I don't identify as a "Christian"

[Matthias]

I consider FriendShip to being the most sacred of Ships. WE shall see how that may develop.

In Love

EE

I’ve never been to Timaru. I know where it is on a map but don’t know anything about it. Are you from their originally? What would you like me to know about it?

 

[Matthias]

Can you direct me to some of those post you respect where he has shared his position?

Is there a particular topic that you would like to know my position on? If there is, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss it with you.

 

[Matthias]

I must say I had a wee chuckle about that Matthias.

Do I sound like a Muslim apologist to you? There are a handful of members registered “Christian” who will tell you that I am.

Do you think they’re unaware of my position on Islam?

(They know that I’m not a Muslim apologist but they want you to believe something about me that isn’t true.)

 

[talons]

As a Christian, I believe we are certainly called to follow Christ's example, walk as he walked, and learn from his teachings. In that sense, we walk the path of the Son. However, I don't believe that walking the path itself is what grants access to the Father. Rather, I believe access to the Father comes through Christ Himself and what He accomplished.

Indeed , where are we in our standing with Christ our savior that is the question ! The old man is passed away and Christ now lives in US ! But where is our OP in this regard ? I wonder . My questions are not yet answered .

20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 

[Matthias]

I must say I had a wee chuckle about that Matthias.
The irony being that you are a long standing member of this message board

Do you know why I’m here? Do you care?

Well-Known Member​

Joined May 4, 2022
You have made 32,402 posts in that time and have received 24,224 likes yet in this very thread there are other long standing members who were not aware of your position on things - who did not "know" you.

 

[talons]

I must say I had a wee chuckle about that Matthias.
The irony being that you are a long standing member of this message board

Well-Known Member​

Joined May 4, 2022
You have made 32,402 posts in that time and have received 24,224 likes yet in this very thread there are other long standing members who were not aware of your position on things - who did not "know" you.

What do you think was the reason for that and do you think that anyone really can truly know anyone else and do you think your questions and the way you ask them are really going to help you to know me?

Surely asking questions and getting truthful answers will help you to know someone , here is an example .

I was curious as I got to know @Matthias from his posts on this forum and In a thread I got to ask him some very pointed questions (I am sure @Matthias remembers the occasion ) about how he would worship the Father or the Son .
After his answers I then knew he was my brother in Christ , although I had already suspected as much .

I asked you @Eternal Entity some questions in post #42 and I believe I will know you much better after you answer them .

 

[ScottA]

Greetings Reader.

I joined this forum today. In the membership form I was asked how I identify religiously and was given a list of options, and chose the one which most closely mirrored my position - that being "Agnostic".

What I think is true:

I exist within a created thing.
I have many good reasons why I think this is true.

Since I think this is true, that would make me a "Theist" - because IF I think I exist within a created thing, THEN this implies a Creator/Creators.
Perhaps in that context, I might be an Agnostic Theist.
I do not self identify as being a "Christian" for many reasons. I have no problem with others who self identify as being Christian, for whatever reasons they chose to do so.
Truely, the "self identification" doesn't mean much to me, but I understand it means something to others, so that they may be able to better pinpoint who I am in relation to who they believe they are. Such is the nature of human interactions on that level.
To flip that, others who self identify as being "Christians" when they interact with me, the label doesn't really mean a lot to me in any significant way. This is because there are so many "types" of Christians, and many of those do not agree with one another most of the time and that is just one of the reasons why I do not self identify as being "Christian".
Are there any others hereabouts think in a similar way about this?

Peace.
EE

Welcome 'nal!

Thinking is good! That being a big theme in your explanation...which makes for a big [maybe] also. But don't let all that get in the way, it is good to seek and question. Hope your time here is constructive!

Scott

 

[Riven]

The reasoning which leads to the conclusion is quite complex. Ultimately it gets down to anything that has a beginning is by definition something which was created. I have seen argument which say that the universe could have always existed, but since this is not a scientific certainty, or something that scientists claim, then - to go with that flow, the alternative is that it was created. Some have argued that the universe could have spontaneously come into being, but that does not adequately explain consciousness.
I have a fuller argument which I am thinking of posting in this - the Non-Christian General Discussion Forum, perhaps sometime soon.

Nothing adequately explains consciousness. That being said, a universe that was created doesn't explain divine hiddenness either. However, a universe spontaneously creating itself does.

 

[Eternal Entity]

Nothing adequately explains consciousness. That being said, a universe that was created doesn't explain divine hiddenness either. However, a universe spontaneously creating itself does.

I have just created the thread where you can argue you case if you want to Riven.

The Coherent Causality Argument​

 

[Eternal Entity]

Surely asking questions and getting truthful answers will help you to know someone , here is an example .

I was curious as I got to know @Matthias from his posts on this forum and In a thread I got to ask him some very pointed questions (I am sure @Matthias remembers the occasion ) about how he would worship the Father or the Son .
After his answers I then knew he was my brother in Christ , although I had already suspected as much .

I asked you @Eternal Entity some questions in post #42 and I believe I will know you much better after you answer them .

