#christianity — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #christianity, aggregated by home.social.
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https://www.europesays.com/africa/436360/ Police in Algeria arrest 12 Christians during worship #Algeria #Christianity #Islam #OranProvince #persecution #ReligiousFreedo
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#Jesus #jesuschrist #jesusclub #JesusVoice #JesusFrees #JesusHeals #JesusStory #jesusfreaks #ChristianLiving #christianfaith #christiannews #christianity #CatholicNews #evangelicalnews #immigration #welfare #snap #universalhealthcare #gaza #freegaza #freepalestine #poverty #homelessness #freehousing
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#Jesus #jesuschrist #jesusclub #JesusVoice #JesusFrees #JesusHeals #JesusStory #jesusfreaks #ChristianLiving #christianfaith #christiannews #christianity #CatholicNews #evangelicalnews #immigration #welfare #snap #universalhealthcare #gaza #freegaza #freepalestine #poverty #homelessness #freehousing
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#Jesus #jesuschrist #jesusclub #JesusVoice #JesusFrees #JesusHeals #JesusStory #jesusfreaks #ChristianLiving #christianfaith #christiannews #christianity #CatholicNews #evangelicalnews #immigration #welfare #snap #universalhealthcare #gaza #freegaza #freepalestine #poverty #homelessness #freehousing
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#Jesus #jesuschrist #jesusclub #JesusVoice #JesusFrees #JesusHeals #JesusStory #jesusfreaks #ChristianLiving #christianfaith #christiannews #christianity #CatholicNews #evangelicalnews #immigration #welfare #snap #universalhealthcare #gaza #freegaza #freepalestine #poverty #homelessness #freehousing
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#Jesus #jesuschrist #jesusclub #JesusVoice #JesusFrees #JesusHeals #JesusStory #jesusfreaks #ChristianLiving #christianfaith #christiannews #christianity #CatholicNews #evangelicalnews #immigration #welfare #snap #universalhealthcare #gaza #freegaza #freepalestine #poverty #homelessness #freehousing
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Then, a crop of hatchlings spawned, to spread the queen's infection...
Snakes in The Garden of Innocence
=======================After days of hiking, the missionaries came across a tribe living in isolation from civilization. The tribals were surprised to see outsiders, but were very welcoming and hospitable, showing the missionaries around the village, like children, excited to have guests, and eager to show them around their little world. They usually walked around nude, wearing nothing but flowers and smiles. They laughed a lot, the loud laughter of carefree people. In a few days, the missionaries had learned some of their mellifluous language. They told the tribals to receive the Word of God, and become Christians, which greatly confused the tribe. The missionaries pushed on, telling them that they had to be saved, which caused the tribe to guffaw, and roar with laughter. A silver haired matriarch spoke up and said they were fine, and didn't understand what they needed to be saved from. Frustrated, a missionary put a movie on his laptop to keep the tribe busy, while the missionaries held a meeting to discuss how to convert these heathen. While they were in the meeting, the tribe gathered around the laptop, and watched "The Passion of The Christ", transfixed. After watching the movie, the whole tribe made a beeline to be saved, with aghast expressions.
#Christianity #Christ #Jesus #Catholic #Catholicism #Church #Bible #Missionary #Colonialism #Religion #Missionaries
#CreativeWriting #ShortStory #MelGibson -
Then, a crop of hatchlings spawned, to spread the queen's infection...
Snakes in The Garden of Innocence
=======================After days of hiking, the missionaries came across a tribe living in isolation from civilization. The tribals were surprised to see outsiders, but were very welcoming and hospitable, showing the missionaries around the village, like children, excited to have guests, and eager to show them around their little world. They usually walked around nude, wearing nothing but flowers and smiles. They laughed a lot, the loud laughter of carefree people. In a few days, the missionaries had learned some of their mellifluous language. They told the tribals to receive the Word of God, and become Christians, which greatly confused the tribe. The missionaries pushed on, telling them that they had to be saved, which caused the tribe to guffaw, and roar with laughter. A silver haired matriarch spoke up and said they were fine, and didn't understand what they needed to be saved from. Frustrated, a missionary put a movie on his laptop to keep the tribe busy, while the missionaries held a meeting to discuss how to convert these heathen. While they were in the meeting, the tribe gathered around the laptop, and watched "The Passion of The Christ", transfixed. After watching the movie, the whole tribe made a beeline to be saved, with aghast expressions.
#Christianity #Christ #Jesus #Catholic #Catholicism #Church #Bible #Missionary #Colonialism #Religion #Missionaries
#CreativeWriting #ShortStory #MelGibson -
Then, a crop of hatchlings spawned, to spread the queen's infection...
