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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2016 23:12:35 GMT -5
Also, can I have prayer's for my grandmother? Me and my sister live with our grandparents and she lost her job a few months ago and hasn't found one since. So at this moment we aren't getting any income because they refuse to give her umemployment while a judge even said that they cant do that. Sure thing. :/ That sounds rough.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2016 23:16:36 GMT -5
K so it seems everyone's been confessing their troubles, weaknesses, and just general things they struggle with. I think xD
If that's so, well... hmm... I think one of the troubles I've recently had to deal with is emphasizing with people. But not.... well, how do I say this. I have no problem feeling bad for people- that's not very hard for me. I see someone fall, I jump over and help them. I find out there's been a tragedy, and I cry myself to sleep that night. It's quite hard for me to keep my composure when I hear someone or something's been in pain.
But for some reason, when someone's sitting next to me and complaining about how hard something is going on... I just can't feel that. If I hear about someone in pain, emphathy sweeps through me- but if someone's right next to me telling me about it, I really struggle to relate to them or even feel bad for them. I honestly become speechless or the best I can do is try to give them ways to solve the problem. I'm really bad at giving them emotional support, and I just generally feel really awkward when I'm in a situation where someone needs my help- and they are right next to me face to face... and I'm a zombie. I struggle to "mourn with those who mourn" as it says in the scriptures I read, and that's a problem I hope I can fix pretty soon.
Cause I've been really interested in helping out in the refugee centers where I live... but with my weakness of being unable to provide emotional support, I often doubt if I can actually do it. And I really don't want to be a burden. I'm not giving up on that dream- and I hope I can prepare myself for that day- but right now that's been something on my mind that's worried me.
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Post by Dreamers Delight on Aug 20, 2016 23:16:49 GMT -5
Yeah. She had found another job, worked there for like 2 weeks but then the government pulled their grant and everyone who worked for them lost their job.
We're really tight on money at the moment. I want to get a job, kind of, but this year is gonna be chaotic at school because, I have to take online classes after school.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2016 23:17:41 GMT -5
Sure Flame! I'll pray for her C:
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Post by Dreamers Delight on Aug 20, 2016 23:24:32 GMT -5
Thanks and I'll pray for you! I kind of used to be the same way, Im not sure how I got over it but I hope you'll be able to do what you want.
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Asexual
#ca55a0
Name Colour
Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт
Rebel Queen
Art by Nicoletta Baldari
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Post by Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт on Aug 21, 2016 1:09:13 GMT -5
Raven 's Flight Hey, if it's something bad then you don't have to listen to it. Do so if it's according to the bible. The bible says for father's not to be harsh with your children. (It was something like that, it was either in Colossians, Philipians or Galatians) Oh bible quizzing, why do you have to give us more than 1 book of the bible in a year??? That's what I'm trying to do, but I also don't want to make it worse, which happens when I start objecting. Maybe I should try to ignore it or laugh it off? Colossians 3:21: "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." Ephesians 6:4: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (I use the ESV, so some other translations have this worded differently.)
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Post by Dreamers Delight on Aug 21, 2016 8:59:51 GMT -5
We used the NIV this past year I believe. Im a bible quizzing nerd.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 9:09:25 GMT -5
goodmornin'
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Asexual
#ca55a0
Name Colour
Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт
Rebel Queen
Art by Nicoletta Baldari
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Post by Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт on Aug 21, 2016 9:15:23 GMT -5
What is this morn- Oh, never mind. I did get up far too early, at 5:30.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 9:28:09 GMT -5
What is this morn- Oh, never mind. I did get up far too early, at 5:30. yikes i'm sorry why did you get up so early tho? school?
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Post by Basement Cat on Aug 21, 2016 9:28:23 GMT -5
I have a question. I already know the answer, but I wish to state it anyways.
I live in the Bible belt. I went to a Baptist Christian school from 6th grade to graduation, and I have been involved in the church since I was young.
