Typical! "RIP"

[ena]

I do outwardly condem the CoC denomination. There are a few Christians there. The general group and attitude is the reason why prayers are noy answered there. Even if one were stuck over the head with an answer to it would not be recognized. God today answers prayers un simple ways. It can be by chance meeting the ine person who is willing to help. I have had people sent my way to help. It is not like there is a shortage. It can be as simple as a request for money to eat. I asj are you hungry? They will say I want a chicken sandwich which is one on the cheapest things on the menu. I don't normally give out money. If they ask for the moon or ask for an upgrade. U may buy the minimum or leave. Two weeks ago I was I was asked for money by a homeless person. I could tell that she was legit. I gave her 5 dollars based on thing she said. All she had to do was go and order a cheap meal. I saw here last looking at McDonalds. She could easily buy a McDonald's breakfast for that. I don't eat there anymore because they do not have Keto. I can get Keto at other places. More carbs mean more insulin. Everthing from big Pharma has side effects. I have stopped medications because of that. My doctor believes I have high blood pressure. I don't! What happens is this if I have normal blood pressure a blood pressure pill will take you for a ride. You feel faint. Your legs feel like they have lead weights. We are having this problem with a woman that lives with us. She is on two blood pressure pills. Both can take her down. He blood pressure us checked twice a day. It is generally normal and not normal if she takes both. I have trouble with that. I have gotten pressures of 110/50. If means you have very clear arteries or in my case are not working right. I have atherosclerosis. My heart is fine. A higher blood pressure means my body is working right. I was once offered a pace maker because of blood pressure medications. I looked them up. The both had the side effect of slowing heart beat. Get the med name and look it up on google. Doctors know their medications. They do not always believe the side effects. You may have to go Against Medical Advice. Your doctor may not like you decision but it is your life. I have too blood pressure meds. I am not taking them. I watch my blood pressure and check it every day. I am at 124/58 with 65 pulse. No blood pressure meds.

[faithandmore]

I hate the expression RIP and would be seriously offended if someone used it in reference to someone in my family who passed away. It's fine to spell it out, but abbreviating it like that says "I'm too lazy to care to type out the words."

[Lerk]

I do outwardly condem the CoC denomination. There are a few Christians there. The general group and attitude is the reason why prayers are noy answered there. Even if one were stuck over the head with an answer to it would not be recognized. God today answers prayers un simple ways. It can be by chance meeting the ine person who is willing to help. I have had people sent my way to help. It is not like there is a shortage. It can be as simple as a request for money to eat. I asj are you hungry? They will say I want a chicken sandwich which is one on the cheapest things on the menu. I don't normally give out money. If they ask for the moon or ask for an upgrade. U may buy the minimum or leave. Two weeks ago I was I was asked for money by a homeless person. I could tell that she was legit. I gave her 5 dollars based on thing she said. All she had to do was go and order a cheap meal. I saw here last looking at McDonalds. She could easily buy a McDonald's breakfast for that. I don't eat there anymore because they do not have Keto. I can get Keto at other places. More carbs mean more insulin. Everthing from big Pharma has side effects. I have stopped medications because of that. My doctor believes I have high blood pressure. I don't! What happens is this if I have normal blood pressure a blood pressure pill will take you for a ride. You feel faint. Your legs feel like they have lead weights. We are having this problem with a woman that lives with us. She is on two blood pressure pills. Both can take her down. He blood pressure us checked twice a day. It is generally normal and not normal if she takes both. I have trouble with that. I have gotten pressures of 110/50. If means you have very clear arteries or in my case are not working right. I have atherosclerosis. My heart is fine. A higher blood pressure means my body is working right. I was once offered a pace maker because of blood pressure medications. I looked them up. The both had the side effect of slowing heart beat. Get the med name and look it up on google. Doctors know their medications. They do not always believe the side effects. You may have to go Against Medical Advice. Your doctor may not like you decision but it is your life. I have too blood pressure meds. I am not taking them. I watch my blood pressure and check it every day. I am at 124/58 with 65 pulse. No blood pressure meds.

