A Free Thinker is Satan’s Slave
LiveJournal user scarlett_1975 snapped this photo a few days ago: Link - via Accordion Guy.
Now, can someone explain to me what Pastor Ricky Shedd is talkin’ about?
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COMMENT
71 comments to "A Free Thinker is Satan’s Slave"
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Eleanor
September 4th, 2008 at
2:19 am
I think what the pastor means is that if you are a free thinker (open to ideas), Satan’s ploy’s might seem rational to you.
In other words, Idle hands hold the Devil’s plans.
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Joe
September 4th, 2008 at
2:48 am
With all due respect, Eleanor, the pastor obviously means to suggest that if one are not accepting the Bible as literal truth, you are doomed to hell. If you, Eleanor, think otherwise, you clearly have NOT been paying attention.
These individuals don’t want you out there questioning, testing, or learning…any of that stuff that goes against their particular flavor of superstition and/or their racket. Stuff like science, naturalism, evolution, or any other religion are BAD, BAD, BAD, and will win you a one-way ticket to eternal damnation.
This may help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethinker -
Joe
September 4th, 2008 at
2:50 am
” the pastor obviously means to suggest that if one are not accepting the Bible as literal truth, you are doomed to hell..”
Let me try that again:
the pastor obviously means to suggest that if one IS not accepting the Bible as literal truth, ONE IS doomed to hell..”There, that feels better.
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NotMichael
September 4th, 2008 at
3:44 am
I think Joe and Natalie are both right. One can only be open to evil (understood metonymically in Christianity as ‘Satan’) if one is open to new ideas. One can also only be open to truth, rationality, wisdom, innovation, science, progress, technology (from the wheel to the Internet), morality, and happiness if one is open to new ideas.
Often, religion attempts to circumvent the individual’s quest for these things by offering them wholesale through the authority of their faith. But since religion clearly cannot and has not offered innovation, technology, truth, and progress, it is increasingly becoming outmoded and made subservient to other human endeavours. Thus the devout of today claim that faith is a personal, spiritual experience, and does not offer such things as medical care (I’m ignoring the idiots). However, such an attitude would be unheard of in the Middle Ages, when health was seen as a gift and cures to illness were often sought in the Bible and the wisdom of the fathers of the Church.
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Willo the Wisp
September 4th, 2008 at
4:32 am
Has nobody here heard of the term Freethinker as applied to systems of belief and reasoning? I believe this might be what the Pastor is referring to.
From Wikipedia: Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that beliefs should be formed on the basis of science and logic and should not be influenced by emotion, authority, tradition, or any dogma. The cognitive application of freethought is known as freethinking, and practitioners of freethought are known as freethinkers.
Of course, the pastor is wrong: Freethinkers are not slaves of Satan at all, since there is no scientific or logical reason to believe that any such entity exists.
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Davidgfgfg
September 4th, 2008 at
5:56 am
Joe, have you been let down by god before? you sound very bitter!
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ted
September 4th, 2008 at
5:56 am
Why don’t you just attend his sermon and find out?
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Larfin Jackarse
September 4th, 2008 at
5:59 am
Damn I have been freethinking all my life. I should stop.
I saw my older brothers sisters riding pushbikes and thought ‘I want do that’. Silly me.
I saw them learn to drive and thought ‘I want do that’.
I saw some of them get in ‘trouble’ and thought ‘I don’t want do that’
etc
etc
etc
Perhaps the sign should say ‘Don’t believe in my God and my opinion of my authority I believe he has invested in me? Then you are going to hell’. -
Larfin Jackarse
September 4th, 2008 at
6:08 am
>Davidgfgfg
Which God are you referring to? -
AnUnSi
September 4th, 2008 at
6:10 am
Dear Willo the Wisp,
You were certainly right in saying that the pastor of that church was referring to “Freethinkers” — and it was sad to see that the previous commenters were not aware of that.
