Somebody's Watching Us

[prodigal]

Timebuilder

Thank you for making the effort and not hiding your light. It takes courage as well as faith, in the face of enmity.
To all the others on the board, Christ also made clear that Christians will be persecuted for their belief in Him, something which we see in abundance here on this board.

 

[RightPedal]

Hey Timebuilder,
Good work Man!

 

[SushiSlayer]

Timebuilder,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I dont' think I'll ever be convinced - but it is nice to hear people's explanation of their beliefs. It sounds like you have spent quite some time studying your religion and I find that much more respectable than those who tout theirs without knowledge of the religion itself. I see those types all the time. The want me to believe what they say is right, "because it just is..."

In peace,

Sushi.

 

[brianjohn]

Timebuilder-
Excellent post. You are definitely the bigger person here. Rather than make snoddy remarks like I did towards those who choose to rip our beliefs apart, you did it in a more adult, respectful way.
Thank you.

 

[RightPedal]

Warning, This thread could be magic, or be offensive to some;/U]

Something for the unbeliever.
It's ok, All believers were once unbelievers to. I know to well why you war with this thing because I was once there myself. That's why GOD's plan so perfect. To think that GOD loved me so much to allow His best, His Son Jesus, to be exicuted for my crime is beyond me. You don't have to understand it, just accept it. This is a personel thing between You and GOD. Nobody needs to know. Get a New Testament, hide somewhere and ask GOD to reveal Himself to you, read the entire book of St John. Put it away and watch what will happen. Worked for me.

 

[Timebuilder]

I like the fact that we can have a difference of opinions here on a whole variety of topics. Some of the topics have branched out from "strictly aviation" because of the events of the past two years, such as 9-11 and the war on terror. Although I have never met any of you in person, I have come to think of you as friends and associates, many with very distinct personalities. Some of you I would invite into my home, and with others I'd have a cup of coffee at the hotel restaurant.

While you may not agree with what I have to say in my posts, at least you have had an exposure to something you may not have explored on your own. That's knowlege, and knowlege is power. It can be the beginning of new ideas for some, and a minor irritation for others. I'd be doing everyone I consider to be a brother a great disservice if I didn't share these things. The value, if any, is strictly up to your own determination.

It's funny. Just like when I was a broadcaster, I'm still a messenger.

Enjoy your day.

 

[chperplt]

Sorry, my friend. The Bible says different. 1 Guess you'll just have to grin and bear it. You can be consoled by one thing: during the rapture, we will rise to meet Jesus in the AIR. 2

Timebuilder

It's bible thumpers like you that make this world a scary place to be!


dmspilot00

You're right..

 

[Timebuilder]

Think it's scary now?




Just wait...

 

[brianjohn]

chperplt-
And for it's people like you-and me- why Jesus died on the cross.
If you are going to insist that people keep their opinions to theirself, than I would highly recommend you do the same. You display the epitome of hypocrasy.
Hypocrasy isn't for this board.

 

[DarnNearaJet]

"1) WE (that is to say, MAN) are the responsible party for opening the door to sin. Because of this, evil is in the world, and Satan is the "prince" of this world. Bad things happen, and in great number, including the events you cited. We can act against evil, but we alone are unable to overcome it. It is a part of our heritage."


Timebuilder: How did "we" open the door to sin? Please don't respond with the Adam and Eve fable. Honestly, if we are inherently evil, it is because God created us that way. If you site Adam and Eve, He knew they were going to fall before he created them.
To blame cancer, plagues, war, the holocaust, children dying horrible deaths, Frank Lorenzo, orcas killing baby seals on Satan or Adam's gullibility is a stretch.


"In history, God tends to favor the big armies against the little armies."

 

[Chickenhawk]

Do a search on any of the popular engines for the Highest selling book of all time....you'll find the bible still ranks number one, even with Dr. Phil books on the shelves.

Timebuilder....amazing post. You just passed you English Lit class with an A+.