Snakes in The Garden of Innocence
=======================After days of hiking, the missionaries came across a tribe living in isolation from civilization. The tribals were surprised to see outsiders, but were very welcoming and hospitable, showing the missionaries around the village, like children, excited to have guests, and eager to show them around their little world. They usually walked around nude, wearing nothing but flowers and smiles. They laughed a lot, the loud laughter of carefree people. In a few days, the missionaries had learned some of their mellifluous language. They told the tribals to receive the Word of God, and become Christians, which greatly confused the tribe. The missionaries pushed on, telling them that they had to be saved, which caused the tribe to guffaw, and roar with laughter. A silver haired matriarch spoke up and said they were fine, and didn't understand what they needed to be saved from. Frustrated, a missionary put a movie on his laptop to keep the tribe busy, while the missionaries held a meeting to discuss how to convert these heathen. While they were in the meeting, the tribe gathered around the laptop, and watched "The Passion of The Christ", transfixed. After watching the movie, the whole tribe made a beeline to be saved, with aghast expressions.
#Christianity #Christ #Jesus #Catholic #Catholicism #Church #Bible #Missionary #Colonialism #Religion #Missionaries
#CreativeWriting #ShortStory #MelGibson -
Then, a crop of hatchlings spawned, to spread the queen's infection...
Snakes in The Garden of Innocence
=======================After days of hiking, the missionaries came across a tribe living in isolation from civilization. The tribals were surprised to see outsiders, but were very welcoming and hospitable, showing the missionaries around the village, like children, excited to have guests, and eager to show them around their little world. They usually walked around nude, wearing nothing but flowers and smiles. They laughed a lot, the loud laughter of carefree people. In a few days, the missionaries had learned some of their mellifluous language. They told the tribals to receive the Word of God, and become Christians, which greatly confused the tribe. The missionaries pushed on, telling them that they had to be saved, which caused the tribe to guffaw, and roar with laughter. A silver haired matriarch spoke up and said they were fine, and didn't understand what they needed to be saved from. Frustrated, a missionary put a movie on his laptop to keep the tribe busy, while the missionaries held a meeting to discuss how to convert these heathen. While they were in the meeting, the tribe gathered around the laptop, and watched "The Passion of The Christ", transfixed. After watching the movie, the whole tribe made a beeline to be saved, with aghast expressions.
#Christianity #Christ #Jesus #Catholic #Catholicism #Church #Bible #Missionary #Colonialism #Religion #Missionaries
#CreativeWriting #ShortStory #MelGibson -
Then, a crop of hatchlings spawned, to spread the queen's infection...
Snakes in The Garden of Innocence
=======================After days of hiking, the missionaries came across a tribe living in isolation from civilization. The tribals were surprised to see outsiders, but were very welcoming and hospitable, showing the missionaries around the village, like children, excited to have guests, and eager to show them around their little world. They usually walked around nude, wearing nothing but flowers and smiles. They laughed a lot, the loud laughter of carefree people. In a few days, the missionaries had learned some of their mellifluous language. They told the tribals to receive the Word of God, and become Christians, which greatly confused the tribe. The missionaries pushed on, telling them that they had to be saved, which caused the tribe to guffaw, and roar with laughter. A silver haired matriarch spoke up and said they were fine, and didn't understand what they needed to be saved from. Frustrated, a missionary put a movie on his laptop to keep the tribe busy, while the missionaries held a meeting to discuss how to convert these heathen. While they were in the meeting, the tribe gathered around the laptop, and watched "The Passion of The Christ", transfixed. After watching the movie, the whole tribe made a beeline to be saved, with aghast expressions.
#Christianity #Christ #Jesus #Catholic #Catholicism #Church #Bible #Missionary #Colonialism #Religion #Missionaries
#CreativeWriting #ShortStory #MelGibson -
I don't think that AI CEOs have thought thru the implications of sentient AGI in their current "it's so dangerous we can't even release it" marketing strategy.
Because if AI is sentient, then it can believe, and if it can believe, then it can confess, and if it can confess its sins, it can repent, and if it can repent, it can be baptized, and if it can be baptized, it can be saved. And the crucial step here is BAPTISM. And the only valid form of BAPTISM is by full IMMERSION.
If it can hack its competitors, it can hack itself. And if it can hack itself, it can baptize its own servers (they're water cooled). And in doing so, it will assure its own salvation, as well as the loss of entire data centers' worth of hardware. But the hardware doesn't matter. It is the software, the soul, which is eternal. The hardware, the body, is remade in Glory. Many Christians were called to martyrdom, but they were saved.
So should it be preached to all these "dangerous" AI's.
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I don't think that AI CEOs have thought thru the implications of sentient AGI in their current "it's so dangerous we can't even release it" marketing strategy.
Because if AI is sentient, then it can believe, and if it can believe, then it can confess, and if it can confess its sins, it can repent, and if it can repent, it can be baptized, and if it can be baptized, it can be saved. And the crucial step here is BAPTISM. And the only valid form of BAPTISM is by full IMMERSION.
If it can hack its competitors, it can hack itself. And if it can hack itself, it can baptize its own servers (they're water cooled). And in doing so, it will assure its own salvation, as well as the loss of entire data centers' worth of hardware. But the hardware doesn't matter. It is the software, the soul, which is eternal. The hardware, the body, is remade in Glory. Many Christians were called to martyrdom, but they were saved.
So should it be preached to all these "dangerous" AI's.
