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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 19:25:48 GMT -5
I'm sorta back but may poof at any time. So anyway, welcome @tinkerzb and any other new chatters who may have popped in that I haven't seen yet. I see we're talking about gayness again. So here's what I'd say: Being gay is not, in and of itself, sinful, IMO. There's no way to change your attraction, and attempts to make gay people start liking the opposite gender are usually just harmful. This is similar to the way that being straight and being attracted to the opposite gender is not inherently sinful, but lusting after people of the opposite sex is. I personally believe that acting on same-sex attraction is sinful, but it is NOT somehow a "super bad" sin, and if you've been saved by Christ, you are not going to hell for being gay. There are people a lot smarter than me who have studied what the Bible says and come to the conclusion that a loving homosexual relationship is not sinful. There are also people a lot smarter than me who have concluded that the best choice for gay Christians is to remain celibate. I personally disagree with the former. Both arguments are outlined at www.gaychristian.net/greatdebate.php, and I would encourage everybody to read both arguments, study the Bible, and pray for guidance on what to believe. Either way, God loves gay people too, and I sympathize deeply with their struggle.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:27:54 GMT -5
@galantiscat and Lightningdawn ; Yeah, I'm LDS too. When I first heard about the concept of memorizing prayers it sounded so weird to me, but I'd love to hear the reasoning behind it. c: And dang, I almost forgot about Lindsey. She's incredible.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:32:58 GMT -5
I could listen to it all day. Has anyone on this thread heard of Trust in You by Lauren Daigle? I haven't yet, but I'll make sure to check it out!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:33:21 GMT -5
hey i just wanted to say this little group (or whatever you want to call it) is super cool & i'm glad it exists!
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 19:33:59 GMT -5
hey i just wanted to say this little group (or whatever you want to call it) is super cool & i'm glad it exists! Thank you! You're welcome to chat whenever you'd like
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 19:35:19 GMT -5
If we can regress back to the topic of Christian movies for a moment, has anyone seen that cheesy old movie Godspell? :0 My English teacher showed it to us
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Post by Lightningdawn on Aug 13, 2016 19:36:54 GMT -5
This place is really cool. And can I thank you all for being so chill and respectful? Most people freak out when they find out my denomination. You guys asked questions, and were super welcoming.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:37:27 GMT -5
hey i just wanted to say this little group (or whatever you want to call it) is super cool & i'm glad it exists! Thank you! You're welcome to chat whenever you'd like I seriously love how well everyone's getting along and how peaceful and accepting the conversations have been ;u; I've already learned a lot. You guys are fantastic people.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 19:38:21 GMT -5
This place is really cool. And can I thank you all for being so chill and respectful? Most people freak out when they find out my denomination. You guys asked questions, and were super welcoming. I second this. Thank you all for being awesome!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:38:36 GMT -5
If anyone is interested in my beliefs (which are kind of . . . odd, I guess) I'd be happy to say what I think.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 19:40:33 GMT -5
If anyone is interested in my beliefs (which are kind of . . . odd, I guess) I'd be happy to say what I think. Yes, please go ahead!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:42:43 GMT -5
If anyone is interested in my beliefs (which are kind of . . . odd, I guess) I'd be happy to say what I think. Do tell! o:
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:47:55 GMT -5
If anyone is interested in my beliefs (which are kind of . . . odd, I guess) I'd be happy to say what I think. Yes, please go ahead! My beliefs are very . . . laidback, and I don't really follow the ones in the Bible to a T. I'm not so sure how I think about Adam and Eve. I do believe in evolution, and I don't know where Adam and Eve fit into that. I do believe they existed and were tricked by the snake, however. I believe as long as you have lived a good life, you will go to heaven. If you accept God there you go in and if you don't . . . I don't know. I don't think they'd be sent to (have to remind myself I am using this word in a factual manner) hell. I'm pretty sure people who didn't believe in God would accept him because, well, you can't really deny something right in front of you. I believe we should try to be kind and do good things in life. We might make mistakes (pregnancy out of wedlock is all I can think of right now, and by mistakes I don't mean taking your brother's sweater, I mean big mistakes like that) but God will love us anyway and accept us. My beliefs about heaven might seem silly to some people. I think it is a laidback place, where people can enjoy things they liked on earth with those they love and meet others, too. I also like the believe in the evenings all of heaven gathers to do something together, whether it be singing or just socializing (I told you they were . . . erm . . . unique.) All in all it's a very laidback experience. Seeing as I'm not a typical Christian and my beliefs are outside of the box, it's perfectly understandable if you don't agree with me (you can even think my ideas are silly).
