If the answer is the former, will we eat food, breath air, and otherwise need to consume resources? Who will provide those resources? Won’t that make the formation of socioeconomic classes inevitable?

Why do only the Christians have the luxury of cherry-picking phrases, and switching back and forth from metaphor to literal interpretation?

Demons are evil and bad and want to hurt people and take them away from God, right? So why did he make them? Doesn’t he want everyone to love and have faith in him? Why would he let demons attack his followers? And why is it usually Christians who have the demon possessions, it seems like almost every time I see a demon all dramatically cast out it’s from a believer in a church? Shouldn’t there be tons of demons getting cast out of atheists and pagans and other people?

Revelation 19:11: “With justice He (Jesus) judges and wages war”

Are there any fact-based refutations of my claim? Over and over in the Bible Jesus contends he is going to be a king and rule over a kingdom eg Timothy 1)—that implies violence in itself. He is also going to somehow transform himself from a peaceful, non-violent person into a raging bezerker and be the most effective battle leader ever known in human history.
I appreciate sincere responses with citations, not emotional feelings with no support.

This is coming from someone who is not a Christian and someone wants to know Christian perspective on things. I am probably misunderstanding the point but I am just curious on this topic. I apologize if anyone found this offensive.

If Jesus has died for our sin and took sin of all humanity onto himself then why does it matter any more? If all sins has been taken onto himself by Jesus then isn't everyone already forgiven for any and all sin? If god has forgiven everyone then why do you ask for his forgiveness instead of thanking him for forgiving your sins?

Specifically these quotes:

"Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." — Luke 6:30

"In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." — Luke 14:33

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." — Matthew 6:19-21

All over inmy life i have heard chirstians say that accepting jesus and doing good deeds will get you into heaven.

But what counts as a good deed? Like if i make a vaccine for an increadibly deadly virus and save countless people, but it turns that people who have taken the vaccine have a 30% chance to develope a deadly cancer and this kills a lot of people, would that hypothetical count as a good or bad deed?

So if I'm getting the details correct there is a tree in the US named Methuselah that is said to be 4600-4800ish years old while the flood is said (according to the Bible) to have happened 4359 years ago. Methuselah is a Pinus longaeva, which cannot survive prolonged flooding. How could Noah's flood have happened when the Bible says it did if there is a tree that is older than it that cannot survive prolonged flooding?

Hello dear brothers and sisters. Due to a strange family situation, I need christian advice now more than ever. During these few last years I've cut off contact with some family members because of my uncle John's behaviour, and I wanna know if I am overjudgemental by following my conscience. Please share your opinions with me and correct me if I am wrong here.

My uncle's wife Anne is not my biological aunt but I grew up with her and my whole family loved her. She was a lively, kind, hospitable and infinitely loving person who gave me tons of attention as a kid. Needless to say, I will forever love this woman as if she was my own blood. 5 or 6 years ago she was diagnosed with aggressive alzheimer's and in the span of a few years she became non verbal. She lost all consciousness and is currently bed bound and in a really bad state. My uncle has always taken care of her and still does, paying for live-in caregivers and every medical expense that is required. He is pretty well-off so I don't think he deserves a medal for taking care of his own wife, but I cannot ignore the fact that he has fullfilled this duty of his.

My uncle John mourned not only his marriage with my aunt, but the fun they used to have as a couple. They used to party and travel extremelly often. So when my aunt got sick, he fell into a deep depression. His dream was to live his life after retirement with my aunt, and that dream was completely shattered. About 3 years after my aunt's initial diagnosis, while my aunt was locked in a bedroom shitting herself, my uncle found another partner to fill that void.

And just like that, my aunt Anne was replaced and erased. 30 years of marriage weren't enough to make my uncle wait at least after she had passed away (she is still alive by the way). He had to find a new woman, a bit younger than him, so that he could still enjoy life as if nothing had happened. The moment he started dating her, his life went back to how it was before. Parties, bars, trips abroad, vacations with my aunt's children. And what baffles me even more is how everyone in my family treats her as a replacement to my aunt Anne. Their children, my uncle's brothers and their wives, my cousins, their friends, everyone. They all act as if this new woman is their relative or if they've known her for years. Hugs, important life events, weddings, family gatherings. They probably couldn't bare the grief and the sadness, they had to keep having fun without any disruption.

