Just my two cents...

[Varmit]

Wilma, I'll "thank" both of you for that.  You both earned it.

As for the Witnessing bit...I appreicate you taking the time to answer my question.  And, Yes..I will respect your feelings on it.  Like I said I wasn't trying to change anyones mind or anything, just wanted a different perspective on it.  Thank you.

[Judy Harder]

Varmit, you asked a good question. I am sorry that this brought all the nasty mud slinging out.

I am just sorry that the guests who aren't members of this forum are getting an eye full and may
not come back.

If I can get one person closer to Jesus, that is what I am doing with this topic. Yeah, I know even
He had to duck the mud once in awhile.

Hopefully things will cool off. It would be nice if all of us could play nice.
God bless you!

[Diane Amberg]

Judy, I think our guests will come back there are lots of less heated threads to read and this is a bit like the old serial movies, they come back to see what happens next.
   Way back when, I wrote a piece about a mess I got into the first year I was teaching.(1966) I'll reprise a bit to catch you up to what is new. It was over in old New Castle, spring had come, and it was time for those standardized tests that we hated to give and the kids hated to take. The day after the reading, comprehension, spelling and vocabulary tests were givin, I got called to the office to "explain myself." The principal let me have it over teaching "religion" in class. I had no idea what was going on. It seems that one mother had called, irate that I was "preaching" in the classroom. Since we had been testing, I assured her no such thing was happening and asked for more information. Apparently the boy had told his mom something about vocabulary words, but didn't tell his his mom that suspect words  were in the vocabulary part of the test. One was "testament" as in "will and testament" and the church kind of testament he knew about wasn't mentioned. (They were a very nice family that went to one of the local fundamentalist churches near by) There was another word questioned at the same time, that I had forgotten years ago and with all the give and take over the last few days, it popped back into my head...it was witness!  The vocabulary question did not have the religious version of witness as a definition as the correct answer. Somehow by the time John got finished talking to his mom, she thought I'd been preaching or teaching witnessing and something about testaments in class. She objected because she didn't think I was qualified. When the principal told me what the two words were the light dawned and I pulled out the test to show her where witness and testament were used. She called the mom back and I got a nice letter of apology from the mother. John was at a very impressionable stage of his life and I guess he expected the other definitions for those words to be available as answers.

[Anmar]

I didn't realize this thread got moved to the religious section.  I've always thought the place for debate was in the politics forum.  In fact, when i posted in this thread, I only did so because it was in the politics section.  I generally refrain from getting involved in debating different people's religous beliefs because I think whatever viewpoint you have is between you and God.  As long as you don't use your faith to justify hurting other people of course.  That being said, I agree with Pam's initial comments.  Varmit, i don't think I can honestly take you seriously in any kind of religious discussion after reading your posts in the political section over the last few years.

[Varmit]

Anmar,...whatever.  This thread wasn't started to debate anything.  Just wanted to know what folks opinions were.