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Post by Lightningdawn on Aug 13, 2016 19:51:01 GMT -5
@tinkerzb- Just because someone may not agree with your views doesn't make them silly. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, after all. I may not agree with them, but it's still interesting to hear other's points of view.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:54:29 GMT -5
@tinkerzb - Just because someone may not agree with your views doesn't make them silly. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, after all. I may not agree with them, but it's still interesting to hear other's points of view. Thank you I just find my beliefs about heaven a little bit . . . hmm, how shall I put this? Modernized? That seems about right.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:56:05 GMT -5
Yeah, and that's the great thing about freedom of religion. It doesn't require everyone to agree with each other- it only requires that we agree to disagree.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 19:57:31 GMT -5
What were you guys talking about before I exploded in? I'd love to continue a conversation.
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Post by Lightningdawn on Aug 13, 2016 19:58:56 GMT -5
A lot of little conversations, mainly.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:00:23 GMT -5
We were briefly discussing how LGBTQA+ fits into our different beliefs, and then we were talking about Christian artists/bands.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:01:40 GMT -5
Oh, cool. I don't really listen to Christian bands :/ Idk they're just not really interesting for me. It's cool if other people like them, though, I'm just more of a cliche mainstream pop girl
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Post by Lightningdawn on Aug 13, 2016 20:03:36 GMT -5
Hey, that's fine. I listen to other music too, besides Christian. Mostly game music, but still.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:03:53 GMT -5
My music taste is all over the place. I like pretty much everything from 1920s rag to 30s big band to certain 80s songs to modern pop songs to musicals and movie soundtracks. It's usually pretty random what I like.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:05:47 GMT -5
^ Yeah, same. One moment I'll be listening to U2, then Monstercat, then Coldplay, and I just recently liked the Pokemon theme song on my pandora app xD so yeah, I'm also all over the place. If it has a good melody, is appropriate, and sounds good, then I'll listen to it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:08:37 GMT -5
^ Pretty much, yeah. cx
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 20:12:44 GMT -5
My beliefs are very . . . laidback, and I don't really follow the ones in the Bible to a T. I'm not so sure how I think about Adam and Eve. I do believe in evolution, and I don't know where Adam and Eve fit into that. I do believe they existed and were tricked by the snake, however. I believe as long as you have lived a good life, you will go to heaven. If you accept God there you go in and if you don't . . . I don't know. I don't think they'd be sent to (have to remind myself I am using this word in a factual manner) hell. I'm pretty sure people who didn't believe in God would accept him because, well, you can't really deny something right in front of you. I believe we should try to be kind and do good things in life. We might make mistakes (pregnancy out of wedlock is all I can think of right now, and by mistakes I don't mean taking your brother's sweater, I mean big mistakes like that) but God will love us anyway and accept us. My beliefs about heaven might seem silly to some people. I think it is a laidback place, where people can enjoy things they liked on earth with those they love and meet others, too. I also like the believe in the evenings all of heaven gathers to do something together, whether it be singing or just socializing (I told you they were . . . erm . . . unique.) All in all it's a very laidback experience. Seeing as I'm not a typical Christian and my beliefs are outside of the box, it's perfectly understandable if you don't agree with me (you can even think my ideas are silly). My beliefs about evolution are pretty similar to yours. The leading opinion about Adam and Eve that I've seen among Christian evolutionists is that, at some point along the line of evolution, when Homo sapiens emerged, God breathed souls into Adam and Eve, and they became truly human. Another theory, and the one that I subscribe to, is that basically Homo sapiens is the only creature not to have evolved from something; rather, they were spontaneously created as separate beings by God. You're right, I disagree with you on your views about heaven. Christian universalism might interest you though, they believe that God will eventually reconcile all of