Guys...

[Testicular Diabeetus]

I need help.

I have a friend who was someone I looked up to but now that I'm learning more about the word she isn't as strong of a Christian as I thought....

She is really lax on things...
Like wearing a peace sign, it is a satanic symbol. It has a broken cross in it, it is commonly used in satanic rituals. I told her about it and well she didn't care. So technically she is blaspheming..

Then she cusses a lot, we are suppose to be Christ like. I don't think that Christ would be dropping f-bombs and stuff.
I asked her to stop, but she wont.

She is really rebellious.
I went to the church that gave us issues and well she didn't do much. I apologized and stuff and even asked questions. She didn't do anything but stand there She also took her pocket knife and that church doesn't allow knives. =/ She said that it was a dumb rule.
Being rebellious is the same thing as witchcraft isn't it?
=/
I don't know what to do.

She is my only friend but she is so blind.
what do I do?

 

[Testicular Diabeetus]

Info about the peace sign,
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False Religions/Wicca & Witchcraft/peace_sign.htm

 

[CrimsonsDecayingRose]

i never rally liked the peace sign; i thought it looked tacky and there was someting about it that just didn't seem right. i could never place my finger unto it until now.
i was browsing through the website, and it looks like a very good website. i'm definately thinking up some of the topics i found up in Sunday School.
Thank you for providing it for us. heart


As for the 'friend,' i'm sorry but i honestly do not knwo what to say. i'm not all that great with working for people (i'm trying to overcome it). But maybe you should just sit her down, and try explaining everything. Tell her that you worry over her and don't want to lose her to sin.
i'm sorry but that's the best advice i can give.....  

[Testicular Diabeetus]

I never knew about the peace sign until today, i found it in another Christian guild..
Ick, I'm throwing everything away that has that sign.

I'm still looking through out the site.

As for my friend, I will remain to be a good influence and pray for her.
God will show her the right way.
Gotta have faith.
Uhg, I wish that she wasn't so dern stubborn though.

 

[myusikah]

I think you should just pray for her.
Yknow, just encourage her with God's Word. Sometimes God breaks people to let His glory shine. Take Joseph for example.

Anyway, I wouldn't be too concerned about the peace sign, because if I might point out to you, your avatar has a demonic-themed costume (just looked at the site you provided and it says that one of the Devil's signs is a goat) and your posts have rainbow stars. The pentagram is another Devil's sign (apparently), and the use of the rainbow today is for supporting homosexuals.


Jesus was really rebellious too. biggrin
He thought a lot of the Jewish Pharisees' rules were dumb.

Witchcraft is different than rebellion. Witchcraft is being involved in satanic supernatural rituals. Rebellion is disobedience to authorities.

And she is not your only friend, you have God.  

[Azume-chan]

I've always ALWAYS had a bad vibe about the peace sign... I didn't know what until some time this year I googled it out of curiosity and my suspicions turned out to be true. gonk

If that was my friend especially a really good friend that I cared about I wouldn't go easy on him/her and give him/her the honest truth. I wouldn't even apologize. You shouldn't apologize for caring about their salvation. If they disowned you because of that then they weren't a real friend in the first place. I never look up to people anymore because disappointment is bound to happen. I only look to God. It seems that your friend is just using Jesus as a accessory to their life not the center of their life. God should be your all and everything should be for his glory even the smallest things.

Yeah being rebellious can lead to really bad things I mean look at satan... >>

@myusikah: Just wearing rainbows doesn't mean you support the gays. In the bible the rainbow symbolizes the promise that God would never again destroy all flesh with a global flood. (you can read it Here) Just because society changed it doesn't the original meaning has. Even the word "gay" was changed but doesn't mean that it doesn't mean happy anymore. And also, not all stars are evil. eek  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

I wouldn't freak out about the peace sign. So what, she likes peace?
It's not Satanic unless she says something like, "Oh, I like this because it looks like a broken cross and blah blah blah"
I can see it as something worldly, yes, but not Satanic. Maybe its origins were, but it's obviously not used to advocate Satan anymore.

Obviously she doesn't care about the principles you told us about because, well, they are just rules. And a lot of people don't like rules.
If you continue to nag her about what she SHOULD be doing, she will get mad and will not want to be friends with you at all.

If you want to represent God the best way you can, be a friend. Have Christlike love in your relationships and that means more than just telling people what's right and wrong.
Love means helping people when they really need it. This friend of yours doesn't seem to want to change right now and if she doesn't, you have to respect that. You simply cannot help anyone if they don't want to be helped.

