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Hi to my Forum Friends,

To celebrate the return of our old Friend, Deep, to the Religion Forum, again! And, to mourn the degradation brought upon the Religion Forum by a "Noo Yawk City transplant" and another from the South Shore who has come back under a new name -- I would like to share a story with you that I posted several years ago while jousting with my dubious Friends, Deep and Fish.

This wee story I wrote myself. I pray that you will enjoy it. Keep in mind that while the story is fictional, and the characters are fictional, there is so much truth in the tale itself. You might call it a prophetic short story.

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NOTHING COMES TO FORUMLAND!

Once upon a time, long ago, in a land far away named Oblivion, there lived two atheist friends. These friends were named Argue and Debate. Now, one thing that both Argue and Debate agreed upon was that they believed strongly in Nothing. This was their faith, their religion, the religion of Nothing. They worshipped Nothing; they adored Nothing; their lives were dedicated to Nothing.

One day, as they were wandering around in search of Nothing, they happened to stumble upon a new valley, the valley of Forumland. Oh, they were so excited. "Maybe," chimed Argue, "we can find others here who know Nothing!"

"Yes," declared Debate, "if not, we can surely introduce them to Nothing!"

They were so excited; possibly there were many people here who either knew Nothing -- or could be lured into knowing Nothing.

"Just imagine the possibilities, if we can convince many others to also believe in Nothing," Debate told Argue. "Then, maybe we can build a cathedral dedicated to Nothing. That will be a glorious tribute to our god, Nothing."

So, in the new valley of Forumland, Argue and Debate set about to plant their seeds and to lay plans for building their cathedral to Nothing. First, they had to develop a relationship with the people of Forumland. "Come," said Debate, "we will get into a conversation with them; assure them that we are Friends; and then we can talk about Nothing."

Walking along in Forumland, the two friends happened upon a small group of Forumland residents. Right away, Argue and Debate began to talk with these good folks. Discovering that many of these folks believed in someone called God; the two friends were somewhat taken aback. But, that did not deter them. They were determined that these folks were going to become followers of Nothing.

Argue began, in his sly way, to lead the group of Forumland residents into a discussion. He asked, "Do you really believe in this God? Why do you believe that He really exists?"

One local fellow, Bill, replied, "Truthfully, until twenty years ago, I was very much like the two of you. I wandered in the world, loving the ways of the world, and following Nothing. But, then a Friend told me about God -- and this Friend was so full of love, warmth, and peace, I realized he must have something that I was lacking. I had Nothing; but, he had his God. I was wandering; but, he was grounded in love and peace."

"So, when he told me about his God, I began to investigate this new Person. I went to church, I went to Bible studies -- and one thing I noticed was that these folks in church and Bible study also had this love and peace I was lacking. Because of this, I kept going to church and Bible study. I kept learning more and more about this God. And, the more I learned, the more I realized that the god, Nothing, that I had been following was just that -- he was Nothing."

"After six months of this, I felt this love and peace coming into my heart. I was surprised; but, I said, 'Yes, God, please come into my heart and bring all of Your love and Your peace. I want to follow You and Your Son, Jesus Christ.'

"Since then, I have had God's love and peace in my life. Really, Argue and Debate, you should try it. You should go to a Bible-teaching church and Bible study and see if you can rid yourself of Nothing and find God."


Of course, Argue began to argue, "You say that this love and peace JUST came into your heart?"

"No," replied Bill, "As I learned more about God, I began to realize that He had what was missing in my life. Then, I began to seek Him; I wanted to know more about Him. It took me about six months to realize that I wanted Him to be my Lord and Savior. That is when I prayed and asked Him to come into my heart; that is when I was saved -- and love and peace came into my heart -- for He forgave me all my sins."

So, debated Debate, "If it is that easy, I guess that even Hitler might have been saved?"

"Actually," Bill told him, "Yes, even Hitler could have been saved if he had sincerely turned to the Lord in repentance and asked Jesus to come into his heart. That said, I truly doubt that he did -- for he scoffed at everything of God."

"You see,"
Bill continues, "the only sin which cannot be forgiven is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ; for by rejecting Him you condemn yourself. By rejecting Him, you, by default, choose to follow Satan -- and this action of yours condemns you to an eternity with Satan."

