While so many have labeled the internet a place where the devil has the power to tempt and distract, it can also be a tool to share Christ with others. Yes, the internet is distracting and takes up so very much of our time; time that can be spent better elsewhere. But why can't Christians take back the internet and turn it into something that can further His Kingdom? In some ways, it is easier to take a firm stand on religious or political issues online because you are not face to face with anyone. I don't mean for this to be a way of coping out or making sharing Christ with others easier. But, the Bible does say to "go into all nations and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ". Could the internet be considered a whole new nation? I cetainly believe that the world wide web has become some people's whole world and life.
So, for those Christians out there; why not take back the internet from the "devil's grasp" and transform it into a platform of sharing the Good News of Christ? So, we might be made fun of, so what? "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain". What better way to make the devil angry; by taking an avenue that he thought only he could control and making it something beautiful and lovely? Stand up; be counted; make a difference! Now the Great Comission has taken on a whole new meaning! Get out there (from the comfort of your own home that God has blessed you with) and share His love with others!
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Umm... why is the internet considered the devils tool?
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~Fallon~
"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something." Henry David Thoreau
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Don't get me wrong. The internet is a very useful tool, but it can also be very destructive as well. Think about what would happen if the entire internet system in our country crashed for even a week (by the way, this is quite a common occurance in Kenya, Africa but it never seems to phase them a bit...lol). Many would think that it is the end of the world, and it would certainly affect the majority of the population. I guess what I am trying to say is that the internet has become like an idol to many people. Instead of putting their trust in God, they are putting their trust and livlihood into technology, communication, and sadly to say the internet. We are replacing our faith (a faith I may remind you that was established in this country "under God") with money and other materialistic things. All I am trying to say is that perhaps the internet can be put to better use.
Bekka Joy
"a faith I may remind you that was established in this country "under God"
There was a reason they separated church and state. Personally I'd like to keep it that way, all this "under God" stuff like the pledge and people saying its a "Christian country" and having God in the state constitutions is all fairly recent (for example Michigan mentions God in it but only after 1960...Michigan has been a state way longer than that,lol). So yeah, I'd rather not get into why this country wasn't founded on Christianity thing right now, and NOT to favor one over the other, but obviously that's out the window (esp. in the 20th century)...don't mean to yank your chain but not everyone believes in God, in fact I don't think everyone should believe in God if they don't want to.
P.S. I think spreading peace and love is always a good thing :-)
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/npsm18
Well, I hate to yank your chain but if you read the Bible, you will come to find that Jesus was one of the biggest proponents of peace and love. And no matter what anyone says, our country WAS founded on Christian principals. This becomes quite clear when you visit the Capital building where you find paintings of the members of government praying for wisdom and guidance. It becomes quite clear when you look to our law and then you look to the 10 Commandments; many of the same principles are evident in both. It becomes quite clear when you say the Pledge of Alleigance that this country was once a nation "truly under God." (Although I don't know that I could say that today and believe it). It becomes quite clear when you look at the history of why people originally came over here to this country after much religious persecution in Europe.
Today, you are right. I would say that our country has moved so far away from the basic principles that founded our nation. The reason? Because we have allowed church and state to become isolated from one another. If you were to read in the Old Testement of any nation who turned away from God (as our country continues to do each day), you will find that they were eventually destroyed. God is a loving God, but He is also just; It was Thomas Jefferson who said, "I tremble for our nation when I think that God is a just God, and His justice will not sleep forever."
Bekka Joy
I can tell you might be getting a bit defensive there, I'm not trying to start an argument here. Jesus was a great guy who did advocate peace and love and accepted everyone, and that's pretty darn cool...but I was trying to say, maybe try to see it from a different perspective every once in awhile, because like it or not we are all here together, and I'd rather live in respect and cooperation and understanding of one another than going at each others throats, its a long shot I know.
And I'm saying I DO respect the fact the you believe what you do, and if it makes you a better more loving person for that then great, keep it up! But just because you received happiness through one path doesn't mean it will work for everyone, but it's good that at least you at least care about what's going on in the world instead of being on myspace or something :-)
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/npsm18
Sorry for sounding defensive, but the truth can be very offensive. I respect you as well for caring and searching things out for yourself. Take care!
Bekka Joy
...when you say things like this...
> And no matter what anyone says, our
> country WAS founded on Christian principals.