And personally, I don't think you should sweat the small stuff. God does care about the words we say and and clothes we wear and the possessions we have... BUT... he cares SOOO much more that we love others.
If she doesn't do that, then she has real problems.
If she does, then the other stuff doesn't really matter. It's up to her to decide if bringing a knife to church is right or wrong.

Of course, if these things really do bother you personally, then talk to her personally and say how they affect you.
Don't try to tell her what to do, because love means being her friend because of who she is.

Hope I helped.  

[emorhconom esor]

If you look up the peace sign you will find that it isn't satanic. Plus there isn't anything wrong with an upside down cross. After all Peter was crusified upside down meaning his cross was upside down.  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

Because nobody else has posted it yet...

Quote:

The internationally recognized symbol for peace was originally designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement by Gerald Holtom in 1958.

...

The symbol is a combination of the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D," standing for "nuclear disarmament". In semaphore the letter "N" is formed by a person holding two flags in an upside-down "V," and the letter "D" is formed by holding one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down. Superimposing these two signs forms the shape of the centre of the peace symbol.

Source: Wikipedia (yeah, I know it's just wiki, but it is cited within the article and it's good enough for me...)

also, later in the same article:

Quote:

An article published in 1970 claimed that the peace symbol had Communist, anti-Christian, Satanist and Nazi associations. This claim is often repeated by conservative and Christian groups, for example by Christian evangelist Bob Larson in his 1989 book Satanism: The Seduction of America's Youth.

Well looky thar.
So no, it looks like the origins were definitely not satanic but somebody decided later on that it was.
.-.
The whole satanist-ties thing sounds like a crackpot theory to me, personally.  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

myusikah

Jesus was really rebellious too. biggrin
He thought a lot of the Jewish Pharisees' rules were dumb.

Also, this is INCREDIBLY true. Jesus was actually very anti-society.
I believe he told his disciples to carry swords for their protection, at some point. Although that's not the same as carrying knives into church, it's still acknowledging a blade's usefulness as a tool, at least.

Basically, I don't think it's a good idea to overreact about these things, the peace signs, the rebellion, etc.
And also, just because a Christian guild said it doesn't mean it's absolutely right. razz Yes I know that applies here as well.

But, before you do anything about this friend, be sure you have all things considered. That's my advice. Your decisions are your own. biggrin  

[Green_Fuu]

Pray for her.
A lot can be accomplished through prayer.
More so than you'd expect.


And when I say pray for her I don't mean just one-two times.
Just don't let the enemy win.
She is still a soul after all.
And if you can be a blessing in her life then take the opportunity.

 

[Testicular Diabeetus]

Well I didn't force her to change or anything, like with the whole cussing thing.
I asked her.
"I don't care if you cuss, but could you please do it less around me?" I wasn't being forceful at all.

And with the knife thing I asked. " Could you at least not make it noticeable? I think we should be respectful."
Again not being too forceful.

And I didn't force her to stop wearing the peace sign, I just showed her the article. That was up to her.

I'm still friends with her, but it isn't like I was forcing her. I was simply asking her.
But she blew me off and I dropped it to avoid further conflict.

 

[Green_Fuu]

There are some things that only God can do.
Like changing someone's heart ^___^ heart

 

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

I'm looking through that site, and it just seems silly.
Do those people who created it really think they're serving God by spreading this? It's incredibly biased, and they base all their arguments in a shock-and-awe fashion.
"Don't do this! Look how it relates to Hell and Satan and Gay Sex!"(seriously, I keep seeing this, wtf)

It might sprinkle the occasional "Oh by the way, God is great" in there, but ALL of the articles I can see are about how horrible this is, how abhorrent these people are, how evil this behavior is.
I don't think I've ever meant this more than I mean right now:

Where is the LOVE?

That site is just downright hateful. It seeks to stir up controversy, not bring people to God. It's only putting people down instead of helping them up.

This might sound overreacting, but it's sites like this that give the REAL followers of Christ a bad name.


---------
/endrant

I think you've handled things pretty well so far. It's good to be sensitive to what others think, as well. She doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, so she's not gonna take it all too seriously.
I don't think it's a life-or-death thing. I think there are a lot greater things you can do as her friend than get her to stop swearing.  

[starry night-163]

Maybe this can help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD3tALdpx5A but Well only God can change her because only God saves and pickes who (that's election), if she won't listen show her these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky8dTyPpiAo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSD7dvmTtzw&feature=&p=D61359B39E30DBA7&index=0&playnext=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR2gJgiGrcI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn4p-Kv1Bb8

Check their site www.illbehonest.com for more video or check their channel on youtube. They expose proffesing christians alot with God's word.

This one is a pretty Good one too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0uMXJQL-YI (it's not in spanish only the subtitles and title)