However, I cannot help but see it as a glorified cult. It is almost impossible for me to leave this setting, and the fundamentalist ideals that have been indoctrinated into me have left me messed up. For you see, I wasn't taught how to deal with my disorder. They just spanked me and thought that would work. Only during my high school years did I finally, FINALLY get some actual HELP. I was taught that women have a set role in life, and that a woman is rebellious if she doesn't obey her husband. I was taught gay is evil, and that if you don't procreate, you are being blasphemous. I cannot control having zero sexual feelings and I will not make myself miserable by marrying. I was controlled, restricted, and confused, and only, just only these two years have I been happier.
But, isn't it supposed to be the opposite? You are supposed to be happy IN the church, and unhappy without. I have been able to keep my faith, while also finding my own answers AWAY from all these cult sects.
I supposed what the question is, is that "How do you avoid distinguishing "church" between "cult"? Because I lived in one.
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Asexual
#ca55a0
Name Colour
Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт
Rebel Queen
Art by Nicoletta Baldari
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Post by Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт on Aug 21, 2016 9:39:45 GMT -5
What is this morn- Oh, never mind. I did get up far too early, at 5:30. yikes i'm sorry why did you get up so early tho? school? Because I was on vacation with my grandpa and he always gets up at unnatural times to take long trips.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 9:46:44 GMT -5
I have a question. I already know the answer, but I wish to state it anyways. I live in the Bible belt. I went to a Baptist Christian school from 6th grade to graduation, and I have been involved in the church since I was young. However, I cannot help but see it as a glorified cult. It is almost impossible for me to leave this setting, and the fundamentalist ideals that have been indoctrinated into me have left me messed up. For you see, I wasn't taught how to deal with my disorder. They just spanked me and thought that would work. Only during my high school years did I finally, FINALLY get some actual HELP. I was taught that women have a set role in life, and that a woman is rebellious if she doesn't obey her husband. I was taught gay is evil, and that if you don't procreate, you are being blasphemous. I cannot control having zero sexual feelings and I will not make myself miserable by marrying. I was controlled, restricted, and confused, and only, just only these two years have I been happier. But, isn't it supposed to be the opposite? You are supposed to be happy IN the church, and unhappy without. I have been able to keep my faith, while also finding my own answers AWAY from all these cult sects. I supposed what the question is, is that "How do you avoid distinguishing "church" between "cult"? Because I lived in one. oh yikes i have a lot of these same feelings. i've only been happy in my church since i found people who are actually living out the message of the bible and being kind tbh. before i was going to this horrible, cult-like church camp every summer. they made me think my intrusive thoughts were my own fault and caused me years of anxiety and depression. i was also literally cursed at and threatened for READING HARRY POTTER. my dad was very put off as well because people literally shunned him for only having one kid (me) and not being married. due to all of this, after finding out i was bisexual i was TERRIFIED because i'd been taught that i was going straight to hell, which is not true. it was only after i began making friends with people who knew the true message of the church (love your neighbor as yourself) and broadening my horizons in people i associated with that i became happy? like, before i moved schools i was in a very white-centric, straight-centric, you-have-to-be-perfect-to-be-catholic-centric area, and now i'm much happier? so i think you can have an experience like this in any church. it just depends on the worship setting and the people that you're around.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 9:47:38 GMT -5
yikes i'm sorry why did you get up so early tho? school? Because I was on vacation with my grandpa and he always gets up at unnatural times to take long trips. ahh okay. i'm on vacation too but i slept in cause i went to church last night lmao.
