WEF Calls For AI To Rewrite Bible, Create ‘Religions That Are Actually Correct’

[Ninurta]

Wait. Which god and why is he such a wrathful authoritarian dickhead? Sorry man but mythology and sky-fairies just don't do it for me. Never has and never will.

I can't answer the question of which God, I do believe that there is more than one, and each chooses which God they want to serve, or not.

Some gods may be wrathful authoritarian dickheads, I don't know or choose to worship those. I do find it interesting that usually the ones that do believe in those wrathful authoritarian dickheads, seem very angry and hate those dickheads that they say they do not believe exists.

So that leads me to think, and I could be wrong, that what they are angry with or hate is the person that does believe in the wrathful authoritarian dickheads. I can see how that can happen. Things are not always what they seem, especially if you have little to no knowledge with what it is you are dealing with, or may have to deal with.

Your post prompted me to have a flash back. It reminds me of my Father. He was a strict disciplinarian. He was a serious man, and he wanted the best for his children. Times were hard, and nothing about it was easy. He knew that he had to prepare us to not just survive what was coming, but to defeat it.

It took me years to realize that my Father was not a wrathful authoritarian dickhead, but a loving, concerned, dedicated Father. Too bad I did not realize that until about 20 years after he was dead.

I regret I never had the opportunity to tell him how right he was, and he should be proud, because all ten of his children succeeded in this world, and none of us would have made it, if he had not been a wrathful authoritarian dickhead.

I did not see my Father as a god, unless you want to call Satan a god. I did not worship him then, and I sure as hell don't now. I do see how through my childish eyes, and my zero knowledge of what he was trying to prepare us for, and lead me to view him as much less, when he was truly so much more. 

Thanks for your post, because you reminded of just how ignorant I was, and how much I lost.

Indeed! 

A limited perspective also limit's one's vision, like a mule wearing blinders on it's bridle. It's only after one gets away from those blinders, steps out of the limited and closer to the limitless, that a truer vision of reality can be formed.

I too, have been called an "authoritarian dickhead", but those who so designate me are still alive to apply the designation, and that's all I was really after in the first place.

.

[Freija]

One should not confuse a wrathful, authoritarian dickhead deity with it's wrathful, authoritarian dickhead acolytes.

Well, who supposedly created a great flood to wipe out the opposition except for a dude and his boat? Who allegedly blew up a city because he didn’t like the way people were acting? Who turned people to pillars of salt and who demanded if you don’t play his game you’re not welcome in the magical kingdom? Why should one submit to bullying tactics of some arrogant pissed off jerk?
(there’s more here: God's 12 Biggest Dick Moves in the Old Testament

Nevertheless, I understand the point you’re making.

I'm curious. Consider this question a part of my ongoing education. Why is belief in a "big mean wrathful omnipotent sky god" more of a stretch than believing the possibility of big mean wrathful all powerful aliens, who can apparently violate the laws of nature and physics at will to travel vast distances in an instant, more of a stretch?

Because it is more fun and aliens haven’t demanded I worship them or burn in hell or some stupid crap like that and the possibilities are more open given the unlikely chance that they might not be dickheads too plus they’re liable to have a more tangible physical presence rather than something unseen and unprovable . Given a choice of fantastical fantasies, I’d rather pick aliens.

It seems to me that if one is agnostic of one of those potentials, they should also be agnostic towards the other of them. Either way, if they have not seen, how can they "know"? Isn't denial of the possibility it's own kind of faith? And isn't the essence of a religion "faith"?

Non-belief, same as belief, seems to me to be it's own sort of religion, albeit a negative one, since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Therefore any conclusions, either for or against, are "faith-based."

This is why I don’t consider myself an atheist as it has become a religion of its own. I’ve looked at alternatives to Christianity and other Abrahamic “religions” such as The Satanic Temple, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca  and even Pastafarianism and discarded all of them because as I stated above, I can’t really be bothered to believe or not believe so in my case, my non-believing is not a faith in itself, it is just nothingness.

A corollary question, in my mind, is why do folks, believers and unbelievers alike, seem to limit the extent of a deity to the sky only? Isn't that, in itself, a limitation on the theoretically limitless? Doesn't the very concept destroy notions of omnipotence?

For me, sky faries is just a phrase and I agree that putting a location to this so called omnipotent spirit in the sky is just another contradiction that makes no sense. It's like a grown up version of Santa Clause who's watching to see who is naughty and who is nice except the consequences for not playing by the rules are more serious than getting a lump of coal with a god that will ban you to eternal hellfire and misery.

[Ninurta]

One should not confuse a wrathful, authoritarian dickhead deity with it's wrathful, authoritarian dickhead acolytes.

Well, who supposedly created a great flood to wipe out the opposition except for a dude and his boat? Who allegedly blew up a city because he didn’t like the way people were acting? Who turned people to pillars of salt and who demanded if you don’t play his game you’re not welcome in the magical kingdom? Why should one submit to bullying tactics of some arrogant pissed off jerk?
(there’s more here: God's 12 Biggest Dick Moves in the Old Testament

Nevertheless, I understand the point you’re making.

