Christianity and the End Times

I agree.
But why would anyone want to?Is it going to help me?
Is it going to help others?
Is it going to help anything?If it's not helpful in any way... why do it?I'm open to the possibility that your spiritual state, reading the Bible, being a Christian... will help the majority be a better person.
But the facts don't show us that direction.The facts show that learning to become a doctor will help the majority become a better healer.
The facts show that learning to become a part of the military will help the majority become a better helper.
The facts show that learning to become a loving parent will help the majority become a better teacher.
The facts show that learning your spiritual state, reading the Bible, being a real Christian... will help the majority to become an average person.It appears that this spritual state doesn't help anything.
So, I'm open that it exists... but I just don't see why anyone would care about it existing or not.

Did you read my quote? J. B Phillips described the "uncanny" experience of the Bible's speaking to his "condition" as he worked on translating it. A lot of this sense of the living God in His living word is "happening" to read passages and verses that directly apply to one's state of mind or current situation in your life, verses that just "happen" to be what you "happen" to be reading that describe what you are going through in life. Happens a lot to me and to many Christians as well as to the translator Phillips, an Anglican priest who as he says thinks of such experiences as something fundamentalists talk about but that he wouldn't expect to have himself. Sometimes I pray to understand something and within days I just "happen" to be reading something that answers my questions. Have I also mentioned that I've had the experience of being very concerned about something and a breeze from a window blows the pages of the Bible that happens to be lying open on the table to a particular page on which my eye just happens to fall on the exact verse that speaks to my concern. I think I may have mentioned that once.So there are typical ways God speaks to us through His word. No I did not say that, you are putting words in my mouth that in fact say the exact opposite of what I said. When I started reading to find out what or who God is I believed all the religions had the same God and that I'd probably become a follower of a Hindu guru or a Buddhist. I had NO IDEA WHATEVER of becoming a Christian. I was honestly and legitimately PERSUADED to the truth of it, even to a great extent against my will. You really are very rude to impose your views on other people. No, I did not forget that, but I'm describing how many of us BECAME Christians whereas you are talking about having grown up in the church, and a church that apparently teaches very iffy, "liberal" doctrine at that. You obviously never experienced the supernatural reality of the faith, were never born again, it remained a purely mental experience. You cannot tell us how we got persuaded by imposing on us your judgment that it is all a delusion. You should consider that you are the one with the wrong judgment.

Christianity has been THE only real help in the world ever.

well, for one thing, you could talk with God every day without feeling weird or delusional. You may find that you get answers sometimes too. On the other hand, you may claim that everyone can do this...without a need to believe.Edited by Phat, : No reason given.

Or you could talk to Loki every day without feeling weird or delusional. But I think even you would agree that if you talked to Loki every day, you would BE weird and delusional. You can "get answers" by watching the ducks. That doesn't mean the answers are coming from them.

If that's the way you see things, I don't think we experience reality in the same way.
Perhaps this is the spiritual state that I cannot see?Again, I don't see any reason to desire such a state.

I'm not sure if I could.I've never been able to control my feelings. I just have them.
I can choose to use my intelligence to disregard my feelings... but the feeling is still there.Like sometimes I get the feeling that a stranger is going to hurt me.
But (in the correct and safe environment) I can choose to use my intelligence to disregard this feeling, and walk past the stranger without retreating to a safe location. The feeling is still there... I just do the actions I choose to do instead of the ones the feelings tell me to.So, I think I could talk with God every day... but I would still feel weird or delusional about it.If I kept talking to God every day for weeks... months, maybe even years... perhaps it would become more "normal" to me and my feelings of weirdness would dissipate.But that seems like a large time-investment I could be spending focusing on being a better person and helping my family and friends and others.Which again leads to the question... why would I want to talk with God every day?
To get answers?
The facts show us that any "answers" that believers get lead to a life of being average.I'm not looking for answers that lead to being average.
I'm looking for answers that lead to being above-average in helping myself and others. I know of many pathways for such things I haven't had time to do yet.Why take focus away from paths that the facts show will definitely lead to being better at helping others in order to attempt a path that some people claim will help... but the facts show that it doesn't help much (if any) at all?

Maybe they need God to lift them up to average.After all, we have schools to produce average students. Everybody can't be above average.

Except in Lake Wobegon.Edited by jar, : No reason given.

"Talking to God" assumes getting answers, which I would think might change your mind. Being something, being average or whatever, is not the point of belief, God is the point, relationship with God is the point.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

I did read your quote, it was the usual meaningless, imaginary pulpit speak. This is magical thinking. Pure Walt Disney. This is the sort of ridiculous, ordinary, day-to-day stuff that is put in place of real revelation. I experienced exactly what you did; I swallowed the whole thing, I saw meaning in the ordinary and doted on the words of the charmans. Then one day I grew up and noticed that it was all bollox, top to bottom. You're not saying anything new to me.You've caught the affliction and it's probably too late for you to see the light.

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Christianity has been THE only real help in the world ever.

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Yeah, that worked out well for the Incas and Aztecs.

That MIGHT be because Catholicism during that period wasn't really Christianity, but since I don't know the history you are referring to I can't know for sure what you are talking about.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

I think that "imaginary pulpit speak" is recognizable to Christian believers as describing their own personal experiences. You really really really want it to be imaginary, though, don't you? To the point that you'll call millions of people insane who say they've experienced it personally rather than consider that maybe YOU get it all wrong.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

So glad you cleared that up Faith.