What I truly love are the folks (nameless) who protest. It baffles me how someone can listen to the radio....hate Eminem...yell about how horrible he is...and continue "listening". Turn the radio off....go to a different post....don't reply.....choose not to. That is where you exercise choice. Not by the hypocracy as brianjohn stated.

Peace.

 

[Timebuilder]

DarnNearaJet, you are darn near being right.

But "close" or "near" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

For some, the fact that God knew everything before He created us is paradoxical. From our human standpoint, we ask: "why bother?"

Our only clue is that God wants us to come to Him willingly, because we WANT TO. If we were still the perfect happy beings that we were in paradise, and had not succumbed to temptation, then we wouldn't be having this conversation.

However, everything worked out according to plan, and we must now make an actual decision of faith. Not because God made a mistake, or created "defective" sinful beings. We took on the defect when we chose to disobey God. Did God know we would fail to obey? Yep. But now the lesson is more clear to us than if He had just sat us down and told us a story. Now, we are living the consequences of our disobedience.

You can call it a myth, a fairy tale, or anything else you like. It's still, thank God, a free country.

Thanks for asking, though.

 

[list2002]

"I don't see much of a religious aspect in the holidays anymore here in the US. Stores are open till late or even all day. Most other countries have 2 christmas days (25 and 26 dec.), 2 easter days, good friday, and a host of other ones where pretty much everybody is off. For the sake of the almighty dollar those days have gone by the wayside and all we have left is a few hours on 4 days if you are lucky. And what happened to the sunday? Everybody is working except if you have an office job."

You my friend are a socialist commie

 

[Timebuilder]

List, the things in that quote are the result of post-modernism.

As we become more educated and make more medical and technological advances, we start placing more faith in ourselves than God. Before you know it, we are driving God out of our schools, our homes, and our entertainment, and we wonder why teens are getting pregnant and taking drugs and booze in ever-increasing numbers. We don't understand why children are killing children. We look at muslim extremists, and we refuse to acknowlege the reality of evil in our world.

We stand around wondering why, and refuse to take up the "whole armour" that we have been given to defend ourselves.

Funny, isn't it?

 

[Iceman21]

chperplt: Why is it that people who actually come out and talk about their faith in God called "Bible Thumpers", while those who don't care to listen to it do not recieve a label. If you found the cure for cancer would you tell others about it?

I suppose the next comment is that us so called "Bible Thumpers" are close-minded.

It takes more of an open mind to believe in an omnipotent God, than not to.

In reference to the question of where was God on September 11th, here are some lyrics to a song that was released shortly thereafter.

**********************

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001.



Neither will I.



I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say , "Good-bye."



I held his fingers steady as he dialed



I gave him peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go."



I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children.



I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.



I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out for me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said, of course I will show you the way home - only believe in me now."



I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.



I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.



I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense me?



I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know me. Some met me for the first time on the 86th floor.



Some sought me with their last breath.



Some couldn't hear me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to me...this way...take my hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore me.



I did not place you in the tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for me?



September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."



I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.



Remember...I Love you.


******************************
MP3 of song can be found here (right click, save as)


Takes an open mind to really take it in, doesn't it?

 

[metrodriver]

I agree with chprplt with being scared of the (fanatical?) religiousness of people like timebuilder. The folks that did the 9-11 thing were probably evenly religious, albeit a different religion. They are so deep into their beliefs that if someone says that a certain different religion is bad, they are willing to blow themselfs up for it, taking 3000 other people with them. These are the people who walk around with blinders, seeing things only their way, not even being able to understand why someone else thinks or beliefs differently, and consequently want everbody else to be exactly like them. The result of this are the countless wars that have been and are still being fought, sometimes between groups who originally came out of the same church (protestants and catholics in Northern Ireland and some other parts in Europe). The war in former Yugoslavia, Tutsi's and Hutu's in Rwanda, Israel and Palestine, religious prosecution during ww2.....
Bible thumpers is the term chperplt used, I know we are the 'lost souls', people that need to be 'rescued' (from what I've never figured out).
Although I never read a bible, and don't have any inclination to, I do know some of what's in there, just like the koran. In elementary school we had a class about religion, about all the different religions that are out there in the world, what the main ingredients are and what sets them apart. Just information, no preaching. I wish some of the 'bible thumpers' would go through a class like that, might open a few eyes.
Whatever your belief, keep it for yourself, just like sex (or whatever you do in the bedroom), your social security number, bank account number. I don't need to know and I don't want to know.
If you stick to that, we will have some very pleasant flights and layovers together if we ever happen to be flying for the same outfit.

