ORRINGTON, Maine — The faculty, staff and students at Calvary Chapel Christian School are feeling a bit like Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead.
Members of the financial board for Calvary Chapel Church that oversees the K-12 school and preschool made the difficult decision Wednesday, July 11, to close its doors this summer, Principal Eric Meyerson said Thursday.
Four days later, an anonymous donor offered the school a $100,000 gift to allow it to continue operating for the 2012-2013 school year.
“The school was dead,” Meyerson said Thursday. “We had our usual Sunday services and that night our pastor called me to say that somebody had been led by the Lord to donate $100,000 to the school. This person wants to remain anonymous. As it says in Matthew 6:3-8, he doesn’t want the left hand to know what the right hand is doing.”
Meyerson and his staff agree that the gift was a miracle and an answer to the prayers of the congregation.
“It had to be an act of God for someone to give this much,” the principal said. “It’s not like, someone said, here’s $20 or even $100. This is God providing a miracle for the school. The school was dead.”
Meyerson said that for him the parallels to the account of Lazarus’ resurrection in John 11:1-45 are striking. The brother of Martha and Mary was dead four days as was the school.
Pastor Ken Graves agreed. He said Saturday that in the past the church has been able to make up for the school’s financial shortfalls.
“With our recent church plant in Old Town and the recession, we couldn’t take care of that this year,” he said.
At Sunday services on July 15, Graves said he was holding “a funeral for the school.” During the evening service, a congregant asked, “How short are you for the school?”
“I said, ‘It would take a check for $100,000 for me to believe God even wants us to do that,’” Graves said.
After the service, the anonymous donor came forward to tell the pastor he had the financial means to help the school and felt God wanted him to do so.
Calvary Chapel Christian School opened its doors 10 years ago after the church purchased the former North Orrington School from the town in late 2001. In 2004, the fledgling school’s basketball team won the Class D state championship title in a series of come-from-behind wins.
Although Calvary Chapel school always has been small compared to Bangor Christian Schools, founded by Bangor Baptist Church, it had enough students to support itself until the economic recession hit Maine families hard.
Two years ago, 160 students were enrolled at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, according to Meyerson. When the decision was made to shut down, just 60 students had committed to attending this fall. The school needs tuition from 80 students to break even, he said.
As the students were forced to leave the school, the church’s home school cooperative exploded as parents took their responsibility to teach their children to heart, the principal said.
Nearly half of 112 students who have graduated from the school go on to participate some sort of ministry, the principal said. Two graduates, Emilye Colby, 24, of Dedham and Haily Chase, 25, of Brewer, are teachers at the school.
“I basically came to the Lord through this school and the Lord just revealed his plan to me by coming to this school,” Chase, who graduated from the University of Maine Farmington, said Thursday. “I don’t know if I would have gone to college, I don’t would have become a teacher, if it hadn’t been for the Lord meeting me through this school and through the teachers praying for me.”
Colby was the second student after Graves’s daughter to enroll in the school a decade ago. The teacher entered the fifth grade after a difficult year in public school where she was bullied and struggled with learning disabilities. She thrived in the small-school atmosphere where she felt safe and trusted her teachers and her peers.
When Colby heard the school would close, initially, she was angry. One of her students set her straight, the teacher said Thursday.
“One of our seniors totally convicted me on Facebook,” she said. “This student posted, “God’s ways are higher than our ways. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not in your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.’
“That was like, wow, I’m supposed to be teaching these kids and they’ve totally convicted me and reminded me what this is about,” Colby said. “So, I just kept praying that God would do his will, whatever that would be. “When I found out the school was going to stay open, I started crying and admitting, I don’t deserve you lord for my unbelief. God is so much greater than us and our insecurities.”
Parents too were surprised and grateful the anonymous donor came forward.
Terri Butcher, 46 of Bangor teaches Sunday school at the church and in the preschool program at the school. She said that when she told her daughter, who will be a sophomore this fall, the girl burst into tears with joy and relief.
“In teaching the children here, we talk to about all the miracles that happened” in the Bible, she said. “To be able to share with them a real life one happening now, that was not just history, was exciting,” she said Thursday.
The school’s long-term financial picture still is uncertain, the principal said. The staff who was laid off will not be brought back and the pay cuts remain in place.
Meyerson said that outside of the financial committee, he and other school staff members have not done a good job of letting church members and the Christian community in northern Maine know what it takes to keep the school going or how successful its graduates have been.
“We have seen that the Lord will provide,” Meyerson said. “Our mistake was not making our needs known.”
It’s mistake he doesn’t plan on repeating.
If this were Gods will the gift would have been eternal. The reality is its a decent tax deduction for a rich elderly person.
Debbie downer, much?
No. I just don’t believe in your god.
No one cares whose god you follow its also no ones business what anyone wants to do with there money
So, you can read the mind of an anonymous donor- but there is no God? o.O
You don’t believe in God, yet you’re qualified to mock and judge those that do? That was SO helpful of you. Thanks.
Sure. When it’s in my town I do. Never said I don’t believe in god. Go back and re-read my comment.
Sorry, you don’t believe in THEIR God. I’m also glad I don’t live in your town.
I would not be surprised if the money came from Bob Carlson’s widow. Hey BDN and Maine State Police, how about a follow up on who this man really was as a person? You want to protect children don’t you? Let’s see the whole story to help this not ever happening again.
Carlson never had anything to do with Calvary Chapel.
Nowhere in the comment does it say that he did. But Orrington is a small community, and it’s not an unreasonable thought. Crossed my mind too.
Anyone notice that the SHOWCASE HOMES advertising on TV that featured Bob Carlson disappeared off TV right after his death?Sure would be nice to hear more about that story, and find out where the investigation is/was.