Well, either that is "myth", or it is not. If it is not, then that would make it "reality" If it's myth, then it does not count, does not bear consideration or factoring in to an argument, and supports my contention that it is just the ravings of a guy somewhere, and properly any ire should be due that guy, rather than his mythological god. If it is NOT myth, but instead is reality, then that might have farther reaching consequences. If you are willing to give credence and consideration to those stories, are you SURE you are a non-believer?

I do think there is quite a lot more to it than simply being denied admittance to a magical kingdom because of a failure to adhere to rules, but that is probably beyond the scope of this thread. Most, if not all, Christians will freely admit that they've broken all those rules, or a substantial portion of them, and so by rights should be denied admission to that magical kingdom. So, at least to them, there is more to it than just playing a game by a set of rules that cannot be observed consistently. Of course, willful and consistent refusal to even play the game would disqualify one right off the bat, but that appears to have been accounted for.

I'm curious. Consider this question a part of my ongoing education. Why is belief in a "big mean wrathful omnipotent sky god" more of a stretch than believing the possibility of big mean wrathful all powerful aliens, who can apparently violate the laws of nature and physics at will to travel vast distances in an instant, more of a stretch?

Because it is more fun and aliens haven’t demanded I worship them or burn in hell or some stupid crap like that and the possibilities are more open given the unlikely chance that they might not be dickheads too plus they’re liable to have a more tangible physical presence rather than something unseen and unprovable . Given a choice of fantastical fantasies, I’d rather pick aliens.

Fantasies are fantasies, and in the absence of concrete evidence for or against either, then they are just that - fantasies. I can't see a good reason to prefer one over the other without either some sort of evidence or personal experience of the subject matter. In that case, both would be equally likely. If that is the case, then "belief" in the possibility of one or the other is just a matter of personal preference... with "belief" being the key there. More on that later.

For what it's worth, I find precious little support in Christian writings for the notion of "burning in hellfire forever". that seems to be more of a scare tactic employed by preachers, rather than anything supported in their book. What I find in that book is the notion of oblivion for "non-believers" rather than any sort of eternal torture. Just a simple failure to exist any more, and that forever, for that person, and for many, that's just not scary enough.

It seems to me that if one is agnostic of one of those potentials, they should also be agnostic towards the other of them. Either way, if they have not seen, how can they "know"? Isn't denial of the possibility it's own kind of faith? And isn't the essence of a religion "faith"?

Non-belief, same as belief, seems to me to be it's own sort of religion, albeit a negative one, since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Therefore any conclusions, either for or against, are "faith-based."

This is why I don’t consider myself an atheist as it has become a religion of its own. I’ve looked at alternatives to Christianity and other Abrahamic “religions” such as The Satanic Temple, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca  and even Pastafarianism and discarded all of them because as I stated above, I can’t really be bothered to believe or not believe so in my case, my non-believing is not a faith in itself, it is just nothingness.

I agree that Atheism is just another religion among many religions. They all hinge on faith or belief, and "non-belief" is a belief in and of itself, as it is not supported by any evidence. it is "faith" that there is nothing there, not much different, in the long run, from "faith" that there IS something there. In your case, I submit that is also the case - "non-belief" is just a belief of it's own sort. It's a belief in nothingness, rather than nothingness itself. if it were actual nothingness, then it could not exist, because, nothingness. The key concept in both "belief" and "non-belief" is "belief". That is what both have in common.

I have never seen a subatomic particle, but I believe they exist. I have that "faith".

A corollary question, in my mind, is why do folks, believers and unbelievers alike, seem to limit the extent of a deity to the sky only? Isn't that, in itself, a limitation on the theoretically limitless? Doesn't the very concept destroy notions of omnipotence?

For me, sky faries is just a phrase and I agree that putting a location to this so called omnipotent spirit in the sky is just another contradiction that makes no sense. It's like a grown up version of Santa Clause who's watching to see who is naughty and who is nice except the consequences for not playing by the rules are more serious than getting a lump of coal with a god that will ban you to eternal hellfire and misery.

Anthropomorphism of supposed spiritual beings can be a bitch. it gives both sides of the argument a concrete target to aim at. I think, personally, that for a truly omnipotent being to exist, it would have to exist everywhere, at every point in the universe. I do have a personal theory of how that could be, but won't go into it at this point, as minds could be blown and/ or spiritual foundations shaken, and I'm just not about all that. I think folks should believe as they want to believe, but that they should have some foundation to support that belief, whatever it is, and whichever way it goes. That is really THEIR eternity to look after as they see fit, not mine to worry too much about.

If folks want to believe the tales are objective fact, then I'm ok with that because it's their personal thing to see after. Likewise, if folks want to believe the stories are mythological, then THAT is their own personal belief to see after as well. I'm really ok with whichever way an individual wants to take their own life... just so long as they aren't trying to drag others along with them, kicking and screaming as they go.

I also think that if anyone wants to know about the religion of another, then they'll ask. No need to chase them down and smack them upside the head with a book to get their attention - or smack them upside the head with the LACK of a book, in the case of the Atheist Religion - there's no need to shake a finger in their face (not doing that has the added advantage of not getting that finger bitten off) or most any of the other untoward tactics various religions use to try to force their god (or lack thereof) on an unwilling subject. Folks' religion is a personal matter, and they should be left to it unless they ask about yours or mine... or if they try to inject themselves into ours unbidden.