However, sir or madam, you were wrong to write these words:
“Of course, the pastor is wrong: Freethinkers are not slaves of Satan at all, since there is no scientific or logical reason to believe that any such entity exists.”I doubt that the pastor meant the phrase, “slaves of Satan” literally, as though each and every Freethinker were controlled by the devil. I feel sure that the pastor meant that Freethinkers [including, apparently, yourself] were allowing themselves to be deceived by Satan into accepting atheism, moral relativism, and the like. The pastor is right about that.
Obvious from what I just stated is that you were also wrong to say that “… there is no scientific or logical reason to believe that any such entity exists.” Only people who don’t WANT God and Satan to exist (because of the guilt and fears that they properly feel about their skepticism and immoral behavior) would write the words that you wrote.
The truth is that it is not NECESSARY for “scientific” reasons to exist for a belief in Satan. There are lots of things in human life, the existence for which EVERYONE has a “belief” in, even though there are no “scientific” reasons for them. The most basic of these is LOVE. Moreover, it is indeed through “logical reason” that zillions of people have come to realize that God and Satan exist.
When you repent of your sins and ask God to reveal himself to you, you will come around, Willo.
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Ummmm
September 4th, 2008 at
6:16 am
A 7 hour service?! 11am - 6pm is an awful lot of fire and brimstone to take in.
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Jon Henshaw
September 4th, 2008 at
6:27 am
It may just be a cry for help. Stupidity can be painful.
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Katharine
September 4th, 2008 at
6:31 am
AnUnSi,
When you have any empirical proof of your shit, pls to let us know. Ta.
You obviously don’t understand science.
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avraamov
September 4th, 2008 at
6:50 am
dear AnUnSi
would that include asking any of the non-christian gods that the many billions of kind, righteous, loving people around the world believe in? moral relativism takes many forms - perhaps the insistence that all non-christians are damned to eternal torment is a form of evil in itself. i certainly consider it to be so. the claim that non-christian/secular but good people are somehow deceived by satan, and that morality is the sole preserve of the abrahamic religions is born of misanthropy and ignorance. seen from other perspectives, all religions claim to be the true path, and all teach that damnation will befall the ‘other’ (including buddhism by the way. they just call it the endless cycle of rebirth and threaten you with re-incarnation as a ‘lower’ life form)
i’m just guessing here, but i think perhaps you need to repent of your sins and allow your passport to reveal itself to you…
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Jae
September 4th, 2008 at
6:52 am
I love how AnUnSi assumes that people who don’t believe in a god or HIS god feel guilty about it.
I can’t feel guilty about smacking a puppy that doesn’t exist.
And if you’re so against science, why are you on the internet of all places? And Neatorama, too?
Troll?
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jay
September 4th, 2008 at
7:22 am
Any group- religion is only one example- that requires that people accept dogma on the authority of others as the main criteria in order to be part of that group, is bound to infested with narrow minded people, by definition. ‘Thinking for yourself’ would be dangerous to those in control of the ‘correct way to think’. Its sort of the epitome of animal training and indoctrination.
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edc
September 4th, 2008 at
7:43 am
this is why Christians the world over are afraid of americans.
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edc
September 4th, 2008 at
7:45 am
jae, neatorama isn’t an atheist website.
think [if possible] before writing. -
MoonCake
September 4th, 2008 at
8:05 am
the pastor is using something “most” (not all) christians use to convince others of their own damnation: fear.
it’s a great tactic that policy-makers and heads of state have been using since the conception of religion (which, btw, was CENTURIES before the existence of jesus). they use it because it works. scaring people into believing their “bad” actions only result in eternal hell-fire is a great tactic in getting people to obey. it keeps people subdued. it keeps them from thinking. then when they do something wrong, they blame it on satan instead of themselves. or they yell at god for ruining their life. or they believe praying will solve a problem instead of solving it themselves.
why can’t people just be good because it’s the right thing to be? if you’re being good because some guy told you you’re going to hell if you’re not, how is that NOT a fear tactic? we have seen how this tactic has been used throughout history, and we have seen how it works. why WOULDN’T those who believe in god keep using this same tactic if it means more money for the church? the money that goes into churches could raise entire communities out of poverty. it could feed more hungry mouths than we know. it could place the houseless into shelters and get them back on their feet. it could aid in the recovery of drug addicts. it could even aid in the recovery of our slowing economy. but still, millions of dollars are being pumped towards this invisible entity, hoping it will buy those contributors a closer seat to heaven.