Here's a little American History for you. The Treaty of Tripoli was passed into Law unanimously by the Senate during the fifth sitting Congress of the United States. It was originally ordered by and written during the second term of George Washington, and Signed into Law by our second president John Adams in 1797. That treaty states, in no uncertain terms that, "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
As for the 10 Commandments, you might want to consider Jefferson's abbreviated treatise on the subject, written as a Letter to Thomas Cooper in 1814.
Your reference to the Pledge of Allegiance is likewise interesting in the innacurate way it implies a religious foundation to that pronouncement, even though that is well known to be factually incorrect. The phrase was not added to the pledge until 1954 (almost a century after it was written), and does not in any way represent the sentiment of universal loyalty that it was originally intended to evoke in our citizens.
You might also want to consider that escaping religious persecution was only ONE of the reasons that people came to the colonies that would one day be our great nation. The founders of my own state (Georgia) were mindful of a desire to relieve the great burden that the system of debtor's prisons imposed upon the poor people of England.
As for your Jeffersonian quote, might I suggest that perhaps you have confused the poetry of his words with a belief that is far less like your own that you seem to realize. For Jefferson also said, "I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another," and that seems to contradict the additional meanings that you attempt to imply with your (almost) quote.
percivale
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"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici." ~ V.
Wow, that's quite a bit of history. Thanks for giving me a bigger avenue to study in. I take no offense to this; rather these pieces of history have opened my mind to the fact that God is constantly being attacked (you may read my post entitled "Attack on God" if you like). The Bible says that Christians should live apart from this world; to be in it but not of it. Thanks for making that verse stand even stronger and supporting the evidence that we are living in a world that is only going to continue to fall until it crumbles. If you believe the historical accounts of the Bible to be true, it is quite evident that every nation who turned their back on God eventually found justice in the destruction of their nations. I care for our country so very much that I only hope it will turn back to the One, True Living God.
Bekka Joy
> Wow, that's quite a bit of history. Thanks for
> giving me a bigger avenue to study in. I take
> no offense to this; rather these pieces of
> history have opened my mind to the fact that
> God is constantly being attacked
Your interpretation of my comments is... interesting. When one makes false claims about history in the name of one's "god," it would seem to me that those who respond to correct you are acting in defense of the historical record, rather than attacking your religious beliefs.
> The Bible says that Christians should live apart
> from this world; to be in it but not of it.
Perhaps you should consider becomming a Quaker, or perhaps a Mennonite. Both of these sects do a very good job of living apart and in accordance with their own beliefs, all the while affording a peaceful resepect and desire to co-exist with the communities around them.
> Thanks for making that verse stand even
> stronger and supporting the evidence that
> we are living in a world that is only going
> to continue to fall until it crumbles.
I am unsure of the reason that leads you to conclude that my statements somehow support this supposition. I look around me at the world, and I see a lot of problems, but by and large human kind seems to be getting with the business of life in much the same way that it always has. Human civilization was around for a very long time before the christian religion was even conceived, and it is a pretty safe bet that it will still be here long after its gone.
> If you believe the historical accounts of the
> Bible to be true, it is quite evident that every
> nation who turned their back on God eventually
> found justice in the destruction of their nations.
You mean, like the Roman Empire? Oh, wait...the Roman civilization fell after it abandoned its pagan roots and adopted christianity as the official state religion. If one studies allof history, one can find plenty of nations that fell, depite their adherence to christian, and many more that have risen to greatness without ever seeing dominant practice of christianity within their borders (like China, for example).
I suppose it depends on what you mean when you say "historical accounts." There is some history in the bible, but there is also a lot of folklore and myth. The real question for a rational reader is whether or not one has the skill in objective reasoning necessary to separate the one from the other.
> I care for our country so very much that I only
> hope it will turn back to the One, True Living
> God.
Again, it is difficult to take you seriously when you say things like this. Can you prove that your "One, True Living God" is anything more than a figment of your imagination? Can you provide us with any objective reasons that would cause us to give your religion's theological beleifs any more (or any less) than we would give to any other if they presented us with similar arugments?
This is what I meant when I previously suggested that being "preachy" might not be the best way to win other over to your cause. It makes you come across as arrogant and (frankly) a bit ignorant.
percivale
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"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici." ~ V.
I guess sometimes it just takes a little bit of faith...
Bekka Joy
...when you use it as nothing more as a shield to hide behind when you arguments begin to fail and the facts that you cite are proved to be incorrect. This is the kind of utter disingenuity that provokes the very attacks upon which you are attempting to martyr yourself. Why don't you try holding your breath until your face turns blue. I hear that's a very convincing argument, too.
percivale
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"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici." ~ V.
