Thank you Joandboys, and I agree with you. GOD help us..

Very well said, very true.



Okay, I am a minister...But as I mentioned earlier, I actually deal more with legal issues. When taking my phrases out of context it is easy to confuse them.

When I said it is our duty to inform the misinformed, I was speaking to a person about the subject of speaking the Gospel. There is a need for believers of Christ to spread the word, but not to force the word.

I suppose the main thrust could be to care what others believe, but you cannot be consumed by it, and there are times that you need to accept that everyone has free will to believe what they want and as an individual or as an organization, you cannot remove that right from others. I strongly believe in live and let live.

If someone has questions to ask of me, I answer them, but, if a person wants to debate my religion, I do not engage. I also do not feel a drive to try and sway someone 'to my side' (so to speak). If someone is interested they will ask.

Does that clear up the confusion?

Okay Abdulrhman....may I call you Abdul for short? Also, in the picture which joandboys pointed out you look very peaceful, but I have to say you also kind of look like Tom Cruise. At least to me you do. I hope that does not offend you.

From your few posts, I imagine you are a loving young man who is at peace with himself. I promise not to ask too many questions but you can count me as a friend who will respond when needed.

You will find people on this forum are loving and kind. The conversations sometimes get heated, but we make every attempt to maintain civility and friendliness. I personally have "met" some really nice people on this forum.

428pm, you are a minister who works largely in legal matters? That sounds interesting. However, just to clarify, you are a minister, not a pastor correct? As a minister you do not necessarily have a "flock" correct? So it really does not matter to anyone what you believe because you presumably are not sharing those beliefs with a congregation....is that correct? Please correct me if this is erroneous as it is purely for purposes of clarification.

Blessings,

Emilie

I like Abdul's picture, too.

I am a minister, I also am a legal assistant. I work with women who are escaping domestic violence within a Christian Organization. I help them get through the ordeal, find their way back to God, and I help them navigate their way through the legal system, so that they can start their lives fresh and safe.

No, I don't have a flock, I don't even work in a church. I do not 'preach' to people. I do not share my ideas with a congregation at all...That's not what I am trained to do. I majored in family faith.

I guess it does matter to a point what I believe, lol. Hypocrisy issues and all...But, essentially you are right, I do not lead a congregation of people, I help women and children with difficult and often violent situations. The focus in my job is not what my beliefs are, but what theirs are. Also, I do not deal ONLY with Christian women. I have had muslim women come through my doors VERY frequently, and I will nto turn them away. So I suppose I am used to 'compartmentalizing' my faith, in order to carry out my works.

And I do think what I do is important, and I do it because I think it is something that Jesus would be proud of me for.

Does that make sense? Feel free to ask anything if you still have questions, I know it is difficult for some people to wrap their heads around, a minister in the legal world

Sorry, I just wanted to add...It may be better if you PM-ed any more questions to me about me, I dont want to take a thread off topic, or dominate it.

That sounds fair, your wanting me to PM you. I don't really have any more questions. I just wanted clarification. It is admirable what you do and not at all difficult to "wrap my head" around a minister in the legal world. We should be able to work in whatever profession we study as long as it is a legitimate business regardless of our faith. As I stated before, my own pastor is a retired pharmacist.

Thanks for sharing.

Blessings,

Emilie

Hi joandboys, you made a very good point when you stated that:

"To know one's deepest beliefs is to know them as a human being. Once you know them as a human being on a personal level, they are no longer a distant concept. They become flesh and blood, with feelings and families, and hopes and dreams just like yourself. It makes it much harder to perpetrate violence and indifference on someone you can associate with".

I probably watch too much television, and many of the crime shows I watch emphasize just that....when someone is kidnapped or is being victimized, the victim is always advised to personalize themselves to the perpetrator. It makes it so much more difficult to commit a crime against someone you have established a relationship with. Again, that's just from CSI, Criminal Minds, etc. However, it really rang truthful with me when I saw you state this. It was very helpful because it is true....it humanizes the person and you no longer see someone as just a believer, a Jew, an agnostic, etc. Thanks for the insight. I had never really looked at it this way before. It is all to easy for everyone to peg people into one group or one box. I think this is something that bothers me in particular because I don't consider myself the "typical Christian" and don't appreciate when people peg me as such. We come in all sizes and shapes, just like Latinos.

Blessings,

Emilie

I only pulled the one sentence out of your post because it spoke directly to the question I was posing. I did read it in it's entirety in the original post but was confused by the contridicting impressions I was left with. Yes, you have now cleared up the confusion.

ahhhh...I see