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This was a dialogue with an
old high school friend who's now in the University of California
at Davis. It's interesting to have a discussion late August
2002 after finishing Marine Corps Boot Camp.
[Bart,
Homer, and Moe are fictional names from The Simpsons©
any reference to real people are purely coincidental. -Ed.
Note]
Pulpitpastor:
http://www.angelfire.com/rock2/team
Pulpitpastor:
u there?
Pulpitpastor:
or do u not dare?
Pulpitpastor:
Bart…
Pulpitpastor:
u there?
Atheist:
hey now
Atheist:
I remember
this
Pulpitpastor:
how have u been my friend
Athiest:
I've been alright
Pulpitpastor:
what's been up?
Atheist:
pondering
my future
Atheist:
spending
my days in front of my computer mostly
Pulpitpastor:
the eternal one or more nearer distant?
Pulpitpastor:
i see
Pulpitpastor:
how's school?
Pulpitpastor:
u back at school?
Atheist:
no, not
yet
Atheist:
late september
Atheist:
where
are you right now?
Pulpitpastor:
i see
Pulpitpastor:
home...on break from boot camp
Atheist:
ah..the
real deal
Pulpitpastor:
yes
Pulpitpastor:
where r u at right now?
Atheist:
I'm at
home
Atheist:
when do
you go back to camp?
Pulpitpastor:
i go back September 3rd....
Pulpitpastor:
Homer is at boot camp too
Atheist:
is he
Atheist:
how is
it there?
Pulpitpastor:
going through the crucible right now as we speak
Atheist:
fun
Pulpitpastor:
probably a bit miserable but i think he can hack it
Atheist:
how did
you hack it?
Pulpitpastor:
lol
Pulpitpastor:
i admit in honestly, i struggled during the crucible
Pulpitpastor:
the packs were heavy on me
Pulpitpastor:
i was the smallest guy in my platoon by the way
Pulpitpastor:
so what's been up on ur side of the street?
Pulpitpastor:
been pondering any spiritual thoughts?
Atheist:
I had
a spirited conversation with Moe a week ago
Pulpitpastor:
oh really?
Pulpitpastor:
Moe...the one at UCSD?
Pulpitpastor:
about...
Atheist:
yes..
Atheist:
it reminded
me of when I used to talk to you
Pulpitpastor:
...
Atheist:
he was
encouraging me to come to church
Pulpitpastor:
nothing wrong with that
Pulpitpastor:
so what u say?
Pulpitpastor:
said
Atheist:
no
Atheist:
not at
all
Atheist:
well
Pulpitpastor:
:-)...
Pulpitpastor:
"not at all"....
Pulpitpastor:
hm
Atheist:
don't
go bursting your pants
Pulpitpastor:
y is it i smile
Atheist:
smile
is good
Pulpitpastor:
go on...
Atheist:
it'll
also give you lots of happy wrinkles in old age
Atheist:
I took
my Christianity is not nice stance
Atheist:
I started
saying something about the church
Atheist:
applying
that as a general
Atheist:
meaning
of religion
Atheist:
when he
interrupted me
Pulpitpastor:
with....
Atheist:
describing
how the church and religion
Atheist:
are all
not necessary
Atheist:
after
explaining about how
Atheist:
the important
Atheist:
thing
is the relation with Jesus
Pulpitpastor:
what's the biggest obstacle with u coming to accept Jesus
Chrsit?
Pulpitpastor:
Christ
Atheist:
I adopted
that mean in more generalized terms so then I could use "church"
and "religion"
Pulpitpastor:
i don't get ur word games
Atheist:
like you've
said
Atheist:
you don't
need to go to church to believe
Pulpitpastor:
hm...i don't equate going to church per se as believing but
i do see as believer the importance of going to church
Atheist:
yes, yes
Atheist:
church
is very good
Atheist:
for the
most part
Atheist:
lots of
good things come from church
Atheist:
a church
Atheist:
the church
Atheist:
and whatnot
Pulpitpastor::
so...met any christians while u were at UCD?
Atheist:
oh sure
Atheist:
haha
Atheist:
did I
Atheist:
there
was this very large campaign one of the fellowships had
Atheist:
people
would walk aroiund with these very bright orange shirts with
the words, Ï found it
Pulpitpastor:
what's the thing that hinders u from Christianity?
Atheist:
ÿes,
yes, back to that
Pulpitpastor:
do let me know
Pulpitpastor:
again, i'm smiling
Atheist:
everyone
likes smiling
Atheist:
perspective
Atheist:
a person's
perspective is unique
Pulpitpastor:
kay
Atheist:
it's very
likely
Atheist:
that one
person's perspective will be very different from another's
Atheist:
owing
to taht
Pulpitpastor:
somehow makes Christianity invalid?
Atheist:
yes
Atheist:
I shall
explain
Pulpitpastor:
i shall see u try
Atheist:
you think
Christianity is the world
Atheist:
I think
differently
Atheist:
you think
everything you think is right
Pulpitpastor:
u think wrongly but go on...
Atheist:
I think
everything I think is right
Atheist:
different
perspectives
Atheist:
it has
all to do with perspective
Atheist:
it's how
people live
Atheist:
to think
otherwise
Atheist:
is to
contemplate philosophy
Atheist:
and twist
your mind into wonders beyond
Pulpitpastor:
and somehow by ur pure thinking it disproved Christianity?
Atheist:
so a person
develops a core basis for understanding
Atheist:
no, no
Pulpitpastor:
:-D
Atheist:
because
if I were to think, for instance,
Pulpitpastor:
"think"
Atheist:
that what
I knew was absolutely wrong
Atheist:
then I
could not go on living
Atheist:
a person
has to think that what they think is right
Atheist:
to some
extent
Atheist:
so I think
what I think is right
Atheist:
and you
think what you think is right
Atheist:
and a
jew thinks what he or she thinks is right
Atheist:
and a
muslim thinks what she or he thinks is right
Pulpitpastor:
somehow validates CHristianity?
Atheist:
and that
is how people live
Atheist:
a difference
of perspective
Atheist:
in your
own mind, for example.
Pulpitpastor:
lol
Pulpitpastor:
i love talking to you Shaun...something about it
Atheist:
it's a
riot talking to you too
Pulpitpastor:
i gotta go now my friend...i have a feeling we'll talk some
more in the far off future about this....
Pulpitpastor:
till then...http://www.angelfire.com/rock2/team
Atheist:
far off?
Pulpitpastor:
not too far off into the crispy scream though
Pulpitpastor:
good night and God bless
Atheist:
jesus
is your life
Atheist:
til next
time
Atheist:
my friend
Pulpitpastor:
we'll talk again:-)
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