Then, Bill told them, "Even Judas Iscariot could have been saved if he had truly repented. Yet, the Bible tells us that Judas was indwelt by Satan at the Last Supper and never repented. We read about this in John 13:26-27 and Mark 14:21. Oh, Judas was sorry about his action of taking thirty pieces of silver as his price to betray Jesus. And, Judas ended much like Hitler, by taking his own life. We read about this in Matthew 27:3-10."

By now, Debate is incensed, "I suppose you even believe in the myth of Creationism?"

"Actually," Bill smiled, "Yes, I do. If you are sincerely interested I can explain. You see, nature, the human body, the universe, the relationship between the earth, the sun, the planets, moon, and stars -- all of these things declare the glory of God and His Creation. Later, if you are interested I can give you much more detail to prove that Creation is indeed true and factual."

This really starts to get under Debate's skin; he responds, "Evolution is the only thing that is factual and true. I can give you many web sites which prove evolution!"

Bill responds to Debate's challenge, "No, Debate, rather than showing me what other evolutionists who are devoted to Nothing write; why don't you tell me, in detail, why you believe in evolution."

Debate sputters and fumes, "No, you are really stupid. I tell you that evolution is factual; but you will not listen!"

"No, Debate," said Bill, "You tell me to look at web sites written by others; but, you have not given me any knowledge or facts which come from you. Tell me exactly what you know about evolution and why it is factual. Remember, even Charles Darwin said that if scientist cannot show a transitional 'missing link' fossil record -- then, evolution is gasping its last breath. What can you personally tell me, from your own knowledge, that will show me, absolutely, that evolution is alive and well?"

Angrily, Debate declares, "Bill, you are really stupid. Look at this web site, www.blah-blah-blah.com. And, there are others. Go to this web site: www.hotair.com. Are you so thick headed and moronic that you cannot read what these honest, sincere evolutionists, followers of Nothing, have written?"

"No," Bill once again replied, "I want to know what you, Debate, and you, Argue, know; not what a bunch of other Nothing followers tell you. What do you know? Can you, from your own knowledge, tell me why evolution is factual? Don't just huff and puff, calling me names. Show me the meat! Show me the 'missing link' fossils. Lay it on me!"

Now, both Debate and Argue are boiling, "Bill, you are too stupid for us to waste our time. We don't want to talk with you anymore. Just go away and leave us to tell these good people about Nothing."

Smiling, Bill tells them, "I am sorry, my atheist Friends, but I cannot leave Forumland and allow you to build your cathedral to Nothing. I must make sure that these good folks, my home town family, at least have the Word of God to balance against your words of Nothing."

And, so, the saga of God versus Nothing continues in Forumland; each with their champions; each continuing to share his truth -- or His Truth -- until one day Jesus comes and Raptures His followers away -- leaving Forumland totally in the hands of Nothing.

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Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of "Nothing Comes To Forumland."

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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And man....SOME of us can't WAIT for that rapturey stuff to get going. As long as your sheep don't go into rapture in the fast lane during rush hour. I see many of them rehearsing on a daily schedule out there. It's bad enough already.

*This guy's like a 419 scammer...Ya gotta keep him busy so he doesn't have time to scam anybody else...*

"Stick outcha can-Here comes da garbage man."
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Originally posted by semiannualchick:
quote:
Originally posted by Billy Joe Bob Gene:
Insanity. Madness.

I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that Billy has put that same story on this forum? I think he's kind of struck on his writings.

Hi Chick,

Actually, only the third -- once for each of Deep's reincarnations on the Religion Forum. Although, I may have missed one or two of them since I only officially counted three.

Y'all come back now, ya heah?

