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Kinda Sad

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
I went through school with a really nice guy and he was very strong in his Christian Faith. I recently facebooked him and his posts are full of anti-religion comments, claims to be an atheist and mocks those who believe in God. Most of the books he's read are anti-religious...sad deal.
 

Benton

Premium Member
One of my best friends was raised Catholic, insists that he still is, yet rarely has anything good to say about Christianity or the church in general. In my experience, many of those people have an easy time focusing on the negatives, those things that the church/religion has done wrong, and completely skimming over the many, many great things the church has done. They present a one sided argument that reinforces their own beliefs, and are unwilling to give Christians the benefit of the doubt.

And I don't know why this is, but it seems non Christians always get upset over the 'holier than thou' attitude, yet I don't know really know any Christians with that attitude. It's like they were spurned one time by one person, and now feel the need to project this attitude on a whole group of people. It frustrates me.
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
And I don't know why this is, but it seems non Christians always get upset over the 'holier than thou' attitude, yet I don't know really know any Christians with that attitude.

Perhaps you could meet my mother-in-law and her "amen" friends. Then you would know of a few such sad Christians. It's a pity that the Faith can produce such people. It did the opposite to me--made me more tolerant of others, including those who did and do not live according to the Faith. Perhaps it's because my favorite parable is the Publican and the Pharisee.
 

Michael Hatley

Premium Member
I've got plenty of friends who are hostile towards religion. They get on my nerves when they go on a rant, but I understand them pretty well. I was an altar boy as a kid, and went through a lot of years where I had no use for any kind of religion. A lot of it came down to politics, and without getting into that, I'll just say that I still take a pretty strong issue with using religion as a tool to forward what I believe is often a close minded agenda.

But when I see someone go on an anti-religious rant nowadays, it grates on me. It is sophomoric, in my opinion. It is often a young person, college aged - and you'd think they were the first ones to read about science, and figure the rest of us are all ostriches with our heads in the sand. Happens after someone picks up Nietzsche or the like.

It is often a phase, in my opinion. Some hit it earlier than others. My maternal Grandmother didn't go through it till late in life - my Grandfather died and she took up with an artist, and then we got along real well as thats where I was at the time. You never know when someone will go back and read about the Hammurabi code or whatever and click to the allegory of it all. And what with this country's politics being so polarized, the chances of feeling irritated at certain things are high.

I have a couple of friends I'd like to see make it through that stage and drive on into realizing that spirituality and God doesn't mean having to take things literally, and being a seeker has little to do with politics. I think Thoreau is a good middle ground - thats where I started back.

I think as long as we politicize religion in this country it is going to be tough though.
 

Phre-massen.nash

Registered User
Some things in life can change the way we think and alter our prospective or outtake on Religion. A fellow I work with is Athiest, now we don't talk Religion (rather I don't talk, I listen) and his father shot and killed himself. After that point he started thinking all kinds of things about the GAOTU, such as how can He allow him to do such a thing, amongst many other. But the point being: Certain circumstances hinder our judgements and cloud the way we think or who we believe in.
 

rpbrown

Premium Member
It is usually something bad that has happened to turn someone away from God. It may be a death of a loved one, loss of a job, or any number of things. I know several people that now do not believe any more because of such a thing.
Sad but true.
Many years ago (late 60's), I walked away from the church (not God, just the church) because the associate pastor informed me I could not come to church because I rode a motorcycle and that made me a heathen. Two days later I saw him snuggled up to someone other than his wife. My confrontation with him was less than christian.
I came back to a church in 06 that is non-denominational as well as a biker friendly church. It has taught me a lot about God but also about myself. It was one of the board members of the church that helped guide me through my degrees in masonry.
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
Not that I would ever claim to know another persons mind but when I was younger my Dad used to give me such a hard time making me clean up my room, do my homework, don't be a smart a$$, I mean come on what a jerk and on top of that he would WHOOP my butt if I did not follow his directives which made me dislike him even more somethimes to the point of thinking I hated him. In the end I grew up and he stuck by my side no matter how bad I was and now I love him more than thought I was ever capable.
 

widows son

Premium Member
I too would say its sad that someone would mock a person based on their religious orientation. Some atheists seem to think its ok to do that. But not all atheists are like that. I have some close friends that are atheists, and they just feel to agree to disagree.
 

