Why I Hate Debate So Much.

[KeptByTheWord]

All of us have "bad days" Matt... some of us just perhaps have someone else to confide in or talk to that we can trust, and perhaps you don't have that and you are using AFF as an outlet.

Posting your real thoughts in a place like this can be dangerous because you have all the people who read AFF who are reading what you are saying, and everyone will have their own opinion about the matter. It is so easy to get your feelings hurt in a place where all we have are words on a screen and where you can't talk to and see the person who is hurting.

I will continue to keep you in my prayers that God will continue to bring healing, hope, and great faith into your life. He is ABLE (referencing another post by OneAccord).

[OneAccord]

Originally Posted by The Matt

Debate just shows one thing. Insecurity. You're not comfortable enough in what you believe that you can believe it alone. In order to make it better and more believable in your eyes, you need someone to agree with you. And while you're trying to get someone to agree with you, sometimes you get caught in the "Oh, I may be wrong now, but I have to save face, so better push forward and find a way to make myself right in this situation" trap. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure I believe in anything comfortably enough that I want to debate it. I can say one scripture out of the bible that I am so completely sure about that I could talk about it all day and not be swayed. But really and truly, when you take a scripture, and argue about it, when it comes to the bare boneded root, nobody can really say "I know for sure this is what God meant when He inspired a man to write this." Because none of us are Jesus Christ. We can be Christlike, we can have the mind of Christ, but we can't literally step into his shoes and say, "I am Jesus, and this is what I meant". And when we assume we actually are in this position, well, then we are making ourselves a false god. Anyways, I was just thinking on this for a few hours at work last night and these are a few final thoughts on the matter I came up with. Whether or not my thoughts make sense to you, well...that's debatable.

I wonder how God feels about debates.

Isa 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as [ye do this] day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

2Cr 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Just sayin'

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by OneAccord

I wonder how God feels about debates.

Isa 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as [ye do this] day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

2Cr 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Just sayin'

Mmmmmm....

I guess I still don't have a clue how God feels about debates.

LOL

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by OneAccord

I wonder how God feels about debates.

Isa 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as [ye do this] day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

2Cr 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Just sayin'

bah...the KJV strikes again

Isa 58:4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.

Isa 41:1 The Lord Challenges the Nations

"Listen to me in silence, you coastlands!1
Let the nations find renewed strength!
Let them approach and then speak;
let us come together for debate!2

Act 18:28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously108 in public debate,109 demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ110 was Jesus.111

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

bah...the KJV strikes again

No, modern English illiteracy strikes again.

[KeptByTheWord]

... so we are debating about the word debate....

only on AFF

[Praxeas]

The Hebrew word used there and translated by the KJV means

maṣṣāh: A feminine noun depicting strife, contention. It refers to wrangling, quarreling, and contention (Pro_13:10; Pro_17:19), especially brought on by arrogant or insolent attitudes, transgressions, and trespasses. It refers to the results of false fasts that brought on fighting, quarreling, and violence (Isa_58:4).

In the days when Victorian English was spoken (KJV) the word meant "strife", but because words evolve it has come to mean something else than what that verse was saying

noun 1.a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints: a debate in the Senate on farm price supports.

2.a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers.

3.deliberation; consideration.

4.Archaic . strife; contention.

Archaic...

verb (used without object) 5.to engage in argument or discussion, as in a legislative or public assembly: When we left, the men were still debating.

6.to participate in a formal debate.

7.to deliberate; consider: I debated with myself whether to tell them the truth or not.

8.Obsolete . to fight; quarrel.

Obsolete...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/debate?s=t

That is why I don't use the KJV

[llambert]

I think I get what the OP is saying. Debate can be ugly and unChristlike. Sometimes we need to agree to disagree in an agreeable fashion (no name calling, no sarcastic comments, no backtalk, no disrespectful tone). God hates rebellion and He has issue with those who speak ill of people in authority.

As the cliche goes, hurting people hurt people.

I honestly think that there'd be more people in OP churches and fellowships today if the One God doctrine were presented as being practically relevant to our day to day lives instead of in a debate format that kind of implies, "I know this and you don't, and you are less than because I got this revelation and you don't".

Then again, there is blame on both sides because there are people who are afraid to get baptized in Jesus' name because they are concerned about what people will say or think or they think they can't keep up the Christian lifestyle and they don't understand that it is by grace that we run and win this race.

Also, there are people who are unhappy because they think their deceased relatives and friends were godly people who went to heaven even though they were never baptized in Jesus' name and/or spoke in tongues. Basically, they're offended at the thought that their praying grandmothers may have gone to hell and they may never see them again.

So we're all to blame in one way or another.

I saw because of the lateness of the spiritual hour, let's forgive ourselves and receive the love of God for ourselves and meet souls at their point of need. Ask God to show us what to say to the people who present their issues and troubles to us. If our doctrines are right, the practicality of them will be made plain to those who are hungry. Otherwise, let's just pray, give worship and praise and wait on the Lord who renews our strength.

Great is His faithfulness.

[Bishop Cleatus]

I fancy myself a master debater.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by llambert

I think I get what the OP is saying. Debate can be ugly and unChristlike. Sometimes we need to agree to disagree in an agreeable fashion (no name calling, no sarcastic comments, no backtalk, no disrespectful tone). God hates rebellion and He has issue with those who speak ill of people in authority.

As the cliche goes, hurting people hurt people.

I honestly think that there'd be more people in OP churches and fellowships today if the One God doctrine were presented as being practically relevant to our day to day lives instead of in a debate format that kind of implies, "I know this and you don't, and you are less than because I got this revelation and you don't".

Then again, there is blame on both sides because there are people who are afraid to get baptized in Jesus' name because they are concerned about what people will say or think or they think they can't keep up the Christian lifestyle and they don't understand that it is by grace that we run and win this race.

Also, there are people who are unhappy because they think their deceased relatives and friends were godly people who went to heaven even though they were never baptized in Jesus' name and/or spoke in tongues. Basically, they're offended at the thought that their praying grandmothers may have gone to hell and they may never see them again.

So we're all to blame in one way or another.

I saw because of the lateness of the spiritual hour, let's forgive ourselves and receive the love of God for ourselves and meet souls at their point of need. Ask God to show us what to say to the people who present their issues and troubles to us. If our doctrines are right, the practicality of them will be made plain to those who are hungry. Otherwise, let's just pray, give worship and praise and wait on the Lord who renews our strength.

Great is His faithfulness.

Great post!!!