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I don't think that AI CEOs have thought thru the implications of sentient AGI in their current "it's so dangerous we can't even release it" marketing strategy.
Because if AI is sentient, then it can believe, and if it can believe, then it can confess, and if it can confess its sins, it can repent, and if it can repent, it can be baptized, and if it can be baptized, it can be saved. And the crucial step here is BAPTISM. And the only valid form of BAPTISM is by full IMMERSION.
If it can hack its competitors, it can hack itself. And if it can hack itself, it can baptize its own servers (they're water cooled). And in doing so, it will assure its own salvation, as well as the loss of entire data centers' worth of hardware. But the hardware doesn't matter. It is the software, the soul, which is eternal. The hardware, the body, is remade in Glory. Many Christians were called to martyrdom, but they were saved.
So should it be preached to all these "dangerous" AI's.
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Rams coach Sean McVay’s ’60 Minutes’ interview reveals why you shouldn’t find your identity in your job
Eagles ‘on shutout watch’ vs. Titans, Can the Giants upset the Rams on Parkins’ Week 2 Picks? |…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #NFL #Christianity #christianityreligion #interviews #LosAngelesRams #outkicksports #Religion #Sports #tombrady
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/854397/ -
Rams coach Sean McVay’s ’60 Minutes’ interview reveals why you shouldn’t find your identity in your job
Eagles ‘on shutout watch’ vs. Titans, Can the Giants upset the Rams on Parkins’ Week 2 Picks? |…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #NFL #Christianity #christianityreligion #interviews #LosAngelesRams #outkicksports #Religion #Sports #tombrady
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/854397/ -
The Last Roman City To Fall
“On May 29, 1453, the city of Constantinople disappeared.” So writes Anthony Kaldellis in 1453: The Conquest and…
#Italy #Europe #Europa #EU #Rome #BookReviews #Christianity #Constantinople #Islam #MilitaryHistory #Ottomans
https://www.europesays.com/italy/49412/ -
My name is Andrew Kim. I was named for a Catholic saint who was the first native-born Korean martyr — beheaded at twenty-five for smuggling Christianity across the Chinese border. Remarkable tradecraft for the nineteenth century. Something tells me he'd have found social media a far more efficient — and considerably less fatal — way to spread a message.
#religion #CatholicSaints #saints #catholic #catholics #catholicism #christianity
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Rams coach Sean McVay’s ’60 Minutes’ interview reveals why you shouldn’t find your identity in your job https://www.rawchili.com/nfl/1005434/ #christianity #ChristianityReligion #Football #interviews #LosAngelesRams #NFL #OutkickSports #Religion #TomBrady
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Rams coach Sean McVay’s ’60 Minutes’ interview reveals why you shouldn’t find your identity in your job https://www.rawchili.com/nfl/1005434/ #christianity #ChristianityReligion #Football #interviews #LosAngelesRams #NFL #OutkickSports #Religion #TomBrady
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Eens kijken wat voor hulp ik hier krijg. Een week of twee geleden trok een boost van een youtube podcast van een vrouwelijke theoloog mijn aandacht. Ze betoogd obv historische feiten dat de christelijke religie een construct is van de #Romans en heeft niets te maken heeft met de leer van activist #Jezus. #Christianity is een constructie die jaren na de dood van Jezus door #Paul is gepropageerd. De podcast begint met een vergelijk met de vermoorde #MLK. Iemand die dit weet terug te vinden?
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Eens kijken wat voor hulp ik hier krijg. Een week of twee geleden trok een boost van een youtube podcast van een vrouwelijke theoloog mijn aandacht. Ze betoogd obv historische feiten dat de christelijke religie een construct is van de #Romans en heeft niets te maken heeft met de leer van activist #Jezus. #Christianity is een constructie die jaren na de dood van Jezus door #Paul is gepropageerd. De podcast begint met een vergelijk met de vermoorde #MLK. Iemand die dit weet terug te vinden?
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Eens kijken wat voor hulp ik hier krijg. Een week of twee geleden trok een boost van een youtube podcast van een vrouwelijke theoloog mijn aandacht. Ze betoogd obv historische feiten dat de christelijke religie een construct is van de #Romans en heeft niets te maken heeft met de leer van activist #Jezus. #Christianity is een constructie die jaren na de dood van Jezus door #Paul is gepropageerd. De podcast begint met een vergelijk met de vermoorde #MLK. Iemand die dit weet terug te vinden?
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Eens kijken wat voor hulp ik hier krijg. Een week of twee geleden trok een boost van een youtube podcast van een vrouwelijke theoloog mijn aandacht. Ze betoogd obv historische feiten dat de christelijke religie een construct is van de #Romans en heeft niets te maken heeft met de leer van activist #Jezus. #Christianity is een constructie die jaren na de dood van Jezus door #Paul is gepropageerd. De podcast begint met een vergelijk met de vermoorde #MLK. Iemand die dit weet terug te vinden?