That is an interesting approach which is typically human.
It reminds me of when I did self identify as a Christian. The moment it became apparent to me that even simply calling ones self a Christian wasn't enough for other Christians - they wanted to know what TYPE of Christian I was (Catholic, et al) so that they could pigeon hole my Christian position in relation to their own - often for the purpose of helping them to decide whether I was truly a Christian in their estimate (in the estimate of their preference).
That is amoung one of the many reasons why I no longer find it necessary to self identify as a Christian.
I don't mean to ignore questions. Often it is the way questions are asked which prompt me to watch, observe and wait.

 

[Eternal Entity]

Words I wrote many years ago.


THE SILENCE

Love!
Do we know the meaning Lord above?
Inside my head is screaming out so tell me am I dreaming
Or awake before this living nightmare of a world?

What do we say - and we say
What have we started?
The fire's burning What have we started
What is the lesson we are learning?

Take me to the river 'though I shiver in the winters cold
Who will hold my head for me - who will reach into my soul?
Who would dare to care enough to help me tear away this wall?
Who but Silence answers me?
Who but Silence answers me!
And The Silence Ooohhh
The Silence say's it all!

Peace!
We are invited to the feast!
Inside my heart delights at the action I must take
Lest I forget the taming of the beast within
Lest I forget the heart that aches!

 

[Eternal Entity]

Welcome 'nal!

Thinking is good! That being a big theme in your explanation...which makes for a big [maybe] also. But don't let all that get in the way, it is good to seek and question. Hope your time here is constructive!

Scott

This reminds me of something The Father gave to me a long time ago.
"Here am I is where I ought - examining my conscious thought."

 

[Eternal Entity]

Do you know why I’m here?

No.

Do you care?

Yes.

 

[Eternal Entity]

I, for one, do not identify as a "Chrisitan" but rather I identify as a "Disciple of Jesus."

Yes - I have have used that term myself. What other identifier recorded, did Jesus use.

 

[ScottA]

This reminds me of something The Father gave to me a long time ago.
"Here am I is where I ought - examining my conscious thought."

That is not a biblical quote, but we are indeed here for the purpose of finding or coming to ourselves...which is all part of God dividing "the light from the darkness" by means of freewill.

All the best to you!

 

[Matthias]

No.

Unless you’ve spent an enormous amount of time reading my posts, there’s no reason that you would have stumbled across it. I’ve only mentioned why I’m here a few times. I doubt more than a handful of members have ever read it. Those few who have don’t have any reason to tell anyone else what it is. They may not even remember it themselves.

Setting my reason for being here aside, I’ve done what I can to encourage NonChristian members to become Christian members. It’s either gone unnoticed or been quickly forgotten.

The majority of Christian members don’t post in the NonChristian forums. They don’t know me and don’t want to. They’re here to converse only with members who are registered “Christian.”

So you see then, I’m largely unknown in the “well-known” member category. A large number of posts read by a small number of members. I’m fine with that. It hasn’t adversely affected my reason for being here.

Yes.

Thank you.

 

[Eternal Entity]

That is not a biblical quote,

Not all things which come from The Father to individuals are even recorded in the Bible.

but we are indeed here for the purpose of finding or coming to ourselves...which is all part of God dividing "the light from the darkness" by means of freewill.

All the best to you!

And to you!

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE

I called to you often - More often than not
I saw what I saw - And I never forgot
And if I had missed it - I wouldn't twist it
To suit an agenda - Or be a pretender

You are who you are
And I am who I am
I respect that
Accept that
And I will protect that
Any way that I can


I can look with great patience in regard to the ancients
I can learn what I will from the past
I can look at today with an eye to the future
I can look for a way - to make it all last

Today and Tomorrow - And the day after that
Wherever I am - Is wherever I'm at
I will look and I'll find you - Won't turn a blind eye to
You and all others - Sisters and brothers

 

[Eternal Entity]

Unless you’ve spent an enormous amount of time reading my posts, there’s no reason that you would have stumbled across it. I’ve only mentioned why I’m here a few times. I doubt more than a handful of members have ever read it. Those few who have don’t have any reason to tell anyone else what it is. They may not even remember it themselves.

Setting my reason for being here aside, I’ve done what I can to encourage NonChristian members to become Christian members. It’s either gone unnoticed or been quickly forgotten.

The majority of Christian members don’t post in the NonChristian forums. They don’t know me and don’t want to. They’re here to converse only with members who are registered “Christian.”

So you see then, I’m largely unknown in the “well-known” member category. A large number of posts read by a small number of members. I’m fine with that. It hasn’t adversely affected my reason for being here.



Thank you.

"They don’t know me and don’t want to."

Interesting. Is this an impression you get or something you have experienced as true...
Have any said to you that they consider you to be Christian even that you don't use the identifier?

 

[Eternal Entity]

Is there a particular topic that you would like to know my position on? If there is, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss it with you.

The one topic most interesting to me is The Father - specifically one's RelationShip with...What is your "position" on that?

 

[Matthias]

"They don’t know me and don’t want to."

Interesting. Is this an impression you get or something you have experienced as true...

Something I’ve experienced as true. Give it time. You’ll experience it too.

Have any said to you that they consider you to be Christian even that you don't use the identifier?

Yes.