NUance's testimonial about God

[JJ Husker]

That's cool NUance. I too have had a couple anecdotal experiences that have pretty much sealed the deal for me as well. I could go on and on about them (I have mentioned them on HB before) but, until a non-believer experiences something like it, they just won't be convinced it was anything other than some misunderstanding or haphazard brain wave activity. I have no doubts that you experienced the Holy Spirit, many people do. I don't have an answer for why some people pray for certain things and they don't get them while others get things they have not prayed for. God's will, not ours I guess covers it...... I understand some peoples problems with this and also the issue of God could make it so much easier to believe if he'd just do X or a good father would not do Y. I get it, but it just doesn't work that way no matter how much a person wants it to. It's a shame that some can't accept that and move beyond it.

[zoogs]

I'm happy for you that you had so positive an experience, NUance!

[HUSKER FREAK]

For me I guess it seems easy. If you don't believe then why would you care how you behave or the consequences for those actions? Most laws come from the Ten commandments or should I just say religion. No matter how you try you can't change that.

[Husker_x]

There was a documentary that came out in 1972 called Marjoe. It's about the reappearance of a charismatic preacher named Marjoe Gortner. He was "ordained in the Spirit" as a preacher at something like the age of 15. Eventually he left the faith (imbued or not), and after a period of years passed, he returned to the sham circuit to make a documentary film and a living plying his old trade. Amazingly (or not so amazingly if you pay attention to the fakery of charismatics) he was able to duplicate every trick he used to do as an unbeliever. Speaking in tongues, slaying in the Spirit, you name it. The circus-like church atmospheres were the same. Everything was identical to the way it was before, except the preacher--the catalyst for the Holy Spirit manifesting in every congregation--was a deliberate fraud.

 

I've also be overwhelmed by emotions I interpreted as the Holy Spirit on multiple occasions, in groups and in private. I want to be clear about the key point. I interpreted them that way, largely because the group I was in, all of whom were having the same experience, also interpreted it was the Holy Spirit--a kind of confirmation feedback loop. But of course there's no way to verify this. Human beings experience powerful emotions, especially when in groups, especially when the experience is welcome and/or sought, and especially if there is an expectation that an experience should occur. Another personal example: a Mormon once came to my door and after a couple of frustrating sessions with me broke down and claimed he literally saw Jesus in his living room one time (I asked and found out Jesus indeed was a white guy with blue eyes and long brown hair). Can anyone here trump that?

 

Lastly, like knapplc pointed out, these experiences have been and are currently duplicated in every religion, to such a bizarre extent it's almost unbelievable. If you have the right atmosphere with the right ambience, the right moment with the right people, your mind can make anything happen. Here's a video I've posted before. It touches in the Born Again experience and the interesting questions it and things like it raise about the mind, common experience, and other religions.

 

[sd'sker]

For me I guess it seems easy. If you don't believe then why would you care how you behave or the consequences for those actions? Most laws come from the Ten commandments or should I just say religion. No matter how you try you can't change that.

as a human, i believe that humans deserve to be treated with respect. no appeal to religion is needed. and morality and laws have existed outside of religion. furthermore, if you only behave a certain way out of fear of retribution, then are you really doing good or just acting in your own best interest? i like to think that people can act out of altruism, not self-interest. that is why i believe you should create your own value system. then you are accountable to yourself and not fear. it is more meaningful and honest, rather than just picking out a set of morality someone else says is how you should act. but that is just my imo.

[NUance]

There was a documentary that came out in 1972 called Marjoe. It's about the reappearance of a charismatic preacher named Marjoe Gortner. He was "ordained in the Spirit" as a preacher at something like the age of 15. Eventually he left the faith (imbued or not), and after a period of years passed, he returned to the sham circuit to make a documentary film and a living plying his old trade. Amazingly (or not so amazingly if you pay attention to the fakery of charismatics) he was able to duplicate every trick he used to do as an unbeliever. Speaking in tongues, slaying in the Spirit, you name it. The circus-like church atmospheres were the same. Everything was identical to the way it was before, except the preacher--the catalyst for the Holy Spirit manifesting in every congregation--was a deliberate fraud.

 

I've also be overwhelmed by emotions I interpreted as the Holy Spirit on multiple occasions, in groups and in private. I want to be clear about the key point. I interpreted them that way, largely because the group I was in, all of whom were having the same experience, also interpreted it was the Holy Spirit--a kind of confirmation feedback loop. But of course there's no way to verify this. Human beings experience powerful emotions, especially when in groups, especially when the experience is welcome and/or sought, and especially if there is an expectation that an experience should occur. Another personal example: a Mormon once came to my door and after a couple of frustrating sessions with me broke down and claimed he literally saw Jesus in his living room one time (I asked and found out Jesus indeed was a white guy with blue eyes and long brown hair). Can anyone here trump that?

 

Lastly, like knapplc pointed out, these experiences have been and are currently duplicated in every religion, to such a bizarre extent it's almost unbelievable. If you have the right atmosphere with the right ambience, the right moment with the right people, your mind can make anything happen. Here's a video I've posted before. It touches in the Born Again experience and the interesting questions it and things like it raise about the mind, common experience, and other religions.

 

 

Sure there are plenty of charlatans and scam artists out there. But there are others—me included—who have genuinely received the Holy Spirit. Can I force you to believe that my experience was real and true? No. Can you persuade me to acknowledge that my experience was not real and true? Again, no. So I guess that's where we'll remain. On opposite sides of the gulf.