 

[Timebuilder]

They are so deep into their beliefs that if someone says that a certain different religion is bad, they are willing to blow themselfs up for it, taking 3000 other people with them. These are the people who walk around with blinders, seeing things only their way, not even being able to understand why someone else thinks or beliefs differently, and consequently want everbody else to be exactly like them.

What you have described is called evil. You see all beliefs as being equivalent, just as that class in school taught you. This is called ecumenicalism. Frankly, I can't imagine you being "exactly like me". We come from different backgrounds, and have had different experiences. In fact, you would probably see things differently than I do if you took the time to read the Bible, but you don't know that, either. You suppose that it's so.

When you don't have a good, informed reason to hate something, you have to lump it in with other things that people will think are bad, like the actions of some evil people on 9-11. By doing so, you hope some of what they did will rub off on believers in God, simply because they "believe" something, as if the "belief itself" is what is bad. It's like saying that a 152 is the same as a 747 because they both fly.

The result of this are the countless wars that have been and are still being fought, sometimes between groups who originally came out of the same church (protestants and catholics in Northern Ireland and some other parts in Europe). The war in former Yugoslavia, Tutsi's and Hutu's in Rwanda, Israel and Palestine, religious prosecution during ww2.....

There is a great difference between having a religious belief and having a belief in God. Northern Ireland is a political conflict, and because the differing parties came from different backgrounds to begin with, the conflict is easily labled as a conflict between two religious groups. Yugoslavia is a war of ethnicity, where the two groups of different ethnic backgrounds happen to come from different beliefs. These political conflicts are no more complicated than a riot between opposing soccer club fans.

Just information, no preaching. I wish some of the 'bible thumpers' would go through a class like that, might open a few eyes.

What makes you think that believers are deficient in this area? I have also studied Bhuddism, Hinduism, Transcendental Meditation, Silva Mind Control, and Sufism. I hosted a show about New Age beliefs for seven years. I guess I have some stripes, eh?

Whatever your belief, keep it for yourself,

The belief itself is counter to that: Matthew 28:18-20.

we will have some very pleasant flights and layovers together if we ever happen to be flying for the same outfit.

Since I pick when and how I will share this information, you could do a flight or twenty flights with me and never hear a word of the Gospel. I have become adept at picking a person who is ready to hear, and one who will never be ready.

Thanks for a healthy discussion. I have to get to the airport.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

It is interesting that the Bible seems to pierce the heart. People of other religions (e.g., Muslim, Mormonism, etc.) can tell a person about their beliefs yet people typically don't feel threatened. Talk about the Bible and a defense mechanism kicks in.
Granted, the "TV preachers" types have fueled the "whacked out" perception. Personally never felt threatened by them because I doubted if their convictions and faith were true. Jesus disdained hypocrites more than any of us.

 

[dsee8driver]

Move on..

Whatever your belief, keep it for yourself, just like sex (or whatever you do in the bedroom), your social security number, bank account number. I don't need to know and I don't want to know.

If you really don't want to know, why not just, MOVE ON! Stop replying and/or reading. This is, afterall, a FREE COUNTRY, where anyone with an opinion can express it. Anytime, anywhere and about anything.

Timebuilder,

I enjoyed reading your posts, thanks for the time and explanations.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

From DC8:

"Whatever your belief, keep it for yourself, just like ......
your social security number...."

Sorry, DC8 had to chime in on this one...there are so many people out there that have access to this cursed number (banks, credit cards, cell phone companies, utility companies, about any type of insurance, the college you may have gone to, guberment, etc, etc).

Totally agree with sex life and bank accounts .