tim
    Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS

    The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

    The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides

  3. #23
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    I have known Christ for over 35 years (or rather I am known by Him). I can tell you that there are not enough hours in the day to tell you about all the answered prayer during that time.

    Have there been times of heartache as wel? Lack of understanding? Times when God said no? Or wait? Of course!

    But answered prayer? Yes! And I am sure other believers here can speak to the same experience.

    exile
    "There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776

    "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by exile View Post
    I have known Christ for over 35 years (or rather I am known by Him). I can tell you that there are not enough hours in the day to tell you about all the answered prayer during that time.

    Have there been times of heartache as wel? Lack of understanding? Times when God said no? Or wait? Of course!

    But answered prayer? Yes! And I am sure other believers here can speak to the same experience.

    exile
    Would God have done differently if you had not prayed?

    Tim
    Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS

    The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

    The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    That is a good question. I believe (by faith) that God allows believers to have a part in His revealed will through prayer. I also believe He does this for our benefit, to bless us, not because He needs our prayers as a condition for action on His part.

    God needs nothing from us. I suppose if I had not prayed He would have answered the prayers of other Christians just the same.

    Since I plan to keep praying, I guess that is a hard question to answer.

    exile
    "There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776

    "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)

  6. #26
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    Ahh...but you are cherry picking the Holy Scriptures. "I believe this but not that". The Scriptures are quite clear that Jesus and God are one. You say no. Is that not the same as saying you know more than God, setting yourself above God? You say you don't believe the Bible is always right. Is that too not the same as setting yourself above God, that you know better? That would be the same as me saying God is wrong about adultry and it's ok for me to committ adultry as long as I abide by all the other commands. Jesus had a word for that, it is "hypocrite".

    You question prayer. I say read the book of James. Briefly, "the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much". I'm not trying to shut down discussion. I'm wondering if you are doing no more than has been alluded to, stirring the pot. Apparently you know what the Scriptures say, you simply prefer not to believe or abide by those parts which do not appeal to you. How is one to draw a different conclusion and/or have a discussion with one who sets himself above God?
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

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  7. #27
    Boolit Master
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    I pray to the Lord in Jesus name

  8. #28
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    I'm with Exile, I've seen prayers answered. Both in my own life and in others.

    I don't pray much or often for myself. My wife, friends, extended family, yes even strangers here or on other forums.

    I do try hard to remember to thank the lord when I awake for another day on the green side of the grass. Even if it is below zero outside and there is 3 feet of snow on the grass. Spring will come. One more day to try to do better than I did yesterday.

  9. #29
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    I would ask all to review the following from the ---> PBS <--- website. It details how some if not most "scriptures" were passed down by story tellers well past the death of Jesus, before being put into writing. I bring this up as most indicate they follow the word of the Bible without doubt but never consider the word of the Bible may have been embellished upon by these story tellers between the time the events happened and 40+ years (and untold story tellers) later when the first of whichever version of the story being told was put to paper (papyrus?). I also find it interesting that most languages do not have a direct translations of some words to the English language but most people believe the words as being the direct translation of the events. Most interestingly is the sentence under the title : "Written over the course of almost a century after Jesus' death, the four gospels of the New Testament, though they tell the same story, reflect very different ideas and concerns." Is it to much to agree that it is acceptable the bible which is written base on the interpretation of "a story teller" will be interpreted by the individual based on their own understanding of what they believe without harm to the intent of the idea that to believe is to be saved?

    "An Introduction to the Gospels
    Written over the course of almost a century after Jesus' death, the four gospels of the New Testament, though they tell the same story, reflect very different ideas and concerns.
    by Marilyn Mellowes

    A period of forty years separates the death of Jesus from the writing of the first gospel. History offers us little direct evidence about the events of this period, but it does suggest that the early Christians were engaged in one of the most basic of human activities: story-telling. In the words of Mike White, "It appears that between the death of Jesus and the writing of the first gospel, Mark, that they clearly are telling stories. They're passing on the tradition of what happened to Jesus, what he stood for and what he did, orally, by telling it and retelling it. And in the process they are defining Jesus for themselves."

