ringo writes:
I was raised in evangelical churches, literally from birth. When I was about eight, at a church-sponsored summer day-camp, we were all invited to tell how we had been "saved". I was the only one who had no story to tell. There had been no "conversion" because I had always been there, so to speak.
The teacher didn't see it that way. I was told, in so many words, that I had better get saved (with an implied "or else"). That was the extent of my being "led to the Lord".
As an eight-year-old, I was left alone to "get saved". Some time later, I mumbled a prayer which would supposedly do the trick.
In that church, baptism by immersion was done when the person decided he/she was "ready", typically in the early teens. I was never baptised because I was never "ready". Quite frankly, I always thought that being "dipped" was a little silly.
I've seen lots and lots of "speaking in tongues", etc., often by people that I know well. I am sure it isn't "faked", but I am equally sure it isn't real. I have no clear explanation for it.
As a teenager, I drifted away from the church. I tried to feel guilty about it, but I was never a really "bad" kid, so I compared pretty favourably with the kids who were "saved".
My real "conversion" has come over time, with the realization that God is everywhere, but He tends to avoid the buildings. He also tends to avoid the people who talk the loudest about Him.
What is your opinion on prayer? We have talked lately about how evil the God of Calvinism is, but if you have ever seen the Jimmy Stewart movie,
It's A Wonderful Life you know the scenes where George Bailey talks to God in prayer. Is it so silly to believe that a Deity could hear our prayers? In my opinion, talking/praying is therapeutic.
Chance as a real force is a myth. It has no basis in reality and no place in scientific inquiry. For science and philosophy to continue to advance in knowledge, chance must be demythologized once and for all. —RC Sproul
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." —Mark Twain "
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If that's not sufficient for you go soak your head."~Faith
Paul was probably SO soaked in prayer nobody else has ever equaled him.~Faith