Everyone should move away from the cities

[FastQuoter]

Hey everyone. Posting here for more discussion. I want to start a conversation that needs to be had. I've read a number of posts regarding families escaping the big cities for elsewhere and it's been an interesting read. I've used it for my own research too because honestly whilst living in a city has its perks, there is a big trade off regarding one's health, stress levels and community, amongst other things.

I read where village/rural communities across the UK are hostile to Londoners moving in - but it's going to be more of a thing and should be encouraged!

Essentially, I myself, and many other of my friends I've talked to, believe that living in a more village/rural setting is ideal, but we fear the unknown. We fear the reception from others and if we'll fit in here in the UK, which is fair enough but hear me out! I believe more people need to live in rural settings, go back to our roots, the way our ancestors lived.

Grow your own food! I'm telling you they'll be a time soon when such a skill will be vital. Sustain yourself and do not rely on the government to feed you. Please!

Learn to work with your hands! Whether that's sewing (like our mothers and grandmothers did), cooking from scratch, embroidery, hair making, etc etc there is something wonderful about seeing the fruits of your labour. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."

Beneficial for you and your children If you have young children, I can't see anywhere better for them to grow up. To be surrounded by nature as God intended (God put Adam and Even in the garden of Eden). The learn life skills from young.

Please be kind in the comments, this is my view and I certainly welcome rebuttals and counter-arguments but do be respectful.

Oh you really HAVE drunk the Kool Aid haven't you! Do you genuinely honestly believe that anyone who believed in God BEFORE the "Born Again" cultists appeared on the scene won't go to heaven? Some people don't NEED to be "made into a new creature", who they were beforehand were kinder and more "Christian" people than you seem to be! They wouldn't shrug off Gods "collateral damage".

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
So thereby saying the punishment should fit the crime. Which allowing babies to be bombed and killed in hospitals really isn't, as they haven't had much chance to either commit crime or be able to be born again.

I've answered this. Sin causes chaos. Sin causes misery, hurt, pain, suffering, betrayal and even death. That's the devil's plan - he wants to cut people's lives short before they believe in Jesus Christ. But through God's mercy and perfect will he protects people. He gives everyone a chance to hear about the gospel so that they can make the decision to believe in Him.
Really? That justifies your God allowing good, genuine (yes, and even born again) Christians to be killed horribly due to someone else's sin? Still doesn't explain how that can be just and fair!

I've read the bible thank you. I went to church every Sunday and went to Sunday school. My mother was deeply Christian, without needing to be "born again" and despite having had more pain and suffering than most - spending half her childhood in a Japanese POW camp and still believing in Christ I think is testament to the depth of her beliefs.

But listening to the views of some born again Christians in my late teens, I found their arrogance and certainty that their way was the ONLY way and everyone else was bad and wrong and DESERVED to suffer made me question my beliefs

Which is, I'm sure, the effect you are having on some readers of this thread. Reading just how UNfair and INjust you seem to think your God's will is, I doubt you'll persuade anyone who is a nice and kind person to follow!

Which is, I'm sure, the effect you are having on some readers of this thread. Reading just how UNfair and INjust you seem to think your God's will is, I doubt you'll persuade anyone who is a nice and kind person to follow!

Well yes. I was brought up Catholic & lapsed in my 20s, but I remember that at university all the Christian societies got on well together except for the born-agains in the Christian Union, who thought the rest of us were going to hell. I went to one of their services once. It was all hand waving & terrible music so I left early because I was getting a headache.

That memory, the Vindictive Bastard in my local high street and the OP are three excellent reasons for me not to go anywhere near Christianity in future apart from the occasional Midnight Mass at Christmas.

I take it the Good Samaritan would have gone to hell too?

I can remember a distant relative by marriage telling us that God fixed their broken toilet because they prayed to him. And that he'd healed someone's broken arm instantly with prayer - and the fact that the person with the broken arm had had nail polish on & then suddenly it was gone proved God had a sense of humour!

I have issues with very few religions, but (some) born again Christians are among those very few mainly due to their arrogance and self-righteousness. I thought pride was a sin too?