Long before I deconverted I realized that people in the CoC were obsessed with "getting it right" to the point where they ignored the spirit of the law in an attempt to try to find a "letter of the law" that didn't even exist. The whole thing, but especially the "non-institutional" sect of the denomination, exists in an effort to create a binding set of rules out of a document (the New Testament) that has no such set of rules. The NT contains a lot of principles, many of which are ignored in the attempt to create a set of laws.

I don't actually believe there are any such things as gods anymore, but that CoC attitude still irritates me.

Regarding feeding the homeless, I was thinking of buying fast-food gift cards to keep in the car to hand out to people asking for money. I rarely have cash in my wallet, and it seems like a good way to help. But I really don't know if that's something that would be appreciated or if it would seem judgmental.

Since March I've been 100% work-from-home, so I'm not on the road anymore, anyway. But if we ever go back to the office, it's something I need to figure out. Maybe it would be better to just keep a stack of $10 bills and give one to anyone who asks. That way, I'm not questioning anyone's motives.

[SolaDude]

Regarding feeding the homeless, I was thinking of buying fast-food gift cards to keep in the car to hand out to people asking for money. I rarely have cash in my wallet, and it seems like a good way to help. But I really don't know if that's something that would be appreciated or if it would seem judgmental.

For some years now, I have handed out $10 McDonald's gift cards placed in a sealed envelope with listings of free food and lodging in the area. I always ask first if they would be interested in having a $10 McDonald's gift card. No one has turned me down. The other day one man was pleasantly surprised, telling me that he thought McDonald's had been shut down everywhere due to COVID.

[ena]

Long before I deconverted I realized that people in the CoC were obsessed with "getting it right" to the point where they ignored the spirit of the law in an attempt to try to find a "letter of the law" that didn't even exist. The whole thing, but especially the "non-institutional" sect of the denomination, exists in an effort to create a binding set of rules out of a document (the New Testament) that has no such set of rules. The NT contains a lot of principles, many of which are ignored in the attempt to create a set of laws.

I don't actually believe there are any such things as gods anymore, but that CoC attitude still irritates me.

Regarding feeding the homeless, I was thinking of buying fast-food gift cards to keep in the car to hand out to people asking for money. I rarely have cash in my wallet, and it seems like a good way to help. But I really don't know if that's something that would be appreciated or if it would seem judgmental.

Since March I've been 100% work-from-home, so I'm not on the road anymore, anyway. But if we ever go back to the office, it's something I need to figure out. Maybe it would be better to just keep a stack of $10 bills and give one to anyone who asks. That way, I'm not questioning anyone's motives.

There are rules but it is not the Law. The laws the Israelites were given because they were a sinful lot. They had lived with Incestuous pagans for 400 years. King Tut was the result of sex between brother and sister. All three mummies have been found and their DNA matches from brother to sister to son. Tut had a club foot from inbreeding. The point is the Israelites no longer had a cohesive moral direction. God and Moses were trying to create a society. A certain amount of trust is necessary to maintain one. Christianity is based on principles more than laws. With them you get rules based on fair play but you have to use your brain to see the pattern. The CoC was after the letter of the law while ignoring the spirit of the law. The Pharisees had the same problem. They had man made rules which they represented as Gods rules. Sound familiar? Food gift cards sounds like a great idea. I normally carry money. I use credit cards for gas. The card is paid off every month. I consider debt modern slavery. I found that $50 dollars gas bills stripped my wallet so my wife and I solved it the same way. I generally don't hand out cash. I do make exceptions. I ask questions like are you hungry? Stupid question but you can learn alot. Can they give a coherent answer? I am retired. So I might have more time but less money? At least I am not worried about loosing a job. I do have plenty to do. I do question motives because there are many out there. The truth does matter very much. You can sense it if you hone the skill. I could not attend a CoC today. I would spend hours ripping the sermons apart. I love to ask questions like how did Judas kill himself. Did he hang or burst assunder. The answer is not in the Bible but outside. Papias gave the answer. He did both. He tried to strangle but was saved. He fell burst assunder. He was infested with worms. It happened at his potters field and the area reaked for many years. I'd love to torque their minds with that. It is an apparent discrepancy.

