Here's a scenario
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Christian: "According to the Bible (Matthew 7:7 - 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.'), if you honestly and wholeheartedly seek God/Jesus, you will find Him.
Non-Christian: "I wholeheartedly and honestly sought God/Jesus, and didn't find him."
Christian: "If you had, you would have found Him. Therefore you didn't seek wholeheartedly and/or honestly, so are a liar for saying you did."
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Christians - Do you feel the Christians attitude towards the non-Christian is justified in this scenario? Is outright calling the non-Christian a liar justified?
Non-Christians - How would you respond to the Christian if they told you you were a liar? Would it have any effect on your view of the religion as a whole?
2007-12-05 08:39:45 · 25 answers · asked by Tom :: Athier than Thou 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I would never call a non-Christian a liar. That would be putting up a stumbling block and may permanently prevent the non-Christian from believing.
How would that be advancing the Kingdom of God?
2007-12-05 08:50:00 · answer #1 · answered by Gal from Yellow Flat 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Being called a liar wouldn't have any effect on my view of the religion except to solidify it. I'd be called a liar based solely on what it says in the bible, which, of course, is no evidence whatsoever. However, that is what is used to justify the entire religion. Just because the bible says something doesn't make it so, but you need to believe it in order to follow the religion.
2007-12-05 16:44:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your argument is just that with no resolution when viewed through "worldly eyes"....
The scripture in Matthew 7:7 can't be taken literally. There has to be some spiritual discernment applied there. This scripture is actually revealing "that in all of these things of asking, given, seeking and knocking that they will be opened to you"... these things must be for and have proper motive, be God's will for your life to which it shall be done understanding that it will be in His time, not yours.
Anything asks for that is of selfish needs, wants or desires will never be answered.
2007-12-05 17:06:11 · answer #3 · answered by Servant Leader 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
""Non-Christians - How would you respond to the Christian if they told you you were a liar? Would it have any effect on your view of the religion as a whole?""
I've gotten this response more times than I can count. I think it's just a defense mechanism, a way of saying "Well, clearly her faith was not as rock-solid as mine...if it had been, she never would have lost faith...so that means I can remain secure in MY faith and not be afraid of losing it like she did..."
To that I say, "If I thought my faith was that strong back then, and eventually lost it, how do YOU (general you) know that YOUR faith is that strong now?"
2007-12-05 17:24:11 · answer #4 · answered by War Games AM 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A clever Christian wouldn't call the non-Christian a liar but instead pull out a Bible, open it to a Gospel, and say "There you go. Your request is now answered! See? It always works!"
2007-12-05 16:45:11 · answer #5 · answered by Tommy 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As far as i am concerned it doesn't really matter, why can you people get it through your thick head's we are all humans, if i past you on the street would know that i am not Christian or if you walked into my shop would you purchase my merchandise not knowing if i were or were not Christian why is it that big of a deal we live in a multi-culture world get over your selves, and grow the f*$k up.
2007-12-05 16:59:51 · answer #6 · answered by Phinox 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Me: I never lie.
So if I wholeheartedly and honestly sought God/Jesus, and didn't find him then something is wrong with this method, thus something is wrong with the scripture, ergo the Bible has flaws, ergo the Bible is not the word of God, ergo (the Christian) God does not exist.
I win.
2007-12-05 16:49:39 · answer #7 · answered by Beletje_vos AM + VT 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would say simply, "We are not to spend time in the company of younger souls. If you grow up, then we'll talk," and leave the conversation.
It wouldn't change my views of Christianity. It might make me a little sadder that more and more people calling themselves Christians feel that insults are a useful "conversion" tactic.
)O(
2007-12-05 16:54:11 · answer #8 · answered by wyvern1313 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We don't find God, he finds us. We wouldn't even be the least bit interested in him if it wasn't that his calling us fills us with desire to know what this that we are feeling means.
Then we have people telling us lies about him and we have to deal with all of them, but we still feel his call.
Finally, we start to get answers to questions we didn't even know we had. And we find that God is the reason for everything that has happened in our life, what has motivated us to go on, even through the pit sometimes.
In the end, the reason that we believe is because Jesus Christ reveals himself to us, and we in humble contrition repent of the sin in our lives and bow our knees and worship him for he is worthy.
2007-12-05 16:51:44 · answer #9 · answered by hisgloryisgreat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The "Christian" in this scenario is not acting as a true disciple of Christ. There is no justification in this scenario to call the non-Christian a liar.
2007-12-05 16:43:33 · answer #10 · answered by James W 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