Bill

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Bill, you should welcome people back again, and again. And then again. And if they come back, under another name, welcome them again.
Maybe they are seeking something. Ever thought of that? Do you think they come here just to p#$$$ you off? I doubt it. Nobody has that kind of time on their hands.
Everybody has a right to their opinions- you just wind up looking like a fool when you jump all over them.
Why not just suck it up, and play nice?
Who knows? Maybe someone needs a kind ear, or a friend, not a judgemental lunatic classifying them as "nothings".
As a Christian, you should be able to kindly and compassionately explain your faith. You should not be rude and condescending- even if you are faced with what you are perceived as rudeness, or anti-Christian, YOU know better, and are called to be patient and kind.
Now, it is difficult when presented with views on Atheism and anti-Christian viewpoints. But this is when YOU are called to be Christ-like. Don't condemn people, don't be a knowitall.
Be a friend, for goodness sake. And if they don't want to hear it from you, MOVE ON!
THere are plenty of opportunities for one to be compassionate and tolerant. There are no appropriate times to be self righteous and indignant.
It doesn't speak highly of Christians, nor does it lend well to people wanting to follow you.
WELCOME to our new Forum Friends- even if you are reincarnated. All the more reason to welcome.
This forum's moderator is not Bill Gray. I believe I speak for many when I say we are welcoming of your thoughts and ideas, and glad of your virtual friendship.
This was my first time to read Bill's story. I didn't find it offensive. I found it entertaining and it hit the nail right on the head. I always am amazed at the amount of faith athiest have to believe the things that they do as I am sure they feel the same about me. It also always surprises me how rude and beligerent they become over religion. It seems to really set some people off. Why can't they just ignore the postings that they deem stupid?
quote:
Originally posted by Shoals Resident:
This was my first time to read Bill's story. I didn't find it offensive. I found it entertaining and it hit the nail right on the head. I always am amazed at the amount of faith athiest have to believe the things that they do as I am sure they feel the same about me. It also always surprises me how rude and beligerent they become over religion. It seems to really set some people off. Why can't they just ignore the postings that they deem stupid?

Hi Shoals,

Even more confusing -- they do not believe that God exists; they hate any mention of God's name -- yet, they cannot wait to get into a Religion Forum where we talk about God. Do you see any logic in that?

That is like the guy who cannot stand the sight of horses -- standing in front of the line at the Kentucky Derby.

As I said in my story -- the only logical reason can be that they truly are Argue and Debate. I am convinced that if our atheist Friends could not find someone with whom to argue -- they would find a mirror and argue with their own image.

Oh, well, as VP said -- maybe them being here is really by God's design; He wants them exposed to His Word -- knowing that we will reach one or two with salvation.

So, I guess we can tolerate the others -- to save that one or two.

Stay faithful, my Friend. He is coming again -- and I believe -- soon.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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quote:
Originally posted by semiannualchick:
Billy, it's really none of your business who is a member on this forum.

Hi Chick,

You seem to be addressing me; yet, using the name Billy makes me wonder. Do you mean me, Bill Gray, or do you mean Billy Joe Deep?

I am not trying to exclude anyone. As a matter of fact, our atheist/secularist Friends have given me my best platforms for sharing the Gospel. They have been great partners in sharing God's Word.

My question to them is, and I believe it is a valid question -- why do you even want to be on the Forum where all we talk about is God?

They do not believe He exists. At least, they try to convince us of this. Yet, I have always had my doubts.

If I hated seafood -- the last place you would find me is in a Seafood Restaurant.

So, if these guys dislike Christians and God so much -- why do they want to hang out with us? There must be some attraction. I suspect that they are really hoping we can convince them that God is truly real.

And, for that reason also -- I welcome them on the Religion Forum. Hey, if only one of them is saved -- it is worth all the effort of dealing with the group.

So, you see, I am not trying to exclude them; only trying to understand them.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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quote:
Originally posted by Bill Gray:
You seem to be addressing me; yet, using the name Billy makes me wonder. Do you mean me, Bill Gray, or do you mean Billy Joe Deep?

I am not trying to exclude anyone. As a matter of fact, our atheist/secularist Friends have given me my best platforms for sharing the Gospel.

So, if these guys dislike Christians and God so much -- why do they want to hang out with us? There must be some attraction. I suspect that they are really hoping we can convince them that God is truly real.
Bill


No, I was speaking to you.
Maybe you have given them the best platforms for sharing the non-existence of the Gospel.
If you like Christians and God so much -- why do you want to hang out with them?
Maybe they are really hoping they can convince you that God is truly not real.
It can go both ways you know.