So Showcase Homes removed the TV advertising featuring Bob Carlson. Does that surprise you? If you were the business owner would you decide to continue the ad or remove it? And what does that have to do with Calvary Chapel? Absolutely nothing.
No, it didn’t surprise me at all.
I would remove it, of course.
You’ll notice I didn’t say it was either a good, OR a bad thing. It was just an observation.
It probably doesn’t have anything to do with Calvary Chapel. Did I say it did? Nah…only said that Orrington is a small community, and that it’s not unreasonable to have the thought, that’s all.
I knew before I even read the article they would call it a miracle.
You read my mind Kevin…………..dang, another miracle!
I knew before I read this comment you would have something negative to contribute.
How was my comment negative? Please explain.
You don’t believe in miracles, which is fine and dandy. But the fact that you decided to comment (rather than simply reading the article) points criticism to those who do.
I never stated I don’t believe in miracles.
LOL ….glad I am not the only one who thinks Kevin of Bangor is a negative minded individual.
Ken Graves. Has anyone else heard his
supposedly “bible supported” rants against Roman Catholics and their popes, Jews of all persuasions, Muslims, religions of the near and far east? He also goes after the traditional targets
(gays, agnostics, un-wed mothers, etc.) with righteous gusto issuing from his self-ordained
complete and unerring versions of biblical interpretation. I often wonder where he was educated and what
his backstory is. Certainly someone
holding sway, in his heyday, over upwards of 150 children and perhaps 2000
adults, might wish to be forthcoming—especially in light of failures of
religious leaders in the past. Is
something akimbo here or am I simply a nattering nabob of negativism?
Who doesn’t hate the Catholic Church? Protestants, Muslims, atheists, secularists, governments, and Satanists are all in the same bed together. It’s likely that most of them don’t think of themselves as being that way. The Catholic Church wears an eternal bulls-eye. Why? It’s because its teachings contain all the truth that God has revealed to humanity. All who oppose the Catholic Church place more importance on something a man, woman, or Satan has invented or proposed, rather than valuing what God knows is best for humanity. The teachings of the Catholic Church are the earthly guide to salvation, but many people don’t consider their salvation to be the most important thing in their lives. Too bad, because Jesus intended for everyone to be Catholic, and he suffered and died to give everyone the chance to be saved for eternity. But as Jesus said, the gateway to heaven is narrow, and there are few who find it.
Would you make these comments to Ken’s face? Would you sign your name to these insults? Seems doubtful. On the other hand, Ken stands at the pulpit and preaches his Biblical convictions in the presence of hundreds of willing participants, cameras, and microphones. Thus, he gives people like you the chance to analyze and critique his every word. In fact, I believe he welcomes it. In my opinion, that makes him pretty brave. But faceless, nameless BDN commentators? The word coward comes to mind…..
I have written to him directly, twice. Polite letters asking for some of the details of his backstory as he would be willing to share publically. He had my name, address, and phone numbers. No reply. I am deeply suspicious. Are you simply captivated by him or do you have concrete and shareable knowledge (beyond hearsay) of his motivations, ambitions and lifestyle? I’m no coward. How about you? Are you willing to see if the signs of a cult or demagoguery are present?
I’m not a member of Calvary Chapel, nor do I attend regularly. But I have sat through multiple church services there, and I occasionally catch Pastor Ken on the radio. I also know many people that attend the church, and I personally know some of the children the Graves family has fostered over the years. I have absolutely NO idea where you get your suspicion of cult-ish behavior. I would love to know! I’m not at all “captivated” by Ken Graves– but I have always found the leadership at Calvary Chapel VERY refreshing in contrast to the many uptight, unwelcoming churches around this area.
IIt would also be a miracle if Kevin didn’t bash someones faith in Christians the only people left its actually legal to discriminate against
I didn’t bash anyone’s faith. I simply stated a fact and please don’t cry that Christians are being persecuted and discriminated against because it is not true.
A church in Mississippi recently told a black couple they could not get married in their church because they are black. How is that for Christian discrimination.
Oh really its ok to bash someone because they are in favor of traditional marriage and start a boy cot but no one is boy cotting oil companies who sell gas from people who kill gays BTW no one is more anti god than you you never miss a chance to down it or anything to do with religion
What does this article have to do with marriage or oil? I simply stated a truth but for some reason you translated that into me bashing Christians.
Please tell me once again how me stating the truth is Christian bashing.
You couldn’t handle the truth.
So what is the truth?
It’s only the truth in your mind so fine don’t bash someone else and their beliefs in miracles
I never once bashed anyone’s beliefs in miracles. You have an amazing ability to read into things that are not there.
How is me stating I knew they would call it a miracle before I read the article bashing anyone’s faith?
I simply stated a truth and nothing more but for some unknown reason you have read into it as Christian bashing.
How about MLS and the Boy Scouts, that is persecution because they won’t let homosexuals in the BSA of America because of their beliefs. I am sure you will come up with some anecdotal excuse for them.
