Facing Mortality

Welcome to Wondercafe2!

A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!

The thing that bother's me about Tim - in this song anyway ...

On the one hand he discredits a benevolent God's deliberate intention to heal outside of human control ...

But on the other hand he credits a malevolent God's deliberate intention to cause suffering outside of human control ?
He doesn't. He's saying you can't have one God without the other. The God who fixed Sam's mom's eye is the same God who lets children die of malaria. So an insured Aussie woman with a treatable condition is cured by God because of prayer, but perhaps the kids were not prayed for, so they don't just lose their sight - they die.

It is *beyond* callous.

All Sam and Berserk are doing, is selling a fraudulent form of health care insurance. They are scam artists, preying on the desperate who might be willing to suspend disbelief because they need healing for themselves or someone they love. They come with anecdotes, and no evidence. They don't have evidence.

If they had evidence, if these miraculous healings actually happened as described, the medical community would be all over it. The health care insurance industry would be all over it. If health insurance companies in the US could send a few bucks to a bible study group for even a 1% chance that a cheap treatment would work, they'd make it a first step requirement.

Mystic/Berserk/uccprogressive/studmuffin is a scammer. He is a fraud. He is the worst person to ever join our community at either website. That is not hyperbole. This man needs converts to make himself feel better about his own beliefs. His failure to sway any of us makes him lash out at the entire community because it erodes his own faith and diminishes that to which he has committed so much personal equity. He can't get find a willing audience anywhere. He would love to change our forum headings so he could create a spot to lecture to impressionable young pastors. He is desperate to be taken seriously and lecture.

If he was employable at all, he could find a place to lecture. No college will have him. He is ignored or ridiculed at other web forums. Just google combinations of Berserk, NDE, Harvard, Howard Storm, and the other names and claims he has dropped over the years.

Due to the above bible study healing claims, I'm looking for this bible study group. I've reached out to a couple of people who may know someone in this group, if it even exists. I've invited Berserk to bring them here numerous times. Now I'm going to try.
 
chansen - I understand your response to Mystic's claims. I think your point's been made clearly & hope you can trust the thinking souls here to similarly understand the situation - I don't think most here share Mystic's view of a significantly interventionist God, although we may see value in prayer, but quite differently than what Mystic purports. Personally, I mostly put these sort of claims in the 'ignore' category. There will be no convincing, despite whatever arguments are put forward - as we have seen in the past. So I would encourage you not to take on too much of a crusade.
 
That would be very Christian of me, wouldn't it?

No, I'm just reaching out to people from Berserk's old church, in the community in which his old boss told me he retired.

He has had plenty of opportunity to bring these phantom people. Now I'll try.
 
That would be very Christian of me, wouldn't it?
That's not really my perspective on it - doesn't have to do with any particular religion. For me it's a matter of applying my energy in places where it can potentially make a positive difference - that's all.
 
That's not really my perspective on it - doesn't have to do with any particular religion.
Ironic word choice though. Thanks for the laugh.

For me it's a matter of applying my energy in places where it can potentially make a positive difference - that's all
I think an effort to discredit a fraud *is* a positive contribution. I'm not investing a lot of time in this. It's just beyond time for someone to evaluate the claims made by Mystic/Berserk. He made the claims. It should not be difficult to find people in the Christian community of Colville who know of this group, or are perhaps part of it. And then we can see if they agree with these claims, and can perhaps provide names of the health professionals who were gobsmacked.

Again, should this group exist outside of Berserk's head.
 
On behalf of my fellow bushfire/flood citizens I thank you!

My "miracle" is that I can adore both Jesus and Tim Minchin -and not experience any conflict. Tim questions the believers of today, just as Jesus questioned the believers of his day.

One must put together the oddest things to congeal a focussed, or condensed truth! Imagine gathering essences like emotional-intelligence ... would have a hard or measurable lump, or bump in reality ... stone functions? Hard bull to accept as golden ... compared to golden measures ... as a weird roue!
 
He doesn't. He's saying you can't have one God without the other. The God who fixed Sam's mom's eye is the same God who lets children die of malaria. So an insured Aussie woman with a treatable condition is cured by God because of prayer, but perhaps the kids were not prayed for, so they don't just lose their sight - they die.
That makes sense. Thanks.
 
Ahhh - now I get it - use of the word 'crusade'? Didn't even think of that at the time! Now I'll get back to my bread baking ... and maybe go for a walk in the cold crisp sunshine.
Great. Most of my posts today have been from the chairlift. I've been working on ski cross technique mostly by myself, and 10 minute chairlift rides are an opportunity to catch up online. My cold fingers may have lead to some typos.

I'm also learning I'm too old for ski cross, but that never stopped me. I'm still racing Monday.
 
This has kind of gone astray from my original question but, hey, I am in Jamaica and saw one of the world's most waterfalls (likely our @Waterfall is on that list, too :cool:) so I am not inclined to argue.

(I so need to steal the rasta emoji from my writing board for this week)

(And no, I am not sure if Dunn's River Falls is on any lists like that but it's on mine.)
 
Great. Most of my posts today have been from the chairlift. I've been working on ski cross technique mostly by myself, and 10 minute chairlift rides are an opportunity to catch up online. My cold fingers may have lead to some typos.

I'm also learning I'm too old for ski cross, but that never stopped me. I'm still racing Monday.
Ah - you're so diligent chansen - checking in from the chair lift! I was wondering why you weren't out skiing today ... silly me! Ski-cross - have fun (and be just a tad sensible! - I know that's close to mission impossible!) I made it out for a walk - to the mailbox to send back my used printer toner cartridge, and to the LCBO to pick up some nice limited edition wine! Priorities!!

(sorry - now WAY off track for this thread!!)
 
Back
Top