Question for Christians
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — A.D. The Bible Continues
netsirc — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 08:52 PM)
I apologise in advance, this will probably be a headache to read because I'm writing this from my phone.
Question: Is it fair to say we no longer need to actively spread the word of God? Yes, I know the bible is clear about it. But in this age, time, and place is it still needed? Thanks to the disciples, James, and Paul, Christianity is one of the main religions in the world. The bible is one of the best selling books in history; it's been translated into 100s of languages. We have churches everywhere and televised sermons. we also have films and t.v. programs like this. Not to mention, the groups of indigenous people forced into Christianity by the Catholics. And the crusades done by the Catholics
What I'm trying to say is, for the average Christian, everyone in their community already has access to the bible. Unless we're all to travel to remote parts of the world, there is not much for us to do.
Why do I think this question is important? Because I am tired of seeing tactless attempts of converting. Please leave that to members of the church, and instead try to inspire people through your actions and counsel, to find God themselves. And I also can't stand seeing insufficiently equipped believers trying to take on troll Atheists who have nothing better to do than to spend their time arguing over something they supposedly don't believe in (how many people do you know argue over the idea that big foot/the lochness monster/aliens don't exist? None. Because why waste your time over something you have no emotional investment in?). I say they're insufficiently equipped because a lot of Christians don't actually read the bible. For the ones that do, most don't understand half of what they're reading. When bible verses are thrown at you out of context, if you don't know the proper context yourself, how can you properly defend it? That's why study bibles are important, so you can examine the context of the scripture and the reasoning behind certain phrasing. There's also the question of why defend the bible at all to someone you know in your heart you can't change, especially someone over the internet.
So really, what is the point of trying to spread something others already have access to? All we get from it now are complaints of shoving religion in others' faces on top of accusations of intolerance (hate the sin, not the sinner you guys). -
jmillerdp — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 09:00 PM)
The point of "A.D." is to tell the story of the apostles after Christ's crucifixion, and the building of the early church. I personally have never seen this particular story done before, and I'm glad that they're doing it.
I. Drink. Your. Milkshake! [slurp!] I DRINK IT UP! - Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood -
netsirc — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 10:22 PM)
Yes, some things were false. Amazingly enough, the dark clouds and earthquake were real. So was Pilot's wife's dream. However, they tried to make Pilot have more of a hand in the events after the crucifixion. He was merely trying to appease the priests, he had no emotional attachment (positive or negative) to Jesus' claims. They also made some of the high priests sympathetic to Jesus. They were not. I'm guessing it was probably an attempt to not vilify Jewish people, which I actually respect. There is already religious tension and going the Mel Gibson PotC route would cause more harm than good.
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netsirc — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 10:12 PM)
I am glad too. I guess I wasn't clear enough, I was talking about Christian individuals actively and personally going about trying to spread Christianity on their own. I think the bible, Christian television, biblical shows (such as this one) and the internet are sufficient enough resources in this day and age.
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rickathedj — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 10:37 PM)
I'm a Christian and wholeheartedly agree that people who go out and try to save people whether they want to be saved or not do more harm than good. It's my belief that unless a person has an interest, they don't want to hear it, and pushing it on them just pushes them away. I personally think its better to promote Christianity through actions rather than lecturing.
But I'd like to comment on your original post, and your use the phrase "shoving religion down people's throats" (or something to that effect.) That's really an over used, and often exaggerated, term. Depict a family in a movie or TV show say grace before dinner and SOMEBODY will rant and rave about having religion shoved down their throat. And its not just religion. I'm sure you've been on IMDB long enough to see many people complaining about all kinds of things being "shoved down their throats." LOL -
netsirc — 10 years ago(April 06, 2015 02:06 AM)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. In no way do I want to appease Christian bashers, but at the same time I don't want to give some of those outspoken imbeciles ammunition for their anti-religion tirades.