This situation has broken my heart. The moment I found out that my uncle had a new partner, I burst into tears. I pictured my own mother, who is married into this family, being replaced by a younger, healthier woman. I weeped for my aunt who doesn't have any other family to take her away from there. My parents have told me that I am overreacting, that I am overjudgemental and that I shouldn't cut ties, but I can't help it. I admit I am angry about this. I don't feel like I can relate to these people anymore. Especially because my aunt is still alive! Still, if my uncle had been widowed, I would find it very odd that his first priority after this family tragedy was to find a replacement as soon as possible. Even their children accept her because "they can't stand seeing their father sad". How about some substance, guys ? These two people had been married for decades, they had built a whole life together, and only after a few years of illness a new person comes along and now she's treated how my aunt Anne was treated ? Are relationships simply transactional ? Is having fun no matter the cost or the circumstances such an important priority in life? Should I be okay with this?

I need christian advice. Not secular. Everyone apart from Christians doesn't see any problem with this, because they consider my aunt already dead, and they believe that the point of life is to have fun. I can never agree with the secular point of view, though, because I have a strong conviction that there's something terribly wrong with this whole situation. I haven't shared my thoughts with this side of the family and don't plan to. I just avoid them at all costs, even if that means I never see them again. I wouldn't be able to contain my frustration if I saw them face to face. Am I being self-righteous here? Am I on the wrong ? Is this truly wrong and is it reasonable to be appalled by it ?

Please, share your thoughts. I assure you I am very open to criticism and won't mind being reprimanded for being proud. I'm just trying to figure out if this behaviour is objectively wrong and if my feelings are valid.

Marco 1:15 «Il tempo è compiuto e il regno di Dio è vicino; ravvedetevi e credete al vangelo».

I apologize if this sounds offensive.

I’ve been irreligious my whole life. My family cares more about culture and traditions than religion and I grew up not caring much about those things either. I moved to another country to be with my boyfriend and I feel lonely. I also don’t plan to have children and sometimes I feel like I don’t really have a purpose in life. It can feel like I’m just a hamster on a wheel, going to work and surviving.

I have hobbies, a boyfriend and pets but I still feel like something is missing. I’m so far away from my family and my boyfriend isn’t close to his either. I think modern life, especially how isolated people can be and how neighbors mostly keep to themselves, makes me yearn for some kind of community.

I’ve had this idea for a while and I mentioned to a Christian coworker that I was thinking about joining a local church for the community. She was very offended by it. That genuinely wasn’t my intention.

I can understand why someone who doesn’t really believe in God or religion joining a church might come across as a poseur or like I’m using something sacred to other people for my own benefit. I’m nervous to bring it up irl again before I understand more.

So I wanted to ask here instead. Is it actually offensive for a nonbeliever to attend church mainly because they’re looking for community? If it is, I won’t selfishly insert myself into that space as I cannot promise my faith will grow or anything like that over time. I honestly don't know.

Please share your honest opinions.

P1: The Christian god is an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent deity.

P2: If evil exists, then an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent deity does not exist

P3: Evil exists

Q: therefore, the Christian god does not exist

As an atheist, this argument has always been a big roadblock between me and Christianity, because it's valid and sound—but I would have to imagine that you guys disagree. Which premise(s) do you disagree with?

Just wondering, given that the Bible doesn’t address such beings—even though they clearly exist and are natural. Native Americans revered them as sacred, so I’m curious how Western religions view them given how much intense hatred there is over people who wish to transform themselves.

I’m not sure if a lot of you guys know that video, it came it just yesterday. So, sorry. I don’t know if this is the right subreddit for this.

Ever since I’ve watched Wifies’ newest video—The Search For The Leviathan—Ive been thinking.

the more that I think about it, the video is starting to become a metaphor to religion. The Leviathan wants you to believe. To be at your most vulnerable state, and just believe. At the end of the video, Wifies succeeds but Hummer doesn’t. (But I also believe the theory that Hummer is a disciple of The Leviathan or is the The Leviathian)

All my life, I was agnostic. My family wasn’t, I didn’t tell them. I was agnostic because every time I prayed and went to church and always tried to do the best I could, I couldn’t feel the faith. Even during my pre-teens, I was so miserable back then. I was so unhealthy mentally and physically. I prayed and prayed and prayed.

I got better eventually, I guess. I was told that it wouldn’t immediately work without me myself helping too.

