Do Atheists believe in miracles?

[Rodion_Raskolnikov_]

 

I just saw the one on Alistair Begg--he is excellent! Ha ha. I can so relate to his reaction to contemporary worship music. It's insidious and taken over nearly everywhere in the states. My church is pretty decent with "mixed worship" so it's worth the long drive to go back to my old neighborhood. However, I've been at several churches where they get into what feels like fifty-thousand repetitions of the same inane ten words. Let me tell you, holiness would not describe the kind of thoughts I was having. The whole "performance" feel would get to me at times. Sometimes I would almost expect the worship leader to shout out at the end of the songs, "Good night, Phoenix! Thank you!" and take a bow.

 

It is important to find a small church that is filled with the Holy Spirit, a family church. I want to stay away from churches that are too big and full of pride. Pastors are not meant to be celebrities or rock stars.

I'm struggling to find a church. I just want one that has a community spirit, fears God, sticks to scripture, doesn't fall away from the truth in order to be fashionable, and makes me feel part of the family. Is that too much to ask?

God knows, I feel like starting one myself if I can't find one soon.... and no, I won't be the preacher, I'm not worthy enough or mature enough, but I'll try and find somebody who is.....

I don't know enough Christians. I live in a Godless part of town and don't have enough money to move out.

Even if I make my own church... do I need a lot of people to attend it? I can start with just two or three. Doesn't the Bible claim that is enough?

 

"A cord of three strands is not easily broken..." as the Bible says. I'm great at quotes. I remember the words, not the numbers. Sorry. I could look it up, but I'm lazy (I suppose). If I'm pressed, I can find the quote (in chapter and verse). Like I said, I remember quotes.

Either way, there is a Biblical precedent for three being a sanctioned place of worship. In these times, however...hmmm...I'm not sure you could pay the bills unless you worship out of your house. Well, why not? You can start a church in your own home.

As for your town. I'm sorry, truly . I can only imagine how difficult it must be.

I see you're British. I used to be a great fan of all things British. Well, I still am. Just not as much as I used to be. Monty Python, of course. Black Adder, still. Miranda, now. I even used to watch Ab Fab, and "Are You Being Served?" Oddly, I never liked Fawlty Towers even though it featured John Cleese.  I even like Charles Dickens! But, I have to admit that I prefer French authors (of the 19th Century). Sacrilege. Except C.S. Lewis! Oh, he's my favo(u)rite. Well, I know he's not 19th Century, but he is British. The Hobbit wasn't bad, either. Also, I LOVE to quote Churchill. Well, I suppose I still do love British culture. OH! And Dr Who! Classic and modern. Everybody is gaga over David Tenent but I like Matt Smith and Tom Baker (of course). Was there ever a better "Dr" than Tom Baker? Nooooo...Can you visualize David Tenet or Matt Smith running with a full grown man cradled in either of their arms? Or Pertwee, or any other Doctor? Hardly. Running, with a full grown man!? Tom Baker could, and did. He wasn't just brilliant, he could "put down" when it came to it. Well, probably Eccleston. But, no one besides him and Baker. I still like Matt Smith. If you want to see Matt Smith in "his first role" check out the Twilight Zone year 1962, or 1963 as Mr. Bevis ( minus the fez).

Well, I visited your great Nation once upon a time. Canterbury Cathedral was my favo(u)rite. Not because of Chaucer. I love churches. I saw Stratford upon Avon. Oh, I also love the Bard, have read lots of his stuff. Hamlet...one of my all time favs. Pelonius to Laerties: "...be honest to yourself then it will follow, as the Sun follows the Moon, that you can only be honest to others..." I'm paraphrasing. I saw "the changing of the guard", and the Bridge over the River Themes. It was a wonderful time in my life.

Well, I'm waaayyy off topic.

I hate to think that, in a place like where you live, true Christianity is all but dead. Pro1728 is right. Fight for it! Make a church. Bring it back! It's your heritage. Maybe you have been put there for a reason. If you begin a church there I will make it a point to visit. My wife won't complain. She's a graphic designer by trade but she graduated with a degree in English. She loves the culture (and the language, evidently) more than I do. Well, Eric Idle was an English major...(yeah, that's her favorite Python, not Carol Cane). But, she's never been there...yet.

Yes, bring the Word to your community. If not you, then who? It's easy for me to say, I realize. I'd still love to see you succeed.