Again, what does that have to do with the article or what I stated as truth?
have you ever actually seen christians brainwashed? If not, I do not accept your ranting as truth. Perhaps if more people (and no we christians are not perfect) had moral values like christianity promotes, then we would all be better off. Without moral values, what kind of world would this be? Take a look around you…tell me life wasnt better long ago when there wasnt so much “misguided independent thinking”. Independedent thinking is great as long as you adhere to moral values. My child was enrolled in public school until 9th grade. Up until 9th grade, my child struggled academically, was surrounded by kids and teachers that were bullies, and hated school. I pulled her out of public school, paid $4000 a year for her to attend christian high school. (financially took a beating doing that, but worth every penny-made multiple attempts over the years with public school systems, did not work) Not only did she thrive academically (By the way she is currently a Deans list student-4.0 GPA in a public university now-this from a girl that wanted to QUIT school in 8th grade because she hated it so bad), she became a happier person because she was surrounded by teachers that cared, and was in a smaller teacher/student ratio so she could get the academic help she needed. Brainwashed by christians? If being brainwashed by christians means that she is taught moral values, taught to help others in need, and to live by the ten commandments, I consider that a good thing not a bad thing. Let me tell you about another thing that happened. Her first year in college, she was sittting in a class discussion group. The topic was what do you do for fun? One kid said he did drugs for fun. A few other kids said they partied till the passed out. My daughters turn came, and her response? Hang out with my friends from christian school, and attend bible studies. Let me ask you, which of all of these kids would you be more proud of? Perhaps you should attend christian school for a day to really see what is taught there. This way, you can make educated posts. You are ranting about christian schools being bad when I bet you have never set foot in one or talked to someone who has gone to one. It really makes a person look silly when they speak of something they know nothing about. Also, As the great President Ronald Reagan once said….
“And without God,
democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one
nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
-Ronald Reagan
First, America is not a nation under god. Never has been and never will be.
As for brainwashing, it is what the church does. I know, I used to be a Christian. The church doesn’t like it when people ask question. They want you to follow with blind faith.
Nobody needs a god to have morals. Animals have morals and they don’t worship a god.
you must have had a really bad experience in your church. I feel so bad for you in that the experience made you choose to abandon your faith. Please keep an open mind . Not EVERYONE needs to share your opinion. That is, after all, what your posts are. Just your OPINION. Your opinion is NOT FACT. It is just that…an OPINION. As I stated before. You can only form a FACTUAL conclusion if you experience first hand knowledge of the topic in question. My family has had a wonderful experience with christian schools. That is a FACT. It is also true that there are great christian churches/schools out there, as well as bad. I was raised catholic. I am not pleased with the catholic church as of this moment, but I have not abandoned my christian beliefs. I believe that the catholic church has become far too mortalized. Too much human interferrence and changes made to the original teachings of God. I am not happy to say the least about the abuses that occurred and were hidden. So you see, I do not have blinders on. I am aware of the faults of my faith. I support the two christian schools in my local area because I know for a fact how great they are. I do not blindly support the ones I know nothing about. I throroughly researched my daughters school before I enrolled her there. You want facts? Read my posts…you cannot deny the FACT that the christian school my daughter attended did well by her. In the mean time, I will pray for you. I feel it is YOU who have blinders on. You feel as though your opinion is the only correct one.
Why do Christians always type certain words in all caps? And why do you think I had a really bad experience in church?
I took off the blinders and I grew up, that is how I became an atheist. My only regret is I didn’t leave the church and religion behind at an earlier age.
I typed the words in caps to draw further emphasis on them….not because I am a christian. Not only are you appearing closed minded, you are also stereo typing christians-where you come up with the opinion that I typed in caps becausee of my being a christian is a little over the top. Funny how you keep avoiding answering my questions when I ask you to confirm positive facts like when I asked you to note how much of a difference a christian education helped my daughter. You only concentrate on the negative statements. All you are doing is further confirming my belief that you are a bitter, negative individual. Maybe you didnt have a bad experience in church, but MY OPINION (NOT A FACT-whoops there I go being all christian like again by typing in caps) is, when people become atheists, it is usually because they had a really terrible incident in their lives, and they feel that is proof there is no God because God LET that happen, and did nothing to stop it. I was only stating that fact, because you yourself, in your OWN words stated that ” My life became 100% better the day I took god out of my life “…this tells me, and everyone else who reads this column that you made the decision to become an atheist on a CERTAIN day. Hence, this is why I drew the conclusion that it was in relation to a bad event in your life. I am so sorry you feel so much hatred towards religion that you feel the need to belittle others who choose to practice christianity. I will continue to pray for you.
@mainemom9395:disqus wrote: when people become atheists, it is usually because they had a really terrible incident in their lives, and they feel that is proof there is no God because God LET that happen, and did nothing to stop it.
That is going on /r/atheism because it is far from the truth. I lost my faith overtime, not all at once. I did a lot of reading and educated myself. I opened science books, I listed to lectures and debates on the subject of Christianity and slowly I realized there is no god.
And yes, one day I went outside and said out loud, there is no god. And on that day this huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I finally felt free and on that day I knew I was in charge of my life and only I can make things happen. I no longer live for dying because I know once I’m dead that is it, end of the game.
When you understand there is no afterlife you start to apperciate life a lot more.
have you seen the movie “Scrooge” or “Its a wonderful life”….you should. Might give you some pointers on how to “Appreciate life a lot more” as you say. Its seriously sad how negative you are.
I’m a very positive person. I just don’t subscribe to your bible BS so you think I’m an negative person. Christians are not used to people telling them they are wrong. They are used to getting their way and that is changing and they don’t like it.
You are the one that lives with blinders on, not me.
also, I should add that I also believe the people become atheists because of being very fact minded individuals…ones that cannot believe in something they cannt see. In your case though, I will hold on to my original theory that I already stated.
If you were raised Catholic, you didn’t really know what you had, or you would never have left the True Faith. Jesus Christ himself founded the Catholic Church, and he commanded his apostles to spread that faith to every single person on the earth. That worked fairly well for 1500 years, until Martin Luther and his greedy royalty thugs busted the dam open and let Satan have his way with a lot of the world.
The teachings of the Catholic Church contain all you need to know for the salvation of your soul. If you left the Catholic Church, then you are actually implying that you know better than Jesus Christ what is best for you. You don’t sound like a prideful person, as Martin Luther and many of his colleagues were. You sound like you just don’t know the significance of the Catholic faith and its teachings. Please reconsider that drastic move that you made (try reading Surprised By Truth, volume 1; it may help you tremendously). The salvation of your soul may possibly depend on it.