[Husker_x]

 

There was a documentary that came out in 1972 called Marjoe. It's about the reappearance of a charismatic preacher named Marjoe Gortner. He was "ordained in the Spirit" as a preacher at something like the age of 15. Eventually he left the faith (imbued or not), and after a period of years passed, he returned to the sham circuit to make a documentary film and a living plying his old trade. Amazingly (or not so amazingly if you pay attention to the fakery of charismatics) he was able to duplicate every trick he used to do as an unbeliever. Speaking in tongues, slaying in the Spirit, you name it. The circus-like church atmospheres were the same. Everything was identical to the way it was before, except the preacher--the catalyst for the Holy Spirit manifesting in every congregation--was a deliberate fraud.

 

I've also be overwhelmed by emotions I interpreted as the Holy Spirit on multiple occasions, in groups and in private. I want to be clear about the key point. I interpreted them that way, largely because the group I was in, all of whom were having the same experience, also interpreted it was the Holy Spirit--a kind of confirmation feedback loop. But of course there's no way to verify this. Human beings experience powerful emotions, especially when in groups, especially when the experience is welcome and/or sought, and especially if there is an expectation that an experience should occur. Another personal example: a Mormon once came to my door and after a couple of frustrating sessions with me broke down and claimed he literally saw Jesus in his living room one time (I asked and found out Jesus indeed was a white guy with blue eyes and long brown hair). Can anyone here trump that?

 

Lastly, like knapplc pointed out, these experiences have been and are currently duplicated in every religion, to such a bizarre extent it's almost unbelievable. If you have the right atmosphere with the right ambience, the right moment with the right people, your mind can make anything happen. Here's a video I've posted before. It touches in the Born Again experience and the interesting questions it and things like it raise about the mind, common experience, and other religions.

 

 

Sure there are plenty of charlatans and scam artists out there. But there are others—me included—who have genuinely received the Holy Spirit. Can I force you to believe that my experience was real and true? No. Can you persuade me to acknowledge that my experience was not real and true? Again, no. So I guess that's where we'll remain. On opposite sides of the gulf.

 

 

How can you tell the difference between a genuine receiving of the Spirit and one that is superficially identical but fake?

[NUance]

How can you tell the difference between a genuine receiving of the Spirit and one that is superficially identical but fake?

Well, if it was fake, then it was a fake spirit that bolstered my Christian faith and made me want to get closer to God.

 

Funny that you should mention fake Holy Spirit, Husker_X. Some Christians believe that the Holy Spirit existed only during early New Testament days, shortly after the time of Pentecost. A minister once told me that the Holy Spirit I felt was actually an evil spirit. I told him, like I've said here, that you can believe what you will. I'm merely relating my experience. It was a powerful, life changing experience for me, and nobody can change my mind about it.

[HUSKER FREAK]

No I am saying why would you care if you don't believe in anything? And government and all Laws started through religious beliefs.

[carlfense]

And government and all Laws started through religious beliefs.

Care to elaborate?

[HUSKER FREAK]

Not what there is to elaborate on. History is proof enough.

[carlfense]

Not what there is to elaborate on. History is proof enough.

Oh.

[Landlord]

There was a documentary that came out in 1972 called Marjoe. It's about the reappearance of a charismatic preacher named Marjoe Gortner. He was "ordained in the Spirit" as a preacher at something like the age of 15. Eventually he left the faith (imbued or not), and after a period of years passed, he returned to the sham circuit to make a documentary film and a living plying his old trade. Amazingly (or not so amazingly if you pay attention to the fakery of charismatics) he was able to duplicate every trick he used to do as an unbeliever. Speaking in tongues, slaying in the Spirit, you name it. The circus-like church atmospheres were the same. Everything was identical to the way it was before, except the preacher--the catalyst for the Holy Spirit manifesting in every congregation--was a deliberate fraud.

 

I've also be overwhelmed by emotions I interpreted as the Holy Spirit on multiple occasions, in groups and in private. I want to be clear about the key point. I interpreted them that way, largely because the group I was in, all of whom were having the same experience, also interpreted it was the Holy Spirit--a kind of confirmation feedback loop. But of course there's no way to verify this. Human beings experience powerful emotions, especially when in groups, especially when the experience is welcome and/or sought, and especially if there is an expectation that an experience should occur. Another personal example: a Mormon once came to my door and after a couple of frustrating sessions with me broke down and claimed he literally saw Jesus in his living room one time (I asked and found out Jesus indeed was a white guy with blue eyes and long brown hair). Can anyone here trump that?

 

Lastly, like knapplc pointed out, these experiences have been and are currently duplicated in every religion, to such a bizarre extent it's almost unbelievable. If you have the right atmosphere with the right ambience, the right moment with the right people, your mind can make anything happen. Here's a video I've posted before. It touches in the Born Again experience and the interesting questions it and things like it raise about the mind, common experience, and other religions.

 

 

 

Do you have links to any clips or good commentary from that documentary?

[sd'sker]

No I am saying why would you care if you don't believe in anything? And government and all Laws started through religious beliefs.

This is a pretty depressing view of humanity. But seeing how even religious people do bad things, it doesn't seem to matter much anyway.

[HUSKER FREAK]

 

No I am saying why would you care if you don't believe in anything? And government and all Laws started through religious beliefs.

This is a pretty depressing view of humanity. But seeing how even religious people do bad things, it doesn't seem to matter much anyway.

 

Well yeah I guess there's that. But We all sin some worse than others. I even laugh at the people in my own church who are the holier than thou type but judge everyone else or make sure we all know how much they donate. lol but, by laughing in a way I guess I am sinning in a way, so I should just pray for those people.