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Asexual
#ca55a0
Name Colour
Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт
Rebel Queen
Art by Nicoletta Baldari
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Post by Rανєη'ѕ ƑƖιgнт on Aug 21, 2016 10:01:55 GMT -5
I have a question. I already know the answer, but I wish to state it anyways. I live in the Bible belt. I went to a Baptist Christian school from 6th grade to graduation, and I have been involved in the church since I was young. However, I cannot help but see it as a glorified cult. It is almost impossible for me to leave this setting, and the fundamentalist ideals that have been indoctrinated into me have left me messed up. For you see, I wasn't taught how to deal with my disorder. They just spanked me and thought that would work. Only during my high school years did I finally, FINALLY get some actual HELP. I was taught that women have a set role in life, and that a woman is rebellious if she doesn't obey her husband. I was taught gay is evil, and that if you don't procreate, you are being blasphemous. I cannot control having zero sexual feelings and I will not make myself miserable by marrying. I was controlled, restricted, and confused, and only, just only these two years have I been happier. But, isn't it supposed to be the opposite? You are supposed to be happy IN the church, and unhappy without. I have been able to keep my faith, while also finding my own answers AWAY from all these cult sects. I supposed what the question is, is that "How do you avoid distinguishing "church" between "cult"? Because I lived in one. This makes me sick. I would have loathed being brought up that way, as I'm aspie and ace. I don't consider extreme churches like these to be truly biblical. They may believe in salvation, but they don't make themselves look kind and welcoming. As Christians, we are commanded to love everyone, just as God loves everyone.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 12:29:25 GMT -5
I don't believe being bi is right. God made us to be with someone of our opposite gender but it doesn't mean I'll disrespect you for it. My best friends are LGBT+ and I love them all the same, I wont ever love them less for it, it's a shame that had happened to you. Know that you are welcome here Cat. I hope you find a place you can call home and don't have to worry about being judged. The bible tells us not to judge, but we all cant help it can we? Heh. well, i mean, you can't go to hell for just being gay, or at least that's what catholicism teaches, and i'm never planning on being with someone or the opposite gender, so ^^'
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 12:40:25 GMT -5
I have a question. I already know the answer, but I wish to state it anyways. I live in the Bible belt. I went to a Baptist Christian school from 6th grade to graduation, and I have been involved in the church since I was young. However, I cannot help but see it as a glorified cult. It is almost impossible for me to leave this setting, and the fundamentalist ideals that have been indoctrinated into me have left me messed up. For you see, I wasn't taught how to deal with my disorder. They just spanked me and thought that would work. Only during my high school years did I finally, FINALLY get some actual HELP. I was taught that women have a set role in life, and that a woman is rebellious if she doesn't obey her husband. I was taught gay is evil, and that if you don't procreate, you are being blasphemous. I cannot control having zero sexual feelings and I will not make myself miserable by marrying. I was controlled, restricted, and confused, and only, just only these two years have I been happier. But, isn't it supposed to be the opposite? You are supposed to be happy IN the church, and unhappy without. I have been able to keep my faith, while also finding my own answers AWAY from all these cult sects. I supposed what the question is, is that "How do you avoid distinguishing "church" between "cult"? Because I lived in one. Firstly, I am so, so sorry you were treated this way. While I can see where your church was coming from on some issues (though I believe they went about it very wrongly; I'd be happy to elaborate if you're interested in discussing it), the things you were taught regarding procreation are not at all biblical. From one asexual to another, take a look at 1 Corinthians 7-9: "I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." Paul teaches here that, while it is perfectly fine to be married should you feel the desire, it is also perfectly fine to remain single. In fact, it is implied that asexuality is a gift, as it lessons our struggle with lust and can bring us closer to God. Controlled, restricted, and confused are your key words. From a Christian perspective, a cult is any group that follows teachings that contradict orthodox Christian doctrine and promote heresy. God is not the author of confusion in the church (1 Corinthians 14:33); if you are being taught in opposition to His Word, run far away.