I never said I left the catholic church. I still go, but I dont agree with how its been run (In regards to the abuses that were concealed), and how its been modified from the original teachings.( I believe priests should be allowed to marry-that was only put in place by a Pope ) I am not proud of the catholic church at this moment given how its handled itself lately. I am proud of my christianity though. I still believe in my Catholic faith, just not the mortals who run the catholic church….does that make sense? I believe your speech should be directed at Kevin of Bangor. I think you have our posts confused.
I don’t know what church you were attending but at Calvary Chapel you are more then welcome to ask all the questions you want because we don’t want you to follow the faith blindly! If you would like to join us we’re at 154 River Rd. Orrnington, service is Sunday morning (1st service is at 8 and 2nd service is at 10) and Sunday night at 6. Come and join us and if you have any questions about the service feel free to ask as many questions as you want.
I think the Right Wing’s God IS Ronald Reagan.
The church didn’t tell them that 3 meat heads complained and the pastor didn’t want a scene at their wedding so he married them elsewhere when the rest of the church found out all heel broke out and they fixed it so it won’t happen again
Yes, the church did tell them that and I know the entire story.
The mayors of Chicago and Boston voiced their intention to ban Chik-fil-A restaurants from opening because the President opposes same-sex marriage. How’s that for discrimination? Ban entire restaurants from opening because of a person’s religious belief?
And those mayors are idiots.
Agreed.
accusing christian churches of brainwashing is not bashing anyones faith? Yep, sounds like bashing christianity to me…you contradict yourself with that statement. I have read your posts over numerous BDN news articles…you always come accross as bitter, and negative. While its perfectly fine to share your opinion on these articles, I wonder if you realize how abrasive you come accross in your posts. Sounds like you need to let God in your life. You would be amazed how that changes your outlook for the better…thats just my opinion.
My life became 100% better the day I took god out of my life and Christian churches do brainwash children, that is a fact. That is why churches love to get a hold of children at an early age. You just have on blinders and don’t realize it because you are part of that group.
Too bad the $ hadn’t gone to a better cause!
Ya too bad they hadn’t given it all to you eh ? How much have you given away ? Chirp chirp ? Nothing close to ten percent I’m sure to anyone
You just enjoy typing out things people never stated.
A nattering nabob of negativism is my guess……
How come God gets the credit? It was all man-made…
hey Kevin don’t try to deny your past you have been on a constant diatribe trip of god bashing since you logged on here
And once again you post something that has nothing to do with the story.
Even if that were true…let’s assume that were true…how is it any worse than the constant diatribe of god-promoting I see here by others???
It’s wrong because it’s COMPLETELY negative which is a totally inappropriate response to an article about a very selfless and generous donation to a Christian school. There is nothing for anyone to derive out of this article except that this donor did a wonderful thing for the children of a Christian school. Whether you like the fact that he/she choose to support this Christian School is of no consequence whatsoever. It IS his/her money and their donation is not going to affect you either way now is it?
No one is asking you to believe in God or to donate to any Christian organization or school and this donor is not criticizing you for whatever your beliefs are or whatever organizations you may choose to donate to. So, what’s the point in your criticism?
People are entitled to spend their own money any way they want. You criticizing that he/she donated to a cause you don’t believe is incredibly odd, very self-centered, somewhat creepy and totally unnecessary. Who really cares that you don’t believe in their “cause” – it’s their money, their choice of donation and if they choose to donate in an unassuming, selfless and generous manner it’s just too bad if you don’t like it.
THAT is what’s wrong with your posts that are bashing their cause. Any more questions?
Wow, you really went off the rails, didn’t you? Offended easily, are we?
I don’t care if s/he donates every penny they have to any church they want to. In fact, I would encourage anyone to donate anything they can, to anyone who is in need. If they support the position, more power to them.
You’re right, I don’t believe in their cause. I don’t have to. That’s the beauty of being me. I can disagree with someone, and still support their right to do what they want.
To bad there aren’t more people who can do that.
You totally missed the point. It’s NOT about their cause. This article is about a good Samaritan’s act of kindness via their generous donation- PERIOD. Expressing your opinion on religion is not at all related to this particular article therefore, it’s irrelevant.
To answer your question about whether or not I’m offended easily… no, not at all. But it does offend me whenever I see people demonstrate a serious lack of appreciation for someone’s kindness by finding some irrelevant detail to criticize about it. There is no need to turn something wonderful into an ugly religious debate. Let it be what it is… Even if you don’t benefit from it, as I don’t benefit from it, it’s a human act of kindness for all to be thankful for.
Those who live in glass houses…
Bottom line is this… I’m very appreciative and grateful that there are good, kind people in this world who do things for others without expecting anything in return. That’s what this article is all about. It’s not about beliefs, yours or mine or anyone else’s. I’m not trying to talk you or anyone in or out of a belief in anything at all.
But obviously you felt that my response was a stone. All I can say about that is… if was my answer to your question hit home and felt like a stone, I really can’t help you there. You put the shoe on and decided that it fit, not me. If you don’t want the answer to a question than maybe it’s best not to ask me any more questions. You might not like the answer! So, good night my friendly debater, hopefully this conversation is over.
Before it even started, yep. :-) G’Night!
How nice to see a positive article about a great local story. I know a number of students and families who have benefited from the education received at this school. I hope that the school continues to be able to offer their service to the communities around Bangor. Having more God-fearing children raised with good Christian morals and ethics would be beneficial to our region.
