Posted on 08/27/2006 12:41:00 AM PDT by Crazieman
Per Fox News
This is one of the most asinine posts I have ever read on FR.
Unfreakin' believable.
Plus, it's my prostate's 60th birthday today. We're celebrating!
Cheers!
What are the religious ramifications for a Christian to state that he has converted to Islam?
further detail, the hostage claims to have converted to Islam, is that a denial of God, the unforgivable sin?
Anybody know?
Thinking about it.
They do in Indonesia.
Happy birthday.
PS, no I did not see the smiley face.
Thanks....glad we're okay.
But if some punk on the street puts a gun to my head and says, "denounce Jesus, and I'll let you go," you bet your life I'm going to do what he says because I know that after he let's me go I'll be free to practice my faith and make whatever ammends I think are necessary. Were I to do otherwise, and were I to be killed, I wouldn't be dying for my faith. I'd be dying because of some stupid punk. And that's what these kidnappers were--stupid Islamic punks.
Well, I recall one of the stories in Foxes book of Martys of a person being torchered who renounced Christ just before he died. The comment was that that person died an infidel. The early Christians died frequently for their faith and it was considered an honor. Today those who live in comfortable situations would have a very difficult time making the same decision. It is a life and death decision and the consiquences are grave. There is life after death but if you can't stick to your guns there probably isn't.
I just turned off FOX in disgust. The story was about how Olaf Wiig thinks it would be a tragedy for the Palestinian people if reporters didn't continue to come to Gaza to tell their story. The new FOX prettyboy, can't recall his name, beams at the camera, smiles, bats his eyes, and says "And what a story it is!" Don't try to tell me that changing the news content wasn't part of the deal and FOX hasn't caved out of fear for the rest of its reporters. Which still makes them no better than CNN carrying water for Saddam Hussein in Iraq. They're all tools now.
If some other race of people or some authoritarian force came to this country and forbid us to practice our religion under pain of death, then it might be worthwhile and noble to die for one's faith.
How about if they just want to alter your behavior, or restrict your movements, or add some new laws, or levy a tax on you?
How much are you willing to give up just so you might not die? If Jesus is on the table, then everything else is.
I think I can answer all your questions by saying that I like to be very careful about which battles I choose to fight and which hill I'd consider dying on.
Dying at the hands of these punks (yes, they are punks, in the sense that they are weak and cowardly) under these circumstances would not have accomplished one single thing in the struggle to defend freedom.
As I've said previously, agreeing to their cheap demands demonstrates the cheapness of their religion.
I only just now heard they were released. Thanks be... Is there a synposis, or do I need to read all 1000+ posts?
Were the Fox guys Christian before the conversion? I happen to think that it DOES matter if you renounce Christ. I can understand why they did it, so hopefully will God at their judgment.
Genesis 3:15 sounds very prophetic to me - when the Lord spoke to the serpent/satan:
And I will put enmity between you and the woman
and between your offspring and hers
he will crush your head
and you will strike his heel
"He who denies me before men, him will I deny before My Father."
That's the bible quote I was looking for!
I never thought I'd find myself in the position of hoping someone WASN'T a Christian. Very odd feeling.
The genuine messiah in contrast to the false/Antichrist is presented in Daniel 7:13-14.
Daniel's vision is then interpreted in Daniel 7:15 - 28. The Antichrist presented in the book of Revelation is the "4th beast" also presented as "the little horn".
Interestingly enough; the plan, program and ultimate destruction of the Antichrist is actually revealed in the Old Testament in Daniel 9:24-27.
The above is just a taste of the incredible amount of "revelations" found within the blessed Old Testament.
As a born-again Christian, I am NOT in a quandary with regards to the Jews. As a gentile and a Christian, I owe EVERYTHING to the Jews. Of all the people of the face of the earth "they (alone) were entrusted by God with the oracles of God" (Romans 3:2). On top of this, the Jews possess the following: the adoption as sons, the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises of God! They are the children of promise; being the sole decedents of Abraham AND Sarah, Isaac and Jacob. Lastly and most important of all; my Savior and the savior of the Jews... and the entire world is "according to the flesh" a Jew (Romans 9:4-5). All I can say if you are Jewish is this: I thank God for you and for your people and I continually pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
As for telling you that you are going to hell, Jesus says:
"You search the Scriptures (reference to the Old Testament) because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
“I do not receive glory from men;
but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.
“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name (the ultimate reference is to the Antichrist), you will receive him.
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?
“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.
“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.
“But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:39-46)
When addressing the Jews who steadfastly refused to believe in Him, Jesus said: "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He (the Messiah), you will die in your sins." (John 8:24)
You are correct when you say that your faith is more ancient and just as valid as mine, but the fact of the matter is this; the Lord Jesus Christ and Biblical Christianity are the ultimate outgrowth and fulfillment of the promises made throughout the Old Testament beginning with Genesis 3:15 and expanded upon in Genesis 12:3, 18:18, 22:18. I along with the rest of the gentile world am blessed through Abraham because of Jesus Christ the Jew and Jewish Messiah.
The Old Testament is filled with specific prophecies concerning the promised coming Messiah and the Lord Jesus Christ, when He came the first time, literally fulfilled EVERY Old Testament PROPHECY concerning the first coming of the Hebrew Messiah.
I have read studied and taught the entire Old Testament on the graduate and undergraduate level numerous times. My simple request and prayer for you (and anyone else reading this post) is this: Ask the God of Israel to reveal to you if what I am saying is true or not. Read the Gospels with an open mind and heart, look and see what Jesus says about Himself and what he does and make a decision to accept Him or reject Him after honestly examining Jesus.
May the God of Israel richly bless you, and THANKS AGAIN for everything!
It is. I'm glad somone said it out loud. As "out loud" as this gets. It makes me feel a little less weird for having that thought myself. All we can do is pray. I still find it all unsettling.
I am familiar with the gospels. I know what they say about those who do not accept Christ, no matter how righteous we are...No one may come to the father unless through me, correct? The crux is that I do not accept that Jesus was the Messiah, since we are not living in a world where life has meaning, work has purpose, and evil is unheard of. Those are necessary conditions for the Messiah's being here and none of them are fulfilled. Lineage is nice, stories are nice, but proof is best.
Call me a doubting Thomas and offer me a side to put my hand in. In my faith, blind acceptance is not what we're going for. One may argue with God himself and still live.
Sashal: the end of the world is coming, but unless I missed something really big, number of the beast wasn't in there. Also, my Messiah's coming will be marked with peace, joy, and purpose...not tumult, death, and awfulness.
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