No Middle Ground

You're with me, or you're against me. You're for christ, or the antichrist. You believe exactly as I do, or you are evil. Fundamentalists are getting more and more polarized, and it's disturbing.

The absolute worst part about this is that every atheist, at least in America, has to be friends with theists. There simply aren't enough atheists in America for atheists to deal exclusively with other atheists, even if we wanted to, and I don't know any atheists who do. It's an example of Christian privilege, really, for Christians to eschew relationships with any but other Christians. We don't have that choice and they're complaining about having to deal with all the evil, antichrist unbelievers? Really? Oh, and they totally want to save us from hell. Without every crossing our paths, I suppose.

What would you do if you made a new friend but then found out they mock the Bible and their friends mock Christ? Would you turn a blind eye or would you end the friendship. I ended the friendsip because if she is not for Christ she is antichrist. She says I am ignorant not to accept people who don't share my views. I know the Bible says there is only ONE way to Heaven. Would you be yoked with unbelievers or not. I am just left so alone because everyone I meet is an atheist but I can't be their friend knowing they laugh at and hate my Savior.

I have to wonder what "mock" means in this situation? Actually mock (words have meanings, folks), or simply make passing comments that they don't believe it to be literally true? Also, "antichrist" does come up in the Bible, but it has nothing to do with being for or against Christ. It has to do with attitudes and behaviors opposite those of Christ. So, if an atheist gave to the poor and forgave those who hurt him, but a Christian horded his money and his hurts, it's the Christian who would be the antichrist. Why am I the only one reading the Bible here?

Also, there is just no way everyone you meet is an atheist. (If there is, I really want to know where you live.) Words have meaning. Everyone you meet might not be your particular strain of Christian, but that does not make them atheists. By definition.

Also by definition, atheists do not hate Jesus. We don't believe he existed. Do you hate Thor and Zeus?

How do your mocking friends deal with future Bible prophecy that is about to happen?

The same way I deal with horoscopes, I would imagine. Seriously, "how do you deal with events that haven't happened yet?" is a really peculiar question.

I'm not sure if it because I am maturing more in my walk with God, but I have no desire to have an unequally yoked relationship. The few I did have for a while just felt so superficial--not sincere at all. I was always grieved when I talked to them, so I just stopped talking to them. We eventually just went our separate ways and I've really not looked back, and I doubt they have. I've planted the seed, and its just out of my hands.

I think you did the right thing in this situation. If my friends were openly mocking God and His Word, we'd be butting heads, and that would be the end of that friendship. So far, the ones who did bring into question the deity of Christ, I've cut ties with them. I'm sure there will be more along the way, but that is why I want to be built up in God's Word to be able to stand firm in the face of adversity, and to shine for Christ.

I want to shine for Christ, over here, in my little corner where nobody but other people who already believe can see me. Are these people producing some sort of antilogic field with all their praying, because it doesn't seem like any logic is getting through.

Can light have fellowship with darkness?....

why is darkness a bad thing? i really can't figure this out. i have become very sensitive to light so even bright lamps are painful to me. (the sun is a blinding inferno of squinty pain) stop by my house at night and you'll find me happily puttering about in the lowest lighting possible. so for me, light is bad and darkness is good. i guess you should all just sell me your souls now.

I say no, I would find it hard to be friends with an atheist, I actually have one atheist in my family (not close kin though), when I found out they were an atheist, I feel bad about saying this but I lost alot of respect for that person...

don't worry, they didn't lose respect for you. can't lose what you don't have. it's good that you qualified that your blood relationship is distant. otherwise, i wouldn't want to get to close to you.

The person has never been outspoken about that, but she actually got mad at someone who lost a family member in an accident after they were saying things like they would see them again, she got mad and actually physically attacked her, telling her that there is no God, now I can't respect anyone like that family or not...

i find it hard to picture this event, unless the person is also mentally ill. or, maybe it was both her family member, too. grief makes people weird. i usually don't care about heaven talk, but when my grandma died, i was ready to hit someone with a chair after a while.

Atheist and those given over to absolute mockery and rebellion toward God,

those people are not atheists. you cannot rebel against what you believe doesn't exist, unless you are currently in rebellion against Poseidon. (in which case, stay away from the sea)

there is no reason to put yourself in the position to be around that kind of garbage.... Also since your born again, I would suspect its hard to be around that stuff, I can't even stand to be around people who drink, cuss, and blaspheme with every breath

now we're all alcoholics? i don't even drink casually. i do put truckers to shame with my cussing, though.

(which describes almost all my former friends), notice I call them former friends... I still hope and pray for them but I will not hang around them anymore, because it grieves me too much.

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I truly feel bad for atheists. While I don't have any as friends, I do rub shoulders with some at work. I would love to be able to quit my job but can't and I figure God wants me there for a reason...and maybe that reason is those atheists, if only for them to think about where the beievers went to after the rapture?

I want to know what "beievers" are, then I might be able to ponder their whereabouts.

I share my faith with them but I do not embrace a friendship with them, no desire, nothing in common. If they want to call me narrow minded or ignorant, feel free. I answer to the Lord, not them.

As a Christian, he no longer has to obey rules of etiquette, either.

Julie, as you know we have a lot in common. Finding warm-hearted, accepting people is not easy.

no, as evidenced by this thread in which you all admit to dumping your "atheist" friends, finding warm hearted, accepting people really isn't easy.

I would tell them that Jesus is important to me, and that we're a package deal.

In my case, if they were mocking and offensive towards Him I wouldn't call them my friends anymore, after sharing the gospel, I would refuse to return calls.

Hey, I've said what I have to say, now go away! It's like a really unamusing one night stand.

Little do these people know that we are the best friends that they will ever know as we love them so much that we want them to spend eternity with us and to love Jesus in the same way we do. But, in this world, that is hard for them to see. Sometimes we can come across as impatient, no fun, borderline angry, and all sorts of demeaners can come to the forefront when we feel our Lord is being ignored and replaced with worldly garbage. Our Spirits our grieved and sometimes we are just exhausted from the Spiritual warfare.

You love me so much you have to hit me?

We as believers are in a very difficult place. To witness to worldly people in this corrupt world is a daunting task and one we just can't do alone, we need the Holy Spirit to help us and when all is said and done we are mocked anyway.

A difficult place of being surrounded by other believers? Yeah, that's rough. I love that I am bombarded by their religion every day, everywhere I go. If I turn on the tv, there's Jesus, whether it be Law & Order or House or football. If I listen to the radio, there's Creed, and a hundred other bands like them, extolling the virtues of power chords and Christ. 90% of the people I know in real life go to church, pray regularly, read the Bible on occasion, enjoy religious themed movies, etc. Yet these people can't handle it if one person says something slightly different from what they believe. That's the freakin' antichrist.

Very well said HFJ! The Bible tells us we will be hated for His Name's sake. Because we stand for Him, defend His Name, share His love with others, refuse to take part in the jokes or mocking of Him, we are hated for it. Many can't stand the name of Jesus and because we stand for Him we too are shunned and despised. Those whom belong to satan (if you're not of God then you're of satan no matter how "mean" that sounds, it's the hard cold truth) do not like Christ or Christ in us.

Yes, yes, you're persecuted and I'm evil.

Our duty is to share the truth in love regardless of what the world thinks of us. We can't water it down, we can't conform to their thinking, and we can't conform to their lifestyle or actions. If our words and actions are truthful and loving but offensive, their pride is the only thing to blame.

It's my fault you hit me?

These people make me tired.