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..................Touching Base with all Christian believers who
..............have been influenced by or simply enjoy reading
..........Ray Bradbury.

If you are one, asking here that thruout the week we spend time in prayer to God the Father on behalf of Ray Bradbury; asking that the Holy Spirit open the eyes of Bradbury's heart to see the great mystery of faith in Christ, and the unmeasurable strength of grace.

Pray as you will for him, but in partricular that God open the way for Ray to experience that great love of God's gift, his Son Jesus Christ.

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....In 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5, verse 18, it reads:
"All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God
has given us the task of reconciling people to him."

....And when you have your Bible open,
read over the context of the above verse: 2nd Corinthians 5, verses 11-21.

................~Thanks to everyone on this important prayer request

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nard Kordell,

I believe that God, or The Great Spirit, or The Great Mystery, Still Unknown, sent Mankind one Ray Bradbury at a time when we needed him most, to open our collective eyes to the possibilities of who we could become, so that we would learn to put aside our petty beliefs and our imagined differences that have separated us for millenia, and join as a team to work toward the betterment of Mankind, removing hate, eliminating pain and suffering, working to raise up those who are in a lesser state, and preparing for a great step into the unknown of space, to ensure that our species will survive and continue to learn about the universe, about God, The Great Spirit or The Great Mystery, Still Unknown.

Thanks for posting this. It's been a concern of mine for decades, which I asked Bradbury about during our first conversation, by phone, 23 years ago. All I could get out of him regarding God was "we're all one"--no acknowledgement of a higher source which created us all and is more powerful than us all.

It seems Bradbury has revealed the joys of all the wonders of creation while managing to leave out the most important factor, the creator!

Touching Base with all Christian believers who
have been influenced by or simply enjoy reading
Ray Bradbury.

If you are one, asking here that thruout the week we spend time in prayer to God the Father on behalf of Ray Bradbury; asking that the Holy Spirit open the eyes of Bradbury's heart to see the great mystery of faith in Christ, and the unmeasurable strength of grace.

Pray as you will for him, but in partricular that God open the way for Ray to experience that great love of God's gift, his Son Jesus Christ.

In 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5, verse 18, it reads:
"All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him."

And when you have your Bible open,
read over: 2nd Corinthians 5, verses 11-21.

Thanks to everyone on this important prayer request

_________________________________________________

THANKS! dandelion.

Want to stress that this posting is for Christians who have a heart to pray for Ray Bradbury,
not only in the week ahead, but the months as well. It is NOT about debating religion,
or expounding personal philosphy about God. I'd appreciate it that that this posting is taken
that way.

Thanks!
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quote:

Originally posted by dandelion:
Thanks for posting this. It's been a concern of mine for decades, which I asked Bradbury about during our first conversation, by phone, 23 years ago. All I could get out of him regarding God was "we're all one"--no acknowledgement of a higher source which created us all and is more powerful than us all.

It seems Bradbury has revealed the joys of all the wonders of creation while managing to leave out the most important factor, the creator!

Oh, I think he knows.

Nard:
I have no problem with dropping a line to God on behalf of Ray.
However, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop acting like Christians have the only link to the Big Guy...
I think HE hears ALL prayers, no matter from which direction or faith they come. God doesn't use a call screening device that tells him what faith you happen to follow.

"Oh...can't answer THAT one...it's from a Shintoist..."
Basically, He hears ALL prayers.

quote:

Originally posted by Nico:

quote:

It seems Bradbury has revealed the joys of all the wonders of creation while managing to leave out the most important factor, the creator!

Oh, I think he knows.

He does seem to acknowledge "somebody up there," but what is his concept of that "somebody"? Does he acknowledge a real, personal presence to whom he is responsible--even as far as addressing with gratitude, let alone codes of behavior or anything else? As for Christianity, whether or not one believes it's the "only way in" to heaven, or just one of several ways, there are several very basic beliefs forming a criteria for whether someone IS, or IS NOT, a Christian, regardless of dogma or denomination. Based on his stated concept of who or what Christ was--Ray Bradbury is NOT a Christian--PERIOD.

The Creation Myth is a cute story and nothing more. It was written by ancient people who had NO WAY of actually knowing how the world came to be. In any event, astronomy has long established how planets are formed...and seen it in action through deep-space photography.

According to the Creation Story, Earth was constructed by God only a few thousand years ago. Impossible. Even sharks have been around for about seventy MILLION years. Other forms of life much longer than that. These are well-established scientific records, not myths. We've been through this before. But this is what happens when people of today blindly accept every word of the Old Testament as Absolute Truth, forgetting that the people who wrote it were good-intentioned folks, but had not a clue about the history of the Earth. So, like many people of ancient times, they made up some myths to explain their origins. It's not like the ancient Hebrews were the only ones to do this...most ancient civilizations have one story or another to explain their beginnings.

Other than those Creation-busting facts, I still send a prayer out for Ray. I don't believe he needs any intercession, though.

...
Nico:
Naw!!
I sat down with Ray enough thru the years to know first hand that he doesn't know Jesus Christ. He's heard of him. Written a story or two of him, but doesn't know Him. Author Norman Mailer has written about Jesus Christ in a recent novel. | http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gospel-According-Son-Norman-Mailer/dp/1568955103 | I asked him a several years back if he has a developed a relationship with Christ by writing the book. And he said,
"No! I have heard about this born again experience, and people who experience an actual relationship they say, but I have never. I don't know what that all means."
At least Norman comes out and says he doesn't know beans.

THIS post was strictly for believers in Jesus Christ, specifically for those who have developed a 'walk' with God, amidst their failings and blunders, but get up and know first hand the empowering of God and the grace that he gives. It is those that I am asking prayer for Ray.