Mason653

Registered User
I respect him. It's not like he's a bad person now or a serial killer. So...I don't see the falling part. He's human. He's had a change of opinion. So what. Just don't loose your "faith".


/G\
FHC
357
FLT


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El Dud3rino

Registered User
It's a loss that turns people that way. We can all agree on that. I have taken so many religious turns I could write a book. But now I'm 40, and this is what I've learned.
Every religion (light based) is God centered. So with all my winding and turning I never lost focus on God. Sure he goes by other names and such depending upon the faith, country, language etc. but God is all ways constant.
And people who do not get what they want blame him for everything. From lack of love, money, live, whatever. But Joel Olsteen said it best " when God try's us, it is up to us to rise to the occasion, and if not we will not receive the rewards from being tried"
Being tried is a test of faith, if we over come it, we will be stronger and rewarded. If not we fall in dispair.


Brother Joel
FC Mason
Epes Randolph Lodge #32
Tucson AZ
 

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
I don't know really know any Christians with that attitude. It's like they were spurned one time by one person, and now feel the need to project this attitude on a whole group of people. It frustrates me.

I was raised Baptist, my Grand Father was a Baptist Preacher as was my Great-Grand Father. Attending Church 2-3 times a week was the norm for me. Now that I'm older, I've found the people who back-stab and gossip the most are self righteous members of the Church.'
 

LittleHunter

Registered User
I never felt God's presence in the church I was raised in. To be honest, other than Christ's teachings to be forgiving and kind, Christianity as practiced in the world today never made sense to me. Through Hinduism I discovered meditation. Through meditation I learned to "listen" to God when I pray instead of drowning out His message with my own voice. Through Lakota religion I learned to experience God all around me, everywhere, all the time. Through Buddhism I learned to trust and peace. Now, finally, I can go to mass and it means something to me but my experiences with all these other religions provided me with what was lacking in the church. Now, Christ's
message makes sense to me and I'm forgiving towards preachers, priests and religious leaders who, by and large, are ignorant of how great and real God actually is. I belong to all religions and to none. My relationship with God is as personal as my relationship with my mother or father. No middle-men can get in the way.


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Vikti

Registered User
Bro. Littlehunter, I think you hit the nail on the head. I can say something similar except with different religions than what you stated. I learned that to be spiritual/religious it depends on you and not the building you go to. I don't know who or what your catalist was but for me it was, believe it or not, a Satanist. So I guess that even in the dark there is still some light to be found.

*Dislaimer- No, I am not nor have I ever been a Satanist, despite my mom calling me a demon spawn while I was a kid
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BryanMaloney

Premium Member
I was raised Baptist, my Grand Father was a Baptist Preacher as was my Great-Grand Father. Attending Church 2-3 times a week was the norm for me. Now that I'm older, I've found the people who back-stab and gossip the most are self righteous members of the Church.'


The most dangerous place to sit is the Amen Corner.
 

2B1

Registered User
One of my mentors in the lodge told me that, "brothers are men before they are brothers, so they bring to the lodge what they were before they got there." The same could be said for the type of believers that are being discussed here. I grew up in church. We typically went four or five days a week. On Sunday, the church day would start at 9:30 and end that night around 9:30. I didn't know anything else. I can honestly say that I received more love during that stage of my life than I have since. I can also say that I saw more hateful, spiteful, and bitter attitudes than I have since. Church is like any place else...it takes all types. We all have to have sense enough to understand that western religions serve a"judging" God. There is judgment day, judge not...lest ye be judged. There is judgment everywhere, so we begin to judge each other. So much so that the church experience becomes one fraught with fear of being judged by fellow churchgoers. The flip side is many judge because they want to be better than someone else in their own eyes. This is how it starts...self loathing. The true relationship between man and God requires man to strip himself bare and still know that with the shame of all that is laid bare he is still worthy of love. When we can do this, that is when church will return to a place of healing.

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