[SolaDude]

I don’t judge the destination/fate of the deceased. Only God knows.

Yeah, like Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus in the Transfiguration. Where had they been since their deaths? Walking the earth? Heaven? We just don't know the destination and fate of anyone because it's between God and the heart of that person, which no one can know because we do not have that "ESP" power to know the hearts of others. If God can do anything he wants (as opposed to the God of the CofC who lives in a box), then he can save anyone he wants to at anytime he wants to or do ANYTHING else he wants to, heal others, stop violent onslaughts, put evil people to death, and on and on....

Don't we all remember all those dreadfully tearful "it's too late" sermons, talking about all those who didn't make it because they didn't have the chance to go through the 5 steps before they found themselves in their death bed? Well, it's never too late, even on one's deathbed one still has their inner heart and what they decide to do with it before they die with respect to God is between themselves and Him. What kind of God would refuse one calling on His name on their deathbed? Well, obviously the god of the CofC would.

[ena]

Yeah, like Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus in the Transfiguration. Where had they been since their deaths? Walking the earth? Heaven?

Elijah was taken up into heaven. Both have been given resurrection bodies.
Jesus has one. We are not told this in detail but it lives for ever. Jesus is nearly 2000 years old. He can look differently as he does in Revelation. You will be given a ressurrection body if you are saved.

We just don't know the destination and fate of anyone because it's between God and the heart of that person, which no one can know because we do not have that "ESP" power to know the hearts of others.

Jesus judges. We are told that in Revelation. You can know how he judges because it is recorded in the Gospels. No human is good enough on their own. Even Moses was not perfect but was selected because He had his heart right for the function of bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt. He did this at risk of his life. The people he saved nearly rebelled and killed him. They said, "Have you brought us out in the wilderness to kill us." God supplied what was needed. Mana from heaven with a double portion on Friday so they had enough for Shabbat. The stone that God cracked poured water in in the desert is still there. The crack is vertical. There was enough water to pool into a lake so they could water themselves and animals. Today it is called the Rock at Horeb.

If God can do anything he wants (as opposed to the God of the CofC who lives in a box), then he can save anyone he wants to at anytime he wants to or do ANYTHING else he wants to, heal others, stop violent onslaughts, put evil people to death, and on and on....

I found God out in the world away from the CoC. I do not belong to the CoC and want no part of it!!!!!! God can make robots. He clearly wants people to chose to serve him because he did not make robots. You are free to chose. If you want to be a robot then join the Calvinists. This world will degrade into a real mess. It gets so bad that the Lord returns to save Israel which is being attacked at the end of the tribulation by many countries. This is part of future things that the CoC has no idea about.

Don't we all remember all those dreadfully tearful "it's too late" sermons, talking about all those who didn't make it because they didn't have the chance to go through the 5 steps before they found themselves in their death bed? Well, it's never too late, even on one's deathbed one still has their inner heart and what they decide to do with it before they die with respect to God is between themselves and Him. What kind of God would refuse one calling on His name on their deathbed? Well, obviously the god of the CofC would.

The CoC was guilt oriented. You bear your own guilt for your sins. Everyone does. The God of the CoC is a misrepresentation. The five finger exercise is gathered from scripture heavily misinterpreted in meaning. Jesus inspects the heart.