    These shared memories, passed along by word of mouth, are known as "oral tradition." They included stories of Jesus' miracles and healings, his parables and teachings, and his death. Eventually some stories were written down. The first written documents probably included an account of the death of Jesus and a collection of sayings attributed to him.

    Then, in about the year 70, the evangelist known as Mark wrote the first "gospel" -- the words mean "good news" about Jesus. We will never know the writer's real identity, or even if his name was Mark, since it was common practice in the ancient world to attribute written works to famous people. But we do know that it was Mark's genius to first to commit the story of Jesus to writing, and thereby inaugurated the gospel tradition.

    "The gospels are very peculiar types of literature. They're not biographies," says Prof. Paula Fredriksen, "they are a kind of religious advertisement. What they do is proclaim their individual author's interpretation of the Christian message through the device of using Jesus of Nazareth as a spokesperson for the evangelists' position."

    About 15 years after Mark, in about the year 85 CE, the author known as Matthew composed his work, drawing on a variety of sources, including Mark and from a collection of sayings that scholars later called "Q", for Quelle, meaning source. The Gospel of Luke was written about fifteen years later, between 85 and 95. Scholars refer to these three gospels as the "synoptic gospels", because they "see" things in the same way. The Gospel of John, sometimes called "the spiritual gospel," was probably composed between 90 and 100 CE. Its style and presentation clearly set it apart from the other three.

    Each of the four gospels depicts Jesus in a different way. These characterizations reflect the past experiences and the particular circumstances of their authors' communities. The historical evidence suggests that Mark wrote for a community deeply affected by the failure of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome. Matthew wrote for a Jewish community in conflict with the Pharisaic Judaism that dominated Jewish life in the postwar period. Luke wrote for a predominately Gentile audience eager to demonstrate that Christian beliefs in no way conflicted with their ability to serve as a good citizen of the Empire.

    Despite these differences, all four gospels contain the "passion narrative," the central story of Jesus' suffering and death. That story is directly connected to the Christian ritual of the Eucharist. As Helmut Koester has observed, the ritual cannot "live" without the story.

    While the gospels tell a story about Jesus, they also reflect the growing tensions between Christians and Jews. By the time Luke composed his work, tension was breaking into open hostility. By the time John was written, the conflict had become an open rift, reflected in the vituperative invective of the evangelist's language. In the words of Prof. Eric Meyers, "Most of the gospels reflect a period of disagreement, of theological disagreement. And the New Testament tells a story of a broken relationship, and that's part of the sad story that evolves between Jews and Christians, because it is a story that has such awful repercussions in later times."
    "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
    - Albert Camus -

  10. #30
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    The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.

    The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.
    Any technology not understood, can seem like Magic!!!

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  11. #31
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    "Most interestingly is the sentence under the title : "Written over the course of almost a century after Jesus' death, the four gospels of the New Testament, though they tell the same story, reflect very different ideas and concerns." Is it to much to agree that it is acceptable the bible which is written base on the interpretation of "a story teller" will be interpreted by the individual based on their own understanding of what they believe without harm to the intent of the idea that to believe is to be saved?"





    If only it were that easy.

    People don't want to accept that the bible may not be exactly as is recorded, to accept that it may be embellished would interfere with their beliefs. And, to an extent, that's fine, I'm the last one to tell anyone what to believe. It becomes a problem though, when the bible is used as an excuse to persecute others, as has been done many times over the centuries, and is still done today.

    It also becomes a problem when the more fervent believers refuse to accept that others may hold differing views, and that's where the sniping, demeaning comments, the trash, comes from.

    I don't understand why this forum is so easily accessible, when any other forum with the same propensity to causing problems are not. It's no different in nature to anything in the Pit, and in my opinion, should share the same area.

  12. #32
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    I don't think the idea that parts of the Bible were "works in progress" for decades does any damage to the understanding that Scripture is inspired by God. Just like believing in the "Big Bang" doesn't mean God didn't create the universe (and cause the Big Bang).

