ThePlacebo wrote:@ Osy: If I wanted reasoned argument, I'd go to a decent forum and post full-length posts. This is just amusing for me. Outrage is certainly not the best word to describe my current state of mind. And anyway, you waver between being just plain wrong (your comment about the Catholic church not being known as the Catholic church until the 1500s; just see the apostles creed) and not making sense. I haven't seen anything compelling from you.
@ Eva. Lol, chill dude. And spreading the gospel does not mean the conversion of people, you've taken that way out of context and twisted it for your own purposes (as atheists tend to do with anything religious). I may be bitterly sarcastic but I am certainly not aggressive, if you think I am I suggest you just harden up.
Funny you tell me to chill when you even got to swear in one of you posts ("what the hell...").
About taking things way out of context. I haven't, I have pasted it from the introduction to an evangelical site. Could you explain to me exactly how it is taken out of context? my poor-little-understanding atheist mind does not understand how that is taken out of context. If you want I can paste the whole page here. here's another example, taken from the part of "our values"
our values:
"We value people becoming followers of Jesus Christ.
We believe God commands us to engage the harvest by bringing all people into a vital saving relationship with Jesus; therefore, we exhort each church to effectively impact their community through servant evangelism and to multiply through planting new churches in new communities.
We believe God commands us to provide a healthy church family for new believers as well as for the unchurched; therefore, we promote the revitalizing and renewal of existing churches through prayer, assessment tools and trained coaches who can walk with them into health.
We believe God commands us to disciple believers to experience the cleansing and empowering of the Holy Spirit in order to live holy lives out of a pure heart; therefore, a goal of discipleship, preaching, and teaching is to lead believers into this deeper life.
We believe God commands us to make disciples of all people; therefore, we actively recruit, appoint and place people overseas as well as working with ethnic groups in the United States. We partner with national churches as well as other mission groups to accomplish this mission"
We believe in a vital holy relationship with Jesus Christ; therefore, we boldly proclaim the necessity of being cleansed from sin through the in-filling of the Holy Spirit so that we may be Christ-like.
As you are studying evangelical studies I guess you know about this site. If not, you can find more of this on
http://theevangelicalchurch.org
It does say very clearly "We believe God commands us to make disciples of all people". My first language is not English, but I think I know what "all people" means. Also, if spreading the gospel doesn't mean the conversion of people, can you explain to me exactly what is it when people from religious groups knock on my door (not once or twice, but quite a few times over my life) asking me if I believe in God and how I should believe in God and if I've read the Bible and about salvation of my soul etc? To me, that looks pretty much more like trying to convert me than me asking them. As I've said before, it's not all religions, but all these groups claim to be believers of God and Jesus Christ, so if you weren't aware of this happening, maybe the Catholic (or Christian, not sure if they are catholic or just sectarian Christian groups?) check out who's out there trying to spread the word in a very active way.
By the way, I remind you that it was you who started this whole topic and wanted to hear what people say. not sure why you get so offended about what we say. So far, you haven't given too much evidence to support of anything you say, and when you get it given, you can't accept it? Why is this a place only for justified opinions and not reasoned arguments? what is wrong with reasoned arguments? That is the way that i can give value to my opinions (and your opinions!).I would like to see some evidence for your arguments, instead of apparently unfounded generalizations, etc.
And now, yes, I am going to chill out. I am going to have a session of yoga, which will make me a much nicer, calmed and forgiving person, without the need of God