Why some of the questions?

[dms1972]

Is it ok to say Could people maybe try and ask themselves before posting or asking something, why they are asking it, is it something they really need to ask about right now, is it important? Is it just something resulting from intellectual wandering, do you genuinely want to hear others give opinions and thoughts if they go very much against your own, are you seeking only your own answer? What is your reason for asking what you are asking?

There seems like a lot of questions and some are not really possible to settle on a forum.

 

[Shempster]

Psyche 101: people will gravitate towards dealing with questions to reaffirm their beliefs. Some are seriously inquisitive and open to challenge. Some love to engage the opposition. It all boils down to the human ego.
Its really a poor idea to ask questions merely to squash an opposing opinion. Unless you want people to dislike you.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

There seems like a lot of questions and some are not really possible to settle on a forum.

Is the purpose of the forum to settle questions?

Can anyone name 3 questions that were actually settled in the last year ?

 

[Greg J.]

In a Philosophy & Ethics forum one can expect there to be a lot of opinions—for which there is no "answer" that is clear to all.

 

[dms1972]

Psyche 101: people will gravitate towards dealing with qbelievuestions to reaffirm their beliefs. Some are seriously inquisitive and open to challenge. Some love to engage the opposition. It all boils down to the human ego.
Its really a poor idea to ask questions merely to squash an opposing opinion. Unless you want people to dislike you.

That seems true, but in christianity we are to trust a Person, namely Jesus of Nazareth, we come to know who He is, and we begin by believing the apostolic witness to the truth. Our 'beliefs', even sometimes those we think that are christian often get in the way of this.

In this life we are not able to know everything and even aftwr this life if we insist on having all our questions answered we may miss heaven. Jesus you may notice in the Gospels did not always answers his disciples questions.

To argue and debate merely from the ego, though we all do it some of the time, is unspiritual.

I am to be seeking as a christian, not intellectual sport, or playing some theological game, but seeking the kingdom before all other things.

There are valid questions that people have, but maybe we should all stop and think for a moment why do I want to ask this or that? Should I be even getting into this or that discussion, how does this advance Jesus' Kingdom?

Nehemiah was repeatedly requested by enemies, to stop work on the walls he was rebuilding and go down and debate with them in a nearby village. but he knew that they were scheming to harm him, and so he sent them a message : "I am carrying on a great project, why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you" He was requested to stop the work and go down four times. And each time he give them the same message.

We need to see the modern internet equivalent of this. Can we become ensnared by always trying to answer and stand for the truth.

See Nehemiah chapter 6. These people Nehemiah had to deal with, they seem a bit like some of today's internet trolls.

At times people are asking the wrong question, its framed wrong, perhaps deliberately, and other times through lack of thought. And to engage in debate, and discussion when its the wrong question being asked is foolish.

 

[dms1972]

Is the purpose of the forum to settle questions?

Can anyone name 3 questions that were actually settled in the last year ?

Some repeatedly debated topics are fruitless past a point. This should tell us something, many matters in the christian faith involve paradox and mystery, and trying to rationally settle them to everyone's satisfaction will be impossible. The arguments take place quite often because the modern mind has a difficulty with paradox and mystery, it wants to rationalistically settle a matter. Conversion has to first rewire the brain.

 

[Goodbook]

If I recall, when I was a new christian I had heaps of questions.
There was even a christian website called Got Questions. It had all the answers from the bible. Maybe tell people to go there.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Conversion has to first rewire the brain.

Yes, or said another way a year ago by an old grey haired woman - "Jeff, they need a new heart. Arguing with their mind is futile if they do not have a new heart. If they have a new heart, they seek the things of YHWH (GOD) and not of man. " (by definition = "new heart" can only be given by YHWH)

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If I recall, when I was a new christian I had heaps of questions.
There was even a christian website called Got Questions. It had all the answers from the bible. Maybe tell people to go there.

Got questions answers have been good in general - great search for the Biblical References and Direction.
Still test everything by prayer IN SCRIPTURE - even if it's just a clerical error(happens) , they might get something wrong,
OR (more often) might be misunderstood, so getting a fuller picture / wider view based in SCRIPTURE/ helps understand as YHWH desires to teach us all, whoever is willing, and perhaps whoever is not willing too. (once, none of us was willing - no one was! )

 

[Emmy]

Dear dms1972. Perhaps some questions are unnecessary, but if you we truly look at what Jesus told us in
Matthew 22: 35-40: " Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, AND love thy neighbour as thyself, it is necessary to be sure what LOVE really means. Love covers all kind and true feelings, all helpful and
friendly deeds, all loving advice and all things which come from a loving heart. God is Love and God wants loving
men and women.
The Bible tells us to " Repent and become loving and caring to all we know and meet." Let us start asking only those questions about true and imaginary love, about how we become more loving and caring, more helpful and sincere. I say this with love, dms. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[DawnStar]

I believe many are just bored with their daily lives or lonely and ask questions just to be posting and some are also very egotistical and "me" oriented. They do not really want answers. They just want to be the center of attention. This applies not only to this forum but quite a few others on CF as well.