But I figured all sorts might come banging on the door, complaining about exclusivity, and exclusion. To them I say, too bad, this was a posting for believers in the Messiah.

If this offends people, well, heck, something always offends someone!! Live with it!



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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nard Kordell,

nard, i'm not offended. thru what few communications we've had i find you to be intelligent and respectable.

by all means pray for mr. bradbury. but such a thread can come off as a tad bit divisive. in a round-about sort of way, it can be taken to mean that only christians may send out well-wishes to the man and the rest of us are out of luck.

i just felt that needed clarification. you're right, however, that if people want to be offended they will be offended. i'm non-christian and i am not offended by such a thread. rarely do i even read such threads because they do not include me. i am perfectly fine with other people having discussions without me. i imagine with the billions of people on this planet, there's a ka-trillion convos i miss out on every day. haha!

why am i here if i'm non-christian? this thread caught my attention. maybe because it's the latest posted? maybe because you started the thread and i recognize and respect the name? maybe because i'm bored and wanted to spy into another yard for a moment? it was certainly not for ulterior or vindictive matters. i can only hope you trust that.

whatever the case may be, i have stepped forward into alien ground and with the best voice i can muster via text, respectfully clarified a matter before, i hope, it gets out of hand. i don't want to see things descend into harangues centered on religion which, it seems, sadly, a pot-shot or two has already taken place. i'd like to think mr. bradbury and his virtual representation of this site are better than that and that we, his fans and friends, are also better than that.

let us remember that this site's purpose (do i assume too much by stating this?) is to bring bradbury fans together in pleasant conversation and mingling, not for flame-wars and harasment.

and please no one bring up the idea of "well, get your own thread." it sounds all too 'separate but equal' to me. but if you really must...

sorry to have intruded...

hope this doesn't hurt my standing with anyone on these boards.

with utmost respect for all and well-wishes for mr. bradbury,


~ LordShen

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LordShen,

LordShen: Thanks!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Robert M Blevins:
The Creation Myth is a cute story and nothing more. It was written by ancient people who had NO WAY of actually knowing how the world came to be.

This is off topic for the purpose of this thread, and we may want to move such discussion to a religion thread (of which there is at least one here) but here's a museum http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18061154/site/newsweek/ located in a place for some reason not surprising, at which to go knock yourself out.

Dandelion's post leads to an article speaking about someone who is setting up a Creation Museum. No problem there, everyone has a right to believe what they will.

I thought it was funny that one of the Museum's claims was that Biblical folks lived with the dinosaurs.
That would be difficult indeed, since dinosaurs died out ten of millions of years before the earliest appearance of Man.

Dandelion is correct in saying that my anti-Creationism post probably should be elsewhere. Look, I have nothing against Christians, although I know it sounds a lot like I do. I just don't believe every word of the Old Testament comes out of the mouth of God, or is absolute truth.
The Bible, IMHO is a collection of writings from many different people, and written hundreds of years apart. It is the world's greatest written work, and the first published book. That much is true. Taking it in its entirety as Absolute Truth, after all the modifications that have been made to it over the centuries is strictly a matter of faith. You have to look at the bigger picture sometimes.

To be honest, I have had a problem lately with people on this forum somehow sneaking in with threads that espouse their Christian beliefs. This board is supposed to be about Ray...Ray Bradbury...you remember HIM, right? This is just the reason I wrote the article at Newsvine. It received more than fifty comments and a ton of votes. It was ABOUT Christians who post up about their religious beliefs on forums that have really NOTHING to do about religion...like THIS forum. If you want to see the article, just go HERE and scroll down to it. You'll KNOW which article it is when you see it.

I'm the most tolerant guy in the world, I just think if people want to preach, then they should apply for the preacher's job at their local church, start going house-to-house with pamphlets, or post their stuff up on the proper forums.
It's no different than if I kept posting up about whether Gore should run for President, or engaged in some other political discussion here.

It doesn't belong.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Robert M Blevins,

Nard,
Thanks for your prayer request - I will join you in praying for Ray (along with my numerous unsaved friends, family .... etc.). It was probably inevitable that such a post would open a can of worms; however I won't enter into debates about creationism etc.

Robert, yes, as Christians we believe (& KNOW) that Jesus is the only way to the Father; please at least respect that as a chosen belief. I know it's convenient and nice to think that people of any faith can 'get to' God (I know because that's what I used to think), but if that were so, we wouldn't have needed Jesus' supreme sacrafice. Jesus offended many people when He walked on Earth, and he continues to do so - so I understand (and know from experience) how non-believers perceive discussions such as this.
Anyway, Nard, thanks again for your boldness. Many will feel this discussion doesn't belong on this website, but so be it.

Oz-Crumley:

Your statement extrapolates easily into another assumption: That all people on the Earth before Christ came along, and the ones afterward who didn't hop on the Christian bandwagon have no ear with God...

Sorry, I don't buy it. That assumption is both extremely prejudiced and arrogant. It also cuts billions of nice folks out of the God loop.

On its face, this very assumption is against the teachings of any reasonable God, who would NOT (IMHO) turn his back on people and declare them damned just because they haven't heard of him. And there are (and have been) a lot of people who fit that bill.

I see you are from Australia. Here in America, literally millions of Native Americans (Indians) were wiped out by disease brought by Christian missionaries who forced Native Americans to forget their culture, their language, their customs. Christianity brought misery and death to the people who lived in the New World...and very little else. In fact, since Christianity came along it has been the catalyst of wars in the name of Christ (Crusades) and torture enmasse (The Inquisition).

I think Christianity has moved beyond these things, but it is still a part of its history that modern Christians would rather forget.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Robert M Blevins,