.

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

I understand why people have trouble with the Bible and with religion.

I was raised as a Catholic. My Father was Baptist, my grandmother Methodist, a friend that was Assembly of God, and my grandfather used to take us to the 7th Day Adventist church. I spent the whole day on Sundays going to the different churches. It was my favorite day. A lot of socializing and a lot of food.

When I was young I hung out at the monastery with the nuns. I loved it there and even thought at one time of becoming a nun. As I grew older i realized that was not the path for me. As I entered my University years, I started to question everything. I gave up on religion. I still have no love for religion, but God had other plans for me.

Life blindsided me and I was completely lost. I did not at the time know to look for God, because I was completely sure he had given up on me just like I had given up on him. I was wrong.

I am not going to go into any long drawn out explanation about what happened, because I don't really know myself. I just know that unless you experience what I experienced, and what millions of others have experience, nothing I tell anyone is going to make any sense, and it will be impossible for them to believe.

God did not give us a ton of rules, he only gave us ten, and he knows that we have trouble with just that many.

Religion is made by man, and if you are not extremely careful where you worship, you could find yourself in a less than Godly place. The Bible is a history lesson that helps you understand the foundation of the church, what is past and what is prophesied to come. I take Bible study classes twice a week, and have done so regularly for over ten years. Every book has a story to tale and lessons to learn, but much will be lost or misunderstood if you don't know the history of the time the event took place. The true words spoken and what they mean when translated from the original language.

Most people do not have the time or the interest to really study the Bible. They rely on pastors and people they trust, to provide them with truthful information. That does not always happen. And then there is the problem with false prophets.

I think there will be those that will never believe, and if they don't, maybe they were not meant to. I can't say a word against the non believer. I was way to close to being one myself. Why God spoke to me and lifted me, I will probably never know. I can tell you that if he does, all doubt will completely evaporate. You will likely still have little to faith in man, but all doubt in whether or not there is a God will be totally removed.

It does not work the same way with everyone. But almost anyone it has happened to will tell you that it felt like a miracle, or even supernatural.

I ran into this guy's testimony a few weeks back. Mine was not as dramatic as his. I have never been a heavy user of drugs or alcohol. But there were a few things that we shared, that helps me understand, what he experienced.

It is almost 40 minutes long for anyone that wants to watch it. I am not pushing it. I am not trying to convert anyone. It will not be for everyone. I suggest that if it is not for you that you not watch it and that you just scroll by this one. I am only including it as a possible example of what some people experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htSSYOwzWmg&t=0s

[Snarl]

Do you believe in UFOs ... or do you 'know' they're real? I can't impose them on you either.

But a big mean wrathful all powerful omnipotent sky god is just a stretch too far for me even in my wildest imagination.

That's just what some people said about Him. He's not mean or wrathful at all. I bet if He was, He'd put a serious hurtin' on folks who tell others this or that about Him ... when it's simply not true.

Personal to @"NightskyeB4Dawn"#10: Yes there are other Gods. But, you know the Big Man is The Big Man when you meet him.

One of these days I'm gonna have to introduce someone in this forum to Him ... just so I've got a witness.

[BodhisattvaStyle]

Wait. Which god and why is he such a wrathful authoritarian dickhead? Sorry man but mythology and sky-fairies just don't do it for me. Never has and never will.

I can't answer the question of which God, I do believe that there is more than one, and each chooses which God they want to serve, or not.

Some gods may be wrathful authoritarian dickheads, I don't know or choose to worship those. I do find it interesting that usually the ones that do believe in those wrathful authoritarian dickheads, seem very angry and hate those dickheads that they say they do not believe exists.

So that leads me to think, and I could be wrong, that what they are angry with or hate is the person that does believe in the wrathful authoritarian dickheads. I can see how that can happen. Things are not always what they seem, especially if you have little to no knowledge with what it is you are dealing with, or may have to deal with.

Your post prompted me to have a flash back. It reminds me of my Father. He was a strict disciplinarian. He was a serious man, and he wanted the best for his children. Times were hard, and nothing about it was easy. He knew that he had to prepare us to not just survive what was coming, but to defeat it.

It took me years to realize that my Father was not a wrathful authoritarian dickhead, but a loving, concerned, dedicated Father. Too bad I did not realize that until about 20 years after he was dead.

I regret I never had the opportunity to tell him how right he was, and he should be proud, because all ten of his children succeeded in this world, and none of us would have made it, if he had not been a wrathful authoritarian dickhead.

I did not see my Father as a god, unless you want to call Satan a god. I did not worship him then, and I sure as hell don't now. I do see how through my childish eyes, and my zero knowledge of what he was trying to prepare us for, and lead me to view him as much less, when he was truly so much more. 

Thanks for your post, because you reminded of just how ignorant I was, and how much I lost.

