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Author Topic: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?  (Read 6835 times)

Looking4Answers

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Hi,
First of all, I don't want anyone to have the impression that I'm here trying to convert anyone. I totally respect all kinds of beliefs and understand that everyone must choose what they feel is right for them. I'm here because I really need your  help, and if you'd be willing...I would greatly appreciate your thoughts...


My best friend and I met when we were 14 and we're 26 now. I'm not sure if you would call us pagan, or what you would refer to us as (I don't know the proper terminology, sorry).
She follows Anubis, and we both believed in reincarnation, astral projection, and that we've been with each other many times before. The nature of our relationship has always been leader / follower, in which I am the follower.
   
One thing I've always known for sure about Katie is she hates Yahweh. Katie has been my best friend for all these years and has taught me everything I know.

However, I've felt that Yahweh himself has reached out to me very strongly, to the point I feel compelled to follow him. However, I'm afraid that if I follow what my heart tells me that I will lose Katie.

I can't function at work. It feels like my whole body is being dipped into icyhot. I've lost my appetite and can't sleep properly, I'm forgetting important things at work and it's interfering with my ability to do my job.

ehbowen

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2016, 10:46:12 pm »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199838
Hi,
First of all, I don't want anyone to have the impression that I'm here trying to convert anyone. I totally respect all kinds of beliefs and understand that everyone must choose what they feel is right for them. I'm here because I really need your  help, and if you'd be willing...I would greatly appreciate your thoughts...


My best friend and I met when we were 14 and we're 26 now. I'm not sure if you would call us pagan, or what you would refer to us as (I don't know the proper terminology, sorry).
She follows Anubis, and we both believed in reincarnation, astral projection, and that we've been with each other many times before. The nature of our relationship has always been leader / follower, in which I am the follower.
   
One thing I've always known for sure about Katie is she hates Yahweh. Katie has been my best friend for all these years and has taught me everything I know.

However, I've felt that Yahweh himself has reached out to me very strongly, to the point I feel compelled to follow him. However, I'm afraid that if I follow what my heart tells me that I will lose Katie.

I can't function at work. It feels like my whole body is being dipped into icyhot. I've lost my appetite and can't sleep properly, I'm forgetting important things at work and it's interfering with my ability to do my job.

 
Welcome!

There are a couple of scriptures which, in my mind, speak to your situation. The first is from Matthew 10:

Quote
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man's enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.


The next is from Romans 12:

Quote
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
   Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore
  “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
 If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
 For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
    Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.


While these may at first seem to be opposites, I see them as two sides of the same coin. If you wish to follow Jesus, then your first loyalty above all others needs to be to Him and the Godhead. You may...and you should...sincerely love your friend, but if you allow the enemy to use her to pull you away from God, he will. Since you do love her, if you think about it you will see that in the long run it does her no good to see you as wavering, double-minded or hypocritical. Once she does see you as steadfast in your faith, however, the good example which you set by living peaceably with her and with others, insofar as it is possible without compromising your faith, may have an impact on her heart in a way which clever words never could.

This scripture really is intended for husbands and wives, but I think that the principle stretches to friends as well:

Quote
But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?


[Last quotation from 1 Cor. 7. All quotations from the New King James Version.]
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ehbowen

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2016, 12:45:27 am »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199838
One thing I've always known for sure about Katie is she hates Yahweh. Katie has been my best friend for all these years and has taught me everything I know.

However, I've felt that Yahweh himself has reached out to me very strongly, to the point I feel compelled to follow him. However, I'm afraid that if I follow what my heart tells me that I will lose Katie.

One more thing to keep in mind here...we're not dealing with forces here, or archetypes, we're dealing with people. A divine person, yes, but still a person with distinct personal characteristics and traits. Translate the relationship into human terms: You know Kathy hates George, but you've gotten to know a little bit about George and realize that, first impressions aside, he's actually a pretty likeable guy. Are you more likely to make progress with Kathy by marching up to her and saying flat out, "I'm friends with George and you need to be too, for your own good!" or by saying, "You know, I've gotten to know George a little better and I think he's actually kind of sweet,"...which is more likely to produce the desired end result?

If Kathy is still cold to George, which she probably will be, I think your best move is to get closer to and to learn more about George, without breaking off your friendship with Kathy. Don't deny the friendship; don't try to keep it a secret; but don't shove it in her face, either. Don't try to use your friendship with George as a means to another end, whether that might be mending fences with Kathy or anything else; but, if you get closer to George because you honestly want to know him better while at the same time being up front and saying that eventually you'd like to introduce him to your friend Kathy...I think you'll do well.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2016, 12:46:24 am by ehbowen »
--------Eric H. Bowen
Where's the KABOOM? There was supposed to have been an Earth-shattering KABOOM!
Computers are like air conditioning. They become useless when you open Windows—Linus Torvalds.