Amen
If you are a parent, one of the first things you will be judged for by Jesus Christ after you die, is whether or not you prepared your children to know, love, and serve God. Leading our children to salvation is the utmost duty of a parent. And if you deliberately reject God from your life, Jesus said that you will be condemned. Notice not that I say it, but the One who will judge you has said it. God promises us eternal happiness that is way beyond our earthly comprehension if we merely obey him. Sounds like an excellent trade to me.
I wouldn’t normally say this, because I try to be open minded enough to let everyone believe what they want to believe, but this whole conversation makes me want to vomit. What a society of lemmings we have become.
I’m raising my daughter to think for herself. If she desires to become religious later in life that is her choice. I refuse to tell my daughter she will burn in a lake of fire forever if she doesn’t worship a sky daddy.
I teach my daughter to enjoy life today because it is the only life she has. There is no afterlife and I find it sad that some people live for dying. I’m not going to waste my short life worshiping something that doesn’t exist but you are free to do so.
10 Pentecostal’s like this.
Kevin, I will raise my children to know the truth, and by knowing the truth they can then discern the lies. The truth is that Jesus dies for our sins, and should they believe as I do then they will have eternal life. But everyone has to make that choice for themselves.
To address your edited add of Ezekiel 23:20 the chapter is talking about two women who denied God and pursued prostitution, and the chapter is not promoting prostitution but rather showing the terrible consequenses of that chosen lifestyle. Verse 23 says ““Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.” Please take the time to read the context in the bible and you will have less confusion over a particular verse.
You are certainly entitled to your own opinions. If that’s what you believe, so be it. Who is Kevin (or me) to tell you otherwise. Me, I’m an atheist. It would have to be proven to me that there is a god, and certainly, that’s never been done in any provable, scientific, repeatable, factually-based experiment that I’ve ever known of.
I don’t think it ever will.
When you can understand why you don’t believe in all other religions, you should be able to understand why I disbelieve in yours (and all others.)
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Not everyone is entitled to their own facts.
And THAT is the truth.
You are right, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and you are correct that there are only one set of facts, the truth. The bottom line of all world religions are that they stand on one side of Jesus Christ or the other. You are certainly free to choose not to believe in Jesus, or God the Father, but I just have to wonder what brings you to such certainty. I know that Jesus died for my sins, and I can also see that Gods Word is Truth, there are no contradictions, there is historical fact, there is scientific fact, and there is prophetic truth all in the Bible, it is not a book filled with the opinions of man. You are entitled to you belief, I can’t make you change your mind.
Only by faith in the God of Israel will you be able to see the truth. When you believe in the Messiah Yeshua then you will recieve the Holy Spirit, and be able to see and understand Gods Word.
Well said. I know God is real. I know for fact without all doubt. I have been blessed with his grace my entire life. I have also known many atheists in my life that have found God. When many of them have they become some of the greatest most powerful witnesses out there. Many of the greatest christians in the bible that have walked with christ used to be really bad people, murdering christians and innocent people. When they found God, they spent their lives spreading the Word. I pray for all, Atheists included. Jesus dies for them just as much as he did for me.
Peace and love to all.
The majority of atheist where once Christian. I myself used to be a bible thumping believer but then I grew up and started asking question and truly read the bible. Once one truly opens their mind and starts to question things you come to realize that the bible is nothing but a fairy tale and nothing more.
There are thousands of gods you reject, I just take it one god further.
Kevin, I would actually be interested sitting down and talking with you if you want to talk face to face. I assume that you are local to Bangor given your screen name. If you would like lunch is on me. send me an e-mail at jdelano2232@gmail.com.
I have no desire to meet with you or anyone else that wants to deny gay couples the right to marry.
oh come on kevin, that’s not a very “tolerent” attitude. hypocrite much?
What is a “tolerent”?
tol·er·ant
(tlr-nt)
adj.
1. Inclined to tolerate the beliefs, practices, or
traits of others; forbearing. SORRY, heaven forbid if i spelled it with an e vs. a. you want people to be tolerant of your views on gay marriage but you have no desire to associate with anyone that doesnt feel the way you do. you’re a hypocrite and are absolutely NO different then the michael heaths of the world on the other side of the fence regarding this issue.
Yes, I have no desire to meet with a bigot, at all. If that makes me a hypocrite I’m fine with that.
i wouldnt meet with a person from the BDN online posts either if they extended the invitation. but kevin not everyone who votes against the gay marriage question is a bigot. if you think they are then you arent as intelligent as i thought you were.
Actually, I would say that voting against gay marriage does make you a bigot.
To try and deny a group of people a right because you don’t agree with what they do is bigotry.
If you don’t “believe” in same-sex marriage, don’t do it and don’t vote
for it, but voting against allowing same-sex marriages is a bigoted action.
when you make up your own definition of bigotry i guess you are 100% correct carey.
My own definition? Not quite there Ralph, “my” definition is right inline with Merriam-Webster’s definition, quoted below.
“Definition of BIGOT
: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance .”
Voting to deny a group of people the rights that you enjoy
is an act of intolerance, therefore it is bigotry.
dictionary.com tends to differ. 1. stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own. it’s going to be voted on. if it passes so be it and the people will have voted. by the way, how do you even know i’m voting against it? you don’t. i just get sick of people begging for tolerance regarding this issue however they don’t practive their own advise.
When did I ever say that you voted against this issue? I didn’t, so do NOT put words in my mouth.
You said “not everyone who votes against the gay marriage question is a bigot. ”
I said that voting to deny marriage to same sex couples is bigotry.
You said “when you make up your own definition of bigotry i guess you are 100% correct”.
I then showed that Merriam-Webster’s, a fairly reliable source as dictionaries go and certainly more highly regarded in the literary world that “dictionary.com”, does indeed define bigotry in a way that matches my opinion. Not to mention that you conveniently left of half of the “dictionary.com” definition of bigotry, “2. the actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot.”
