Tenma's Corner

[Oscar Pappas]

N0gami_Neur0

Okay I got a subject. . . My friend says she has a ghost in her house and she wants to be it's friend. . . what's up with that?

Not a what, but ultimately a who. "What's down with that" may be more apt.

I smell brimstone. Even if not an actual preternatural agency directly at work, this desire is, with all due respect, misplaced and disordered at least.

If they want a ghost for a friend, how about THE Ghost?  

[Oscar Pappas]

Coram Deo

It wasn't long enough. J/K lol I'm glad to hear that. I've heard some atheist stories and one time an atheist wanted to help out a church group at a homeless shelter and they told him to leave which made him a little upset. So I very much dislike when Christians give atheists a reason to hate us. However, if an atheists dislikes you simply because you are a Christian, don't worry, Jesus told us that that would happen. When the disciples were chased out of a town with stones they rejoiced because they were being persecuted for Christ's sake. I hope your friend accepts Christ. . .

Part of the problem is when we see people as problems, or something to 'deal with'. We tend to witness as if we are selling Amway. We have to meet and know and care for people right where they are. 'Wise as serpents' means also being informed.

What if we get all blabbermouth about, say, abortion. We don't know who these walking wounded are. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. We could be inflicting collateral damage with the Gospel. These people, IMO, are already racked with guilt which is often hidden behind a mask of indifference which is masking wrath. "... gentle as doves"

If you have the guilt, acceptance and forgiveness seems the remedy. Christ isn't an agenda. Christ didn't often just smash on in with accusation. The woman at the well is a classic example. He didn't blaze in with "Harlot, you are going to Hell!" He knew about her first. He took water from an untouchable. He loved her. Where she was. He didn't beat her over the head with 'the word' He IS the word. We must be so as well.

This segues into another big difference between what Catholics and Orthodox mean by 'The Word' as opposed to what most other Christians do.
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[Oscar Pappas]

Coram Deo

Oop!! good luck. . . Anyway I've only spoken to atheists online. My first run-in with atheists was on Yahoo answers. I was like okay I'll answer and ask Biblical questions and throw my view out there and suddenly all these atheists started throwing verbal punches at me! I was freaked out and thought about what they said for days . . . when I was calmed i tried again and the same thing happened. I couldn't win. since then I came to the conclusion that I have to be careful around atheists not to offend them... but thats not right either. Jesus told us to rejoice when stuff like that happened. And I need to defend my faith so I try not to offend Atheist but I'm not going to tell them that what they believe is okay. I don't have all the answers and I don't claim to be some super spiritual person. God is working in me and let me just there is a lot of work to be done.

YA R&S is a pit of scorpions and vipers. I'd like to be more charitable, but that 'place' is chock full of mockery, pain, and derision. I bailed. I think I got a really good reminder of what 'hard hearted' means in there. Don't sweat it.