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ickisrulz View Post
    .........like believing in the "Big Bang" doesn't mean God didn't create the universe (and cause the Big Bang).
    Now that is an interesting thought which would explain both sides of THAT story.
    "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
    - Albert Camus -

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by roadie View Post
    I don't understand why this forum is so easily accessible, when any other forum with the same propensity to causing problems are not. It's no different in nature to anything in the Pit, and in my opinion, should share the same area.
    The Chapel (and it’s sub forums) which should represent the good of mankind is at the top of the forum list and the PIT (and it’s sub forums) which is full of all the things which represent the worst of mankind is at the bottom just as Heaven is above us and Hell is below.
    "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
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  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by roadie View Post
    It becomes a problem though, when the bible is used as an excuse to persecute others, as has been done many times over the centuries, and is still done today.
    That sounds reasonable ... unless you know the truth.

    Religion has been used by deadly despots for their own good since the Flood; little of that has had any connection to Christianity or the Bible, nor are any attacking Christians involved in the many "religious" battles in progress today.

    In fact, around the world, Christians (and the Bible) are under lethal attack every day. Mostly (but not entirely) from bloody minded Islamics. And even Muslims aren't attacking Christians as such, they just as happily attack and murder anyone but "themselves", including diverse sects of Islam, so I can't accept blaming the mean ol' "Bible" as responsible for any of it.

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by exile View Post
    That is a good question. I believe (by faith) that God allows believers to have a part in His revealed will through prayer. I also believe He does this for our benefit, to bless us, not because He needs our prayers as a condition for action on His part.

    God needs nothing from us. I suppose if I had not prayed He would have answered the prayers of other Christians just the same.

    Since I plan to keep praying, I guess that is a hard question to answer.

    exile
    I think that praying out loud and listening to what you are saying can help us. It helps us understand ourselves and that can bring us close to God.

    Tim
    Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS

    The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

    The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by sharps4590 View Post
    Ahh...but you are cherry picking the Holy Scriptures. "I believe this but not that". The Scriptures are quite clear that Jesus and God are one. You say no. Is that not the same as saying you know more than God, setting yourself above God? You say you don't believe the Bible is always right. Is that too not the same as setting yourself above God, that you know better? That would be the same as me saying God is wrong about adultry and it's ok for me to committ adultry as long as I abide by all the other commands. Jesus had a word for that, it is "hypocrite".

    You question prayer. I say read the book of James. Briefly, "the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much". I'm not trying to shut down discussion. I'm wondering if you are doing no more than has been alluded to, stirring the pot. Apparently you know what the Scriptures say, you simply prefer not to believe or abide by those parts which do not appeal to you. How is one to draw a different conclusion and/or have a discussion with one who sets himself above God?
    Not believing the Bible is not putting myself above God, it is putting myself above the Authors of the Bible. The only thing that says the Bible is the word of God, is the Bible so if it was not written by God then the Authors are liars. They only wrote it was the word of God so that they would get more attention. Just more fiction in a work filled with fiction. It is just a story.

    Tim
    Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS

    The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

    The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides

  18. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by No_1 View Post
    Now that is an interesting thought which would explain both sides of THAT story.
    The whole God created the Universe by causing a Big Bang is right where I am at. It does not stop there. This Universe is not the only Universe. There is a multiverse, a constellation of Universe like the Universe is a constellation of Galaxies. The Big Bang was not the first Big Bang but the others are so far away that we don't know what we are seeing when we see them with our telescopes. The immensity of God and Creation is marvelous.

    Tim
    Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS

    The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

    The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides

  19. #39
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    The Bible teaches to pray unceasing and then says to pray as if it has already been answered. OK, which is it. If you pray unceasing about something then how good is your faith and trust in the first place. Seems like to pray and then drop it proves more of a faith to me. But I'm a heathen and infidel so what do I know. Flame away.

  20. #40
    Boolit Master
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    Yes Mr. Knowles, you are....unless you are referring to a god other than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

    The common virtue of capitalism is the sharing of equal opportunity. The common vice of socialism is the equal sharing of misery

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