Explain how that exchange is in any way saying even inferring that I was opining on how you voted?
people who vote against this measure are not bigots, period!!! spin all the other statements all you want. has “the zone’s” new format turned your brains into mush?
No it has not, I have the intelligence to make my own decisions not what the “voices from the radio” tell me to think. Do you? Also, as you can see, I have the courage to show my real name instead of hiding behind a fake one. Do you?
In my opinion, voting against same-sex marriage is a form of bigotry, and it is an opinion backed up by the definition of the word. Obviously those facts either escape you, or anger you so much that you need to resort to name calling. That’s your right, but I won’t stoop to it.
no name calling here carey. so you don’t like the name mama and papa mcdevitts gave me?
If that’s your real name, it would be just fine, I don’t believe it is, nor do most of the people you’ve argued with here on the BDN site in the past.
I guess insinuating the my brains have “turned to mush” isn’t tecnhically name calling but I find it equally as insulting.
well i guess you are finally wrong about the name then. and don’t be so quick to look down at me upon the arguing…i see you do it quite often. and thirdly, toughen up!
Wrong about you using a false name? Prove it to me, because I know no “Ralph McDevitts”, yet you seem to know me and my workplace. Though, I guess you could have just found that online since I make no effort to hide my identity in the BDN comments section.
What’s your poing about arguing? I never said that you shouldn’t argue here or that I don’t argue here, I merely pointed out that in past arguments you have had on the BDN comments sections, others have often stated their belief that you’re not using your real name. And that’s a belief I share.
As for the “toughen up” comment, I’m plenty tough enough. I have well-reasoned opinions, the courage of my convictions and the capability to logically defend them. I consider that all the “toughness” I need.
godsped carey. look forward to “arguing” with you again in the future.
we’ll agree to disagree about the bigotry subject.
You made it obvious that you know where I work, so you know I’m using my real name. I’d like the same courtesy extended to me if you wish to discuss things in the future.
that’s only fair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nhgfjrKi0o
I’ll take that as confirmation that you’re using a fake name. Thanks for clarifying.
don’t take things so seriously carey.
What’s a hypocite?
What’s a troll?
That would be a typo of my own :-)
Kevin, don’t even bother to argue. It’s their opinion as your opinion is your opinion, you don’t have to respect theirs or agree with it and they don’t have to with yours either. I know from personal experience that “proving” to a Christian that they are wrong doesn’t work. Trying to show them that the Bible is wrong or contradictory doesn’t work. Trying to go against what their Christian leaders preach is pointless, too. The reason it is so hard is because of their mindset, their world view, their beliefs and the assurance that they are right.
I know MattOT but I didn’t have much else to do for a few hours last night and today.
First, I truly mean no disrespect to you, Mr. Delano.
But the statement that (for example) you can only see why your religion is right, and all others are wrong, at exactly what convinces me that they are all wrong.
“Me, I’m an atheist. It would have to be proven to me that there is a god, and certainly, that’s never been done in any provable, scientific, repeatable, factually-based experiment that I’ve ever known of.”
MaineIsMyHome…I respect your freedom of religion and am pleased to know you do mine as well. I just will point out 2 facts of mine though.
1. It hasn’t been proven there isn’t a God.
2. Not all are so open and gracious as you. Some are not atheists but people that actually hate all religion, not just mine or yours but all. Man has been trying to find one error, just one, in the KJV of the bible since it was written. Not one error has ever been proven with all the will power, theologists, scientists and all the haters, not one, ever.
I will pray for you my friend.
There are tons of contradictions in the bible.
Source: http://www.freethoughtdebater.org/2011/12/30/bible-errors-and-contradictions/
Such a position is so specific that it allows one to falsify it simply by reference to the Bible itself. For example, Gen 32:30 states, “…for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” However, John 1:18 states, “No man hath seen God at any time…” Both statements cannot be true. Either there is an error of fact, or an error of translation. In either case, there is an error. And if there is an error, then infallibility of the Bible (in this case the King James Version) is falsified. A typical defense used here is to look up the meaning of the original Hebrew / Greek, read that one of the words can have multiple meanings, and then pick the meaning that seems to break the contradiction. For example, the Christian might argue that “seen” or “face” means one thing in the first scripture, and something completely different in the second.
Your dilimma is in the understanding of the trinity of God. No man has seen the face of God the Father, the closest was Moses who stood in the cleft of a rock as God passed by. But many people have seen the face of Christ, who is the Son of God and one part of the trinity of God.
If Jesus even existed, which I doubt he did. He was nothing but a common man.
Dear Bushfan,
Thank-you for your kind and measured words. If there were more people like you (us?) in the world, I have a feeling there would be a lot less hate and bigotry…from all camps.
I agree, it hasn’t been proven there isn’t a God. But I don’t know how you prove a negative. I can’t prove the sun WON’T rise tomorrow. Until it doesn’t.
My best friend of 20+ years is a self-labeled militant atheist. I respect his position, and agree with most everything he says. We just take different opinions of how to deal with those we disagree with.
Personally, I think I’d have to disagree with your position that there have been no errors in the KJV of the bible, but, it may be a matter of degrees or semantics, how we view that differently.
I am married to a good Catholic woman from a good Catholic family, and we have this discussion fairly often. I tell her, the same thing I will tell you…I actually hope that you are right, because if you do, things will be good on the other side, and you’ll be able to spend eternity saying “I told you so…”, and if I can spend eternity with my wife, I’ll be very happy. And if I’m right, and she’s wrong, neither of us will ever know, and what we believe won’t make any difference, and we’ll both fade into the post-life ether. I will never be sad that she’s not there, and she will never be sad that I’m not. But we will have spent our living years together, happy, and be grateful for the time we did have.