Matthew 7 kjv
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

You can do wonderful things and still miss. What is important is the state of your heart. I don't like the CoC because they focus on the wrong thing. They do not really teach the gospel. They twist it into a mess. When something is wrong you will find lies. When you find lies you find Satan. I found lies. There are reasons why it is not inerrant. Matthew was written in Aramaic. It is a Hebrew derivative so you might hear Hebrew. Other books as well. This is current research and cutting edge. So things are still developing. The problem is that you cannot guarantee an inerrant translation. So Matthew was translated from Aramaic to Greek and then from Greek to English. So do we have an inerrant English Bible. I have noted previously that the first chapter of Matthew has several errors in it. One is that Matthew says that there are 3 lists of 14 generations in the Geneology of Jesus. I noticed that it was one name too short. Even Bart Ehrman noticed it. The Hebrew version of Matthew that was found says that Joseph was Mary's father not her husband. It was mistranslated by the Greek translator. It is not uncommon for Hebrew genealogies to leave out some generations because they get very long. Much of this genealogy is in the Old Testament and 4 names are missing. There is also a generation that has different names. The names in English are transliterated Hebrew. Does it matter? Not much except to those that claim inerrancy. Keep looking for the truth and you will find it. I do not know everything but answers do appear eventually. What is the fruit of the Church of Christ? That should give the answer your are looking for. The CoC is like a spiritual desert. They cannot destroy your spirit. They will wound it. You have to let it out from the jail that it has been shoved in. It is worse for kids that have been raised in it. To explain it you have to study brain development. I consider it downright evil.

[Ivy]

Don't we all remember all those dreadfully tearful "it's too late" sermons, talking about all those who didn't make it because they didn't have the chance to go through the 5 steps before they found themselves in their death bed?

Too late 'twill be
For you to cry
When mercy's gate
Has passed you by
When solemn night
Of dark despair
Will come upon
You halting there.

Now y'all have this earworm. You're welcome!! Seems like this was usually sung on Sunday night or Wednesday night, just before all the kids went out to be wild with their peers.

[Ivy]

I didn't realize RIP or "Rest in Peace" was considered so offensive and hurtful. I have used it, carefully, in the past...usually not with someone who's death is recent. In reading through these, I have taken note of the comments and I'll not be using that anymore.

When my Dad died, I remember being hurt and offended by a friend who said on FB: "So sorry; wish I had known him". It just seemed so flippant and uncaring to me. This was also a friend I'd had a falling out with, so there was that factor. People who are grieving are so raw inside that anything can hit them the wrong way and be hurtful, even when it's meant to be comforting.

[ena]

I didn't realize RIP or "Rest in Peace" was considered so offensive and hurtful. I have used it, carefully, in the past...usually not with someone who's death is recent. In reading through these, I have taken note of the comments and I'll not be using that anymore.

When my Dad died, I remember being hurt and offended by a friend who said on FB: "So sorry; wish I had known him". It just seemed so flippant and uncaring to me. This was also a friend I'd had a falling out with, so there was that factor. People who are grieving are so raw inside that anything can hit them the wrong way and be hurtful, even when it's meant to be comforting.

There is not much you can say to one who is grieving. I have been in really sad situations where you experience every emotion. You can even be glad that they no longer have any pain. Really weird stuff like that. If someone is trying to comfort you just take that way. We all say some really stupid stuff in emotional situations.
Do get things straight with your parents in you can before they pass. There is nothing worse than unsaid things. I do realize there are impossible situations.

My wife's mother died several years ago. The last time I talked to her she was ready to go. She was almost asking permission to die. You can run into stuff like that. She had Parkinson's for which there is no medical cure. There may be a nutritional one. There are nutritional cures were there are not medical ones. Ironically every nutritionist has to declare that what they are saying cannot be taken as a cure. Our laws are that screwed up. Cures are reserved for MD's. The problem is that the cures are elsewhere sometimes. It's sad really. I use Dr. Joel Wallach DVM, ND. He is a veternarian and nutritionist. Google him on youtube with the problem. He is useful.