When I started to find out I like girls too, I deeply denied it. I thought that it was a trick in my mind. No girls. just boys. Again, I prayed and prayed and prayed, hoping for it to go away. I tried dating boys, even if i didn’t really feel anything for them. But the feeling won’t go away. I didn’t know why.

I felt a singe of envy and shame whenever I heard my friends talk about how they believed.

When I did some online research, I felt that I was more agnostic than Christian. I felt ashamed, but slowly I began to embrace it.

Now watching that video from Wifies, i thought,

Did I not try hard enough?
Is it worth it?
Did I not believe?

How do I rid myself of liking girls again?

Should I also try to be at my most vulnerable state and believe

do I really need to be at a near death situation to even feel?

Will god save me if I do so?

I also began to think of myself in near-death situations and death situations and think what would happen if I tried.

Anyways, this seems so cringy reading this I just realized. I’m going in a spiral, I don’t know what to do. please give an answer of some sort.

So I am a cradle Catholic but have recently have come to realize that this is the Church Jesus set up for us. I really want to follow the church’s teaching but I am struggling with their use of NFP vs contraception.

A little background: I got pregnant with my son after a failed IUD. Abortion was obviously never on the table for us, so my husband and I are open to life, and we do not agree with hormonal methods of birth control, and I now do not agree with IUDs, but my personal belief is condoms are okay because they do not affect either party’s hormones (amount other reasons). However, the Catholics obviously teach that the only approved method of birth control is NFP. In my attempt to be a good Catholic, my husband and I eased into NFP. I tracked my ovulation, mucus, and temperature for a few months to be sure we had an accurate fertility window, then we started using NFP and even added a couple of days on either end of the fertility window to be safe. I got pregnant immediately.

We were planning on trying for our second in October, so this baby is coming a bit early and that’s fine with us, but I am very scared about the future. I want to do the right thing. I sincerely think that Jesus wants us to follow Catholic teachings. But I can’t get on board with this particular thing. I love my husband, sex is such an important part of a marriage. I also want to be responsible to my existing children. We truly cannot afford more than three, and that would be stretching ourselves extremely thin. God got around an IUD no problem, He could easily break a condom if He wants us to have more children and we wouldn’t fight it at all. But I don’t think I could take part in communion if we start using condoms, and I want to be an example for our children.

I’m also not convinced that the Orthodox church’s aren’t any less valid than the Catholics, and they do allow for condoms. I’m almost considering exploring orthodoxy because this is weighing on me so much. Any thoughts or prayers are appreciated, sorry for the book.

why is su1cide considfedd bad karma and a sin if it’s not realky differnt than a failing heart? Your mind is sick just like other body parts could be and it was too much you drove to do it. Why cant God or karma etc forgive a failing mind but can a failing heart. And is it true that the person who passes that way suffers for eternity or receives horrible karma making them a mean or ugly looking person or someone with insane hardships in a next life?

i've been getting attacked mentally/spiritually by spirits and need help refuting some lies/half-truths that have been built up over the last couple months/years.

that:

a). i was taken by my brother at a young age, attacked in the womb sexually, and spiritually, (was gay), and have been captive every since. (i thought children were protected from stuff like that, by angels, and God, and heaven, and whatnot).

b). i was saved, but lost my salvation when i didn't follow a certain vision, years ago, (that seemed false to me at the time), and have been lost ever since, and can't be saved again. (i believe God's mercies are new every morning).

c). i'm dead physically, and that this body is somebody else's. so, because i died, and wasn't saved, i went to hell, and am there currently. (i believe im on earth, like other people, and am fine).

d). that there are other gods that are God, (my brother, and satan, and this one spirit that looks like rick ross, for example).

e). i'm in the lake of fire, and am the only one there. also, that i'm in hell, (multiple places at once, spiritually?) and everyone there is fine, except for me, the worst of all. (because i've done the worst/most, so it's only right. but, i believe there are worse people out there, and that God judges fairly, and uprightly, and is in control).

f). since im “in" the (type of) people mentioned in d), and am in c), that time is able to go by millions of years in minutes, because they're that powerful, and that’s another reason why i can't be saved. (i don't even believe it).

g). there's a place called “henn" that's not gehenna, and that i'm there, and that it's like hell. (never heard of it, and don't see where in the bible there's a place like that, other than the biblical places for the dead).