I will think of you, my friend, and hope you enjoy happiness, always.
Read about many of the millions of miracles that have happened in the 2000 year history of Catholic Church. Read about Eucharistic miracles (the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano is an especially good one, twice verified by scientists since 1970, since you like scientific proof). Read about incorruptible saints. I had an old minor, but nagging, injury instantly healed by a miracle at a Catholic healing service 5 years ago. That same afternoon, I saw more than 20 other people healed, ranging from nagging injuries like mine, to deadly diseases and serious injuries. You can also read about miracles at Lourdes, France, where the Virgin Mary appeared in 1858.
People who need proof to believe in God either are ignorant of the history of the Catholic Church, which was founded by the miracle-performing Jesus Christ, or they willfully ignore the Catholic Church, so they can make an excuse not to believe if they don’t want to. The history of the Catholic Church totally resounds with the proof that God exists. Don’t miss out on it.
I’m Catholic, I go to Church weekly but at the same time I am a horrible Christian. I question many things but the thing I don’t do is force my beliefs onto others or share them. I believe that Faith should be more personal and not worn on a sleeve or swerve the minds of voters.
Too bad you won’t raise them to think for their self and to question what is taught to them. You will teach them they are going to burn in a lake of fire if they don’t repent their sin and become born again and that is child abuse.
I will raise them to question what is taught, but first they have to be taught the truth so they know what to question. I will teach them of their loving Saviour who has offered them eternal life in heaven.
And if they reject your loving saviour what is going to happen to them?
Here come the atheists. Plenty of them to go around. The 3 things that will bring them out of the woodwork. Lepage, religion, and SSM. Can’t imagine why.
There goes Kevin doing what he says he dint take your both Christian rants elsewhere one horse Charlie
You mean telling the truth because that is what I did. If you can tell me they won’t teach and tell children they won’t burn in hell then you are a liar. That is why Christian schools do.
Prove you won’t burn in Hell Kevin.
Hell was invented by the church to control people. Just as there is no heaven, there is no hell. No god’s or Satan.
I attended that school from 6th grade until I graduated in 2010! Calvary Chapel Christian school does not teach their children that they will burn in hell, but rather teaches them the divine and selfless love of God! They don’t force God on you but rather show you his love! I have not always been a christian that has lived the life that God intended for me, but through this school I have learned the love God has for me (and you as well)! I was hurt and angry with my past but God showed me his love and has healed me from that! I now have the most wonderful relationship with God because of the the wonderful teaches at Calvary! I was not always a great student (and was a pain in their butt a lot of the time) yet they never gave up me, and I will forever be grateful to them! My life is forever changed because of the love of Christ they have shown through all those years!
When will bdn put the hammer on Kevin others have been banned for sayin less than he has he is on a constant anti god anti Christian bashing foray forever its always personal with him I’m tired of it he wouldn’t be allowed to bash the Muslims like that
You are more than welcome to flag my comments and move on. Nobody forces you to respond to what I type. Yes, I am a very outspoken atheist just as there are many outspoken theist. I do not launch personal attacks towards others. I’m not the one telling people they will burn in hell but Christians have zero problem telling me I will.
As for making comments towards Muslims don’t worry, us atheist go after them as well but it doesn’t happen often because it is not the dominate religion in the United States.
I know the rules of posting and yes, I walk a fine line but I know where the line is. Christians such as yourself just don’t like people such as myself who are not afraid to tell you that you are wrong.
For all of you that enjoyed the memes that say “don’t like weed, don’t smoke it. Don’t like gay marriage, don’t get one, etc.” Here’s an idea….if you don’t like Calvary Chapel, don’t go. Don’t like Pastor Ken, don’t listen. If you don’t like Christian schools, don’t enroll your kids in one. The hypocrisy of “live and let live unless its living and following Christ, in which case you will be ridiculed and tormented” makes ME want to vomit. Everyone has their own opinions on one thing or another, and its just human decency to treat all people with respect regardless of their opinions. Do your thing, believe what you want. You have every right to do so – and news flash, nobody cares what you do. Why do you care so much what Christians do and how they live? If you don’t think it’s a religion’s job to preach to the masses, then its not your job to preach atheism and negativity to people of faith. If you believe and follow science and logic – try using some when it comes to acceptable human interaction and behave accordingly.
For once a positive Christian story and not one of how Christians were narrow minded…well, until Kevin of bangor showed up.
How nice to have a positive Christian story in the BDN and not one accusing us of being narrow minded……well until Kevin of Bangor showed up.
This is an absolutely beautiful and selfless thing to do. We can only wish that there are more people in this world like this anonymous donor… not because of the amount of the gift but because of the willingness to step up to the plate and do what they can for others in need without expecting anything in return. Thank you Mr/Ms Anonymous donor for your generosity and kindness. You are truly a blessing to the children of this school.
I wonder for the nay sayers would you have called it a “miracle” if someone gave you a check for $100,000.00?
Nope, I would not have called it a miracle. I would have wondered why some random stranger choose to give me such a large sum of money for no reason, at all.
I wonder for all those who are being negative about this story, wouldn’t you have called it a “miracle” if someone would have written and given you a check for $100,000.00? How sad that you don’t believe in miracles, they happen everyday, everywhere. Open you minds and your hearts and who knows one just might happen to you.
As a former student of this school..I believe that it should have shut down. They do not prepare you for college or life in general. They harshly discourage dating unless you plan on getting married. Most graduates of this school are married with two kids before they are 21. This is ridiculous!!!!! I won’t even bother talking about the doctrine, because that is a bunch of hogwash. Ken Graves runs a cult and expects loyal followship. He abhors divorce yet is married to a divorced woman, he stands firmly behind abstinence yet his son used to belong to a unwed mother and she was ‘strongly encouraged’ to give her son up. And the “principal”? Well, he is COVERED in tattoos and one of his tats is a cover up-rumor is its for his ex gay lover. Yea, this school is grrrreat. A bunch of self righteous hypocrites that shun anyone who don’t believe what they do. Whoever donated $$ should have donated it to where it was actually needed.