You are truly a wise soul, NightSkyB4Dawn. I have always seen it in your words; as I do here. You could not be more right. My dad was one of those authoritarian dickheads as well. And yep, he prepared us for what was coming. He wasn't a man of words, but a great guide that my entire family relied on for that "sound voice." Once he was gone, I realized how much he had taught me, and how he was still teaching me beyond the grave. I can hear his words, the ones I always ignored, but now that I am listening to them I can see how he was right all along. And yes, me too, I am so thankful for that "iron rod" style of fathering, because it has absolutely prepared me for what we are all facing right now. I am actually ten steps ahead of this rigged game we are all playing.
And as far as my spiritual walk with my Father (my god, as NightSkyB4Dawn put it), well, my dad prepared me for Him as well.....and I could not be more thankful for all those hard lessons my dad taught me about all of this. 

Sucks I waited so long to realize how good I had it with my authoritarian/strict dad.

((Thanks, pops.....love ya...))

[Snarl]

Why God spoke to me and lifted me, I will probably never know. I can tell you that if he does, all doubt will completely evaporate. ... but all doubt in whether or not there is a God will be totally removed.

It does not work the same way with everyone. But almost anyone it has happened to will tell you that it felt like a miracle, or even supernatural.

That's as close to a perfect description as there can be.

I'm sure there's a lot more to it too. I've lost count of my encounters (likely less than ten). The first one took me a little bit by surprise (I did have an excellent guide). The second was so overwhelming I had to literally flee His presence. The rest of 'em were surprises ... and minor encounters.

One thing I find incredibly interesting is that there are so few people who 'know' God is real ... yet are unwilling to address the subject in casual conversation. Though, on one occasion, a fella started toying with me (as a neophyte) in front of a group of folks who didn't 'know'. And, before that, I didn't know it could be a 'fun' game for some.

If anyone ever gets down to San Antonio, you could look-up Pastor Hagee of the Cornerstone Church. Very interesting fella to say the least. God is with him all the time. That's something I'd like to know more about.

[BodhisattvaStyle]

Why God spoke to me and lifted me, I will probably never know. I can tell you that if he does, all doubt will completely evaporate. ... but all doubt in whether or not there is a God will be totally removed.

It does not work the same way with everyone. But almost anyone it has happened to will tell you that it felt like a miracle, or even supernatural.

That's as close to a perfect description as there can be.

I'm sure there's a lot more to it too. I've lost count of my encounters (likely less than ten). The first one took me a little bit by surprise (I did have an excellent guide). The second was so overwhelming I had to literally flee His presence. The rest of 'em were surprises ... and minor encounters.

One thing I find incredibly interesting is that there are so few people who 'know' God is real ... yet are unwilling to address the subject in casual conversation. Though, on one occasion, a fella started toying with me (as a neophyte) in front of a group of folks who didn't 'know'. And, before that, I didn't know it could be a 'fun' game for some.

If anyone ever gets down to San Antonio, you could look-up Pastor Hagee of the Cornerstone Church. Very interesting fella to say the least. God is with him all the time. That's something I'd like to know more about.

I'd like to chime in here if I may. I "know" God is real. And I do not mean that in any waving a Bible in someone's face and pushing a religion down their throat's type. No, not at all. I am a simple man. A humbled man. The hardest lesson I had to learn, was the one I did not want to do, and that was learn to be meek. And I am only telling all this so that I may set up how I can say that I 'know' God.

There is an aspect that, you are right, it does not come up in casual conversation. Not many people have much to say about this aspect of it all that very very few actually claim. I myself know the entire King James version of the Bible. I've read it front to back dozens of times. But this not how I know God. 
I have also read the 6 additional books in the Catholic Bible. This is still not how I 'know' God.
I have actually studied the entire Ethiopian Bible. For those who do not know, that is all the scripts about the God of Abraham. I've studied all these texts for years. But this is still not how I know God.
I have been to every church imaginable, and I won't bore you anymore with my little dance here, because without this key element I could have spent this last decade of study in vain.
So, the answer is The Holy Spirit...

Now, I cannot completely explain that, but I can and will say, there are "signs" that come along with the introduction to the Holy Spirit.

This introduction is the most controversial topic, and exceeds the book of Revelation in controversy and misunderstanding. And that is the topic of speaking in tongues.


Here's where I'll lose most, and with every thing I know and have learned, this is argued more than anything I have come across, but at the same time is the least talked about.
Before I go any further I have to say that it was faith that brought me to the understanding I believe to have found, and to me is an absolute sign of a higher power. But, the way, and how I found all of this was in no traditional way. It was a hard-knock road of trial and error, and absolute faith in something greater than, not only myself, but this illusion of reality and "free-will" we live in. Not to say we have lost our free-will, but a lot of that free-will has been robbed from us due to the "TPTB" that we discuss so thoroughly, and their big bag of magic tricks they have been manipulating our lives through. So, I diligently searched for some truths buried in all the lies we've all been spoon fed throughout.

And yes, my faith, some instructions, my curiosity, some insight from one or two others stories, some discipline and action to my faith led me to what was written anywhere from 2000 to about 6000ish years ago, and then poof, I find the biggest truth I had ever encountered, and the first sign was me speaking in a foreign language as I was filled with a feeling of love, peace, bliss, excitement and shock, was all while me rambling off in another language. This was only the first sign. (to squash some of the rhetoric, this has happened hundreds of times by now, and it is always in a moment in which I am in private, and have chosen to participate((worship my God)) and is always when I am singing for God, or dancing in joy, or in deep sorrow, or in deep thankfulness. This never happens out of nowhere. I seek the Lord and He answers me). Many signs have followed. But this is not something that can be taught. or explained in any way that would influence someone who was doubtful. (I wouldn't doubt it if this costs me my first negative points. But I didn't come here for that. I came here to help tear down some of these lies). What I can say is, a little faith can go a long long way.


