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And here we have one of the great contradictions of the religion: "love thy neighbor" and even your enemies is the command, and yet you are shown by example that their judgment is in your hands. You would say that you judge out of love, that you are only trying to help them see the truth - yet some might say the same of their judgments toward you. None of it is "right." I can only see it as foolishness and hypocrisy.Jesus gave us the criteria and he also did not suffer fools (in the religious sense) gladly. He exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees quite publicly on many occasions. (Matthew 23) Should we do less?
If your reference to "live" is what I think it is (i.e. a reference to the afterlife) then I am quite sure that you don't know that anyone will "live" to regret anything. You may believe, but you don't know. And yet you speak so arrogantly as if you do. I call folly.Sadly, those who choose the wrong road don't actually live to regret it....
Thankyou for your post, Muffled. Yes, I expect that the nature of Christianity is moving ......... The most popular churches around London (as far as I know) are also charismatic, but I have to say that (for example) a Pentecostal Church service is amazing experience for anybody to behold.I believe my church is struggling but probably more from the fact that it is a duck out of water. The one across the street has a capacity of 500 seats and had to go to two services. That church is what I would call a Charismatic church and the statistics show that is the type of church that is growing in the USA.
Here in western Canada, every small town has its favorite coffee shop. Retired farmers and others on breaks meet up usually at 10 in the morning, take up a few tables, have a couple of cups each, talk politics, farming, weather, sports (hockey) and other such stuff. (Never religion) The regulars often return around 3 in the afternoon to do the whole thing over again. Even the smallest of towns seem to have one of these. You can tell where it is by looking for a bunch of half-ton trucks outside. I think OB would do well in one, even order a piece of pie, or a muffin. You want me to look for a cheap house somewhere you could rent for a few years?
Raynaud's disease - Symptoms and causesHa ha!
Yes, I guess I would indeed enjoy some cafe-talk with food treats and plenty of tea.
But Mrs Badger won't let me clear off to Canada, for sure. Anyways I suffer from White Finger or Reynolds condition (come on @Revoltingest, please spell it properly, I forget) so had better stay in temperate Kent, England.
I might think, or suspect, that about some sects, but I would never dream of blurting such a thing out at a supposedly ecumenical gathering. How stupid can one get?
We have a priest at our local church who has been given the job of ecumenical outreach by the bishop. (He's a good singer too - I got to know him when he sang Christ and I sang the narrator in the Passion on Good Friday) What is notable about this man is his intellectual curiosity and openness to seeing the positive side in other interpretations, or even other religions. He is also the master of the short and snappy sermon - a really communicator and a natural teacher. It sounds as if your Germanic lady was not really cut out for the role. I wonder what idiot at "HQ" sent her! Was this the C of E?
Ha ha!
Yes, I guess I would indeed enjoy some cafe-talk with food treats and plenty of tea.
But Mrs Badger won't let me clear off to Canada, for sure. Anyways I suffer from White Finger or Reynolds condition (come on @Revoltingest, please spell it properly, I forget) so had better stay in temperate Kent, England.
My impression is that some of the evangelical types are the most "exclusivist" and intolerant of all. Which is odd, when you think that evangelising means bringing the Gospel to others. Nowt so queer as folk, eh?Hello again exchemist.
Ha ha! Well, yes, but only a particularly individual branch of C of E I might post up its Creed sometime on this thread, but quite clearly it is not the C of E's Creed, imo.
I've met priests like this once before. One doesn't forget. In 1972 (!) alone, I visited a Baptist Church in Guildford, Surrey, England and sat quietly through a service. As I left the minister grabbed my hand, and pumping it furiously he insisted on coming to my home to meet myself and wife. Well, he did come one late evening, and sat down to talk with us, but of course my late wife was a Bahai and when she told him this he jumped up, calling out 'Oh No! Oh No!' and ran to leave the place. Having got clear of our side entrance door he ran the wrong way down into our dark garden and thrashed about furiously in the shrubs (and weeds) and I had to grab a torch and go to save him and see him on his way.
