Re: Re: OT - NOT Forcing belief on anyone

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure who posted their explanation of what a sinner is in the

Christian faith, but I didn't get the impression they were trying to

force their belief on anyone, just making an explanation, much like

Heidi does about gluten and others do on other subjects. Although

Heidi portrays gluten as a pretty nasty culprit to health, no one

takes her many posts on the subject as forcing gluten avoidance on

them. So I'm not sure why anyone should take this person's explanation

as trying to force belief.

And for the record, I'm not trying to force you to believe that this

person wasn't trying to force their beliefs ... but just wanted the

" right " to add my two cents also.

~ Fern

Re: OT Forcing belief

>

> > If you hear it enough from others and begin to give credence

> > to it you will come to believe it.

> >

> > Witness the " success " of the low-fat diet. It is a totally

> > fallacious hypothesis with little to no science to back it

> > up, but look at the millions who have fallen for it.

>

> Of course, in matters of metaphysics, there is no science to back it

> up. Unfortunately, religious zealots have this bad habit of assuming

> their zeal somehow magically transforms matters of faith into

matters

> of fact.

>

> >From my perspective, the guy online telling me to believe in Jesus

is

> no different from the guy at the airport telling me to chant Hare

> Krishna. I have no reason to believe either one of them.

[Guest guest]

You and I know that. And we can set ourselves up to resist. But many people

are not aware that they have control over their own minds.

Let's go back to the low-fat diet. It's an excellent example.

In the beginning I refused to believe that eating red meat would kill me. I

said then, and I still say today, that when animals quit eating animals I

will quit eating animals.

I did, for a while, go along with the idea that polyunsaturated vegetable

oils were healthy. But as I read more about them I changed my mind and quit

using them. Long before trans-fats were declared to be so very bad for us I

went back to using butter on the belief that the foods that Mother Nature

provides for us are far healthier for us than anything a human can concoct

in a laboratory.

Gradually, over the years I have done my best to eat more and more whole,

natural foods. I'm not totally NT yet because there are not many organic

foods available, and many of the ones that are are priced beyond our limited

budget.

Now let's take a look at the rest of the country.

The establishment declared that red meat, naturally saturated fats, eggs and

butter were poison. Huge sums of money have been spent promoting this

" fact. " As a result most of the people of this country " know " that those

foods will guarantee them a heart attack.

They also " know " that eating the PC diet will keep them healthy, wealthy,

and wise (so to speak).

As you know there is very little science to back up the low-fat theory. But

people believe in it even as they watch themselves, their family, their

friends and neighbors sicken and die from following it.

This to me is forcing belief on people.

This method can be used to force beliefs in many things. One of those things

is religion.

Hear it enough and people, unless they are prepared to stand against it as

we are against the low-fat diet, WILL come to believe it.

Judith Alta

-----Original Message-----

From: Stanley [mailto:johnny_tesla@...]

--- In , " Fern " <readnwrite@f...>

wrote:

> I'm not sure who posted their explanation of what a

> sinner is in the Christian faith, but I didn't get the

> impression they were trying to force their belief on

> anyone, just making an explanation

In this context, " forcing belief " isn't about someone forcing belief

on others. It's about forcing oneself to believe. Christians can

evangelize and witness to me until they're blue in the face, but

there is no way I can force myself to believe what they say when

their words simply do not resonate as truth.

[Guest guest]

I posted the explanation of sinner. Thank you for actually reading what I

wrote. You are correct. I was only explaining a concept. If you reread it

again, you will not see where I present it as my own belief or even express mine

at all.

Re: OT Forcing belief

>

> > If you hear it enough from others and begin to give credence

> > to it you will come to believe it.

> >

> > Witness the " success " of the low-fat diet. It is a totally

> > fallacious hypothesis with little to no science to back it

> > up, but look at the millions who have fallen for it.

>

> Of course, in matters of metaphysics, there is no science to back it

> up. Unfortunately, religious zealots have this bad habit of assuming

> their zeal somehow magically transforms matters of faith into

matters

> of fact.

>

> >From my perspective, the guy online telling me to believe in Jesus

is

> no different from the guy at the airport telling me to chant Hare

> Krishna. I have no reason to believe either one of them.

[Guest guest]

True.

Judith Alta

-----Original Message-----

Ya' know what you are saying could work both ways, maybe you have

forced yourself to believe that it's not true. ºÜº

--- In , " Judith Alta " <jaltak@v...>

wrote:

> You and I know that. And we can set ourselves up to resist.