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Post by Snowflake on Aug 21, 2016 12:44:44 GMT -5
Can I recommend Danny Gokey and Blue tree for music and can I get a prayer request too only because I am really bad at making friends and keeping them because I don't know when to back off when they are mad and sometimes I just get depressed for no reason. If you could do that for me then that would be awesome and I would love you guys forever *throws you a wide eyed smile with a wink and a peace sign*
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 21, 2016 12:48:28 GMT -5
I have a question. I already know the answer, but I wish to state it anyways. I live in the Bible belt. I went to a Baptist Christian school from 6th grade to graduation, and I have been involved in the church since I was young. However, I cannot help but see it as a glorified cult. It is almost impossible for me to leave this setting, and the fundamentalist ideals that have been indoctrinated into me have left me messed up. For you see, I wasn't taught how to deal with my disorder. They just spanked me and thought that would work. Only during my high school years did I finally, FINALLY get some actual HELP. I was taught that women have a set role in life, and that a woman is rebellious if she doesn't obey her husband. I was taught gay is evil, and that if you don't procreate, you are being blasphemous. I cannot control having zero sexual feelings and I will not make myself miserable by marrying. I was controlled, restricted, and confused, and only, just only these two years have I been happier. But, isn't it supposed to be the opposite? You are supposed to be happy IN the church, and unhappy without. I have been able to keep my faith, while also finding my own answers AWAY from all these cult sects. I supposed what the question is, is that "How do you avoid distinguishing "church" between "cult"? Because I lived in one. I'm so, so sorry you had to go through that. Those people were not representative of Christ, or of Christianity in general, and I'm glad to hear that you managed to keep your faith despite the way you were treated. This is definitely a huge challenge, because unfortunately many "churches" in places like the Bible Belt have been corrupted like that. I would say that there are generally a few signs of a cult; first, they don't allow you to question anything they say, and doubting the leadership is nigh-blasphemous. Second, they will usually threaten their members with something severe to keep them in line, e.g. "Obey us or God will send you to hell!" Third, they'll do their best to keep you from hearing about ideas that oppose what they teach you. Fourth, they'll indoctrinate you with a bunch of teachings that you absolutely cannot question. Fifth, they'll shun or cast out anybody who dares to think against their hive mind. Those are just a few examples of the general behavior of cults. Edit: Also, if they're teaching things that go against sound Biblical doctrine, but still claim to be Christians, they're probably a cult.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 21, 2016 12:50:37 GMT -5
Can I recommend Danny Gokey and Blue tree for music and can I get a prayer request too only because I am really bad at making friends and keeping them because I don't know when to back off when they are mad and sometimes I just get depressed for no reason. If you could do that for me then that would be awesome and I would love you guys forever *throws you a wide eyed smile with a wink and a peace sign* Sure, added!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 12:53:35 GMT -5
What Splintercat said. Those are really, really good guidelines. "Christian" cults and false gospels are so dangerous... and they're all over the place.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 21, 2016 13:08:15 GMT -5
These are really, really good guidelines. "Christian" cults and false gospels are so dangerous... and they're all over the place. I know. It's heartbreaking to see people sucked into those things and trapped in the name of Christ. We just have to keep praying. I may have mentioned it in passing on here before, but I think it's topical: I'm currently engaging in an email conversation with the two surviving members of the Heaven's Gate cult. All of the other members killed themselves in 1997 because they thought it would allow them to break free of their mortal confines and ascend to new bodies on a spaceship near Earth. The two I'm talking with were left behind to answer email inquiries. They seem fairly normal in terms of how they speak and stuff, but it's terrifying to see how deeply indoctrinated they are into their beliefs. The worst part is that their cult has assimilated and distorted the Gospel; they believe that God the Father is an extradimensional alien on the "Next Level" of existence, and that Jesus was a "Representative" of the Next Level who came to Earth to tell people how to get to the "true kingdom of heaven", aka the Next Level. But a bunch of humans under the control of some alien beings who opposed the Next Level killed Jesus and distorted his message into the Christianity we know today. They know all of this because their cult leaders were apparently from the Next Level and told them all of this. It's just really, really tragic how deep-rooted these beliefs are in them, and how their cult has distorted the message of Jesus so greatly.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 21, 2016 13:13:44 GMT -5