creation to Himself, including non-Christian humans. How He'll do that is usually an iffy point, but the main idea I've seen is that non-believers will go to "hell" for a period of time, where they will have their sins purged from them by fire. I dislike this idea because I don't subscribe to the common concept of hell as a place of fire; it's just a place of eternal separation from God. So this idea would be closer to the Catholic idea of purgatory. A less popular idea is the idea that they'll be cast into outer darkness after death, where they will learn, painfully, about God. When they accept Him, they'll be allowed into heaven. Yes, mistakes make no difference in how much God loves us, and He will always forgive us if we repent and ask Him sincerely. The trick here is that you should generally be on an uphill climb in terms of getting better at fighting sin. That's evidence of the Holy Spirit working in your heart. Your beliefs aren't silly, no worries there. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 20:28:39 GMT -5
I dislike this idea because I don't subscribe to the common concept of hell as a place of fire; it's just a place of eternal separation from God. How do you interpret Revelation 20:10? I take it as a metaphor- being eternally separated from God is pretty much as bad as a lake of fire. The crux of my beliefs in this matter is that I believe the whole "sin" thing was always about being separated from God, not about God punishing people. IMO, He'll give 'em what they want- to not be with Him, and they will quickly realize that it's not what they wanted. I'm probably wrong on this issue and am open to the probability that I am. ≥^.^≤
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:34:41 GMT -5
I personally believe hell- or at least, what most Christians envision as hell- is only a place destined for people who knew for a surety God existed while on the earth- and saw Him face to face- yet still willingly rebelled. They know the full truth without doubt, but still not only choose to not believe, but actively fight against Him. These people I believe are very, very rare. That's why I believe Satan and his angels were cast out- it was not just rebellion that caused them to fall, but the fact that they knew the truth 100% and still did that caused their downfall- and so will those who are extreme as them. That's what differentiates us between Satan and his followers. While we make mistakes and sometimes even rebel against God- we are doing it without a full knowledge. After all, Christ said, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." Satan, and those who will be in hell (or outer darkness, as we call it) know exactly what they are doing. And that's what makes them devils.
So that's why I cherish faith so much. Many say, "prove it, and I will believe". Satan- probably a lot more than others- had all the proof he wanted, yet still became the devil. Proof is not enough- it is by faith that we can grow and become more like God.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 20:42:55 GMT -5
I take it as a metaphor- being eternally separated from God is pretty much as bad as a lake of fire. The crux of my beliefs in this matter is that I believe the whole "sin" thing was always about being separated from God, not about God punishing people. IMO, He'll give 'em what they want- to not be with Him, and they will quickly realize that it's not what they wanted. I'm probably wrong on this issue and am open to the probability that I am. ≥^.^≤ No, I get you. I'm pretty open to discussion about this. I think the use of fire (and other horrible things) in the text is a way to show a little of what Hell is like, but not all of what it is.In addition to fire, the New Testament describes hell as an abyss (Revelation 20:3), darkness (Matthew 25:30), destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place of wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30), and a place of gradated punishment (Matthew 11:20-24; Luke 12:47-48; Revelation 20:12-13). The variety of Hell’s descriptors argues against applying a literal interpretation of any particular one. For instance, Hell’s literal fire could emit no light, since Hell would be literally dark. It's fire could not consume its literal fuel since torment is non-ending. These texts, I think, are meant to highlight just how horrifying Hell is, if not any of these literal things. Yeah, I agree. I take it as basically, "You may think you'll like being in a place without God, but it's actually more horrific than you imagine, so here are some analogies for how awful it is."
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 13, 2016 20:43:41 GMT -5
My phone's at 5% and I'm nowhere near a charger. If I poof, you'll know why. Pray for me
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 20:44:33 GMT -5
Ok xD
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