Thank you Kevin on your moms basement mac nice new handle
Trust me..I’m not that little dipshit. I am a former student, believe what you want.. I have many horror stories about CCCS. This barely scratches the surface.
That is Mr. Dipshit thank you very little.
Dipshit here and just to inform you. My mother has been dead since Jan 18th, 2009 and she never had a basement in her home and I sure don’t own a Mac but thanks for taking the time to accuse me of being someone else.
In the absence of fact, spread rumor….”And the “principal”? Well, he is COVERED in tattoos and one of his tats is a cover up-rumor is its for his ex gay lover”….at least you admit it is a rumor.
I’ll be the first to admit its a rumor. But if u knew meyerson than u would understand.
It just makes me laugh because they are so judgemental and rude to anyone who makes mistakes yet they are so flawed they have no right to judge. Their leaders will do anything to brush something unpleasant under the rug. One male student sexually harassed and stalked a girl and ken graves sided with the male student. Ken didn’t want his best friends son to have a restraining order on his record. Total bull! Or how about pastor burkes son almost getting expelled for having sex with his longtime gf..really?
I graduated from CCCS and continued on to attend a college that is extremely academically challenging and whose program for my area of study is one of the best in that state. I have never once felt unprepared and have actually been more prepared than many of my college classmates to handle the workload and demands. On top of the academic preparation I received at Calvary, I also received amazing spiritual preparation so that I am able to stand for what I know to be the truth and to be involved extensively in ministry, internships, and volunteer opportunities. Among the many aspects of my education at Calvary that I enjoyed, the teachers especially stand out. They were willing to provide me with after-school help when I needed it and were amazing role models. They often went above and beyond their job requirements to ensure the success of their students in academics and in their spiritual lives. I never expected for the teachers and leadership to have picture perfect pasts-how realistic would that be? The beauty of Christianity is that God is willing to wipe away our transgressions from the past and give us a clean start, as a Christian I hope to offer people similar forgiveness and grace. The staff are all willing to admit that they aren’t perfect (no one is!) but that they are now striving to follow God’s will for their lives. What an amazing example that is for high school students! I’m sorry that you had to live through “horror stories” at the school, but my experience was nothing but a blessing! I’m so excited that the money was donated so that more students will be able to experience the wonderful Christian education that I received!
Your one of the few than.
Lemme guess? You also raise your hands in worship and close your eyes letting god be closer to you? Hahaha or are u like a certain unmanned student who wrote a poem about being married to god? I’m glad ur experience was a blessing however u could have had the same experience in the home school co-op. No need to keep that school open. The health hazards alone are astronomical! The moldy building, or recovering drug addicts “volunteering”. Lol
Awesome!
This post is for Kevin of Bangor-to further explain one of my previous responses to you, I should add that I also believe people can also become atheists when they are more factual believers, and cannot believe in something they cannot see. In your case however, given that you are so bitter, I will hold on to my theory that you became an atheist because of a terrible event in your life. Again, I am so sorry you feel such hatred in regards to christians.
For someone that doesn’t know much about me you assume to know a lot. Sadly you are very wrong though. When you talk to yourself, don’t forget to think about me.
What I have done is to show that it is possible
for the way the universe began to be determined by the laws of science. In that
case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe
began. This doesn’t prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary.
Stephen Hawking: Der Spiegel (17 October 1988)So, a rational thinker says, “Why clutter up your life with imaginary beings that are not necessary?”
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17, NKJV)
So, ‘anonymous donor’ didn’t have anything to do with the hundred thousand dollars?
OMG, more tiresome Atheist drivel. Can’t escape it even way up in Bangor.
If you rely on your own mind to establish the criteria for “proving” the existence of God, you can comfortably reassure yourself he can’t possibly exist… and keep trying to ignore that big empty void inside that keeps saying “something is missing, what is it?”. That “something” is God, and all the bad-behaving Christians in the world can’t exempt you from the consequences of that reality. The good news is that many Atheists, smarter and better educated than any of us, faced that question and eventually discovered God. And you can too.But I think you small-town smart guys aren’t ready for that or even interested. You’re too comfortable not knowing. You may spend your whole lives that way, not knowing.
Just as you would not capitalize theist, you do not capitalize atheist. Just wanted to clear that up. As I’ve said many times most of us that are atheist where raised in a religious household. Many of us have been baptized and many of us at one time where born again. I am one of those people.
It is very rare for an atheist to turn back towards religion. It does happen now and then, but not often. Most of the time it is a theist that becomes an atheist.
I do not have a big empty void inside of me and my brain doesn’t tell me something is missing. If there was any sort of god it could simply show up in the sky and tell me to worship it but that will never happen, ever.
You should go out and get to know some atheist and you will find out that the majority of us live very happy lives.
OMG, more tiresome religious propaganda!!! Can’t escape it even way up in Bangor.
What will they become Kevin if they reject their saviour ? They become like you which scares the hell outta everyone except Satan congrats
God works in mysterious ways. If we are all God’s children, worry not your little brain about those of us created by God to be atheists.
According to Emily Post, upon the receipt of a gift one sends a gracious thank you note. Now, unless the God of Calvary Christian prints money and sprinkles it down like rain it would seem all that thanking and praising and bursting into tears and hallelujah-ing is misdirected since ‘anonymous donor’ was the one who actually shelled out the hundred thousand bucks.
The lack of appropriate thanks dismays Ms Post. LOL