'Just read that...yeah...Well, aside from being off topic it's obvious that I've been drinking too much coffee. Sorry.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Rodion_Raskolnikov_

[Pro1728]

Yes, well, you might want to ease up a tad bit on the espresso shots. For some reason the scene from Hoodwinked when the squirrel downs a cup of coffee came to mind, ha ha. But I say that with love. I tend to blather and my mind can rabbit trail endlessly, so most people might say the same about my writing. It's strange because I can be quite logical at times, (disaggregating data, researching things, making every decision--well, perhaps not what to wear or eat--with a pro's vs. con's list.) and yet someone once said to me, "You never can tell a story in a straight line, can you?"

As for Poland, er...it was an experience I won't soon forget. It's off topic, but I think this thread is going to get dusty and cobwebby anyway, (I'm a thread assassin, so I can say that with confidence) so most likely nobody will bother about it. I could go on and on about Poland, but I'll try to make a few brief points:

-Warsaw and other places have been rebuilt since the WW II. It was the ravages of communism that were much slower to heal. (Though I was there in 2001, so a lot may have changed.) Most towns and cities have quite a few of those ghastly monolithic communist block apartments that house about 200 or more. (I know because I lived in one.) Many of them are painted these sort of psychedelic colors to try and cheer them up--sort of an "in your face" to the memory of the Soviets. Customer service was nonexistent. This is communism's effect and it was slow to dissipate even after the fall. With communism, you get paid regardless, so if someone actually shows up to your shop or restaurant, now you have to be bothered with them. (sigh) No "the customer is always right" form of capitalism. (At least not in 2001-2002)

-One of the biggest things you'll notice right away is their complete xenophobia/racism. I tried to read Michener's Poland. I guess I'm not quite sharp enough to follow so many story lines...it got a bit heavy after a while. Also, I was living in it, so I needed more escapism than anything from literature! Trying to get through the history of it made me grateful to be an American. English school children have to remember so many kings and wars and Polish school children have to learn that pretty much every country within sailing or marching distance invaded them at one point or another. So I guess hostility to outsiders is somewhat understandable.

-Evangelical Christianity is a very, very tiny minority in Poland and you feel it—literally. I guess that is why I wrote something in response to Oakwood’s posts. I could relate to what he was saying. It is like this physical heaviness that lays on you and you can’t quite put your finger on it until someone points out that it is the absence of the Holy Spirit. Not from oneself, but living in a country with a decent ratio of believers gives a place an atmosphere, if that isn’t too stupid a way of putting it. Catholicism is a very dark thing indeed. So close to the truth and yet sooooooo far away. After talking with the few American missionaries there, I could almost see it, rather like a Frank Peretti novel. There was a darkness hovering around Jasna Gora (I lived in Czestochowa.) It makes life exhausting, really. There were days that going to work was such a struggle, like pushing the door open into the building where I taught (English—or “American” as some might say!) was like trying to walk through a wall of oppression. Then I had to go to one of those lovely work party things in another town. (I hate those things anyway—try to blend in with houseplants or volunteer to do the dishes) I stepped into a conversation with several people and one other teacher was talking about Wikka and my director said, “Oh, yeah, I use to be a Satanist when I was a kid.” Lovely, eh? I spun on my heel and hopped the next train home. It made the whole aura of evil much more understandable.

-Last, but not least, they don’t have the stereotype about Poles and drinking for nothing. Pretty much every Saturday night involves getting staggering drunk and then dragging themselves all green about the gills to Mass the next day. I saw more public puking and urinating in one year than in a lifetime in the states. Fortunately, it nearly always rained on Sunday morning.

[angels4u]

It  is very  sad  that there are not very many people in Europe anymore who call themself born again Christians

 

Jesus told us to be that little light shining in the darkness,we don't know why God puts us where we are,we He did place us where He want us to be that light shining in a dark world.

 

Matthew 5:16

nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

[Pro1728]

Our church is supporting Highfields Church in Wales. The pastor visited a few Sundays ago and said that church growth in the UK is at 0%, which is actually better than it would be without similar efforts--it could be negative growth otherwise. He also spoke of Europe in general where it used to be the source of great missions to the far reaches of the world. Now some of those third world countries are raising up missionaries to go back to Europe and serving there.

 

I think these verses represent that loss:

 

I Corinthians 1

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

 

Romans 1

22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

 

Proverbs 21

“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.

 

Proverbs 26

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.