I only say that to the people who think that their life is wretched and they “know” that it gets better when they die.

Of course it gets better when we die. But I think it’ll be such a waste to miss the process of getting there. It’s not any less beautiful than the destination.

I’m just glad I’m not your kid. But then again, I don’t think you’ll ever want a kid like me. Heh. But even if out of your compassion and kindness that you would actually accept me, I don’t fancy having my dad one day telling me, “If you’re such a piece of shit, why not just kill yourself and hurry up and get to heaven?”

I can answer your questions. No, I never “met” Jesus, nor did I ever “experience” Jesus. But…BUT…when I was a believer, I was confident that I had met and experienced Jesus. Now though, as I look back, and since I no longer believe it is possible to experience or meet a man who died 2,000 years ago, I now understand that what I thought was “experience” was instead, emotions and faith.

Believe it or not, but I can certainly identify with that! Coming from a Chinese culture that would bow down to anything that would prolly provide good things, what you just described seems like something I’m very familiar with. It’s almost like an imaginative friend, aye?

So, what you’re saying is, much more than other Christians not showing persuasive proof of lives changed from an encounter with Jesus, it is the lack of change in your own even after feeling confident that you’ve met and experienced Him that caused you to decide to stop believing? Or there has been changes in your life after you became a Christian, but you found out that these can easily be explained away?

Please tell me where I need to look? I live in a small town in southwestern Virginia, USA. Where am I to start?

Well, I don’t know. I guess it was just me being delusional. There’s prolly no millions of Spirit-filled and Spirit-changed Christians. No such people in the underground churches in Communist countries, no addicts who turned a new leaf after encountering Jesus (miraculously, though to what extent this has to be, to be accepted as a convincing proof by you is unknown), no news site links of such things, nothing! Well, let’s not talk about those Koreans who went to Afghanistan and got themselves abducted. That’s just sheer naivety, and that’s not the kind of proof you’re looking for, aye?

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that’s me chilled on this subject by the way.

You are asking me if I have “met” and “experienced” Jesus, in the past, when I claimed to have been a believer? The only reason I use the term “believer” is because when I use the term “Christian” to describe my past, some Christians accuse me of never having been a “true” Christian. Of course, some may accuse me of never having “truly” believed, but I tend to get less of that than when I say I am a former Christian.
Anyway, I am getting the feeling that I am on the verge of being told that I was not what I thought I was (a “true” Christian).
I can answer your questions. No, I never “met” Jesus, nor did I ever “experience” Jesus. But…BUT…when I was a believer, I was confident that I had met and experienced Jesus. Now though, as I look back, and since I no longer believe it is possible to experience or meet a man who died 2,000 years ago, I now understand that what I thought was “experience” was instead, emotions and faith.

zefi said – There’s one thing I think you’re ACTUALLY, REALLY looking for in a Christian is tolerance. In certain areas, fine. But in other areas where 1+1 is =2, tolerance is ridiculous, because 1+1 is =2 even if you want it to be 3.

Your analogy is lost on me. You will have to be specific if you are going to want me to believe that I have ever wanted you to ignore mathematical certainties.

zefi said – If you’re really serious about looking for real Christians whose lives were changed by the Holy Spirit, don’t bother looking for them on the internet or your previous church (since you seem to imply that you hardly find a convincing specimen there).

Please tell me where I need to look? I live in a small town in southwestern Virginia, USA. Where am I to start?

zefi said – If this Christianity thing is truly life-changing, do you think these changed people would still waste their time hanging around here? They’ll be doing serious work in this badly-stricken world! Do you think they have time for the internet???

I have no idea.

zefi said – Okay, maybe a few. But the rest would be us bad, so-called-Christians-but-don’t-seem-to-be-any-different-from-you to entertain you and to rough you up.

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zefi said – Anyway, amidst the disagreements and all, I BELIEVE that you’ve learned something today, that you were a Christianitarian like me, and not a Christian.

Actually, I was a Christian, not a “Christianitarian”. I don’t know what that is.