There is no reason for me to do that....I can just be confident in my faith and leave it at that. I don't need to try and convince you because you have apparantly already made up your own mind. I just hope you are right at the end of it all...I personally don't see the hope in what you are living for, but I know that the Holy Spirit is in control and if He chooses to bring you unto Himself, I will rejoice along with the angels in heaven. May your days be filled with hope and purpose.
Bekka Joy
...about those who refuse to question. I truly am not very difficult at all to convince. All it would take is a shred of objective proof, and you would find my chasing after the meat of your "truth" like a hungry dog. Whether or not my view of the world brings me "hope" is irrelevant. I might "hope" that the box under the yule tree contains a new I-phone, but if my husband bought me socks, no amount of "hope" is going to change the contents of the box. An appeal to consequences is not only a logical flaw, but it is also a coward's argument. The truth is what the truth is, and all of our hopes and dreams mean nothing until we discover it.
percivale
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"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici." ~ V.
"But why can't Christians take back the internet..."
I wasn't aware they (Christians) ever had it in the first place ._.
Yeah, once again not everyone should have to hear or believe about your God, BUT you can make the information available to who ever chooses to follow that path, but "taking back" the internet, um...yeeeeaaaah, that's definitely a new one I never heard before.
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/npsm18
I guess what I mean by "taking back" the internet is that for so long, many have considered the internet to be "the devil's airwaves" simply because of all the garbage that is found on the web and the fact that it sucks so much time from people who could be out in the world making a difference. I just want people to realize that it can be a place where God's name can be glorified if done in the right manner.
Bekka Joy
It is a good way to share Christ with people, I definately agree, but it is also a place that we have to share with people of all religions. I definately think a face to face conversation is more likely to have a serious conversation about God, but since this tool is at our disposal, we should use it to spread the word about God instead of obsessing over our myspace pages.
Totally agreed.
Bekka Joy
There is plenty of sites on the internet that preach Christianity. Most of them are really garbagey. Some of them have some amount of merit. Meaning, that, while I beleive they are wrong, they are at least good web sites.
"Every man makes a god of his own desire."
-Virgil
Well, I am pleased to hear that you are at least checking them out. You see, the name of Jesus Christ has been a name that has sparked so much intrigue, controversy, and facination over the centuries. I must say that although you are adamant in your stance that there is no God, you still remain highly involved in the discussion of His name....I find it very curious that you could talk so much about what you believe to be imaginary...a little old to be playing make-believe now, aren't we?
Bekka Joy
"a little old to be playing make-believe now, aren't we?" I could ask you the same question.
Not only is religion a subject that interests me, it is also a subject that has an effect on my life. The beliefs of others can effect your life. Especially, seeing as I am apparently a member of the most distrusted minority.
"Every man makes a god of his own desire."
-Virgil
Yes, but why do you allow it to have such a significant impact on your life when you don't believe any of it to be true?
Bekka Joy
It's kind of hard to avoid it since the majority of people do believe it is true. How would you like it if the majority of people believed in a book that made you the least trusted minority in the nation.
"Every man makes a god of his own desire."
-Virgil
I see your point, but have you ever considered why so many people believe in this Book? For me at least, the reason I believe in it is because it has changed my life. I mean, I certainly cannot speak for others out there but I see the principles of the Bible in my daily life and see how God works out everything according to His will.
Bekka Joy
The reason I think so many people believe in the bok is that people upheld it as truth when there was nothing to contradict it and they passed that belief to their children and so on and so forth.
"Every man makes a god of his own desire."
-Virgil
Well, once again I cannot speak for everyone. But for me personally, I found this Book to ring so loudly clear and true in my own life.
Bekka Joy
> I see your point, but have you ever
> considered why so many people believe
> in this Book?
The answer is simple. FEAR.
percivale
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"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici." ~ V.
that i will even be confronted by people who want to convert me to christianity, on the internet (i forgot to add), i know where to go to look for answers if i am ever, ever in doubt about Islam
but i don't like this attitude that the internet was Christian and should be taken back, it just seems to be very unreasonable and illogical. sorry but it just is a bit offensive or comes off very narrow minded
"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right."
I probably should have worded my phrasing a little more tactfully; I am sorry (once again, I stand corrected). The point I was trying to emphasize is that Christians can make a stance for Christ on the online world just as well as in the most remote villages of Africa. There is so much junk on the internet (pornography, violence, and so forth) that I was just encouraging Christians to make it a place where good things can happen too.
Bekka Joy