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smak
September 4th, 2008 at
8:24 am
AnUnSi,
I find it amazing that your omnipotent God — a god who, by definition, presumably created everything and knows everything that has happened and ever will happen, and everything that you have done and will do, despite granting ‘free will’ — is also able to condemn people (that He/She created as fully fallible) for not providing them evidence of His/Her existence.
Doesn’t make sense, does it? You know what else doesn’t make sense? Believing in the boogey man. That’s why I — and millions of others — don’t.
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Jae
September 4th, 2008 at
8:33 am
edc:
I wasn’t implying it was. I’ll let you try the thinking now.
Good luck.
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Matt
September 4th, 2008 at
8:53 am
I’m a Christian, and I will say, whoever put that sign up is probably a douche bag.
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LasMan
September 4th, 2008 at
9:14 am
When the crazy religious can’t use rational thought, this is what they stoop to..
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Leela
September 4th, 2008 at
9:16 am
Who knows, maybe there is a misspelling and it was meant to say: “A free thanker is santas slave.”
As a European that makes as much sense to me.Ok, if you are a free-thinker, that is anti-christian (according to Wikipedia), you are probably as intolerant as the pastor here.
What bothers me is an entirely different thing:What is it, that in US-America you can seriously talk or write the term “satan” or “evil” (as in axis of evil)- meaning it literally and still be accepted as pastor or president (leader figure)?
Do you people over there really believe in the personified evil?
Or is it that it just works for “all the others” but not the individual?
Hmmm… -
Rocky
September 4th, 2008 at
9:19 am
“The pansy is the long-established and enduring symbol of freethought…”
Why am I not surprised?
AnUnSi is not a science hater so much as using science as a theological and political doctrine. You cannot hate this person for enjoying the by-products of scientific discovery than you can for yourself living in a Christianized nation that’s peaceful and orderly.
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DV
September 4th, 2008 at
9:27 am
It’s anti-atheist whining from the stupid.
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sparge
September 4th, 2008 at
9:32 am
“why can’t people just be good because it’s the right thing to be?”
I agree, but have you ever met people? They don’t exactly inspire confidence in this ideal.
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Tom
September 4th, 2008 at
9:37 am
What, haven’t you heard? Ignorance is Freedom.
They apparently didn’t read Orwell closely enough.
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edc
September 4th, 2008 at
9:47 am
jae:
actually, you were.
lets not play “who is more polite” you were saying everyone on neato thinks just like you - keep trying with the thinking! -
Jamie
September 4th, 2008 at
10:13 am
Satan preys on people who let their minds go free with whatever thoughts they deem acceptable. God is a God of order, not chaos. God shows us through the Bible that we are unable to control our selfishness without His help. Selfishness (worship of self) is the root of evil and leads to destruction of not only the selfish, but those who follow them. Submission to God, who created you, is the means of living life to its fullest and eternal salvation.
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Woodwose
September 4th, 2008 at
10:47 am
It is amazing how much time has been spent trying to buff and polish this cow flop of a message to reveal it’s inner charm and meaning.
To bad it wasn’t terminated as “A free thinker is.”
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Jae
September 4th, 2008 at
10:53 am
edc:
Wow. Words cannot describe how stunningly ignorant you are.
Good luck with your future internet trolling, I’m done feeding you. Bye.
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Jeff
September 4th, 2008 at
10:56 am
And someone of unquestioning obedience is Jesus’.
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Brice
September 4th, 2008 at
11:58 am
I’ve got to second Matt’s comment (8:53am).
Surprised no one has seized on the sign’s “SS” meeting at 10:00 am. Gotta love church sign irony. Boneheads.
