What do you understand a FUNDAMENTALIST to be?

[Gofer Blue]

Truthpaste has taken to presenting himself as one half of a Christian double act with Gofer Blue.

They may indeed both be Christians, both willing to argue their case on a football messageboard, and both say they are anti religion (by which I take it they see organised Christianity plc of whatever type as antithetical to what they take to be 'Christ's teachings') - but there is a world of difference between Gofer and Truthpaste.

Gofer is humble and respectful of others, responds to other posters' actual views, explains himself without hammering others over the head with random biblical quotes, and shares his doubts and faith journey. Truthpaste shares none of those qualities.

I have nothing in common with Gofer's beliefs and faith - but I find his posts interesting and sometimes thought provoking. He adds to the board. Truthpaste doesn't.

I have never met Truthpaste but in a way I envy his rock solid Christian faith. I may be wrong here but I get the impression that he has never had any doubts on his faith journey. I wish I could say the same but as a scientist I struggled in the early days and I suppose you could say that I was dragged, metaphorically speaking, kicking and screaming to faith in Jesus. I never had a “Damascus road “ experience during those days and it was researching more about the resurrection that finally convinced me of the truth.

Shortly after I committed myself to faith in Jesus (when I was about 35 or so) I was baptised and sometime after that I did have a very strange experience which I subsequently discovered was very similar to that described by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, back in the early 1700's. He described that he felt his heart being suddenly “strangely warmed” * which is exactly what I felt. I have no rational explanation for this as I was driving along in my car, alone, on a dual carriageway near home, just concentrating on my driving. At the same time suddenly my heart experienced a warming sensation, an overwhelming sense of peace came over me and I felt a kind of reassurance that everything was ok.
I had never experienced anything like it before or since.

*(These are the words Wesley wrote in his diary: I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death). (Ref: Journal 24 May 1738).

P.S. I do try to ensure that I too provide the references to Biblical statements that I quote despite the fact that I am often ridiculed by one particular contributor for doing so!

[truthpaste]

I have never met Truthpaste but in a way I envy his rock solid Christian faith. I may be wrong here but I get the impression that he has never had any doubts on his faith journey. I wish I could say the same but as a scientist I struggled in the early days and I suppose you could say that I was dragged, metaphorically speaking, kicking and screaming to faith in Jesus. I never had a “Damascus road “ experience during those days and it was researching more about the resurrection that finally convinced me of the truth.

Shortly after I committed myself to faith in Jesus (when I was about 35 or so) I was baptised and sometime after that I did have a very strange experience which I subsequently discovered was very similar to that described by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, back in the early 1700's. He described that he felt his heart being suddenly “strangely warmed” * which is exactly what I felt. I have no rational explanation for this as I was driving along in my car, alone, on a dual carriageway near home, just concentrating on my driving. At the same time suddenly my heart experienced a warming sensation, an overwhelming sense of peace came over me and I felt a kind of reassurance that everything was ok.
I had never experienced anything like it before or since.

*(These are the words Wesley wrote in his diary: I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death). (Ref: Journal 24 May 1738).

P.S. I do try to ensure that I too provide the references to Biblical statements that I quote despite the fact that I am often ridiculed by one particular contributor for doing so!

Great to hear your testimony, and the experience of the Holy Spirit warming your inner being and giving you the assurance that is for time and eternity.

It's true that I've had no serious doubts re who Christ is (Almighty God) and what He has done for me, granting me complete forgiveness and an opportunity to serve Him now, and throughout eternity.

The certainty I have is nothing to do with anything special about me at all, but maybe I have been given it because of the type of ministry God has given me? One day I will know the answer to that. What I do know is this, all good things come from God.

I'm glad to hear that your scientific mind prompted you to keep asking questions, until you came to the rock solid evidence that demanded a verdict, I pray that others in South Wales and beyond will have similar courage on their journey.

"Seek and you will find"

[Gofer Blue]

Number plate from U.S.A.

[Gofer Blue]

A little bit of philosophy I came across recently:

What you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to. That bodes well for those apprentices of Jesus who give the bulk of their attention to him and to all that is good, beautiful and true in his world.

The above resonates with what the apostle Paul says in his letter to the church in Philippi (Philippians 4:8):

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

[truthpaste]

Number plate from U.S.A.

Spot on