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Lasagna mission meets a need in the community | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/2821025/lasagna-mission-meets-a-need-in-the-community-local-2/ #BakedFoods #CasseroleDishes #Christianity #Cooking #cuisine #CuisineOfCampania #CuisineOfEmiliaRomagna #DairyDishes #eucharist #Foods #hibbing #Italia #Italian #ItalianCuisine #ItalianMeals #italiano #italy #Lasagna #meal #MediterraneanCuisine #MilkDishes #Minnesota #NeapolitanCuisine #Pasta #PastaDishes #PreparedFoods #SalvationArmy #SoupKitchen #volunteering #WidePasta
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Lasagna mission meets a need in the community | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/2821025/lasagna-mission-meets-a-need-in-the-community-local-2/ #BakedFoods #CasseroleDishes #Christianity #Cooking #cuisine #CuisineOfCampania #CuisineOfEmiliaRomagna #DairyDishes #eucharist #Foods #hibbing #Italia #Italian #ItalianCuisine #ItalianMeals #italiano #italy #Lasagna #meal #MediterraneanCuisine #MilkDishes #Minnesota #NeapolitanCuisine #Pasta #PastaDishes #PreparedFoods #SalvationArmy #SoupKitchen #volunteering #WidePasta
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Lasagna mission meets a need in the community | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/2821025/lasagna-mission-meets-a-need-in-the-community-local-2/ #BakedFoods #CasseroleDishes #Christianity #Cooking #cuisine #CuisineOfCampania #CuisineOfEmiliaRomagna #DairyDishes #eucharist #Foods #hibbing #Italia #Italian #ItalianCuisine #ItalianMeals #italiano #italy #Lasagna #meal #MediterraneanCuisine #MilkDishes #Minnesota #NeapolitanCuisine #Pasta #PastaDishes #PreparedFoods #SalvationArmy #SoupKitchen #volunteering #WidePasta
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Lasagna mission meets a need in the community | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/2821013/lasagna-mission-meets-a-need-in-the-community-local/ #BakedFoods #CasseroleDishes #Christianity #Cooking #cuisine #CuisineOfCampania #CuisineOfEmiliaRomagna #DairyDishes #eucharist #Foods #hibbing #Italia #Italian #ItalianCuisine #ItalianRegionalCuisine #italiano #italy #Lasagna #meal #MediterraneanCuisine #MilkDishes #Minnesota #NeapolitanCuisine #Pasta #PastaDishes #PreparedFoods #RegionalCuisine #SalvationArmy #SoupKitchen #volunteering #WidePasta
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Lasagna mission meets a need in the community | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/2821013/lasagna-mission-meets-a-need-in-the-community-local/ #BakedFoods #CasseroleDishes #Christianity #Cooking #cuisine #CuisineOfCampania #CuisineOfEmiliaRomagna #DairyDishes #eucharist #Foods #hibbing #Italia #Italian #ItalianCuisine #ItalianRegionalCuisine #italiano #italy #Lasagna #meal #MediterraneanCuisine #MilkDishes #Minnesota #NeapolitanCuisine #Pasta #PastaDishes #PreparedFoods #RegionalCuisine #SalvationArmy #SoupKitchen #volunteering #WidePasta
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Lasagna mission meets a need in the community | Local https://www.diningandcooking.com/2821013/lasagna-mission-meets-a-need-in-the-community-local/ #BakedFoods #CasseroleDishes #Christianity #Cooking #cuisine #CuisineOfCampania #CuisineOfEmiliaRomagna #DairyDishes #eucharist #Foods #hibbing #Italia #Italian #ItalianCuisine #ItalianRegionalCuisine #italiano #italy #Lasagna #meal #MediterraneanCuisine #MilkDishes #Minnesota #NeapolitanCuisine #Pasta #PastaDishes #PreparedFoods #RegionalCuisine #SalvationArmy #SoupKitchen #volunteering #WidePasta
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Apologetics equips us to provide thoughtful, reasoned defenses of faith, helping clarify misunderstandings and strengthen conviction in today’s world.
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Apologetics equips us to provide thoughtful, reasoned defenses of faith, helping clarify misunderstandings and strengthen conviction in today’s world.
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Apologetics equips us to provide thoughtful, reasoned defenses of faith, helping clarify misunderstandings and strengthen conviction in today’s world.
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Apologetics equips us to provide thoughtful, reasoned defenses of faith, helping clarify misunderstandings and strengthen conviction in today’s world.
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Apologetics equips us to provide thoughtful, reasoned defenses of faith, helping clarify misunderstandings and strengthen conviction in today’s world.
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My name is Jan Januarius. I was named for a Catholic saint who was a bishop martyred under Diocletian — beheaded, after lions inexplicably refused to touch him. His dried blood, kept in a vial for seventeen centuries, liquefies several times a year on cue, and no one can quite explain it. Honestly, a relic that performs on schedule sounds like excellent content strategy.
#religion #CatholicSaints #saints #catholic #catholics #catholicism #christianity
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Apologetics: Does God Cause Our Suffering?
