Changed by TOL
- Thread starter vegascowboy
- Start date
This is fascinating to me. May I ask in what way? What kinds of ideas will continue to change for you? Are they life-changing ideas?
I'm in danger of changing, being open-minded, about anything. I discover this site December 2010, meaning that it is probably too soon to ponder the after-effects that TOL is having on me. So, in that regard, I'm in danger of becoming anything. I could be persuaded into joining Atheism, or any religion, sect, denomination, cult, clan, group, culture, doctrine, idea, dogma, or anything, really. Time will tell.
Knight, I agree: "But I got to be the last man standing. I got to have the last words," has always been my thoughts, especially during Bible College. I love competition, debates, sports. But I'm still learning to calm down, learning how to be a Knight.
A Knight is shinning armor.
He isn't in the Body of Christ, so yeah, he is in danger of hell-fire.
As an open theist, I don't believe that God doesn't have any control over anyone on earth anymore (It took a discussion with Knight a few years ago to get that one through to me.). I believe that the majority of bad things that happen to people, now, (like heart attacks at age forty, women being raped and murdered in their own apartments by neighbors, children being molested by their parents, and wives being beaten by their husbands) happen because of the choices the perpetrators make to commit the acts they do. By the way, Joey, this is why I won't forgive Hitler for my ex-husband beating me. My ex made the decision to hit me. Hitler had nothing to do with it.
While I don't agree with everything that the people I mentioned in my earlier post believe in and I'm sure they don't agree with everything that I believe, we agree on the biggest thing about our faith: that Christ is the focus and the whole reason for our faith. I look forward to the day when we can sit together, as a group of friends, at Christ's feet and find out "from the horse's mouth" what we're right and wrong about when it comes to Christianity.
Silent Hunter
Well-known member
Changed? I'm more convinced the Christian/Muslim/Jewish god is more of a myth than ever . . . thanks guys ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Both? I'm praying that God believes in a compromise between Calvinism and Open-Theism, right?
2012 will be TheologyOnline's 15 year anniversary! We are going to need to do something really special next year. Check out the visual history of TOL.
Silent Hunter
Well-known member
It's BEEN over . . . since forever ago. You simply haven't let go of your delusion it isn't.
Right. In the normal definition of forgiving, you never knew Hitler. I mentioned Hitler to you earlier because I was trying to argue for something. But I wasn't arguing against the normal definition to forgiving. But never mind that for now.
But in regards to control. If God has no control, then how is God going to gain control someday? How is God going to win?
And are you looking to TOL to make this determination for you?
I believe that, for now, God has given us over to our nature. Some of us choose to follow God and some choose not to follow God. That is why there are so many bad things happening to people right now.
I don't believe that God has no control. I believe that God has given up a tight reign on us in order for us to choose to follow Him. If He just made us love Him, that wouldn't be love at all. We would be puppets.
Thunder's Muse
Well-known member
I've changed a lot since joining TOL. When I first joined, I was Wiccan and very angry at God. Slowly, due to the conversations I had with people on TOL, my anger subsided and I started to open my mind and heart to God, until eventually, I could ignore His call no longer and gave my life over to Him.
I am also anti-abortion now, thanks to conversations on TOL.
I think the biggest change in my life is simply a sense of 'belonging'. I've never fit in, anywhere, my entire life. Always feeling like an outsider, unable to be liked or even loved. TOL has changed that. The friends I have made here...the support I receive and the love and acceptance that I am constantly shown, has influenced my life like nothing ever has
Because to me, it's a question between freewill and predestination, or a question of how much control does God have. I see that you're emphasizing on freewill, which may appear as if God gave up His control, temporarily, to enable our freewill. From our perspective, I'll agree with you with what you are saying. But from God's perspective, if God lives outside of time, then God is not going to let our control take over His control.
I'm not closed-minded to the possibilities, if that's what you're asking. I'm one of the youngest people on TOL. I've been around the Bible all of my life. But still got a lot to learn.
Lets not get off track the topic of this thread OK?
You might want to start a new thread if you want to dig deeper into the predestination/freewill debate.
I'm more likely to ignore idiocy than to look for the 'good' in it.
What was that movie quote...?
"I see idiots. Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're idiots."
:think: That's not quite right, I'm thinking, but it's close.
Do you think you've changed in any way, Stripe? Have you lived in Taiwan for the entire time that you've been on TOL?