Ok, I must have been living under a rock

[horns666]

Ron, Sorry I didn't do a google search for the "facts" on this matter..

Please forgive me..your googleness!!

[horns666]

Ron, show me that God gives a fuck..do a google on that!!

[GodOfRhythm]

This is all pure self-projection, you do all know that, right?

[horns666]

The blind deserves such a God!

[horns666]

"This is all pure self-projection, you do all know that, right?"

You are right..you are correct sir. This is total self projection..

This IS what your God did to me!!

There is NO way you can convince me there is a higher power that gives a fuck ..we are on our own!!

[GodOfRhythm]

My god? Don't put words in my mouth, Bill.

I have not a single clue as to what could be or is and I'm not pretentious enough to think that I could know for even a second.

[horns666]

Guys, No offense here man..you guys are nice people..

So, we don't agree on this God thing..oh well.

There are good reasons for that..I don't do it for the "attention"..contrary to popular belief..in fact I been working on a book on my personal experiences and matters on this subject.

I have these strong convictions over some real faith testing moments in my life..and well, I lost that faith..

I had it once..like you. Grew up in a loving Italian family, went to a Roman Catholic school, went to church, prayed to God, read the bible..I did this!!!

Then I got a job..as a Cop..in the ghetto..ride with me ..just for a week..your faith will be tested too..I know this because I worked with alot of cops..1800 to be exact..

This job will make you either become closer to God..like some Cop/Ministers I know..yeah, that's right..some damn nice guys too.

OR..

It will make you detest the very idea of such a diety..There was no sign of any God for the 13 years I put in..he was MIA!!

I'm not the only one this happened to...I put alot of "soul searching" into this stuff..for my own benefit..not yours.

The ONLY person on this thread that gets where I'm coming from ..even tho others here may also agree with me..is my friend Rich, he is Christian and a great guy..he always knows that I am..we have that respect and concern for one another..because we're friends.

Bill

[horns666]

GOR..sorry man, I took that statemnt as you referring to projecting my "personal" beliefs..

forgeddaboudit..

[Razor]

I haven’t read all the replies but here's my take religion and spirituality, bare in mind I'm an average joe, not a scientist nor an evangelist.

You can't be blinded by science and faith. You have to see both sides of the coin. The universe is a huge place and has been around longer than a lot religion cares to believe. Truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter to us right here and now Science and faith are different and everything cannot always be explained scientifically...ask medical doctors about miracles and they may or may not call them that but they are....

Religion is a personal thing to me and I'll take my chances on my afterlife. I read the bible every couple years. I do believe in Jesus Christ and the New Testament and that I'll be forgiven for my sin if I ask nicely, treat people how I want to be treated blah...blah...blah... I understand that some interpretations are twisted along a long the way. I don't go to church but I do pray everyday. I've been so turned off by hypocrisy and monetization of organized religion I keep my relationship between myself and God mostly private. If I'm wrong I'm wrong but I'll take my chances.

Heaven as we seem to know may in fact be very different. We hare here to learn to love and be compassionate towards all forms of life and move on to the next level. The level you go to next depends on how you live your life here. There many mansions in Gods Kingdome. Yeah Yeah I know some will think I'm a nutsack but I don't really care

People get so turned off by religion because people always try to force feed their beliefs onto others and judge them if they don’t follow their path to spirituality...or they think of themselves as being better and that is just so totally wrong.

+1 Great post Shawn

[horns666]

Yes it was a sincere, honest post. Shawn is always good like that..

Honestly, I shared his exact feelings not that long ago..

Oh well, such is life..

[RacerX]

5 sputtering posts in reply

Billz: "BS blah blah blah"
RacerX: "fact"
Billz: sputter sputter sputter hamina hamina hamina

[RacerX]

I had it once..like you. Grew up in a loving Italian family, went to a Roman Catholic school, went to church, prayed to God, read the bible..I did this!!!

Then I got a job..as a Cop..in the ghetto..ride with me ..just for a week..your faith will be tested too..I know this because I worked with alot of cops..1800 to be exact..

It will make you detest the very idea of such a diety..There was no sign of any God for the 13 years I put in..he was MIA!!

Bill, I totally respect your history; being a cop has got to be one of the most thankless occupations out there. I know you found the dead baby, had rape victim die in your arms, and experienced all manner of man's deparavity. Let me ask you, didn't you expect (or prepare for) all that when you decided on law enforcement as a career? (especially in a pit like Cleveland). Hell I grew up & lived in California suburbs so I don't have much experience w/ all that grit like you do.