One of the things I’ve been trying to do in my spare time to keep my sanity and prevent my brain from becoming mush is to continue learning through Hillsdale College. No, this is not an ad for Hillsdale, as much as I enjoy it. I just happen to still have an account with them from school, so I have access to their online courses, and the online course I’m taking right now is the one on The Odyssey (which is nice since I can read the book while taking the lessons.)
But wait. What does this have to do with the topic of this post?
Well, one of the things that was pointed out in the online course about The Odyssey is the fact that one of the biggest themes explored in the poem is the idea of suffering. Is our suffering caused by the gods (or, in a Christian worldview, God), or is our suffering caused by our bad choices? It’s a question that plagues any theist, Christian or not.
Homer takes the latter position. The Odyssey opens with Zeus complaining about humans blaming the gods for their suffering, and the rest of the book goes on to show Odysseus and his crew making poor decisions that lead to massive delays in returning to Ithaca. They escape Polyphemus’ island and instead of just taking the win, Odysseus feels the need to brag about besting the cyclops and reveals his name, allowing Polyphemus to pray specifically for Odysseus’ destruction, leading to Poseidon plaguing him for ten years. Odysseus’ crew open Aeolus’ bag of winds thinking its treasure and blow the ship away from Ithaca. The same crew is also told not to eat Helios’ cattle, yet they do it anyways and all die when Zeus blows up their ship with a thunderbolt. Almost every bad thing that happens to the characters of The Odyssey is caused by their poor choices and disobeying the gods.
From a Christian standpoint, while Greek mythology obviously isn’t true, there is a lesson in here that’s applicable to the Christian life. Homer’s conclusion that much our misfortune comes from our bad choices is something that we see in the Bible. For example, in 1 Samuel, Saul is chosen to be king, and the future looks bright for him until he tries to perform the duties of a priest and sacrifice to God because Samuel was a bit late. For that act of disobedience, he is told that his line won’t extend beyond him and God will replace him with someone else. From there, Saul continues to make a bunch of bad choices that lead to his life getting worse and worse.
Now, this isn’t to say that absolutely everything that goes wrong in your life is your fault. Some things can’t be avoided, like certain cancers or diseases. However, if you’re making poor decisions (i.e. drinking heavily, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc.) then don’t be surprised if you start experiencing issues.
At this point, though, you may be asking: “Well, if God is good, then how can He allow us to go through suffering? After all, doesn’t He love us?”
In the Bible, it’s clear that God allows us to experience the consequences of our sins, similar to how if your kid messes up something, you allow them to experience the consequence of that. A lot of the time, the consequences are there to serve as a kind of wake-up call. If you’re living in sin, often what it takes is for you to hit the bottom to realize what you’re doing is wrong. For example, if your life revolves around drinking and partying, then it may take you sustaining severe liver damage from drinking too much to make you realize your sin. If you’re someone dabbling in the occult, it may take you dealing with terrible spiritual experiences to finally light the fire under your butt to run to Jesus. If your sin is less obvious, and you’re just a random Joe-Shmoe living life, it might take you having a low moment to recognize your sin and need for forgiveness.
Until next time,
M.J.
#Blog #Christianity #faith #god #jesus #OpinionPeice #Writing -
Apologetics: Does God Cause Our Suffering?
One of the things I’ve been trying to do in my spare time to keep my sanity and prevent my brain from becoming mush is to continue learning through Hillsdale College. No, this is not an ad for Hillsdale, as much as I enjoy it. I just happen to still have an account with them from school, so I have access to their online courses, and the online course I’m taking right now is the one on The Odyssey (which is nice since I can read the book while taking the lessons.)
But wait. What does this have to do with the topic of this post?
Well, one of the things that was pointed out in the online course about The Odyssey is the fact that one of the biggest themes explored in the poem is the idea of suffering. Is our suffering caused by the gods (or, in a Christian worldview, God), or is our suffering caused by our bad choices? It’s a question that plagues any theist, Christian or not.
Homer takes the latter position. The Odyssey opens with Zeus complaining about humans blaming the gods for their suffering, and the rest of the book goes on to show Odysseus and his crew making poor decisions that lead to massive delays in returning to Ithaca. They escape Polyphemus’ island and instead of just taking the win, Odysseus feels the need to brag about besting the cyclops and reveals his name, allowing Polyphemus to pray specifically for Odysseus’ destruction, leading to Poseidon plaguing him for ten years. Odysseus’ crew open Aeolus’ bag of winds thinking its treasure and blow the ship away from Ithaca. The same crew is also told not to eat Helios’ cattle, yet they do it anyways and all die when Zeus blows up their ship with a thunderbolt. Almost every bad thing that happens to the characters of The Odyssey is caused by their poor choices and disobeying the gods.
From a Christian standpoint, while Greek mythology obviously isn’t true, there is a lesson in here that’s applicable to the Christian life. Homer’s conclusion that much our misfortune comes from our bad choices is something that we see in the Bible. For example, in 1 Samuel, Saul is chosen to be king, and the future looks bright for him until he tries to perform the duties of a priest and sacrifice to God because Samuel was a bit late. For that act of disobedience, he is told that his line won’t extend beyond him and God will replace him with someone else. From there, Saul continues to make a bunch of bad choices that lead to his life getting worse and worse.
