However, I stand by the meaning, which is that there is no need debating you, because your firm in your beliefs. There is nothing wrong with that. It just makes debate on that topic useless.
Kinger, I was on the Debate team in High School my last 2 years. I won three of the four possible "levels" in debating that usually take 4 years to earn. All that means is that I am (was) good at debating regardless of whether I had the "Pro" or the "Con" side.
The "advantage" of such background is simply that in order to Debate, you must be prepared to "argue" either side, at a moments notice. That means a thorough understanding of both sides, and the documentation to support both. Think of it sort of like a lawyer being able to defend or prosecute, regardless of their personal belief.
What we were trying to have was a Discussion (or at least I was) . That is vastly different from a formal Debate.
However, I believe that everything happens for a reason. Is that reasonable and logical? Probably not, but I believe it.
If you "believe" it, it is reasonable to you. It does not matter if what you believe is true or whether anyone else believes it. There are many people who sincerely believe something and are sincerely wrong.
That holds for Christians too. IF Jesus Christ is NOT who he said he is and if he did not rise from the dead, all Christians are sincerely wrong.
But the "stakes are high" because of his claims. So examining Jesus Christ and making a decision about him IS the most important thing any one individual can do.
You have steadfastly refused to state your position regarding Jesus, preferring to appeal to membership or attendance in a church as "proof" that you are a Christian.
That doesn't make you a Christian anymore than my attending church makes me a Christian. There is ONLY one way for anyone to become a Christian in FACT, not by association or appelation.
ONLY by accepting Jesus Christ as one's personal Lord and Savior can one become a Christian in fact.
Whether you have done that or not I can't say. Only you would know the answer to that question, but Christ was very specific about it, "Unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of heaven."
Am I correct that you totally dismissed my belief that everything happens for a reason as not being Christian? If so, why? I am seriously curious.
I can't "dismiss" or "accept" your statement because you don't define what you mean. But I will tell you this, God is "in control" and nothing happens without His allowing it to happen. Some "reasons" for things we may know, and others are reserved only for God to know in His capacity as Sovereign Lord.
I just don't know. I have not questioned your religious beliefs one bit. I just stated that you were not open for discussion concerning them. What do you want me to say? I feel like I need to defend my beliefs to you, like my beliefs are not good enough. What else do you want me to say?
I stand ready to discuss my belief and WHY I believe with anyone. Whether or not anyone chooses to believe as I do is up to them, but I've never been bashful about sharing why I believe and what I believe. That is simply following one of God's commands to Christians.
I asked you about your faith because I need to know how you define "being a Christian" in your mind, how you see it, since you profess to be a Protestant, which implies being a Christian even if one is reluctant to say "Christian."
That is, I "need to know," your definition of terms if we ARE to have DISCUSSION of beliefs and the relative merits of one versus another. It is NOT up to me to convince anyone to accept Jesus Christ, but it IS my responsibility as a "brother in Christ" to teach, rebuke, correct, and train, according to biblical teaching and principles other Christians. That is part of learing and growing in Christ, not in "judging" someone else (as in condeming them).
Kinger, I don't want you to "say" anything. But if YOU want to have a discussion, you are going to have to participate openly, honestly, and frankly, especially if you are seeking help and advice from others.
Let's put it this way; most of us here (the Betrayed Spouses anyway) "believed" that we would kick our spouses to the curb and get a divorce if they ever cheated on us. That was the "pre-reality of adultery) position. But after reality hit us in the face, the "bravado" of such statements seem cold and unreasonable. We begin to search for answers and advice, and sometimes we accept what is offered and make CHANGES. But it is very difficult to offer anyone any help or advice if we don't understand their situation. Or at least it's a blind shot in the dark to offer advice when we don't know what is happening or what someone believes.
So it really is not
"What else do you want me to say? " It IS what do YOU want to say so that others might be able to offer help. We, or at least I, are not into "guessing games or mindreading."