well, i mean, you can't go to hell for just being gay, or at least that's what catholicism teaches, and i'm never planning on being with someone or the opposite gender, so ^^' I see what you mean and I've looked at other peoples perspectives and I do understand why people have turned to the same gender. But I do believe you can go to hell for being gay, and that God made us only to be with our opposite gender or being asexual (more specifically what Hearts said), we all do need companionship and God has specifically made someone for each and every person and it's up to us to actually find that person. The bible says it is wrong for a woman to lay with a woman or a man to lay with a man. I undoubtly believe it is sin if you act upon it. Now though, I have talked to my pastor. And we came to this subject, it is sin if you do the act but it is not sin if you keep it to yourself, action and words wise I believe. Just being gay can't "send you to hell." You can't choose what your sexual preference is. Acting on homosexuality can't even send you to hell if you're a born-again Christian, because Christ has payed for your sins and you're no longer bound by them. However, yes, acting on homosexuality is a sin, in my opinion- however, it is by no means an automatic "straight-to-hell" slip, and there are a lot of very smart people who would even disagree that a loving, monogamous homosexual relationship is sinful. I would encourage you to read both sides of "the Great Debate" at this link and prayerfully come to your own conclusions.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 13:27:51 GMT -5
Splintercat ... That's terrifying. I've never heard of Heaven's Gate before this. Wow.
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Post by Dreamers Delight on Aug 21, 2016 13:29:25 GMT -5
I see what you mean and I've looked at other peoples perspectives and I do understand why people have turned to the same gender. But I do believe you can go to hell for being gay, and that God made us only to be with our opposite gender or being asexual (more specifically what Hearts said), we all do need companionship and God has specifically made someone for each and every person and it's up to us to actually find that person. The bible says it is wrong for a woman to lay with a woman or a man to lay with a man. I undoubtly believe it is sin if you act upon it. Now though, I have talked to my pastor. And we came to this subject, it is sin if you do the act but it is not sin if you keep it to yourself, action and words wise I believe. Just being gay can't "send you to hell." You can't choose what your sexual preference is. Acting on homosexuality can't even send you to hell if you're a born-again Christian, because Christ has payed for your sins and you're no longer bound by them. However, yes, acting on homosexuality is a sin, in my opinion- however, it is by no means an automatic "straight-to-hell" slip, and there are a lot of very smart people who would even disagree that a loving, monogamous homosexual relationship is sinful. I would encourage you to read both sides of "the Great Debate" at this link and prayerfully come to your own conclusions. I'll look at it! and I guess I wasn't fully clear on what I was meaning. It's not a "straight to hell" deal, but the bible does say it is sinful if you are to act upon it (I'll look up the verses when I have time, it's been a while and if I don't come up with them, I've probably forgotten, so if you could, please remind me later on) and as Christians, we should try to stray from these acts but we are not perfect. Therefore it is a try. Any sin can send you to hell, no matter big or small, I believe. But if you are to "wash it away", you are purified. We sin all the time, so we have to ask for it too washed away. I hope I made my point clearer. And "cant choose what your sexual preference is", I've heard that many times before and Im not sure how I feel about that because God makes us all by his hand and I believe he does intend for us to be with the opposite gender. Personally I believe it's media's fault, but Im not gonna go into that now unless you would like to discuss it.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 21, 2016 13:39:20 GMT -5