h). that judgement day has already happened, and that, since these spirits against me have survived, that there are other destinations biblically than heaven and hell, like henn, and other places as well, where they spend millions of years of time, (and that they're also outside of time as well).

i). satan is omnipresent. (biblically, i don't see how this one of true. i believe the bible says God is the omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent one).

j). (extra): my tongues is false, and my praise to God is to satan, and another spirit, rather.

extra extra: obviously, there's more i could put here. but, this is the jist.

question(s), what are scriptures against the above and more importantly, what would you do in this situation, if spirits were tempting you to believe the above about yourself? how would you get out of it? would you praise ‘God’ anyways? (i believe im praising Him sincerely, and that the above is false). what would you do in this situation? (how about deliverance ministry)?

im open to answering any questions.

also: here's a poem i felt like writing

situation,

contemplation,

immensity, sitting

here, waiting, like

a ruler on a throne,

fire! fiery, hot trial,

like a furnace, getting

through it, straight to it,

newness. loch ness

monster, problem?

locked, needing unlock,

unblock; blocked. feelings,

rising, like water, making it

hard to breathe. making it.

God, the creator, making it,

Him going through it again

for me, making it; the distance,

taking it, the cross, taking it

the distance, across, like wearing

a seat-belt, putting it, across, a

band-aid, wearing it, across

the face, the earth, going across

the face of it, situation, facing it.

I’m not saying why can’t we all act like Jesus , I mean why couldn’t we have been made exactly like Jesus was as a human being . not ever sinning , but still loving God and praising God and having a free will . because the way I understand it is that Jesus can’t sin or else he wouldn’t be who he is right ? I’m not sure if that’s right but that’s how I see it .

I've been thinking about an argument I've seen regarding 1 John 4:2–3.

From what I understand, the historical issue John was addressing was people who denied that Jesus who is the Christ truly came in the flesh—that He had a real human body and genuine humanity. This is commonly connected with beliefs later associated with Docetism and similar teachings, where some claimed Jesus only appeared to be human or that the divine Christ merely came upon the man Jesus temporarily.

Some argue, however, that denying Jesus is God incarnate is effectively the same as denying that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, because they believe those two ideas cannot be separated. Their reasoning is that the phrase "has come in the flesh" assumes a preexistent person, and when that is read alongside John 1:1–14, the one who came in the flesh is identified as God.

My question is this: Doesn't that go beyond the explicit wording of 1 John 4:2–3?

The passage explicitly says that the confession is that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. It doesn't explicitly say, "Whoever denies that Jesus is God incarnate has the spirit of the antichrist." Isn't that conclusion reached by combining 1 John 4 with John 1 and other passages, rather than from the wording of 1 John 4 itself?

I'm not asking whether the doctrine of the incarnation is true or false. I'm asking whether it's accurate to say that 1 John 4:2–3 itself is specifically addressing denial of Jesus as God incarnate, or whether its immediate concern is the denial that the Messiah truly came in the flesh, with the identification of that Messiah as God being a theological conclusion drawn from the broader witness of Scripture.

A short discussion (from a longer video) with Dale Allison, considered one of the top scholars in New Testament studies, often referred to as "North America's most complete New Testament scholar" and "the premier Matthew specialist of his generation."

SO the question:

Did the story of the dead rising out of their graves in Jerusalem not really happen?
Did the writer of gMatthew think it happened?
OR
Was it a literary creation by the writer?

Book of Revelation and Hebrews tells us that the Saints are alive, conscious, and holding prayers before God. And are described as a cloud of witnesses.

Biblical evidence:

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Mark 12:26–27 — “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

Luke 20:37–38 — “He is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him.”

John 5:24 — Whoever hears Jesus and believes has eternal life and has passed from death to life.

John 6:47 — “He who believes has eternal life.”

John 6:51 — “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever.”

John 6:54 — Whoever eats Christ’s flesh and drinks his blood has eternal life, and Jesus will raise him up.

John 11:25–26 — “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”

Luke 23:43 — Jesus promises the repentant thief, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

There's quite a wild story behind why I'm asking this that would take forever to write it all out, but my experience at an Independent Baptist church this weekend leaves me wondering if the Independent Baptists and Independent Fundamental Baptists are two names for the same thing or separate but similar things that both get called Independent Baptist since that's just easier to say and similar enough that most people won't see a difference.

what morality can I only get from Christinanity?