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2016, 06:52:20 am »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199838

One thing I've always known for sure about Katie is she hates Yahweh. Katie has been my best friend for all these years and has taught me everything I know.

However, I've felt that Yahweh himself has reached out to me very strongly, to the point I feel compelled to follow him. However, I'm afraid that if I follow what my heart tells me that I will lose Katie.


To answer this question helpfully, we probably need to know more. For example, why does Katie hate Yahweh?  Which "version" of Yahweh is calling to you? (The Yahweh Jews believe in feels much different than the Yahweh of the Southern Baptists which in turn feels different from the Yahweh of the Catholics, the Yahweh of the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.)
Randall
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Looking4Answers

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2016, 09:12:47 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;199852
To answer this question helpfully, we probably need to know more. For example, why does Katie hate Yahweh?  Which "version" of Yahweh is calling to you? (The Yahweh Jews believe in feels much different than the Yahweh of the Southern Baptists which in turn feels different from the Yahweh of the Catholics, the Yahweh of the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.)

 
Hi Randalls,
You make a very good point. I'm not sure what "version" you might call it. However, she sees Yahweh as a god who condones rape, slavery, and the mistreatment of women in general. She also sees him as a god who "preys" on those who feel lost.

Looking4Answers

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2016, 09:16:22 pm »
Quote from: ehbowen;199845
One more thing to keep in mind here...we're not dealing with forces here, or archetypes, we're dealing with people. A divine person, yes, but still a person with distinct personal characteristics and traits. Translate the relationship into human terms: You know Kathy hates George, but you've gotten to know a little bit about George and realize that, first impressions aside, he's actually a pretty likeable guy. Are you more likely to make progress with Kathy by marching up to her and saying flat out, "I'm friends with George and you need to be too, for your own good!" or by saying, "You know, I've gotten to know George a little better and I think he's actually kind of sweet,"...which is more likely to produce the desired end result?

If Kathy is still cold to George, which she probably will be, I think your best move is to get closer to and to learn more about George, without breaking off your friendship with Kathy. Don't deny the friendship; don't try to keep it a secret; but don't shove it in her face, either. Don't try to use your friendship with George as a means to another end, whether that might be mending fences with Kathy or anything else; but, if you get closer to George because you honestly want to know him better while at the same time being up front and saying that eventually you'd like to introduce him to your friend Kathy...I think you'll do well.

 
This is a very simple, but good illustration. I wish my response was lengthier, but then I'd just be verbose.
Oh, I have no plans of ending the friendship. If it were to end, it would be because Katie felt betrayed--which is what I'm afraid of.

Looking4Answers

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2016, 09:20:18 pm »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199838
Hi,
 
She follows Anubis, and we both believed in reincarnation, astral projection, and that we've been with each other many times before. The nature of our relationship has always been leader / follower, in which I am the follower. .

 
I think this is something I have failed to emphasize. Spiritually speaking and for lack of better terminology/phrasing...I "serve" Katie. I bound myself of my own free will. So Katie isn't just my best friend...She's also my "leader". This isn't in a sexual way or romantic way or anything of the sort. I have entrusted her to be my guide spiritually and I swore to adhere to her instructions and leadership.

To choose Yahweh over her is saying I'd rather serve him than her. That is the core of the issue.

MeadowRae

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2016, 09:24:44 pm »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199838


My best friend and I met when we were 14 and we're 26 now. I'm not sure if you would call us pagan, or what you would refer to us as (I don't know the proper terminology, sorry).

She follows Anubis, and we both believed in reincarnation, astral projection, and that we've been with each other many times before. The nature of our relationship has always been leader / follower, in which I am the follower.
   
One thing I've always known for sure about Katie is she hates Yahweh. Katie has been my best friend for all these years and has taught me everything I know.

However, I've felt that Yahweh himself has reached out to me very strongly, to the point I feel compelled to follow him. However, I'm afraid that if I follow what my heart tells me that I will lose Katie.

I can't function at work. It feels like my whole body is being dipped into icyhot. I've lost my appetite and can't sleep properly, I'm forgetting important things at work and it's interfering with my ability to do my job.

 
I feel for you, I really do. My best friend and I met when we were 11 and we are in our late twenties now. I wouldn't say we have a leader follower relationship, but we're very close, and she is a devout Christian. I wasn't afraid of losing her, but I was afraid our relationship wouldn't be the same if I told her about my faith. Our relationship is actually closer now, and we are able to have really great interfaith discussions.