Just being gay can't "send you to hell." You can't choose what your sexual preference is. Acting on homosexuality can't even send you to hell if you're a born-again Christian, because Christ has payed for your sins and you're no longer bound by them. However, yes, acting on homosexuality is a sin, in my opinion- however, it is by no means an automatic "straight-to-hell" slip, and there are a lot of very smart people who would even disagree that a loving, monogamous homosexual relationship is sinful. I would encourage you to read both sides of "the Great Debate" at this link and prayerfully come to your own conclusions. I'll look at it! and I guess I wasn't fully clear on what I was meaning. It's not a "straight to hell" deal, but the bible does say it is sinful if you are to act upon it (I'll look up the verses when I have time, it's been a while and if I don't come up with them, I've probably forgotten, so if you could, please remind me later on) and as Christians, we should try to stray from these acts but we are not perfect. Therefore it is a try. Any sin can send you to hell, no matter big or small, I believe. But if you are to "wash it away", you are purified. We sin all the time, so we have to ask for it too washed away. I hope I made my point clearer. And "cant choose what your sexual preference is", I've heard that many times before and Im not sure how I feel about that because God makes us all by his hand and I believe he does intend for us to be with the opposite gender. Personally I believe it's media's fault, but Im not gonna go into that now unless you would like to discuss it. Ok, I see what you mean now. But what do you mean that we need to "wash our sins away"? I believe that Christ has already washed our sins (past, present, and future) away, and the reason that we try not to sin is because we love Him and want to obey Him. Are you a Catholic, perchance? I know that they have somewhat different doctrine on this. And, having talked to many homosexual people, had many homosexual friends, and read about many attempts to "pray the gay away" which wound up doing much more harm than good, I think it's true to say that simply being attracted to the same sex is not, in and of itself, a sin. Think of it this way: it's not a sin to be attracted to the opposite sex unless you think lustful thoughts about someone or act on your attraction in a way that is outside of a monogamous, loving, consensual marriage. It's the same thing with homosexuality, except that we go one step further and say that you can't act on your attraction even inside of a loving, monogamous, consensual marriage- and as I said, even that's up for debate.
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Post by Splintercat on Aug 21, 2016 13:44:45 GMT -5
Splintercat ... That's terrifying. I've never heard of Heaven's Gate before this. Wow. Ikr? I, perhaps foolishly, hoped that I could use the apologetics skills I've learned in school and in some of my own tentative studies to at least plant the seeds in their mind for the Holy Spirit to move at some point and slowly start showing them that their beliefs are wrong, but their beliefs are wayyyyy more deeply ingrained in them than I'd thought. I'm just gonna keep talking to them, though, and pray that God uses me to get their minds reconsidering things a bit so that they're at least slightly more open to being moved by the Holy Spirit at some point in the future.
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Post by Dreamers Delight on Aug 21, 2016 13:53:54 GMT -5
I'll look at it! and I guess I wasn't fully clear on what I was meaning. It's not a "straight to hell" deal, but the bible does say it is sinful if you are to act upon it (I'll look up the verses when I have time, it's been a while and if I don't come up with them, I've probably forgotten, so if you could, please remind me later on) and as Christians, we should try to stray from these acts but we are not perfect. Therefore it is a try. Any sin can send you to hell, no matter big or small, I believe. But if you are to "wash it away", you are purified. We sin all the time, so we have to ask for it too washed away. I hope I made my point clearer. And "cant choose what your sexual preference is", I've heard that many times before and Im not sure how I feel about that because God makes us all by his hand and I believe he does intend for us to be with the opposite gender. Personally I believe it's media's fault, but Im not gonna go into that now unless you would like to discuss it. Ok, I see what you mean now. But what do you mean that we need to "wash our sins away"? I believe that Christ has already washed our sins (past, present, and future) away, and the reason that we try not to sin is because we love Him and want to obey Him. Are you a Catholic, perchance? I know that they have somewhat different doctrine on this. And, having talked to many homosexual people, had many homosexual friends, and read about many attempts to "pray the gay away" which wound up doing much more harm than good, I think it's true to say that simply being attracted to the same sex is not, in and of itself, a sin. Think of it this way: it's not a sin to be attracted to the opposite sex unless you think lustful thoughts about someone or act on your attraction in a