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Bret
September 4th, 2008 at
12:11 pm
Gosh, I sure hope we’re not lumping all Christians together just because of one church’s silly sign…are we?
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Polx
September 4th, 2008 at
12:12 pm
hee hee#
your country is bursting at thwe seams with theocratic arse hats.
Why do any of you rational Americans even bother to grapple with them.
They are idiots who’ve added absolutely nothing to the species aside from endless droves of their idiot issue who are all as unwilling to understand science as they are keen embrace any technology they can to decry those who invented it.
This goes back as far as the bicycle to my certain knowledge.
The bike helped enormously in reducing inbreeding…and was decried from pulpits as the vehicle of the devil.
Same with radio cinema tv internet cellphones satellites etc etc etc.
Those nasty freethinkers, they’re as bad as those scientists.
Ho ho de f*ckin’ ho.
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Neatoramawontsendmeapassword
September 4th, 2008 at
1:36 pm
Thinking = bad.
I don’t really care, though. I’d rather think for myself than end up in heaven with people like AnUnSi.
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alice
September 4th, 2008 at
1:38 pm
I’m glad some people are noticing that it is only SOME christians who are like this. Thanks.
However, to the rest of you, please don’t lump us all together.
My father was a vicar for almost 15years until only recently and has always taught me to think for myself and make my own judgements and my own opinions.
So, please say “some christians”, or something like that. We (I?) get enough prejudice as it is.
Thankyou. -
Skipweasel
September 4th, 2008 at
1:44 pm
One of the most galling things for athiests is to have our ordinary rational behaviour claimed as being religiously inspired by some theists.
I don’t go round not murdering people because my culture’s Christian heritage forbids it, I go around not murdering people because it’s not a nice thing to do. I’m nice to strangers and to people who need a hand because society works better that way rather not because my world outlook is coloured by my society’s dominant religion. You only need look at the commonailty throughout almost all religions and non-religions of certain basic modes of behaviour to see that it’s not down to divine inspiration - if it were you’d have to admit that all religions are the same under the skin.
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Joe
September 4th, 2008 at
4:01 pm
AnUnSi typed:
“Dear Willo the Wisp,
You were certainly right in saying that the pastor of that church was referring to “Freethinkers” — and it was sad to see that the previous commenters were not aware of that.”
It’s sad to see that, although I provided a link to the Wikipedia page on Freethinking, in the SECOND POST, that the magical powers that guide and protect you did not provide you with the grace and clarity to see and take note of it.
Also, just because the giant magical dragon which hovers above my head at all times is invisible and undetectable, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. AnUnsi, you just have to BELIEVE in my invisible dragon, and you can share in the mystical, completely REAL, life-changing experiences which my mighty dragon has given to me. If you DENY my dragon, you are an A-dragonist, and that is just a sick, sad thing to be!
May dragon help you.
Love,
Joe -
Larfin Jackarse
September 4th, 2008 at
4:59 pm
Woohoo!
I’m getting popcorn. -
Larfin Jackarse
September 4th, 2008 at
5:08 pm
Ok, you all need to stop thinking or you are Satan’s (apostrophe please) slave and listen to me.
@Polx
>Why do any of you rational Americans even bother to grapple with them.
Because if they don’t they end up in Iraq, and maybe Iran. Remember the man with his finger on the button believes in the ‘Rapture’ and the ‘Apocalypso’.@Brice
>Surprised no one has seized on the sign’s “SS” meeting at 10:00 am
Yes, good spot. LOL. They were the ultimate fear-mongers and hated free-thinkers.And as others have said (but I said it first, hmmmph) can some please let me know which God we are discussing.
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avraamov
September 4th, 2008 at
5:26 pm
it’s the elves. all religions are down to elves. jesus, mohammed, gauthama and that zoastrian geezer were all spoken to by elves and told to say / write what they did. every saint and prophet has had a little winged chap sitting in his cochlea sending subtle messages down their auditory nerve pathways. l ron hubbard had several, who were on acid and having a bad one. Joe: your invisible dragon is piloted by elves.
there.
