tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post8328787951024961103..comments2023-08-19T06:14:27.993-04:00Comments on The Journeyman: An Angry God?jthelmsdeephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02636609766042124434noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-25499914861318278012009-12-01T07:50:09.439-05:002009-12-01T07:50:09.439-05:00grammatical error: i'm sure you realize i mean...grammatical error: i'm sure you realize i meant "not offended" at the end there...Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08880856144533933894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-67329991659123280502009-12-01T02:08:55.577-05:002009-12-01T02:08:55.577-05:00it saddens me that this is the case, but what'...it saddens me that this is the case, but what's more, is that it does not surprise me. <br /><br />my dad and i have had lengthy discussions along varying & similar lines: and i truly believe there is now a solid minority in this country, a rumbling beneath the surface, of a generation that has rejected bull-horning God, and that lives to receive and love people the way that Jesus did. <br /><br />there are those who want to truly be educated about faith in Christ, and are willing to concede that we don't have all the answers (as only He does), as was taught in the Church for so long, and that He is a mystery set for our discovery and fascination...that science, rationale and faith can and do work together w/o prejudice.<br /><br />i'm grateful that you've made friends w/ Rob. I'm glad that God is offended by our questions, nor angry at those who do not believe in Him.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08880856144533933894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-5845663248214889752009-11-27T07:34:14.161-05:002009-11-27T07:34:14.161-05:00"If it's about something important, then ..."If it's about something important, then I'd rather have an angry person tell me why she's mad, than just say nothing, leaving me completely in the dark about her motivations, experiences and perceptions. <br /><br />Every conversation has to start somewhere. What matters more than where it happens to starts is what direction we choose to take it."<br /><br />Rob, this is the kind of reasoning and graciousness that makes you in danger of becoming well liked by Christians! :)<br /><br />I appreciate the fact that you invited me and I'm grateful that you choose to interpret the disruptions in such accepting terms.Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07406445533353691421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-38413040988125977382009-11-27T07:31:25.453-05:002009-11-27T07:31:25.453-05:00Pearlie, thanks for being a part of the conversati...Pearlie, thanks for being a part of the conversation. Your insight further buttresses my point about why we need to be as gracious as Rob (the President of Atheists of Florida) was. Glad you found my blog.Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07406445533353691421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-69046085554348096942009-11-27T04:12:50.212-05:002009-11-27T04:12:50.212-05:00Thank you, Joseph, for making it out to Lakeland o...Thank you, Joseph, for making it out to Lakeland on Monday. I really appreciate being able to see how the event looked through your eyes.<br /><br />The official library count, by the way, was 46 people. <br /><br />Never having done this before, I kept an open mind on what to expect. My overall impression at the end was that the event turned out to be a remarkable success. Why? Because it produced a real exchange with opportunities to learn something from everyone who spoke up. If it's about something important, then I'd rather have an angry person tell me why she's mad, than just say nothing, leaving me completely in the dark about her motivations, experiences and perceptions. <br /><br />Every conversation has to start somewhere. What matters more than where it happens to starts is what direction we choose to take it.<br /><br />Sure, there was a little bit of disorderliness, but no one is perfect. My idea of a disrupted meeting is more like what happened back in July at a conference hosted by the Nigerian Humanist Movement (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWktZEj6OZ8). What Leo Igwe's group had to cope with was deliberate, premeditated disruption. Compared to that, Lakeland was a walk in the park. <br /><br />I forgot to bring a gavel. But my only regret is failing to record on tape the woman who walked out, saying she was nauseated while we were in the process of flipping over the reel. Everything else was captured and is now available as a podcast (after cutting out some extraneous material at the beginning and the end, to make it fit). <br /><br />http://www.blogtalkradio.com/atheist/2009/11/26/meet-the-atheists-qa-in-lakelandUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00233882388111559855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-28514234453989615412009-11-27T03:31:10.645-05:002009-11-27T03:31:10.645-05:00Yup, you certainly had one incredible journey ther...Yup, you certainly had one incredible journey there :)<br /><br />I come from a multi cultural country and we not only share our space with atheists but Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Sikhs and Hindus. I have come to realise that it is better to sit together in a roundtable and talk and see where we can share common grounds than to speak "over" each other. We must understand where they are coming from before we can even try to tell them about our God.<br /><br />BTW, I got here by way of "next blog" randomly clicking away - glad I did :)pearliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17142595255771626179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-58662135999422447232009-11-26T17:49:45.444-05:002009-11-26T17:49:45.444-05:00Patrick, your assessment of the focus of the discu...Patrick, your assessment of the focus of the discussion is pretty accurate. As usual, I love your perspective, because when the discussion focuses on the kind of world our respective trajectories are trying to create, we'll tend to be more effective and less combative.<br /><br />Thanks also for your kind words. I am really committed to trying to make us see what the world sees when they look at us.Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07406445533353691421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-11303039803424793932009-11-26T14:31:16.025-05:002009-11-26T14:31:16.025-05:00my dear friend joseph,
what a brave man you are -...my dear friend joseph,<br /><br />what a brave man you are - to subject yourself to the scrutiny of other Christians!<br /><br />i think that short of being able to have been present (or to watch the news coverage of the meeting) it strikes me that the discussion/debate focused more on the defensibility of each person's worldview, and less on the kind of world that our respective trajectories are aiming to create. <br /><br />i commend and encourage you for your efforts to not only engage an authentic and meaningful dialogue with people of varying beliefs, but also your disarming way of holding up a mirror to the Christian/church sub-culture.<br /><br />vive,<br />patrickPatrick Voohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10976504483436017793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-85295981713088724302009-11-25T19:59:46.034-05:002009-11-25T19:59:46.034-05:00As, Thomas Merton says in "New Seeds of Conte...As, Thomas Merton says in "New Seeds of Contemplation," many who call themselves Christians take comfort in believing many other people are going to hell while they will escape that fate. They cannot say exactly how they will manage this escape, they just know.<br /><br />Love and Mercy are the only true signs of a life dedicated to following Christ.Pastor Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17821088253350056026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150974407718812261.post-69035171558595763542009-11-25T17:02:46.622-05:002009-11-25T17:02:46.622-05:00Incredible. But all too common. When I think about...Incredible. But all too common. When I think about the people who were in attendance, I am thinking they *all* need equal amounts of prayer for their salvation.Spencerhttp://www.american-consensus.orgnoreply@blogger.com