WAY OFF-TOPIC - A long overdue answer to fighter-thief

Moridin
hey i like your quoat
human stupidity is and will always be present
they say ignorance is bliss then if thats the case then i must be the happiest person alive at times

Moiraine
no mi'lady i didn't get that way at all believe me when i say this there is only one thing that will upset me ;if someone try to hurt my kids then they will see what hell is all about ; no your are my friend and the beuty of being friend is you can listen to each other and not pass judgement i do not get mad until my kids are envolved,so we're cool you little gnome thief-illusionist

[Yorick]

Awwww Moraine! What the hell is that? Touchy about religion? If I fervently and passionately believe in something I'll put forward it's case with gusto, but I'd never have a go at someone personally because of their perspective. It's like me looking at someone who's looking at the moon with a powerline in front of it, but seeing no powerline myself. We could yell at each other about whether the moon has a line in front of it or not but it'd be pointless. Both of us have a different PERSPECTIVE. The truth is ultimately there but what someone sees is what they see.

Have I ever had a go at you?

Anyhow fighter-thief you raise a valid point, one that I as a commited christian was thinking about early last year. The bible was indeed written by humans, and the selection of the books done by humans. Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant movement against the Catholic Church argued against the inclusion of the book of James for example (he lost). There is a group of books called the Apocrypha that were not included in the Protestant Bible.

My questioning was why have no new books been added? God is very much not silent to those who converse with him all the time, and I've read many 'God inspired books' by C.S.Lewis or John Stott to name a few that have been written since.

Also if falliable humans have received, written and collected the works, could there not be errors?

I came to the conclusion that it was bigger than me, and that my God was in control and whatever 'got through' is there for a reason. Perhaps even seemingly contradictory sentences to allow both the person who sees the powerline and the person who doesn't to both agree that the light of the moon is a beautiful thing.

To me God is bigger than a flawed interpretation or a failing messenger. My relationship is after all with 'him' after all. Would we stop seeing a lover because their mother passed on a message incorrectly? Only if we didn't know the lover well enough to recognise an inconsistency in the message. The bible is only one of the ways for God to 'speak'.

Cloudbringer glad to hear another Christian on the board. I think Zoratorak is too from some stuff he's said.

I think talking about religion with those you don't know super-well is fantastic. As long as respect of anothers right to individual thought is maintained and ridicule or vehemence avoided it's the stuff of hour long conversation, and deeper friendships.

I was in a church last night with 13 000 members here in Singapore. 73% recent converts from mainly Buddhism. I've read extensively on Buddhism and Hinduism and New Age (neo Hinduism), so appreciate where they're comming from, and why they feel such joy now. I had the start of what will be a series of exiting conversations with some of them last night.

[Cloudbringer]

Hello, Yorick. It's good to be here!

At the risk of continuing waaaay off topic: As for my 'rule', I should explain that it pertains to newly met people and those who make it clear they aren't interested. I am not ashamed to be who I am or to discuss my beliefs. But I have found that many people hear the word "Christian" and assume you are some "holier than thou", bible-thumping do-gooder just waiting to convert them from their "evil" ways into some far-from-mainstream sect or other. Those people tend to run quite fast as they look for the nearest exit! I live my life as best I can by the tenets of my faith ( fwiw- Episcopal church, part of the Anglican Communion) and hope that others might see that (less than perfect!) example as a good one, and in doing so, feel less 'threatened'.

Moiraine, you still out there? What picture are you trying to set up for us to see?

[Moridin]

Cloudbringer & Yorick (and any others),

I was just curious. I know from past posts and from the fact that you play BGII and other games, that you enjoy fantasy..sci-fi type entertainment. My sister, she is episcopallion(sp), does not allow her son to read any sort of fantasy, sci-fi books (i.e. Harry Potter) due to their "wizardry and witchcraft". Is this a 'common' issue for the church (all faiths) & you have encountered any problems with this type of issue?
Oh yeah, she also "disapproves" of my playing of BG and of the books that I read (not that I really care, but it is a sore spot b/w us ))

Yorick
hey buddy your a man of my own heart,from what Moiriane had said had me worried that i was going to be persacutied for my statement ,i know the somment about men making a profit was wrong but that was from personnel experience and i am glad that i did not upset anyone
this is absolutly the best group of people in the world i gladly would call anyone of you a friend

[Moiraine]

Hi Fighter-Thief,

feeling better today ?

BTW, as a military man, maybe you can answer a question for me : why is it that neither us Europeans nor you Americans are able to do anything useful at all about the big mess at our doorstep in the ex-Yugoslavia countries ?

[WOLFGIR]

As stated before, very off off topic, but since the newbie discussion I feel braver and take a noose dive..

You people do have some really interesting threads going on don´t you.. Well I´m not christian and I don´t hold that against anyone, have wicked way to talk to some of the over-religious ones though cause I mean that they´re what they preach against. However alot of the christians today are doing so much great things for peolpe. Fon´t know if you know about the Estonia catastrophe, alot of people drowned when a boat sank and well one of the biggest accidents ever here, as well a place filled with youths burned down here in Gothenbourg and alot of young people died. Yhen all thoose churches and different beliefs worked side by side comforting everyone that neede it. if politicians for once could do the same we all would be bette off. Unfortunately we as humns seems to need disaster in out life to appreciat the few good things happening around us. Too bad..

As for America and Fighter Thief, i like americans, your are a fresh sometimes and well you do have as everybody else your case of assholes but they are everywhere and somewhere we are considered that too.. But as Moiraine said (that one has a way of making you think everything is going to be ok, I think you are great m´lady) that here we listen to your music and are influenced by your culture and fashion, here in Gothenburg being one of the busiest ports in Northern Europe we are very influenced by you and there are alot of Swedes who went to America during starvation periods here.

So well, what did i mean by al this?? he, maybe just fishing for a "most rambling" in the board awards..

No, (maybe yes..) what I mean is that if we here succed to be civil (bad word but what the heck..) to each other and accepting and respecting each other without being quiet about it, we are on to something, we have found something we find important and we have also found alot of different people sharing our interest which is a way to come closer and to look into things with our eyes open, sitting alone in the dark typing without nyone leading us astray with muffled thinking... (I have to stop this rablings of mine...) Well sorry if nothing of this makes any sense.. just howl ok

the only guess is Russia is still very fragile and we don't want to break a tie that has just started to developefor us to go in there i could very well strick a sensative nerve with them , hell for a long time they [Russia] was the enemy ,i'm glad that they aren't anymore they a to big to mess with


p.s.i don't know if this answered your question

[Moiraine]

WOLFGIR, I howl with you !

Fighter-Thief, I was not referring to Russia, but to the ex Yugoslavia country split into Serbia, Croatia, ..., a bunch of tiny tiny countries that can't stop fighting among themselves, indoors and outdoors, and we democratic countries seem to be unable to have them stop that nonsense. But you are welcome if you want to change the topic anyway.

Memnoch, thanks for your support, I felt pretty stupid after Kylle answer ...

And ... I just figured out how to put images in these posts (am I a computer engineer or not ?!?), so ... here is my photo !