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lynne
September 4th, 2008 at
5:42 pm
These are the people who will be voting for McCain / Palin.
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ted
September 4th, 2008 at
6:38 pm
Wow, what a busy thread.
Did anybody notice that AnUnSi never responded? That’s because AnUnSi leaves one comment, and never comments again. It’s like the old lady who passes around Biblical leaflets in the middle of the department store, or the JW who knocks on your door to get it slammed in his/her face. All the irrational and rational debate won’t recall AnUnSi back to the thread. AnUnSi isn’t listening. -
Thomas
September 4th, 2008 at
6:53 pm
Man, I bet Stanhope is glad he didn’t post this. You folks would be tearing him a new one over this shit. Not one word about Alex trying to put divisive content on Neatorama (not that I believe that for a second). If Adam had posted this, it wouldn’t take 20 minutes for someone to call for his removal from Neatorama.
Bunch of hypocrites.
-
Carl
September 4th, 2008 at
8:30 pm
I’m a Christian and a free thinker. Woo! Yay me!
This guy’s sign is pretty awfully worded.
I’m sure he didn’t mean what you people are assuming he means. -
Larfin Jackarse
September 4th, 2008 at
9:01 pm
Every time I see that name >AnUnSi
I see ‘In Anus’, I won’t be saying anything else as someone is bound to point out the Arse in mine (at least I know I am!) -
Easy
September 4th, 2008 at
9:50 pm
I AM SATANS SLAVE
JOIN ME IN HELL
HAHAHAHAHAHHA
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S
September 4th, 2008 at
9:56 pm
>avraamov
What a sad, sick theory you must have formulated in your godless void of atheism. I suppose you think it’s funny to make a mockery of the head dragons? Even though he is neglected and ignored, your floating head dragon loves you and will only show himself after you have dug the elves out of your ear and stepped on him.
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S
September 4th, 2008 at
9:57 pm
er, I meant “elf” instead of “elves” in that last sentence. Damned free-floated godless elves of typos!
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bobby lightfoot
September 5th, 2008 at
11:38 am
Just think how much debate would be generated by a sign put up by some baptist snake handling wang with an I.Q. ABOVE 70!!
Woah!
the interweb sure does rock. Almost as much as amazing cell phones.
I’m going to try to smoke more.
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malcreant
September 6th, 2008 at
10:39 pm
I think it simply means aren’t allowed to think freely if you want to get in good with god.
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Bud Bread
September 7th, 2008 at
5:19 pm
I think he means that, like many Christers, he is an asshole.
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ijdavis
September 9th, 2008 at
7:20 pm
This raises an interesting theological question. Was Jesus a free thinker. Seems to me that the strongest
evidence for the devil, is that fact that christians serve so willingly do evil. -
imp
September 9th, 2008 at
8:16 pm
Speaking as a former Christian:
Christians believe that the human ability to think is corrupted by powerful demonic influences. It’s rather as if Satan had the power of hypnotic suggestion - that he can put thoughts in your head and make you think they’re your own.
The only protection that humans have against this influence is to have faith in Jesus Christ to deliver them. Otherwise, by breaking free of Jesus you become a slave to Satan.
This spiritual condition might be seen as analogous to the physical situation of a child who thinks that once he gets free of his parents and runs away to the Big City, he will never again encounter people who will abuse and exploit him, and of course he is wrong.
The analogy breaks down, however, in that while parents and unsavory members of the urban underclass exist, God and Satan do not. And while human reason is indeed corrupt, its corruption is nowhere more manifest than in the human propensity to embrace ‘faith’ as superior to reason.
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Ron
September 9th, 2008 at
8:25 pm
Oh my god … more crap from all those jesus freaks, no wonder this country is f**ked. More than 70% of Americans don’t use their brains anyway … thanks to FOX and the like, they have been brain washed. If we stop for a minute and think, we would not be slaves to the big coorporations and lobbiests … oh and to Israel, choosen people my foot!