I'll do my best to answer any questions anyone may have after this...

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

I think for most people it is a bit disconcerting to hear someone say with honesty that God spoke to them.

If you have never had the experience, it takes your mind to a whole bunch of different levels. Usual first stop is, religious fanatic. Or they must have had a brain injury, they were drunk, on drugs, hallucinating, or just plain lying.

I spent a lot of my time as a youth in and around the church. A bunch of them. I was not a devout anything. I was a kid. University opened my mind. I was always the curious little munchkin,"why" was the first word I spoke after "mommy" and "daddy". But being one of the first in my family to graduate from University, made me believe what everyone had always said, "I was smart!" I was smart alright. I was so smart I was stupid.

Life taught me a lot. One important lesson was that there is a huge difference between life smart and book smart, and in the real world of the streets, life smart is the winner all hands down.

So I graduated University and hit the ground running. God was placed on the back burner. I believed in him in a spiritual way only. My quest for understanding God and religion took me a lot of places. I had friends from all over the world, I still do. My book knowledge soured me on religion and separated me from God. So I thought. But like I said before, I was done with God, but he was not done with me.

When I laid face down on the ground, in the storm, knowing that I was going to lose everything, and I had nowhere to go, I am ashamed to say this now, but the last place I was looking, was toward God. When I heard his voice as clear as a bell. I was not afraid, I was angry. My talk with God was not what they talk about or make movies about. But he calmed my mind, my heart, my soul, and my mouth. He told me, "Be still and know that I am God". He met my anger with stillness, warmth, calm, and love.

What happened after that, was as close to a miracle as it comes. Since that first encounter, I have had several others. Once I was placed in a situation where I had to take a leap of faith, it was the most difficult thing I had to do at the time, because I still was not a true believer. Taking a leap of faith now is as easy as breathing.

Again, I don't expect anyone that has not had a similar experience to understand, or believe. I don't know why some people have these experiences, and it seems more don't. I know in my case it was not because I was pure. It was not because I was religious. It was not because I was obedient to God.

Maybe it was because my Mother was on her knees three times a day praying for her children. I am not going to lie. I was not deserving, and I just don't know why.

Just a side note, In my Bible study I have 2 couples from India, a couple from Poland, a couple from China, and a Spanish couple. Will get back to this at another time.

[BodhisattvaStyle]

I think for most people it is a bit disconcerting to hear someone say with honesty that God spoke to them.

If you have never had the experience, it takes your mind to a whole bunch of different levels. Usual first stop is, religious fanatic. Or they must have had a brain injury, they were drunk, on drugs, hallucinating, or just plain lying.

I spent a lot of my time as a youth in and around the church. A bunch of them. I was not a devout anything. I was a kid. University opened my mind. I was always the curious little munchkin,"why" was the first word I spoke after "mommy" and "daddy". But being one of the first in my family to graduate from University, made me believe what everyone had always said, "I was smart!" I was smart alright. I was so smart I was stupid.

Life taught me a lot. One important lesson was that there is a huge difference between life smart and book smart, and in the real world of the streets, life smart is the winner all hands down.

So I graduated University and hit the ground running. God was placed on the back burner. I believed in him in a spiritual way only. My quest for understanding God and religion took me a lot of places. I had friends from all over the world, I still do. My book knowledge soured me on religion and separated me from God. So I thought. But like I said before, I was done with God, but he was not done with me.

When I laid face down on the ground, in the storm, knowing that I was going to lose everything, and I had nowhere to go, I am ashamed to say this now, but the last place I was looking, was toward God. When I heard his voice as clear as a bell. I was not afraid, I was angry. My talk with God was not what they talk about or make movies about. But he calmed my mind, my heart, my soul, and my mouth. He told me, "Be still and know that I am God". He met my anger with stillness, warmth, calm, and love.

What happened after that, was as close to a miracle as it comes. Since that first encounter, I have had several others. Once I was placed in a situation where I had to take a leap of faith, it was the most difficult thing I had to do at the time, because I still was not a true believer. Taking a leap of faith now is as easy as breathing.

Again, I don't expect anyone that has not had a similar experience to understand, or believe. I don't know why some people have these experiences, and it seems more don't. I know in my case it was not because I was pure. It was not because I was religious. It was not because I was obedient to God.

Maybe it was because my Mother was on her knees three times a day praying for her children. I am not going to lie. I was not deserving, and I just don't know why.

Just a side note, In my Bible study I have 2 couples from India, a couple from Poland, a couple from China, and a Spanish couple. Will get back to this at another time.

I knew I had a feeling about you, NSB4D... It wasn't the fact that you are smart. I know lots of smart people. But there was something about your wisdom I was picking up on. It wasn't exactly in what you were saying (all this time), it was in what you didn't say, but I could tell you glossed over something from time to time.