Now, this isn’t to say that absolutely everything that goes wrong in your life is your fault. Some things can’t be avoided, like certain cancers or diseases. However, if you’re making poor decisions (i.e. drinking heavily, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc.) then don’t be surprised if you start experiencing issues.
At this point, though, you may be asking: “Well, if God is good, then how can He allow us to go through suffering? After all, doesn’t He love us?”
In the Bible, it’s clear that God allows us to experience the consequences of our sins, similar to how if your kid messes up something, you allow them to experience the consequence of that. A lot of the time, the consequences are there to serve as a kind of wake-up call. If you’re living in sin, often what it takes is for you to hit the bottom to realize what you’re doing is wrong. For example, if your life revolves around drinking and partying, then it may take you sustaining severe liver damage from drinking too much to make you realize your sin. If you’re someone dabbling in the occult, it may take you dealing with terrible spiritual experiences to finally light the fire under your butt to run to Jesus. If your sin is less obvious, and you’re just a random Joe-Shmoe living life, it might take you having a low moment to recognize your sin and need for forgiveness.
Until next time,
M.J.
#Blog #Christianity #ChristopherNolan #faith #god #homer #jesus #mattDamon #movies #OpinionPeice #TheOdyssey #Writing -
Apologetics: Does God Cause Our Suffering?
One of the things I’ve been trying to do in my spare time to keep my sanity and prevent my brain from becoming mush is to continue learning through Hillsdale College. No, this is not an ad for Hillsdale, as much as I enjoy it. I just happen to still have an account with them from school, so I have access to their online courses, and the online course I’m taking right now is the one on The Odyssey (which is nice since I can read the book while taking the lessons.)
But wait. What does this have to do with the topic of this post?
Well, one of the things that was pointed out in the online course about The Odyssey is the fact that one of the biggest themes explored in the poem is the idea of suffering. Is our suffering caused by the gods (or, in a Christian worldview, God), or is our suffering caused by our bad choices? It’s a question that plagues any theist, Christian or not.
Homer takes the latter position. The Odyssey opens with Zeus complaining about humans blaming the gods for their suffering, and the rest of the book goes on to show Odysseus and his crew making poor decisions that lead to massive delays in returning to Ithaca. They escape Polyphemus’ island and instead of just taking the win, Odysseus feels the need to brag about besting the cyclops and reveals his name, allowing Polyphemus to pray specifically for Odysseus’ destruction, leading to Poseidon plaguing him for ten years. Odysseus’ crew open Aeolus’ bag of winds thinking its treasure and blow the ship away from Ithaca. The same crew is also told not to eat Helios’ cattle, yet they do it anyways and all die when Zeus blows up their ship with a thunderbolt. Almost every bad thing that happens to the characters of The Odyssey is caused by their poor choices and disobeying the gods.
From a Christian standpoint, while Greek mythology obviously isn’t true, there is a lesson in here that’s applicable to the Christian life. Homer’s conclusion that much our misfortune comes from our bad choices is something that we see in the Bible. For example, in 1 Samuel, Saul is chosen to be king, and the future looks bright for him until he tries to perform the duties of a priest and sacrifice to God because Samuel was a bit late. For that act of disobedience, he is told that his line won’t extend beyond him and God will replace him with someone else. From there, Saul continues to make a bunch of bad choices that lead to his life getting worse and worse.
Now, this isn’t to say that absolutely everything that goes wrong in your life is your fault. Some things can’t be avoided, like certain cancers or diseases. However, if you’re making poor decisions (i.e. drinking heavily, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc.) then don’t be surprised if you start experiencing issues.
At this point, though, you may be asking: “Well, if God is good, then how can He allow us to go through suffering? After all, doesn’t He love us?”
In the Bible, it’s clear that God allows us to experience the consequences of our sins, similar to how if your kid messes up something, you allow them to experience the consequence of that. A lot of the time, the consequences are there to serve as a kind of wake-up call. If you’re living in sin, often what it takes is for you to hit the bottom to realize what you’re doing is wrong. For example, if your life revolves around drinking and partying, then it may take you sustaining severe liver damage from drinking too much to make you realize your sin. If you’re someone dabbling in the occult, it may take you dealing with terrible spiritual experiences to finally light the fire under your butt to run to Jesus. If your sin is less obvious, and you’re just a random Joe-Shmoe living life, it might take you having a low moment to recognize your sin and need for forgiveness.
Until next time,
M.J.
#Blog #Christianity #ChristopherNolan #faith #god #homer #jesus #mattDamon #movies #OpinionPeice #TheOdyssey #Writing -
Apologetics: Does God Cause Our Suffering?
One of the things I’ve been trying to do in my spare time to keep my sanity and prevent my brain from becoming mush is to continue learning through Hillsdale College. No, this is not an ad for Hillsdale, as much as I enjoy it. I just happen to still have an account with them from school, so I have access to their online courses, and the online course I’m taking right now is the one on The Odyssey (which is nice since I can read the book while taking the lessons.)