I've never seen you show any kindness to these people, you are constantly putting them down & making fun of them. Not a Christian way at all.
I get it. Bill thinks this is holy war.
He's already issued his fatwa.

The whole "standing in the doorway" thing. I get it.

I don't hate the mention of god's name. Not at all. In fact, I came here looking to see if I could learn something. Oh brother! I learned all right.

I learned so far that:

A.) The whole idea of 'god' is no clearer to me than when I started looking for evidence, because, apparently nobody else really knows either.
B.) Anybody who says they DO know all about god is lying. Period.
C.) With very few exceptions, believers are like a big ol' bowl of Mueslix cereal. Whatever ain't nuts and flakes, is fruit, and,
D.) The one who dies with the most sheep wins.

I dunno if this is what BeeG wanted to teach me, but then that isn't what I asked him when I first got here. I asked him what *he* thought about god and religion. He has done nothing but duck-and-dodge the question since I asked it.

Nope, he just points to his book and chatters like a gibbon. Therefore, because he can't really give me any information that I can actually DO something with- (well, maybe besides joining up with a 'righteous' southern fundamentalist church and give them my money while we all stand around blocking doorways and stroke each other about how we can sin to our hearts' content and it's OK, 'cause we got our tickets punched for all eternity as long as we accept Jesus as our lord and savior and ask for forgiveness..) *I can drive a hundred miles an hour and not lose a drop of that savin' power/long as I got that plastic Jesus sittin' on the dashboard of my car....*

-I have to pretty much disregard what he tells me.

How can anyone learn from someone whose attitude is such that if you have to ask-You wouldn't understand?

Of course Bill is probably going to belittle me again like a good, righteous Christian and tell me I'm working for the devil because I'm thinking for myself and questioning his logic..

Sorry Bill, I'm not working for your devil. I don't believe in him. This isn't war. This is more like throwing rocks at retards-While it CAN be amusing for a short time-It still ain't right.

Hmm..Now that I think of it further-Maybe Bill DID answer the question I asked him-By pointing at his book. Maybe he's incapable of forming his own opinions and beliefs.

Where I come from, we call those kinda folks "zipperheads." (Unzip, add whatever you want to be in there-zip it back up.)

I guess this is what I get for asking the opinion of someone who is incapable of forming one.

I'm of the belief that ethics came before religion. I think people realized that they needed some rules to live by to improve the quality of their lives and because the simple folk at the time needed convincing, they needed some consequences to face for breaking those rules, the idea of an all-powerful, all-seeing 'ruler' was created *by man* to scare the savages into toeing the line.

That makes sense to me.

Oh. Yeah, Bill. How is it that people who don't blindly believe what YOU believe are in your own words, "Nothing?"

Who put YOU in charge of deciding what aspects of religion (of which atheism/agnosticism is one) are to be discussed in this forum?

I don't remember seeing "The Church Of Bill Gray. All others keep out." in the title of this forum....
quote:
This wee story I wrote myself. I pray that you will enjoy it. Keep in mind that while the story is fictional, and the characters are fictional, there is so much truth in the tale itself. You might call it a prophetic short story.



I do believe that is the stupidest thing I've ever attempted to read. Don't give up your day job Bill.
quote:
How can anyone learn from someone whose attitude is such that if you have to ask-You wouldn't understand?


Right. There is no superiority among true Christians: there is sharing and fellowship. There is so much that I don't know/understand. I have lots of questions. Sometimes I post them just to gain insight, different ways of looking at things. There is no right answer in matters of Faith. Sometimes people tell you, you wouldnt understand maybe because THEY don't understand. But I will say this, anyone that "dismisses" and acts in a condescending manner to someone questioning matters of Faith is **NOT** doing "God's work". **DISCLAIMER my opinion. not directed at any one person.
I don't know how you folks even know what " Mr. Bill" is saying. Someone asks a simple question and he writes a book on here to "try " and give an answer. I, too, am a Christian but I read books in the comfort of my den or bedroom....not here on the forum from someone who appears to be trying to save the world. Lost souls are our business but there are plenty out on the streets and in our neigborhoods that we could be witnessing to in the time it would take to read just one of his posts.As a Christian, I love you , Bill. Have a blessed day!!

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