I always say, "Holy Spirit recognizes Holy Spirit." Meaning, I have learned to recognize Him in others. And sure enough, it's not in what you said here, it is the in between the lines that you speak so loudly and clearly. 

And like you, I did not receive any of this because I am a righteous or perfect or a squeaky clean person. Truth is, I have no idea why I 'know' what I know, or have experienced what I have with the Lord and the Way He moves. All I know is, things have happened, and continue to. 

I believe you, NightSkyB4Dawn. God works in mysterious ways...

Ps. I'm just a lil ol foot washer, and that's all I've ever wanted to be. I enjoy my humble life, and I am finding it easier to love others as I go along. The only thing I strive to be "perfect" at is, in fact, loving others. 

[Snarl]

I think for most people it is a bit disconcerting to hear someone say with honesty that God spoke to them.

Maybe it was because my Mother was on her knees three times a day praying for her children.

"Holy Spirit recognizes Holy Spirit." Meaning, I have learned to recognize Him in others.

Hard to find a conversation like this in a small group of folks. Harder to find in real life.

The Pentecostals make a practice of it. If you want to 'feel' the Holy Spirit, find and attend one of their revivals.

[BodhisattvaStyle]

I think for most people it is a bit disconcerting to hear someone say with honesty that God spoke to them.

Maybe it was because my Mother was on her knees three times a day praying for her children.

"Holy Spirit recognizes Holy Spirit." Meaning, I have learned to recognize Him in others.

Hard to find a conversation like this in a small group of folks. Harder to find in real life.

The Pentecostals make a practice of it. If you want to 'feel' the Holy Spirit, find and attend one of their revivals.

You ain't just whistlin dixie, Snarl. That's a worship you can feel.

[Ninurta]

I understand why people have trouble with the Bible and with religion.

...

I am not going to go into any long drawn out explanation about what happened, because I don't really know myself. I just know that unless you experience what I experienced, and what millions of others have experience, nothing I tell anyone is going to make any sense, and it will be impossible for them to believe.

That's correct. It IS impossible for some folks to believe. I believe there is a reason for that, but I won't give that reason here. it almost always starts a fight when I do, so I generally keep my yap shut about it these days. Once upon a time I was pretty vocal about it, but even Christians would try to take my head off - I've made some of them so mad that they could eat a keg of nails and crap out a railroad rail. So, I keep my yap shut.

God did not give us a ton of rules, he only gave us ten, and he knows that we have trouble with just that many.

True again. There is a deeper reason, a lesson there, for why we find it so difficult to keep 10 simple rules.

I think there will be those that will never believe, and if they don't, maybe they were not meant to. I can't say a word against the non believer. I was way to close to being one myself. 

...

There are. There are people who not only never WILL believe, there are people who CAN'T believe. There are others, perhaps like yourself, who only think they neither can nor will believe - but, like you, God ain't done with them yet, and in the end will make it happen for them. The only question is how hard and how long they will resist, "kick against the goad". Eventually, they wear themselves out if they keep at it long enough. it's when they wear themselves out that resistance fails.

.

[Ninurta]

One thing I find incredibly interesting is that there are so few people who 'know' God is real ... yet are unwilling to address the subject in casual conversation. Though, on one occasion, a fella started toying with me (as a neophyte) in front of a group of folks who didn't 'know'. And, before that, I didn't know it could be a 'fun' game for some. 

That is really the essence of "faith". Folks bat the word "belief" around, but faith is more than a mere belief. Faith is "knowing" without SEEING. But there are folks in this world who will label that as crazy, a delusion, a mental disorder... but it is what it is, and those folks will likely never understand, much less "know". So, they are left to their own devices. God lets the sun shine on sinners and saints alike, and for some, the sunshine in this world is all the happiness they will ever get, so it's best to leave them be to enjoy it while they can. That's the Christian thing to do, anyhow.

Folks shouldn't throw their pearls before swine, because the swine will just trample them into the mud, and the pearls will just be wasted.

If anyone ever gets down to San Antonio, you could look-up Pastor Hagee of the Cornerstone Church. Very interesting fella to say the least. God is with him all the time. That's something I'd like to know more about.

I don't know anything about this Hagee fella, but I can tell you that YOUR God is always with you, too - but God doesn't always yell at you. Sometimes, God just whispers, and you have to be quiet to hear. Whether yelling or whispering, if God is with you once, God will always be with you. You don't have to run a big church to have God with you all the time. God is just there, always.

The yelling tends to have a stronger effect than necessary on folks. Bowls 'em right over. The still whispering is where you learn.

.

[Ninurta]

This introduction is the most controversial topic, and exceeds the book of Revelation in controversy and misunderstanding. And that is the topic of speaking in tongues.

I can speak in "tongues". I was actually taught how to do it when I was 14, but I never do it any more.

When I was 14, I and a friend ran away from home. Along the way, on the road, a guy picked us up, fed us, and the price of the meal was getting preached at. That was the guy that taught us to speak in "tongues", and who explained what he believed to be the theory behind it.