I have to admit that religious feelings aside, I'm a little concerned about your relationship with Katie. Why are you so afraid? Why do you feel she will leave you? Do you feel that she needs to control what you believe/how you behave?
The genderqueer witch your mother warned you about

Looking4Answers

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2016, 11:14:16 pm »
Quote from: MeadowRae;199879
I feel for you, I really do. My best friend and I met when we were 11 and we are in our late twenties now. I wouldn't say we have a leader follower relationship, but we're very close, and she is a devout Christian. I wasn't afraid of losing her, but I was afraid our relationship wouldn't be the same if I told her about my faith. Our relationship is actually closer now, and we are able to have really great interfaith discussions.

I have to admit that religious feelings aside, I'm a little concerned about your relationship with Katie. Why are you so afraid? Why do you feel she will leave you? Do you feel that she needs to control what you believe/how you behave?

 
Hi Meadow,
Thank you for sharing your story! It's encouraging to hear that you and your friend actually grew closer. I'm terrified of Katie leaving because she's told me, quite emphatically, how little she thinks of Christians. Several years ago when Yahweh first began to call me towards him, she noticed the change in me and asked me directly if I was serving him. At that time, she gave me an ultimatum: Yahweh or her, and I had until sundown to tell her.
I felt equally torn then as I do now, and I chose her. I denied Yeshua and chose her, which is a pretty big deal for me, spiritually speaking. I felt constant fear of hell for my choice. She felt angry and betrayed and questioned me for months on spiritual matters.

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2016, 06:46:20 am »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199878
To choose Yahweh over her is saying I'd rather serve him than her. That is the core of the issue.

Thanks a more complex issue than Katie just not likely Yahweh as it is you breaking your trust with her. Of course, your spirituality is something you have to choose. You can't really let others choose it for you, at least if you are to be true to yourself.
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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2016, 06:48:55 am »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199876
However, she sees Yahweh as a god who condones rape, slavery, and the mistreatment of women in general. She also sees him as a god who "preys" on those who feel lost.

Unfortunately, this is true of many ancient deities (including many ancient deities fairly popular with modern Pagans). I guess it is all in how you see the deity and the myths surrounding them.
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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #11 on: December 09, 2016, 09:05:16 am »
Quote from: RandallS;199885
Unfortunately, this is true of many ancient deities (including many ancient deities fairly popular with modern Pagans). I guess it is all in how you see the deity and the myths surrounding them.

 
Yes, and the deities or at least our perception of them and our interpretation of their desires change.

To the OP I would rethink your relationship with your friend.  Personally I wouldn't obey anyone, even a legitimate authority figure, if their demands conflict with my best judgment of what is good for me, and that goes for god or human.  So maybe you should ponder that and can come to your own conclusion.
My personal moral code:

Love wisely, and do what thou wilt.

ehbowen

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2016, 05:50:13 pm »
Quote from: Looking4Answers;199876
Hi Randalls,
You make a very good point. I'm not sure what "version" you might call it. However, she sees Yahweh as a god who condones rape, slavery, and the mistreatment of women in general. She also sees him as a god who "preys" on those who feel lost.

 
I see it more as that the God of the Bible is willing to work with men regardless of their starting point. He tries to establish a connection with people at wherever they are at the time, and then begin—slowly, often VERY slowly—the process of transforming their characters to be more like his own. Slavery—do you really think slavery would have persisted forever if Christ was universally acknowledged and followed? In the modern era, which nations were the first to abolish it? Mistreatment of women/feminism? If there is any validity to my own experiences and the conclusions I draw from them, the Godhead is 80% feminine! And just because the ladies are not in the traditionally masculine roles of command and control does not mean that they are of lesser importance—the roles of service and support in which women have excelled since time immemorial are of critical importance if a family, organization, nation or universe is going to be successful.

As far as "preying" on the lost—the important question is, are we lost? If in fact we are, then we really do need someone to find us and save us. Whom are you more likely to have success saving; those who realize that they are lost and in need of help or those who say, "I'm just fine; leave me alone!" If you want to close a sale, you need to go where the prospects are....
--------Eric H. Bowen
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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2016, 01:17:15 am »
Quote from: ehbowen;199902
Slavery—do you really think slavery would have persisted forever if Christ was universally acknowledged and followed?


Which Christianity, though?

Given that one branch of it invented Biblical literalism in order to prooftext defenses of slavery and insist that permitting it was essential to being a proper disciple of Christ, it's a real concern.

Quote
And just because the ladies are not in the traditionally masculine roles of command and control does not mean that they are of lesser importance—

 
Really looking forward to the point when that process of 'very slowly transforming character' puts a well-deserved stake in the heart of the vile abomination that is complementarianism.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

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Re: I've become a Christan, how to tell my best friend who hates Yahweh?
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2016, 01:29:11 am »
Quote from: ehbowen;199902
In the modern era, which nations were the first to abolish it?

 
Japan and Lithuania, apparently. Why do you ask?
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