Was this serious?

[Born_again]

.... and that could be linked to communal reinforcement. *sigh*

[Mr Danksworth]

[b]
Now we discover that the adult-oriented trade fair may not be happening either!
[/i][/color]

God hates *bleep* too? Maybe the church of god can pray that god removes cucumbers and zucchinis from grocery store shelves too. They are dirty, filthy, tempting vegetables.

[Born_again]

Indeed. Rowan Atkinson portrays this unfortunate conspiracy of nature beautifully in:
Rowan Atkinson: The Thingy Shaped Turnip

This is how events unfolded when his Puritanical relatives actually turned up and were confronted with the 'thingy':
Rowan Atkinson: Wicked Child - The Slaps

[Mr Danksworth]

I would like to thank John Neudorf of the Kelowna church of god for all of the laughs that his letter has inspired. I love it when believers do all of the work when it comes to making themselves look like idiots.

I'd like to share his conversion story. It appears that god cured him of his addiction to internet porn. Bwahahah.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. Psalm 119:9

I praise my eternal Father in heaven, for His mercies, and His grace in my life. As a young man, I gave my life to God, but I did not stay true. I walked away, better said, I ran away from Him, having never truly experienced His fullness—having never allowed Him to permeate my life completely. I delved into a life of sin, a life of service to myself, and to my fleshly wants and desires. I was feasting at the smorgasbord that the Devil had laid out for me. Alcohol, cigarettes, parties, and everything that goes along with those things, became my closest friends. I allowed the Devil to bring me deeper and deeper into sin, to the point where my marriage was in jeopardy, and my life was at stake. My addictions increased in intensity, and the Internet offered an addiction that just about ruined me completely.

Read more here...
http://www.thechurchofgod.cc/testimonie ... hn-neudorf

[normaM]

k, I just wasted brain cells trying to find out with Dear John looks like

[coffeeFreak]

Should watch the documentary "Jesus Camp"...it's unsettling to witness the grooming of children. It also gives a person an understanding of how people have such a narrow view of the world...don't fault "John", he's likely a product of years of indoctrination.

[Mr Danksworth]

Raptor Jesus Camp is way better

[grammafreddy]

There is a huge part of me that says that is child abuse.

[JLives]

There is a huge part of me that says that is child abuse.

Me too.

[Born_again]

I know that bible camps get tax concessions at municipal levels, but do they dip into the public purse in any way?

[Mr Danksworth]

I think that the saddest part is that this guy is using children to erase his own guilt over his past indescretions. He probably doesn't even realize he is doing it. Sad.

[Born_again]

I think that the saddest part is that this guy is using children to erase his own guilt over his past indescretions.

My addictions increased in intensity, and the Internet offered an addiction that just about ruined me completely.

I'm fairly certain that there are adult-based counselling courses to overcome ruinous internet addictions, so it seems fairly unconventional that John chose this path for his 'healing'.

Each to his own, I suppose.

[grammafreddy]

I think that the saddest part is that this guy is using children to erase his own guilt over his past indescretions. He probably doesn't even realize he is doing it. Sad.

Sad? To me, that's criminal.

[Glacier]

I have a relative that says, "I prayed about it, and felt impressed to do such and such." It is always interesting to me that she always feels impressed to do what she wants regarding a particular situation.

Most religious people are just like most non-religious folks in that they distort reality to fit into how they want things to be. Look at how many people think taking vitamins makes them feel better, or how many people think autism is caused by the MMR shot.

When looking at prayers and answers to prayers, most of it is bunk, but I have talked with few people and read accounts that made me realize that some people actually change their minds and/or gain new insight as a result of prayer. Reading Corie ten Boom's books was a real eye opener for me.

[Born_again]

When looking at prayers and answers to prayers, most of it is bunk, but I have talked with few people and read accounts that made me realize that some people actually change their minds and/or gain new insight as a result of prayer.

I would never discourage anyone from using prayer to help resolve their personal conflicts, concerns or dissonant issues. It is a meditative solution for deep reflective thought which allows the subconscious to have a 'say' in the matter; and hopefully it's a rational one!
There is a very good reason why people advise, "Sleep on it."

What disturbs me is when people pray to influence(supernaturally) the outcomes of other peoples lives in a negative way(such as in John Neudorf's case); not because prayer works supernaturally, -- it doesn't! -- but because it highlights huge character flaws in the person that has those thoughts in the first instance. What makes it even worse is that he has successfully brainwashed young & impressionable children into rallying in prayer for his personal agenda. Now he is publicly claiming victory, further strengthening the childrens' acceptance of his word. This is a dangerous precedent, as there is no knowing how he will try to influence these children in the future as he feels his power over them increase. It takes little effort to 'groom' a child into doing unconscionable acts in the name of Faith, as is obvious world-wide.

I would hope that the parents of these poor children put a stop to this nonsense, and show them positive ways of benefiting society.