Flash forward a bunch of years. In my late 20's, I used to go to a dry Baptist church on Sunday morning, and a much more lively Assemblies of God church on Sunday evening. I kept going to the Baptist church because it was the only place I had ever actually heard angels sing, and that had an effect on me. My sister was there, and heard them, too, so if it was a hallucination, it was one in mass. I went to the AoG church because those folks were LIVELY! It was like a party every Sunday evening, and folks in the age group I was in purely love their parties!

So anyhow, One Sunday evening I was sitting there, minding my own business, and things got rowdy as they often did at that church. one thing led to another, and directly a young lady stood up in the congregation and started yelling in "tongues". Now that was just a normal Sunday evening, but what happened next was not normal, not by any stretch. I realized that I could UNDERSTAND what she was saying, every word of it. I can even tell you the language she was speaking, but I won't, because this story is already unbelievable as it is. It has not been spoken on Earth for well over 2000 years, and no, it was not one of the languages the Bible was written in.

Like I said, I understood what she was saying, plain as day, and it chilled me all the way to my core. The words rolling off her tongue should never, EVER, be spoken in God's house... or anywhere else for that matter. Especially if you believe, as I do, that God is everywhere - that kinda makes everywhere "God's house" in my mind.

Shortly after she was done and had sat down, another fella popped up and commenced to "translating" what she had said... but what he said she said was NOT what I heard her say. It was some generalized flowery nonsense that had never tripped off her lips. What she said was very specific, and maybe the most evil things I've ever heard... and that covers a lot of ground!

So I quietly got up, gathered up my wife at that time, and we hauled it right on out of there. Never went back.

And, since that night, I have never even attempted to speak in tongues again.

But that's just my story. Your mileage may vary, and to each his own.

Here's where I'll lose most, and with every thing I know and have learned, this is argued more than anything I have come across, but at the same time is the least talked about.
Before I go any further I have to say that it was faith that brought me to the understanding I believe to have found, and to me is an absolute sign of a higher power. But, the way, and how I found all of this was in no traditional way. It was a hard-knock road of trial and error, and absolute faith in something greater than, not only myself, but this illusion of reality and "free-will" we live in. Not to say we have lost our free-will, but a lot of that free-will has been robbed from us due to the "TPTB" that we discuss so thoroughly, and their big bag of magic tricks they have been manipulating our lives through. So, I diligently searched for some truths buried in all the lies we've all been spoon fed throughout.

I do not believe in free will, and as it turns out, according to YouTube, there are actual physicists that agree with me. I believe that, because of the nature of God, the Universe, and Everything, free will is not a possibility. I don't think the nature of the universe and the way it is structured allows for it.

And yes, my faith, some instructions, my curiosity, some insight from one or two others stories, some discipline and action to my faith led me to what was written anywhere from 2000 to about 6000ish years ago, and then poof, I find the biggest truth I had ever encountered, and the first sign was me speaking in a foreign language as I was filled with a feeling of love, peace, bliss, excitement and shock, was all while me rambling off in another language. This was only the first sign. (to squash some of the rhetoric, this has happened hundreds of times by now, and it is always in a moment in which I am in private, and have chosen to participate((worship my God)) and is always when I am singing for God, or dancing in joy, or in deep sorrow, or in deep thankfulness. This never happens out of nowhere. I seek the Lord and He answers me). Many signs have followed. But this is not something that can be taught. or explained in any way that would influence someone who was doubtful. (I wouldn't doubt it if this costs me my first negative points. But I didn't come here for that. I came here to help tear down some of these lies). What I can say is, a little faith can go a long long way.


I'll do my best to answer any questions anyone may have after this...

That, I understand. I've been given the most absolute peace and calm when by rights it should not be, when everything around me was blowing up, and no sane rational person would be in any state other than an absolute mind melting panic. Yet I wasn't. I had that peace, and that calm, and it was enough for me to reason out my next moves calmly. It's not an experience I can explain, or even really figure out. it was just there, and now I am, too.

And that has happened more than once. Now afterwards, after the emergency is over and all is safe, I generally devolve into a blithering, blubbering, mind melted idiot, but in the storm, the calm comes, and gets me through to the other side of it so that I can have my well-deserved meltdown.

That ain't even kinda sorta sane, now is it?

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

There are. There are people who not only never WILL believe, there are people who CAN'T believe. There are others, perhaps like yourself, who only think they neither can nor will believe - but, like you, God ain't done with them yet, and in the end will make it happen for them. The only question is how hard and how long they will resist, "kick against the goad". Eventually, they wear themselves out if they keep at it long enough. it's when they wear themselves out that resistance fails.

.

I know a couple of people that agree with you. They said they fought against God tooth and nail, they said they wore themselves out and finally opened their eyes and saw what God was showing them, and they finally were able to stand up and walk.

We have different life experiences. Sometimes those experiences put us in places where it is hard to believe. I went through a time when I too fought against God. I am just glad he did not give up on me.

I also think that many people never get a chance to really know God, because religion can be a huge barrier. Especially if they place their faith and trust in man, instead of God.

---

---

So anyhow, One Sunday evening I was sitting there, minding my own business, and things got rowdy as they often did at that church. one thing led to another, and directly a young lady stood up in the congregation and started yelling in "tongues". Now that was just a normal Sunday evening, but what happened next was not normal, not by any stretch. I realized that I could UNDERSTAND what she was saying, every word of it. I can even tell you the language she was speaking, but I won't, because this story is already unbelievable as it is. It has not been spoken on Earth for well over 2000 years, and no, it was not one of the languages the Bible was written in.

