Original Sin?

Quote: FrGamble

are greatly blessed and want to tell others about Him.

Greatly bamboozled, you mean. And it
often doesn't stick for long unless it's
backed up with frequent brain washing by
fellow deluded believers. When someone
is converted, you have to encourage
them to seek out others that have
been similarly bamboozled or the
conversion will fade away rather fast.
But why wouldn't it, there is nothing
to it but fantasy.

While community is important for anyone who desires to grow in their relationship with God and others the reality is once someone encounters the love of Jesus Christ they will have that gift for their whole lives. This is why the faith continues to grow because it is not fantasy but a real relationship with the Risen Lord Jesus.

Quote: FrGamble

While community is important for anyone who desires to grow in their relationship with God and others the reality is once someone encounters the love of Jesus Christ they will have that gift for their whole lives. This is why the faith continues to grow because it is not fantasy but a real relationship with the Risen Lord Jesus.

Padre, when you see someone who "lost the faith," do see it as the mustard seed never growing into a mustard plant, to steal from the parable, or that they never had a "relationship with God" in the first place?

Quote: FrGamble

While community is important.

It's crucial for the newly converted.
Because there is nothing behind
the conversion but smoke and
mirrors, that new belief needs
to be stroked and nurtured like
the infant it is. Otherwise it will
die out like a weak candle.
It often does anyway, even
with a lot of community influence.

As the Church discovered eons ago,
nothing beats childhood indoctrination.
Get em when they're young and
they'll stay bamboozled for life.

Community is crucial for everyone.

Quote: FrGamble

Community is crucial for everyone.

But moreso for the newly converted
Xtion. He doesn't know it, but his new
religion has nothing in reality to back
it up. It's all superstition and supernatural
baloney, it has no basis to exist and must
be constantly bolstered by others who
are similarly deluded, or it will dwindle
away pretty quickly.

You know this is true, that I'm right, but
you would never admit it for all the tea
in China.

I wouldn't say more so. Nope, the fact that Christianity is so real and true is what causes so many to accept and grow in their faith. This is one place where you know you are wrong and there is evidence to back it up. There is a reason nobody is selling or driving Yugo's today. There is a reason why Christianity continues to be the largest religion in the world. Numbers don't prove you are right, but it does prove that there is something real and special present.

Quote: FrGamble

There is a reason why Christianity continues to be the largest religion in the world..

And it has nothing to do with it
being 'true'. It's simply been
around longer than the other
god religions, and it aggressively
recruits. Islam has been here only
since the 7th century. Judaism
has been here longer but has no
recruitment.

A new convert to Xtionity is lost
without a support network. That's
because there is no reason to believe
anything in the NT without it being
constantly reinforced by other
believers. You can't exactly walk
around every day and find 'evidence'
of Jesus, there isn't any outside of
his followers. It is, after all, just a
concept. Salvation isn't a real thing.

Every day there is evidence of Jesus in a life of prayer. You aren't part of community because you need to reinforce your beliefs, that is a given. It is because we all long for community and interaction with others. It is a blessing and a big help. Salvation is a very real thing, in fact it is the only thing. What does one gain if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?

Quote: FrGamble

Every day there is evidence of Jesus in a life of prayer.

There's 'evidence' of anything you
can dream up in prayer. Prayer
is where radical Muslims get told
by god to blow up buses. Prayer
is anything you want it to be, as
you talk to yourself.

Quote:

Salvation is a very real thing, in fact it is the only thing.

It's not a 'thing' at all, it's a concept.
Sin is a concept, it doesn't exist
in the world outside your mind. So
you have one concept saving you
from another concept. About as
far from a real thing as you can get.
Your lack of a grasp on what reality
really is blows me away sometimes.
It's frightening.