Posted by on May 02, 2011 at 17:39:22
In Reply to: Re: Skep...what I find strange posted by Farmer on April 29, 2011 at 12:05:23:
Hey, Farmer!
I always love reading your posts here. You are very consistent, make intelligent arguments, and almost always come across as very kind and concerned about people's genuine spirirtual welfare--you do not apprently waste time arguing for arguments' sake. I like discussing almost any worthwhile subject myself, but, like you, I must pick my battles, and avoid the generation of heat rather than light! Being illuminated rather than burned is much more enjoyable!
I just broke up with a lady whose mask suddenly came off--so did the gloves (and some claws came out, too!). That pretty much brings me up to date--you and I match again, because the experience definitely drove me away from wantig to get re-married (especially at my age--58, now! "Old-Timer, Too" indeed!)
Long story short: I told her I did love her, and that, because of that I would never attempt to control her--it turns out she felt exactly the opposite about me--definitely a complete control freak with matriarchal rule over her 5 adult kids, etc., etc. She had a lot unresolved fear and pain form a dead husband who became a homosexiual and died of AIDS complications 5 years ago--he kept it well-hidden for a long time, even attending a Vineyard Church (same one as me, but I didn't knw him) while still engaging in it. Sad. I couldn't "fix" her, even with God's attempted help. Her fearful and hard heart made her really men, when push came to shove.
I feel a huge burden lifted, and I am pretty much in agreement with what Paul wrote in 1 Cor 7 (most of it--he admits he had not really heard specifically from God on all subjects!)
Anyway, I am recalling that several exers I have met, and corresponded with over the years (1st G-ers) frequentlly have reverted to a kind of "former hippie" philosophical position on choice/opinion of religions.
"Back in the day" it was considered very hip to assume that all religions led to the same place. I had many, many experiences in Hatha, Raja, Siddha, Bhakti and Kundalini Yoga, also Transcendental Meditation and Silva Mind Control--very powerful, with "spiritual" experiences, repeatable and "on-demand".
Those experiences greatly impressed me at the time. Oddly enough, though, they did nor directly teach me the doctrines I did pick up form other practitioners.
I once read a poem:
Outwitted
by Edwin Markham
He drew a circle that shut me out —
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
That pretty much encapsulated my belief during my "college weekend hippie Hindu wannabe" period; as I call it now. I would give power demonstrations, and even recruit people through that (yes, contrary to atheists, I did discover the spiritual world to be very real indeed, and even "on demand" consistently).
Long story short (too late? ;-)):
A real Christian, under his breath, rebuked a demon spirit I did not realize till then was in me (the source of my "on-loan" powers, like the fortune-teller in the Book of Acts who experienced the same thing!). I got saved (yes, with TF, but by myself) about a month later at a "Babe's Ranch" in Crocket, Texas. Later, as a translator in Brownsville, I got Spirit-filled on guard duty--again, all by myself, and between just me and the triune God.
And, the day God convinced me I was beleiving unscirptural things, I left, after 2 1/2 years of mostly self-deception, becasue I wanted to be part of the "elite end-time Army"--what load of crap--following a completely demonized lost person like Berg adn his retinue of fellow religious opportunists and fools!
Anyway, a little reading of religious texts, and some basic intellectual honesty showed me that Orthodox Judaism, Islam, and most other major religions were completely exclusivistic, had HUGE philosophical and logical problems and that historical, Scripture-dependent Christianity did not; despite the "too many denominations" argument.
Even my little darling, Hinduism, I found out insisted on the extremely exclusivistic belief that I had escaped: that the ONLY TRUE BELIEF acceptable was that of pantheistic "Brahman-Atman", or "god is all and all is one" pantheism/panentheism--not so "loving and inclusive" after all, and specifically desiggned by real demons to repalce Christ's Gospel--salvaation by grace alone, through faith alone.
The poem, and the idea behind it, was what Scripture calls one of the major "doctrines taught by demons"--sorry, folks!
It took me awhile to outgrow Berg, yes, as well as my pre-Berg self-deceptions, but it was definitely worth it.
Life for me has alwyas been really tough, but God's always been good to me.
Got to go for now.
God bless you and continue to make you a real blessing here on these chat boards, Farmer--you're a good brother!
OT2