There is no place for extreme ministers and priests imo, and those who trash other churches really do show their ineptness for religious harmony in our World.
I coached volleyball against a woman who had that condition. She wore mitts on the bench. inside school gymnasiums. At first glance it was odd, but one got used to it eventually. I presume cupping the tea in both hands helps.
It's good to have a place to go hang out with friends, sit around and gab. (Non serious gab, or chit-chat) We did it in the town pool hall when I was younger. Occasionally we'd play a game, but mostly it was just a hangout.
Yep........ I wear ski-mittens for 6 months each year.
If I'm doing dirty work in the garden etc I take a bucket of warm water with me to keep my hands warm whilst I do stuff.
I used to visit a cafe-society all the time, but that was 40 years ago..... my work took me too far too often to be able to do that, and now that I'm retired I might like to return to something similar....... but it won't be with any extremists who jump across the table at me!
Absolutely!My impression is that some of the evangelical types are the most "exclusivist" and intolerant of all. Which is odd, when you think that evangelising means bringing the Gospel to others. Nowt so queer as folk, eh?
Retirement homes can be great places for social sit downs and chats. We have Warden assisted flats and bedsits, Sheltered housing complexes, Retirements complexes, Nursing homes etc..... the Warden assisted flat complexes can be very beneficial for most residents. But since Mrs Badger is younger than me I guess I won't be experiencing those places until I'm dragged off in dementia to some place......... but in clear thinking moments I will run....... I will be a runner!I don't have a place to go, nor really feel the need for it. Boss and grandkids keep me busy enough. Once we hit a retirement home, I bet I'll find a social group. I do have a Tamil friend who meets people of all walks each morning for coffee at a mall. It's really ingrained in the Sikhs too ... morning walk to the mall, no coffee just visits. In some warmer places it's an alley and a friendly game of cards.
Rubbish, I'm afraid, and my chess is weak, about lowest chess club class, I would say. Sadly.How's your bridge?
Yes, this is the kind of atmosphere that appeals to young people, because some of them are so used to their parents shouting at them, they feel welcomed and appreciated, and cared for, in the presence of people with warm smiling faces.Ah yes, the Kingdom Hall here is large, but now it can only hold half of the JWs in this area and so there are two meetings each Sunday.
No matter what a JW thinks, they would never start shouting out about other religions....... at worst they would continue to discuss in a quiet and controlled manner.
As far as I know, the JWs are the only Christian Faith around here with a strong following of youngsters.
Rubbish, I'm afraid, and my chess is weak, about lowest chess club class, I would say. Sadly.
And here we have one of the great contradictions of the religion: "love thy neighbor" and even your enemies is the command, and yet you are shown by example that their judgment is in your hands.
You would say that you judge out of love, that you are only trying to help them see the truth - yet some might say the same of their judgments toward you. None of it is "right." I can only see it as foolishness and hypocrisy.
If your reference to "live" is what I think it is (i.e. a reference to the afterlife) then I am quite sure that you don't know that anyone will "live" to regret anything. You may believe, but you don't know. And yet you speak so arrogantly as if you do. I call folly.
Absolutely!
And it's a sad day when anybody has to warn about Churches offering light refreshment and a chat. And the pressure to remain for lectures after that offensive behaviour really did need some strongly positive assertion in order to achieve the freedom of the street.
That is one of many, many reasons why I left the JWs.
Still better than mine, as I've never learned bridge. 500 was the card game my parents played ... simplified bridge they say. I'd play today if I had mates.
Oh, some priests can be totally careless about folk's feelings at such delicate time as funerals, imo.But back to the topic ... I run form from religious zealots too. At my sister's funeral, the pastor (no idea what denomination) got a little over the top. My atheist brother and I bonded some in our distaste for it, refusing to bow our heads in prayer. One advantage to that is you get to see who else is secretly with you. To me, tea is tea, charity is charity, attaching religion to it is just childish.