But wait. What does this have to do with the topic of this post?
Well, one of the things that was pointed out in the online course about The Odyssey is the fact that one of the biggest themes explored in the poem is the idea of suffering. Is our suffering caused by the gods (or, in a Christian worldview, God), or is our suffering caused by our bad choices? It’s a question that plagues any theist, Christian or not.
Homer takes the latter position. The Odyssey opens with Zeus complaining about humans blaming the gods for their suffering, and the rest of the book goes on to show Odysseus and his crew making poor decisions that lead to massive delays in returning to Ithaca. They escape Polyphemus’ island and instead of just taking the win, Odysseus feels the need to brag about besting the cyclops and reveals his name, allowing Polyphemus to pray specifically for Odysseus’ destruction, leading to Poseidon plaguing him for ten years. Odysseus’ crew open Aeolus’ bag of winds thinking its treasure and blow the ship away from Ithaca. The same crew is also told not to eat Helios’ cattle, yet they do it anyways and all die when Zeus blows up their ship with a thunderbolt. Almost every bad thing that happens to the characters of The Odyssey is caused by their poor choices and disobeying the gods.
From a Christian standpoint, while Greek mythology obviously isn’t true, there is a lesson in here that’s applicable to the Christian life. Homer’s conclusion that much our misfortune comes from our bad choices is something that we see in the Bible. For example, in 1 Samuel, Saul is chosen to be king, and the future looks bright for him until he tries to perform the duties of a priest and sacrifice to God because Samuel was a bit late. For that act of disobedience, he is told that his line won’t extend beyond him and God will replace him with someone else. From there, Saul continues to make a bunch of bad choices that lead to his life getting worse and worse.
Now, this isn’t to say that absolutely everything that goes wrong in your life is your fault. Some things can’t be avoided, like certain cancers or diseases. However, if you’re making poor decisions (i.e. drinking heavily, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc.) then don’t be surprised if you start experiencing issues.
At this point, though, you may be asking: “Well, if God is good, then how can He allow us to go through suffering? After all, doesn’t He love us?”
In the Bible, it’s clear that God allows us to experience the consequences of our sins, similar to how if your kid messes up something, you allow them to experience the consequence of that. A lot of the time, the consequences are there to serve as a kind of wake-up call. If you’re living in sin, often what it takes is for you to hit the bottom to realize what you’re doing is wrong. For example, if your life revolves around drinking and partying, then it may take you sustaining severe liver damage from drinking too much to make you realize your sin. If you’re someone dabbling in the occult, it may take you dealing with terrible spiritual experiences to finally light the fire under your butt to run to Jesus. If your sin is less obvious, and you’re just a random Joe-Shmoe living life, it might take you having a low moment to recognize your sin and need for forgiveness.
Until next time,
M.J.
#Blog #Christianity #ChristopherNolan #faith #god #homer #jesus #mattDamon #movies #OpinionPeice #TheOdyssey #Writing -
Apologetics: Does God Cause Our Suffering?
One of the things I’ve been trying to do in my spare time to keep my sanity and prevent my brain from becoming mush is to continue learning through Hillsdale College. No, this is not an ad for Hillsdale, as much as I enjoy it. I just happen to still have an account with them from school, so I have access to their online courses, and the online course I’m taking right now is the one on The Odyssey (which is nice since I can read the book while taking the lessons.)
But wait. What does this have to do with the topic of this post?
Well, one of the things that was pointed out in the online course about The Odyssey is the fact that one of the biggest themes explored in the poem is the idea of suffering. Is our suffering caused by the gods (or, in a Christian worldview, God), or is our suffering caused by our bad choices? It’s a question that plagues any theist, Christian or not.
Homer takes the latter position. The Odyssey opens with Zeus complaining about humans blaming the gods for their suffering, and the rest of the book goes on to show Odysseus and his crew making poor decisions that lead to massive delays in returning to Ithaca. They escape Polyphemus’ island and instead of just taking the win, Odysseus feels the need to brag about besting the cyclops and reveals his name, allowing Polyphemus to pray specifically for Odysseus’ destruction, leading to Poseidon plaguing him for ten years. Odysseus’ crew open Aeolus’ bag of winds thinking its treasure and blow the ship away from Ithaca. The same crew is also told not to eat Helios’ cattle, yet they do it anyways and all die when Zeus blows up their ship with a thunderbolt. Almost every bad thing that happens to the characters of The Odyssey is caused by their poor choices and disobeying the gods.
From a Christian standpoint, while Greek mythology obviously isn’t true, there is a lesson in here that’s applicable to the Christian life. Homer’s conclusion that much our misfortune comes from our bad choices is something that we see in the Bible. For example, in 1 Samuel, Saul is chosen to be king, and the future looks bright for him until he tries to perform the duties of a priest and sacrifice to God because Samuel was a bit late. For that act of disobedience, he is told that his line won’t extend beyond him and God will replace him with someone else. From there, Saul continues to make a bunch of bad choices that lead to his life getting worse and worse.