Like I said, I understood what she was saying, plain as day, and it chilled me all the way to my core. The words rolling off her tongue should never, EVER, be spoken in God's house... or anywhere else for that matter. Especially if you believe, as I do, that God is everywhere - that kinda makes everywhere "God's house" in my mind.

Shortly after she was done and had sat down, another fella popped up and commenced to "translating" what she had said... but what he said she said was NOT what I heard her say. It was some generalized flowery nonsense that had never tripped off her lips. What she said was very specific, and maybe the most evil things I've ever heard... and that covers a lot of ground!

So I quietly got up, gathered up my wife at that time, and we hauled it right on out of there. Never went back.

I have never spoken in tongues. I have to admit that I know very little about it, but from what I have learned about it, it is not of God, if no one can translate what is spoken.

Is it possible that the person that made the translation gave the translation he heard, but God had another message for you?

I have read passages in the Bible that I have read numerous times, and suddenly have a meaning come through to me that never presented itself before. God has many ways of speaking to us.

[Snarl]

If anyone ever gets down to San Antonio, you could look-up Pastor Hagee of the Cornerstone Church. Very interesting fella to say the least. God is with him all the time. That's something I'd like to know more about.

I don't know anything about this Hagee fella, but I can tell you that YOUR God is always with you, too - but God doesn't always yell at you. Sometimes, God just whispers, and you have to be quiet to hear. Whether yelling or whispering, if God is with you once, God will always be with you. You don't have to run a big church to have God with you all the time. God is just there, always.

The yelling tends to have a stronger effect than necessary on folks. Bowls 'em right over. The still whispering is where you learn.

The guy who introduced me to God told me some of what he 'knew'. And, it's complimentary to what @"BodhisattvaStyle"#121 alluded to saying, ""Holy Spirit recognizes Holy Spirit." Meaning, I have learned to recognize Him in others." What he told me is that those who pursue God take on an aura. People with that aura are prone to making the words of Matthew 18:20 prophetic: For where two or more are gathered together in my name, there I Am, in the midst of them. This is where you can begin to detect the Holy presence. It comes on like a vibration ... and the next thing you know you're smothering in it.

I saw your other post about people speaking in tongues. Had that happen to me on what I label as my third encounter. I was talking to a preacher's daughter. She was making a 'passport photo' for my 926C application. All of a sudden God showed up. I don't know why, but He did. We weren't discussing anything about religion of God at all. I didn't even realize she was a preacher's daughter until she started babbling.

In a separate event, my wife and I were casually shopping cookbooks on a PX shelf in Korea. We picked one up and laughed at the whole thing being written in French. Put it back because that one was no good to us. Picked it up again a few minutes later and the whole thing is written in English. I subsequently thumbed the pages of every cookbook in the whole section and not one of them was written in French. Shplain that to me.

I got the impression the preacher's daughter thought nothing was real about God at all. That it was all just hokey-assed religion. Then, she started speaking in tongues. Freaked me right the fuck out. I interrupted her and told her, "Stop talking." She calmed and I saw it dawn on her that her belief system had been completely 'altered' by knowing. She practically chased me on my way out of the store inviting me to come back and spend more time there with her. (Nope. Neither prophet nor proselytizer in this skin. Just a very cool subject to have some "insider's" knowledge of ... and if that helps even one person get a glimpse behind the veil ... so much the better.)

---

I have read passages in the Bible that I have read numerous times, and suddenly have a meaning come through to me that never presented itself before.

Is that not a total blast? I'm telling you (meaning 'everyone') that scripture was re-written (into Babble) to keep people from really coming to know that God is here ... and everyone has access to Him.

Someone was clever enough to conceal 'the actual meaning'/'clues' in these instruction manuals.

[kdog]

Just going to drop this here.

[Snarl]

Just going to drop this here.

kdog ... you're a riot!! 

[Ninurta]

I have never spoken in tongues. I have to admit that I know very little about it, but from what I have learned about it, it is not of God, if no one can translate what is spoken.

Is it possible that the person that made the translation gave the translation he heard, but God had another message for you?

I have read passages in the Bible that I have read numerous times, and suddenly have a meaning come through to me that never presented itself before. God has many ways of speaking to us.

Yrs, that's very possible, and if so, I got the message loud and clear. Anyone I talk to, or in front of where they can hear me, I do my best to speak in a language that they can understand clearly.

I see no point in jabbering to someone when they can't understand what I'm saying, and especially if I'm capable of speaking to them directly, in language they can understand, without a translator. Translators have their place, but not if I'm able to make myself understood without one.

It was explained to me that "tongues" (as used by Assemblies of God and the like) are supposed to be the language of one's soul, speaking directly to God, without the conscious human mind interfering in the communication, but I no longer do that - I figure God understands my English just fine, and I prefer to understand what I'm saying, too, just so's there aren't any mistakes made..

Speaking in tongues is mentioned in the Bible, in Acts, so it is a part of church history. But in that case, a sermon was being preached to an international crowd from several different nations, and each person in the crowd heard the sermon in their own language,

.