way that is outside of a monogamous, loving, consensual marriage. It's the same thing with homosexuality, except that we go one step further and say that you can't act on your attraction even inside of a loving, monogamous, consensual marriage- and as I said, even that's up for debate. No, Im a Christian with no denomination. I had been brought up in a slight Missionary Church however. I am now going to a completely non-denominational church. "I believe that Christ has already washed our sins (past, present, and future) away" I believe this too, but you know, I never exactly thought of it this way. I guess what I mean is/what I've been taught (?), it's a continual washing, God wants us to ask for it to be washed away, he wants us to be aware of our sins and to repent from them. Therefore, when I repent from them, I tend to ask him to take it away once again, a continuation of what Christ did for us on the cross. Those who first come to Christ usually ask something like this, I believe we should continually come to Christ just as when we first came to him. I can ask my grandparents more on this to get a better understanding of it myself and also explain to you all why. "we go one step further and say that you can't act on your attraction even inside of a loving, monogamous, consensual marriage" ^ This is exactly what Im trying to say. I really need to work on how I word things, Im sorry for the confusion.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 13:55:11 GMT -5
Splintercat ... That's terrifying. I've never heard of Heaven's Gate before this. Wow. Ikr? I, perhaps foolishly, hoped that I could use the apologetics skills I've learned in school and in some of my own tentative studies to at least plant the seeds in their mind for the Holy Spirit to move at some point and slowly start showing them that their beliefs are wrong, but their beliefs are wayyyyy more deeply ingrained in them than I'd thought. I'm just gonna keep talking to them, though, and pray that God uses me to get their minds reconsidering things a bit so that they're at least slightly more open to being moved by the Holy Spirit at some point in the future. You have planted the seed. The best we can do in any situation is witness by living how God instructs us to live, glorifying Him with our actions and our words. That said... I would say they probably need psychological help as well as ministering. Being in a community like that would scar anyone mentally.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 14:00:43 GMT -5
Ok, I see what you mean now. But what do you mean that we need to "wash our sins away"? I believe that Christ has already washed our sins (past, present, and future) away, and the reason that we try not to sin is because we love Him and want to obey Him. Are you a Catholic, perchance? I know that they have somewhat different doctrine on this. And, having talked to many homosexual people, had many homosexual friends, and read about many attempts to "pray the gay away" which wound up doing much more harm than good, I think it's true to say that simply being attracted to the same sex is not, in and of itself, a sin. Think of it this way: it's not a sin to be attracted to the opposite sex unless you think lustful thoughts about someone or act on your attraction in a way that is outside of a monogamous, loving, consensual marriage. It's the same thing with homosexuality, except that we go one step further and say that you can't act on your attraction even inside of a loving, monogamous, consensual marriage- and as I said, even that's up for debate. No, Im a Christian with no denomination. I had been brought up in a slight Missionary Church however. I am now going to a completely non-denominational church. "I believe that Christ has already washed our sins (past, present, and future) away" I believe this too, but you know, I never exactly thought of it this way. I guess what I mean is/what I've been taught (?), it's a continual washing, God wants us to ask for it to be washed away, he wants us to be aware of our sins and to repent from them. Therefore, when I repent from them, I tend to ask him to take it away once again, a continuation of what Christ did for us on the cross. Those who first come to Christ usually ask something like this, I believe we should continually come to Christ just as when we first came to him. I can ask my grandparents more on this to get a better understanding of it myself and also explain to you all why. "we go one step further and say that you can't act on your attraction even inside of a loving, monogamous, consensual marriage" ^ This is exactly what Im trying to say. I really need to work on how I word things, Im sorry for the confusion. Yep. Sanctification is a lifelong process! The guilt we feel when we sin and the call to repentance is evidence of the Holy Spirit in us. Everyone sins; those of us who have been renewed in Christ will regret and ask forgiveness when we do.
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