Now, this isn’t to say that absolutely everything that goes wrong in your life is your fault. Some things can’t be avoided, like certain cancers or diseases. However, if you’re making poor decisions (i.e. drinking heavily, sleeping around, doing drugs, etc.) then don’t be surprised if you start experiencing issues.
At this point, though, you may be asking: “Well, if God is good, then how can He allow us to go through suffering? After all, doesn’t He love us?”
In the Bible, it’s clear that God allows us to experience the consequences of our sins, similar to how if your kid messes up something, you allow them to experience the consequence of that. A lot of the time, the consequences are there to serve as a kind of wake-up call. If you’re living in sin, often what it takes is for you to hit the bottom to realize what you’re doing is wrong. For example, if your life revolves around drinking and partying, then it may take you sustaining severe liver damage from drinking too much to make you realize your sin. If you’re someone dabbling in the occult, it may take you dealing with terrible spiritual experiences to finally light the fire under your butt to run to Jesus. If your sin is less obvious, and you’re just a random Joe-Shmoe living life, it might take you having a low moment to recognize your sin and need for forgiveness.
Until next time,
M.J.
#Blog #Christianity #ChristopherNolan #faith #god #homer #jesus #mattDamon #movies #OpinionPeice #TheOdyssey #Writing -
The various codes which were presented to you at Crossgates — religious, moral, social, and intellectual — contradicted one another of you worked out their implications. The essential conflict was between the tradition of nineteenth-century asceticism and the actually existing luxury and snobbery of the pre-1914 age. On the one side were low-church Bible Christianity, sex puritanism, insistence on hard work, respect for academic distinction, disapproval of self-indulgence: on the other, contempt for “braininess” and worship of games, contempt for foreigners and the working class, an almost neurotic dread of poverty, and, above all, the assumption not only that money and privilege are the things that matter, but that it is better to inherit them than to have to work for them. Broadly, you were bidden to be at once a Christian and a social success, which is impossible.
George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1948-06), “‘Such, Such Were the Joys …’,” sec. 5, Partisan Review (1952-09)More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/86130/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #orwell #georgeorwell #asceticism #Christianity #luxury #money #moralcode #privilege #school #snobbery #socialconventions #socialladder #society #success
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The various codes which were presented to you at Crossgates — religious, moral, social, and intellectual — contradicted one another of you worked out their implications. The essential conflict was between the tradition of nineteenth-century asceticism and the actually existing luxury and snobbery of the pre-1914 age. On the one side were low-church Bible Christianity, sex puritanism, insistence on hard work, respect for academic distinction, disapproval of self-indulgence: on the other, contempt for “braininess” and worship of games, contempt for foreigners and the working class, an almost neurotic dread of poverty, and, above all, the assumption not only that money and privilege are the things that matter, but that it is better to inherit them than to have to work for them. Broadly, you were bidden to be at once a Christian and a social success, which is impossible.
George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1948-06), “‘Such, Such Were the Joys …’,” sec. 5, Partisan Review (1952-09)More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/86130/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #orwell #georgeorwell #asceticism #Christianity #luxury #money #moralcode #privilege #school #snobbery #socialconventions #socialladder #society #success
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The various codes which were presented to you at Crossgates — religious, moral, social, and intellectual — contradicted one another of you worked out their implications. The essential conflict was between the tradition of nineteenth-century asceticism and the actually existing luxury and snobbery of the pre-1914 age. On the one side were low-church Bible Christianity, sex puritanism, insistence on hard work, respect for academic distinction, disapproval of self-indulgence: on the other, contempt for “braininess” and worship of games, contempt for foreigners and the working class, an almost neurotic dread of poverty, and, above all, the assumption not only that money and privilege are the things that matter, but that it is better to inherit them than to have to work for them. Broadly, you were bidden to be at once a Christian and a social success, which is impossible.
George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1948-06), “‘Such, Such Were the Joys …’,” sec. 5, Partisan Review (1952-09)More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/86130/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #orwell #georgeorwell #asceticism #Christianity #luxury #money #moralcode #privilege #school #snobbery #socialconventions #socialladder #society #success
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The various codes which were presented to you at Crossgates — religious, moral, social, and intellectual — contradicted one another of you worked out their implications. The essential conflict was between the tradition of nineteenth-century asceticism and the actually existing luxury and snobbery of the pre-1914 age. On the one side were low-church Bible Christianity, sex puritanism, insistence on hard work, respect for academic distinction, disapproval of self-indulgence: on the other, contempt for “braininess” and worship of games, contempt for foreigners and the working class, an almost neurotic dread of poverty, and, above all, the assumption not only that money and privilege are the things that matter, but that it is better to inherit them than to have to work for them. Broadly, you were bidden to be at once a Christian and a social success, which is impossible.
George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1948-06), “‘Such, Such Were the Joys …’,” sec. 5, Partisan Review (1952-09)More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/86130/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #orwell #georgeorwell #asceticism #Christianity #luxury #money #moralcode #privilege #school #snobbery #socialconventions #socialladder #society #success