Oh jeezus

Why did nobody ever tell me God fixes toilets? Does he do other DIY jobs too?

Me too! Please explain OP.

Did they physically remove the varnish themselves?

@Fluffyholeysocks@Shelly369 Oddly enough a video of this popped up on my social media last night. A woman shaved off all her hair, and then used a loom to create a skein of it. She went on to make a hat. Honestly one of the most batshit things I’ve seen in a long time.

That makes me feel nauseous. Who'd wear it other than herself?! Mind you, she'd need to if her head's bare to the elements.

All that money we've wasted......

Although plumbers could go out of business overnight so I suppose they’d be praying to God not to fix toilets.

When I think of all the effort involved in putting this up, though, I wish I’d known I could have got God to do it instead.

So us and the plumbers are, effectively, cancelling each other out. No win situation.

Also imagine the clashes between farmers praying for rain for the crops & holidaymakers / the tourist industry praying for sun.

Or opposing football teams or pretty much any competitors really. So many dilemmas.

That’s right! So rather than bringing us any comfort, it’s just brought us so much more to worry about and pitted lots of different people against each other. I’m going to be suspicious now every time I go to my farm shop. 😁

A personal trainer once told me that when I ate vegetables, they’d try to kill me as a self-defence mechanism.

Needless to say, I didn’t sign up with him.

If God had meant us to live in the countryside, he wouldn’t have given us tarmac.

Incidentally, the Bible tells us that Heaven is a city.

‘…for he has prepared for them a City’ (Hebrews 11:16) with ‘a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels’ (Revelations 21:12). John the Divine refers to it as The New Jerusalem and bangs on about the streets of gold and crystal.

So God may have placed Adam and Eve in a garden, but his wish is for us to aspire to urban living.

Why would you go against the Almighty’s plan, OP?

And why invent an adversary in the first place?

That’s an excellent point.

But also imagine how frustrating it would be if it took ages for you to sell your urban home in order to move to the country & then Jesus came the day before you were due to complete.

Cos God’s a messy, dramatic bitch who thrives on bad vibes.

It’s definitely a well thought out control system if people buy into it.

@FastQuoter I don't understand why people can't be born again in Jesus if they live in cities.

Not everyone can live in a small village.

@TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne, we’ve established that God will carry out DIY if asked properly, @Allergictoironing knows someone who says He fixes broken toilets.

This could be your chance to find a way to enable your cat to climb up & get through the window.

@FastQuoter

To my great disappointment, OP, like the Messiah, has as yet failed to return to address my argument.

I'm glad you're quoting scripture!

I want to make sure my argument is correct and not against God's word.

I am not saying the countryside is the only way, I emphasised on less 'urban' environments in the way they are built today which have overtowering buildings which cover the sky and lack of greenery in some parts. But it's tricky because urban (derived from the latin urbanus) means city. City from the greek (polis) means walled community. It doesn't specify on the inner structure and elements.

You quoted Revelations 21 which describes the materials of the walls and streets. In the next chapter of 22 it says: 'And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

There's little said in the bible of how the new heaven and earth will look like. But it's interesting that what is mentioned are of natural features.

Now ultimately God knows what's best, he is the master designer and all I know is that it's going to be so wonderful and awesome! You want to be there trust me!

There's little said in the bible of how the new heaven and earth will look like. But it's interesting that what is mentioned are of natural features.

Well that COULD be something to do with the fact that around 2000 years ago they didn't have many of the things we do today. In the Middle East back then the normal was rocky deserts, green and fertile land was much rarer and was concentrated around rivers. There was also very little in the way of sanitation outside of the Roman run cities, so water "clear as crystal" that wouldn't carry disease just wasn't available to most.

So the quote from Revelations reflects what in those days would be a paradise, i.e. all the fruit you want, clean safe water etc. There couldn't have been even the concept of modern times views on paradise. I'd imagine for some it would be big houses warm in winter and cool in summer, for others a yurt in the wilderness, and all stages in between. For some there would be an endless supply of fresh organic food, for others haute cuisine type dining, and others fast food.

It can be a little unwise to use concepts from back then as a template for today, the world is a very different place.