I also understand part of why your Catholic background set you up for these life-changing decisions.

[horns666]

Facts..are there ANY ..we are talking Religion here!!

You want "facts" ...facts for what..How I feel..why I feel..those things I can share..

I read the Bible..and I watch the History channel like any other schlag here..what facts..??

I watched a show on the History channel with the wife..that Hitler and the Pope had a meeting during WWII..was that story wrong..was I misinformed by this program..apparently so, says you..

I didn't do a google search on the matter..and I don't feel the urgency to do so now..

So Ron, knock yourself out..

[horns666]

Ron, you know..I expected that stuff..Hell I watched "COPS" before I was a cop and said to the wife.."hey, I can do that, that looks like fun"..this was back around '88

Ron, you went on a ride-along..I forgot exactly what cool assignments you got the chance to see..

I never, never expected that much insanity from these people..It would take me a book to try and explain the malice, the viciousness, the pure evil that so MANY are capable of..it was everywhere I went...I dealt with 100% pure brutality on a daily basis for 13 years..and the brutality hasn't stopped since I retired!!

I knew it existed but I NEVER knew how much!!

I remember the day I lost my faith..It was during a wake at a black baptist church..the service was for one of my partners that was killed..his family needed counsil..I was part of that counsil..

These people, his family..the pain they endured and the faith they possesed was overwhelming..I looked into their crying eyes with zero answers for them..they wanted comfort from me, from God..

There was a silent stillness in my heart...none that I never felt before..It's weird ..I can't describe it..but it was there..it was real...it was undeniable

Then I had some kind of epiphany..there was no comfort..just a facade of one..their tears, their hopes and prayers WERE God..they were God himself..

It was their will that made "God" real..for that moment

I saw God for the first time..THAT was God..

after that..that feeling never left me..and it was confirmed on a daily basis that he didn't exist nor care..

So, I read the Bible..not like you guys do..No, I was reading the bible to keep the few strands of faith I may have still possesd..but it was lost..

what I read also confirmed my feelings about God..For the first time I read the Bible as an "enemy", I didn't know it at the time..but it's true..

It was like reading it for the first time..and some of my life long questions became a bit clearer..and some answered..I didn't "like" the God I was reading about.

That was a big answer for me..I didn't realize that I didn't like God, until that day..or the sole "theory" of him..

Once you see a person or thing's ugliness..you can never think of that person the same way again..in this case ..God.

Like I said ..everday just confirmed my dislike for God ..but now I knew why!!!

He made what I hate most in this world..he gave a weak monkey the capacity and the will to do harm to themselves and others..without care or mercy..

I'll take humans with no will of their own (programmed robots) over child rapist and murderes anyday!!

Lucifer wanted to show man right from wrong so that God wouldn't lose a single soul..But God wouldn't have it..he insisted on "free agency"..therefore the war in heaven ensued..and the rest is Bible..

Once he was throw from Earth, he proved God wrong tempting Eve with the fruit of knowledge..

So Satan LOVES it when man fucks up..it's his only revenge that he has..it's his "I told ya so"..

Satan has no powers to create nor control..not without the consent of God ..per the bible..

But I don't believe any of this..because I can't. If I did belive in God I would truly hate him.

But it was weird reading something about
"Satan" for the first time in the Bible..and feeling empathy for him...his "pride" destroyed him..well who gave him that "pride"..didn't God make Lucifer excatly who he was..yes he did..Lucifer was supposed to have "pride" he was second to God..it must have sucked being #2!!

So, I lumped Satan up with the rest of God's victims that I dealt with..including myself..

I wanted to know his side of the story..his side is documented in the bible..it's just that most people that read the Bible are biased..like I once was!

You have NO idea how evil people are..the only way to beat them..is to think like them and be MORE evil than them...so not to be their victim!!

I will not be a victim at ALL costs , that is not an option, let them be MY victims (better them than I)..that mindset is not of God ..it is Satanic!

[RacerX]

I watched a show on the History channel with the wife..that Hitler and the Pope had a meeting during WWII..was that story wrong..was I misinformed by this program..apparently so, says you..

Yup!

Read this discussion of the same show you watched:

http://www.penraker.com/archives/002937.html