When I said "complaints of shoving religion in their faces" I was referring to the reactions of other people. I think they're right maybe 5% of the time, at most. And you're right, I've heard that phrase being overused in all kinds of ways concerning issues like sexism, racism, homosexuality, mental illness, tolerance, vaccines, health care, etc. It'd be a lot better if people were just honest and said they didn't like those issues being addressed in the media because it makes them feel uncomfortable. -
cmcnaul — 10 years ago(February 04, 2016 03:04 AM)
There is a difference between those who "thump their bible" vs those of us who just live it. I think standing on a street corner thumping a bible is old anointing, it was effective then, but not anymore.
It is those of us who live it, we who have or are coming out of, or have had unresolved issues that affected us in adverse ways. It is our faith in God, obscure scriptures, or a prophetic word from someone that helped change bad behaviors, self-loathing, or something of that sort. Becoming a Christian is not it, it's living life without being driven by "things" the world pumps out telling us we need to be the best of the best.
Living in peace while the world rages on, being nice and saying thank you, being patient and kind(unlike the lady in front of me who called the McDonald's window clerk a bitch). That, is what being a Christian is about, stop being inhuman to humanity..it just begins with how I 'choose' to react, respond, be.
(btw..I apologized to that window clerk for that other person's bad behavior) There's a big difference between religion and being a believer. Religion puts people in bondage, faith sets people free. -
sheetsadam1 — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 09:08 PM)
I'm not a Christian but I don't see this show as trying to shove religion in our face. It's an attempt (and so far a decent one) to bring an interesting story to the screen. Whether that story happens to be true or false doesn't make it any more or less interesting for the purposes of television. Sure, believers will get something extra out of it but I see no reason why non-believers can't enjoy it as they would any other scripted show on TV.
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netsirc — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 10:25 PM)
I have no problem with the show. I just used it as an example of why Christians don't need to take it upon themselves to preach to anyone who's not interested. To clarify, I'm talking about one-on-one conversations.
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Volley2020 — 11 years ago(April 05, 2015 10:27 PM)
The end won't come until everyone in the world has had a chance to hear the Truth, at least once in his or her lifetime.
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14.
We are indeed very close. With the Internet now in maturity stages and instant global communication 24/7/365 virtually everywhere, there really are not many left who haven't heard the word at least once, that said a single soul is every bit as precious to God as a hundred thousand. -
Jerry-137 — 10 years ago(April 06, 2015 01:51 AM)
The end won't come until everyone in the world has had a chance to hear the Truth, at least once in his or her lifetime.
UhhI'm not quite ready to go yet. Maybe if the proselytizers cool it for a while the "word" won't reach everyone and we can go on with our business and not be worrying about the afterlife coming after dinner. If this is really the case then the proselytizers are suicidal and should be locked up to save humanity.
My favorite:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb -
netsirc — 10 years ago(April 06, 2015 02:31 AM)
But does the average Christian have access to people who have never heard of Christianity? If we don't, why must we still take it upon ourselves to preach to those who choose not to believe? Only the grace of God can unharden a heart.
As for that prophecy, It may have already come to pass. The word has spread to all "nations". With recent events, some people believe the times spoken of in Revelations is already upon us. -
Laura-eubanks — 10 years ago(April 06, 2015 08:34 AM)
I'm a Christian, & I like to talk about my Savior because He lived me so much He took this for my sin! I want everyone to come to know His love & peace. I know not everyone will. That saddens me. I cannot force anyone to believe, & neither did He. He did not have to do this, but He did it for me & you. True, nearly everyone has access to this Bible & the facts, but a head-knowledge is not the same as a personal, soul-changing relationship. We tell because we can't help but share
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wildpeace10 — 10 years ago(April 08, 2015 05:25 AM)
The end won't come until everyone in the world has a chance to hear the truth,at least once in his or her lifetime.
They may hear the truth but millions won't believe it's
the truth.
What's the use of preaching the truth if people don't
believe it?
Remember when almost nobody believed the earth was round?
The fact is that religions who say they have the truth often
change their minds about their own interpretation of the Bible.
What was the truth a hundred years ago might not be
their truth today.
So in a way,they were preaching a lie for a hundred years until
they discovered it wasn't the truth.
And if they were wrong about a thing for a hundred years
(apparently God was too busy to correct them on day one)
how can you trust anything they're saying today?