Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
Evangelical,
While I understand your misgivings about idols of Mary, I ask you: Do you really think Jesus would have had a problem meeting with people who had such idols if he thought by doing so he could lead them to something better?
The point is not whether idols of Mary are bad. They most definitely are. The point is rather what are you really accomplishing by not meeting with people where they are if you can help them by doing so? Just because an idol is there and you meet there does not mean you give approval to the idol. It means you care enough about the people there to reach out to them and meet with them. Meeting in a place with an idol is no different that going into the house of someone who takes drugs to try to reach him with the truth. Jesus said go and disciple the nations. He did not say stay in your clean house and don't get dirty. The world is a dirty place, both for unbelievers and some Christians. But we are charged to reach out, connect and minister. How sad that you think Jesus is so fastidious that he cannot tolerate a little dirt around him.
There is a difference between holiness and fastidiousness. I do not see what your fastidiousness accomplishes, and I don't think the Lord himself is impressed with it much, because however much you think you are being holy, I think it's just a cover for not having to care and remaining in the comfort of your superiority and judgmentalism.
Again, you come across to me as a religious Pharisee, not at all like Jesus who ate and drank and was friends with sinners. You spirit is all wrong. It's very sad because I believe you love the Lord, the problem is you don't know what he is really like or wants.
And, frankly, what is wrong with rock music and smoke machines, really? Get over it and get involved. Rock on.
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I am not talking about simply meeting in a place with an idol, we know an idol is nothing, but a "service" which is a ritual with prayers to Mary. We should not participate in that.
Anyone who knows God and the bible knows that God wants separation not mixture (2 CORINTHIANS 6:17).
This is a satirical article about smoke machines:
http://babylonbee.com/news/holy-spir...achine-breaks/
But it is true, if the smoke machine broke many in these churches could not have a "spiritual" experience. The Holy Spirit is someone who "comes down" in that place only when there is the atmosphere, music, lights and smoke.
By your use of the term "rock on" you have just exposed yourself as someone influenced by that spirit. Would you like to do a rock hand gesture as well?:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_horns
R.J. Dio – "I doubt very much if I would be the first one who ever did that. That's like saying I invented the wheel, I'm sure someone did that at some other point. I think you'd have to say that I made it fashionable. I used it so much and all the time and it had become my trademark until the Britney Spears audience decided to do it as well. So it kind of lost its meaning with that. But it was.... I was in Sabbath at the time. It was a symbol that I thought was reflective of what that band was supposed to be all about. It's NOT the devil's sign like we're here with the devil. It's an Italian thing I got from my Grandmother called the "Malocchio".
It's to ward off the Evil Eye or to give the Evil Eye, depending on which way you do it. It's just a symbol but it had magical incantations and attitudes to it and I felt it worked very well with Sabbath. So I became very noted for it and then everybody else started to pick up on it and away it went. But I would never say I take credit for being the first to do it. I say because I did it so much that it became the symbol of rock and roll of some kind.
The rock and smoke machine churches are really places of "magical incantations". Prayers for blessings, prosperity, miracles, there are all incantations of magic. They resemble more of a magicians stage show than a true biblical assembly.
Here is one example of saying magical incantations over the people for healings, blessings and miracles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As7qxqZjak
Here they are again laughing about kicking an old lady in the face, because they are too "drunk in the spirit" to not laugh at anything he says:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9zIj4IMzwc
The so called "atmosphere" is the emotional trick to dupe people into thinking they are having a spiritual experience, and then to extort money from them with promise of financial miracle or blessing. Take away the music and atmosphere and they've got nothing, they can't have a "church service", people wouldn't come, because it is too "boring".