177 thoughts on “Friday Challenge: Six Word Autobiography”

    1. Fundies have their deity in a little box. The box is buried in a time capsule under the cornerstone of the new gazillion dollar addition to the building.

    1. Some technical things happened that were totally my fault. I’m trying to get it back.

      (fingers crossed)

      1. Don’t you mean:

        “Forum down – my bad. Stay tuned!”

        (I think you’ve created a monster…)

    2. I think some fundy hackers are at fault…they couldn’t think of six positive words to say about themselves.

    1. Nice.

      Sadly, I’ve seen this outside fundamentalism and in my own life. Our church culture is set up this way it seems.

      1. BRO (I love that acronym),

        It looks like your MOG had an inferiority complex (would only use the small “g”)…my MOG had no such inhibitions.

        If you’re going to be one, be a Big Red One!
        Bro Bluto

      2. Courtesy of Pastor Bill O Edacity:

        Of course web sites like this run down pastoral authority! In these apostate times, there is no respect for the position. God has given strict requirements for the office of pastor, which means it is in important office. When I was under a pastor, I never rebelled against his authority, and today, we have blogs where people just openly mock the pastor. One wonders how God can withhold judgment.

        The pastor isn’t God, but God has placed him in your life and he watches for your soul… and he may just know more about the Scripture that you do, with your sarcasm and snide remarks.

        Pastor Bill (still proud to be a pastor)

        1. he watches for your soul…

          Just what does that mean anyway?

          This is the one of those proof-texts that those self glorifying office holders use to elevate themselves and proceed to dictate how everyone under their voice (read control) should act, especially since they feel justified in projecting their sanctimonious morality onto the members of their so-called flock!!

          I’m sorry folks, my opinion of the so-called office of pastor is less than that of politician, and I believe politicians are lying scum. I know there are some good men who occupy the position but I just have zero respect for the position (at least as far as what I have observed in so called pastors in 50 years). There may be individuals I could respect but the way the office is practiced, and what I have observed is a pathetic display of arrogance, false humility, and desire for power… all in the name of M-O-g wrapped in a religious power suit. bleh!

        4. petrushka1612,

          I, too, wonder how God can withhold judgment from pastors. And from a whole host of others who seek power in His Name.

          I have only two possible explanations, and I don’t like either one.

          First, God withholds judgment from them because He is comfortable with what they are doing. That would make God a liar, an abuser, and complicit with evil.

          OR, God withholds judgment from them because He is incapable of judging them. He really doesn’t have any power, and the whole shebang is possibly a lie. Things the pastors call God’s judgment, like tornados and hurricanes and earthquakes always hurt the poor, the helpless and rarely touches the rich thieves and scoundrels. And the power mongers always seem to escape. This means that God is very bad at hitting the right targets.

          One would think that since God was so quick to bring judgement upon sinners in the Old Testament that He would do the same thing in appropriate situations today to show His power and offer His grace. No dice.

          It often seems that my atheist friends are far more compassionate to human needs than are my fundamentalist friends!

          I am *this* close to washing my hands of the mess. That God would *LET* these MOGs do what they do in His Name and get away with it makes me sick to my stomach.

        5. But there is another possibility.
          That God’s judgment is perfect.

          It may be that God is dealing with some of them as he dealt with Nineveh. There may yet be a point where some will repent and run to God for mercy. As a recipient of such mercy I can praise God for not judging me when I clearly deserved nothing less.

          It may be that God is deferring judgment. When he does render judgment it will be final and without remedy. By his common grace he may be allowing them to run their course in this life prior to his ultimate judgment.

          While we often want immediate results we realize that we are operating from the handicap of limited knowledge, and sinful presuppositions. While we would call down fire on “those sinners” sometimes we forget that, “but for Grace, there go I.”

          Yes, while I rant and bluster against the religious machine, the excesses found there, the corruption, and the power lust inherent in the positions of authority of the man-made, man-centered religious practices which we called “Church,” I try to leave room for God to deal with folks according to his purposes and not just my own thirst for vengeance. Yet, I too, often wonder, “How long oh Lord… how long?”

        6. Maybe. But to be honest, God doesn’t seem to do much of anything that demonstrates that He exists, or that He actually judges the wicked and preserves the righteous.

          Instead, disasters, disease, death all seem to be visited on the helpless, the poor, the ones who cry for justice and mercy and get none. Where is the Father of the Fatherless?

          And instead of having time to repent, these upstarts who take it upon themselves to shear the sheep, to give false messages, to promote themselves and their authority have time to get more wicked. The Gospel is held in disrepute because of them.

          So I can’t see that God has done any “judging” for hundreds of years. Maybe thousands. His Name gets used to justify all sorts of evil at the hands of the powerful.

          The God who is supposed to answer prayer too often doesn’t answer. He punishes the righteous and rewards the wicked.

          If everything is under His providential control, then He has a lot to answer for. Of course, he can pass it off as good because He is God. But that means that Good is totally arbitrary, and not even Abraham believed that was appropriate. Abraham applied an external standard to God when he said, Should not the Judge of All the Earth do Right?

          Imagine! A man giving God advice! And yes, Abraham shook in fear as he said it, but he said it and God listened.

          But today?

          I am sorry. I don’t see it. Maybe I am just tired. But God seems to be very, very quiet, or else His “ministers” are so busy acting like fools by His leave that no one can actually hear anything but rot and nonsense.

          And if God, who promised to answer the prayers and meet the needs of His people can’t or won’t, if His Salvation makes no practical difference in the lives of those who claim it other than to make them more selfish and scornful, then how in the world are the claims of salvation after physical death to be believed?

          I know. I know. I am asking for *it*. All my life I was in terror of God hitting me and punishing me, even when I was trying to please Him. But I have decided that honesty is the best policy after all. I am going to ask the hard questions. I want faith to mean something. God can decide not to answer, of course. He never does. But my request for understanding is honest.

          In the Scripture, God never, ever commanded belief without evidence. He always pointed to a clear work. Those inclined to believe without evidence wind up drinking poison koolaid.

        7. In the Scripture, God never, ever commanded belief without evidence. He always pointed to a clear work.

          And that work was completed on the Cross.
          God’s word is sure and God is everything he says he is. Faith is not based on the sort of evidence those around the cross were calling for, “Come down, save yourself and we will believe,” rather saving faith is based on “having been with us so long he showed us the Father and that greater love has no one than when he gave his life for those whom he loved.”

          If God were to act according to our requirements then he truly would be capricious and completely untrustworthy. There have always been men who acted in their own selfish interests, men who control others and manipulate others for their own gain. When we focus on them then we have taken our eyes off of God and we miss what God has for us in our own life. (Of this is am most guilty)

          When Abraham said, “Should not the Judge of All the Earth do Right?” who was that for? God? Or Abraham? Were 10 righteous souls found? Did the Judge of all the earth not do right? Did he not do right in his dealings with Nineveh? It’s hard to stand in judgment of God and accuse him of not doing right (even Abraham didn’t do that).

          Just remember the Problem of Evil lies in the broken sin nature of Mankind… not in God.

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