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Jackson
September 9th, 2008 at
8:36 pm
I’m a free thinker so kiss my a** religious freaks!
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UnSabbath
September 9th, 2008 at
8:58 pm
-This just proves what total f@#&ing morons these people are… boogeyman’s gonna gitcha!
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Chimpeach
September 9th, 2008 at
10:14 pm
Hey! They forgot to post the Kool-aid flavor of the month!
Fuh-Q Farging Fuqs!
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paulbe
September 9th, 2008 at
11:28 pm
christians and American christians are two completely different things. I have little time for christians and their stupidity as a rule but can tolerate them, on the other hand, American christians I prefer to think of simply as “the enemy”.
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Kungfublood
September 9th, 2008 at
11:32 pm
What the pastor meant was in order to tell people what to think you must charge them as he does and not give advice for free, or heaven forfend ,allow that every one should have a personal relationship to the divine and those who are free to do so are less craven than he is.
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jw
September 10th, 2008 at
1:19 am
nice pic…I was brought up christian but I found out that even the king james version has been tampered with. I sought a teacher named Jordan Maxwell which you can google, and he taught some REAL truths about God, the bible, astro-theology, symbolism, and so forth. Very interesting stuff to say the least. I believe there is God, but it’s not what we’ve been taught in bible study.
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Unholy
September 10th, 2008 at
6:20 am
I was raised Christian but lately started loosing my faith. Its so funny when you sit in a room full of people with different religions and all claim to be right and think you belong in a place of eternal torture for not believing them.
I honestly wish religion didn’t exist, it causes me lots of emotional stress. Hopefully this will go away over time, but I feel like shit every time I think what if I’m wrong and will end up in hell, regardless whether I live a good life or not just because I noticed there is something wrong with this whole religious thing.
Nowadays a priest raping kids and repenting will go to heaven, but if you read Harry Potter you burn in hell. What a joke, I feel sorry for this world.
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keredine
September 10th, 2008 at
8:18 am
the people satan loves most and controls the best are christianand religious fanatics, because they are the easiest to take over control of, as presently the case in the USA.
all evil has to do is take over the christian leadership(as it has already done) and the sheeple follows blindly into the abyss. god gave us the capacity to think and analyse as a weapon against being deceived. -
C.R.
September 10th, 2008 at
11:34 am
Religion IS the root of all evil.
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bill
September 10th, 2008 at
1:39 pm
Americans dummiest people on earth. This is living proof
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Max Fortres
September 10th, 2008 at
3:58 pm
Our loving govt has hired 26,000 of these pastors to spread ignorance and compliance to govt orders. The “Men of God” will soon be asking you to give up all firearms and go to the 800 FEMA Concentration Camps quietly. They will quote Romans 13 as God’s will that you submit to the foreign invaders with the heavenly blue helmets. Don’t worry about them stealing your stuff, raping your children or wife. The pastor will be looting along side them, he even might be driving your car or truck. You certainly won’t be needing that shiny new bass boat, where you’re going. Don’t be free thinking now! Truth is treason, in the empire of lies.
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Phil
September 11th, 2008 at
11:31 am
I think he means that if you don`t question your own thoughts, than you take them for the truth and dot overcome them.
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cd.hanks@yahoo.com
September 23rd, 2008 at
8:55 pm
Isn’t this jerk part of the same group that claims that we have “free will”? So we have free will but cannot think for ourselves.
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Shane
September 29th, 2008 at
10:32 am
Got good news for all you people that believe in the bible,,,,,, its a false document and there’s no such thing as satan or god,,, they were made up to control people thousands of years ago,,,, sorry i don’t candy coat anything,,, the truth hurts that’s why you get mad,,,, because its the beginning of knowledge not lies made up by some cultist pastor Ricky Shedd. I will leave all you people with this…..
“They must find it difficult…
Those who have taken authority as the truth,
rather than truth as the authority.”
-Gerald Massey
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