 

[Goodbook]

The bible also tells us to always have an answer to any question someone asks us about the hope we have in us..so it could be those people who are new really want to know. 1 peter 3:15

Maybe they hadnt read the bible or afraid to ask God.
Sometimes people might asks a question..and maybe just because YOU cant answer it, someone else can. That is why people post on forums instead of write just to one person so they can see many peoples different answers I suppose. Not everyone will know everything and often some things remain a mystery...which is Gods prerogative and the pleasure of kings to seek out proverbs 25:2

 

[Goodbook]

And also the OPs post is in itself a question lol. So why did you ask this question?

 

[Inkfingers]

Is it ok to say Could people maybe try and ask themselves before posting or asking something, why they are asking it, is it something they really need to ask about right now, is it important? Is it just something resulting from intellectual wandering, do you genuinely want to hear others give opinions and thoughts if they go very much against your own, are you seeking only your own answer? What is your reason for asking what you are asking?

There seems like a lot of questions and some are not really possible to settle on a forum.

It's the internet...

So there will always be a mix of strife-baiters, attention-seekers, and genuine questions.

 

[Goodbook]

If theres rhetorical questions you donthave to answer it let the OP figure it out themselves lol.

Just type...uh...you should know!

I usually just say look in the bible. somewhere in the back.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I usually just say look in the bible. somewhere in the back.

GOTTA GREAT BIG SMILE ! (TRUE JOY!)

 

[seashale76]

Some people are simply genuinely confused and ignorant. Others come around and ask things because they personally see nothing wrong with things like fornication, for example, and will come here and ask if it is really a sin, et cetera. Sometimes, they really know the answers to their questions and what the faith teaches about certain topics, yet they simply are looking for validation for their actions, or reasons to stay/leave the faith, argue the point, look for someone/something to blame other than themselves and whatnot.

 

[dms1972]

Yes I know I don't have to answer or reply to many posts. I know its the internet. I know the nature of the internet, better perhaps than some here.

Obviously there are forum users who have genuine questions.

But in other discussions, people need to mindful of the tactics of the devil, one of which is to keep christians forever engaged in debate on his own ground. I just wonder why some people allow themselves to get tied up with some of the more baiting posts, when a scripture really would suffice. It was Leanne Payne whose chapters on spiritual warfare, in her book Restoring the Christian Soul that really brought this home to me about getting on with something more positive, and avoiding interminable debating quite often of the wrong questions.

There's a great book by William Gurnall, a timeless christian classic that still retains its original vigor, called The Christian In Complete Armour. I highly recommend it and its been put into the form of a daily devotional. I think christians would not need to ask half the questions they ask if they would read some of the older christian classics.

 

[Strivax]

Is the purpose of the forum to settle questions?

Can anyone name 3 questions that were actually settled in the last year ?

Seems to me there is a lot of ideological baggage surrounding Christianity, particularly among it's more conservative wing, that really needs to be challenged, shown incoherent, inconsistent, incomplete or just plain false, and discarded.

Of course, there is a lot of good stuff as well. And the basic project is headed in the right direction! But, 2000 years of progress after and because of Jesus, we do need an intellectual audit to sort wheat from chaff. Open, democratic discussion is the best way to achieve that, since that way all will benefit, not just the clerics and academics. I'm very optimistic that after, say, 100 years of interweb interactions we will have a lean, clean, salvation machine of a faith, fit for purpose.

Best wishes, Strivax.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Seems to me there is a lot of ideological baggage surrounding Christianity

It would be nice if this was all that is wrong.

Of course, there is a lot of good stuff as well. And the basic project is headed in the right direction!

No. (Read Revelation - the end of the book - it is getting very very bad, worse every day)

Open, democratic discussion is the best way to achieve that, since that way all will benefit, not just the clerics and academics.

Perspective it may look that way,
when YHWH'S people get together and talk about HIM,
as everyone in HIM is equal. But not democratic. Democracy isn't found in OT or NT in good life.
Most countries today that were forced by the usa/ world/ to be "democratic" are worse for it.(simply because they don't trust and honor and rely on YHWH(GOD).

I'm very optimistic that after, say, 100 years of interweb interactions we will have a lean, clean, salvation machine of a faith, fit for purpose. Best wishes, Strivax.

It has gotten very dramatically WORSE
every year the last ten years.
It is censored more than ever before.
No, there is no indication things will get better,
EXCEPT
"the indications" leading to "peace, peace" when there is no peace; the system or leaders who 'appear' to offer a solution and thus continue the way the whole world is going now.

The only thing stable and trustworthy is GOD'S WORD,
unchanged . (don't worry about seeming differences in translations; GOD has that taken into account, perfectly, also.).