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Recent content by Aravis85

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    Origin of Belief

    Oh sorry, I missed it. Having looked it over, your objection seems to be (1) factual inaccuracy (science and mathematics) and (2) ethical problems (slavery, women's rights); the larger problem is that the book "could have been written by the people of that time". In other words, either God isn't...
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    Origin of Belief

    It would help if you explained in what sense you consider it to be rubbish. Morally rubbish? Aesthetically? Logically? My understanding of the Bible is that it expresses God's relationship with his fallen but beloved people. Due to the fall, that relationship is shot through with pain...
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    Does Christianity only work for people who can experience regret?

    An unlikely situation for any person to find themselves in but, sure, I would guess the fruit of repentance in such a case would, at minimum, require telling the truth to people to whom you have lied and apologising for misleading them. I think it might be a bit impertinent to then evangelise...
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    Does Christianity only work for people who can experience regret?

    I don't know. This is an incredibly difficult problem, because its resolution ultimately turns on what the doctors tell us about the experiences of sociopaths and psychopaths and that information is full of uncertainty about (1) what, exactly, it is that such people are lacking and (2) what...
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    Islam, Christianity and Judaism...

    That seems to depend on the assumption that reality alters with your beliefs: for Christians, God exists and their lives have eternal consequences for good or evil, while He considerately blinks out of existence for atheists and does not make them any offer of eternal life. I don't think that's...
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    Islam, Christianity and Judaism...

    All gifts are God-given, from the theist's perspective. But I would say that perfect self-control - or perfection in any virtue - is unachievable except in conscious reliance on God. There's a point beyond which human effort can't go, but we are promised that God will carry us past that point.
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    Islam, Christianity and Judaism...

    Self-control is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to St Paul, so I suppose that what it says is that total self-discipline is only possible for humans in the context of a relationship with God. Less abstractly, what motivates anyone to do what love demands? The fear of punishment or...
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    Help to understand Jesus

    I recommend that you don't try to read the whole Bible, cover to cover, as a starting-point to your life in faith. This is a book which, as a Christian, you are going to be reading for the rest of your life, with God's help - you don't have to rush through it and it's probably not a good idea to...
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    Can you help me in my master's thesis?

    :) Or that the modern world doesn't fit the Church's values? But sure, I appreciate the meaning of the question now and will fill in the survey. Thanks for getting back to me and good luck again with your work.
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    Can you help me in my master's thesis?

    Hi Monika, good luck with your thesis. I just visited the survey page and was puzzled by this question "Values ​​that says the Church does not fit today." Can you expand on what that means? Are you asking if I think the Church does not fit modern values, or if the Church now does not...
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    Are Christians only allowed to live with Christians?

    That's kind of an all-or-nothing picture. I need the Christian Church; I make choices to ensure that I have access to a church in my denomination within a reasonable distance from where I live. Fortunately, that's pretty easy for me where I live right now. It's harder for my sister, who is a...
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    Diet/exercise etc

    That's a great offer, thank you. I've sent you a pm :)
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    Input needed from anyone kind enough to offer it

    I'm sorry to hear you feel that way. But one of the things that Christianity claims is that success or failure in life with God is not dependent on our own intelligence, hard work, energy or luck; it's God who does all the work, if only you let Him, and He is always and perfectly consistent and...
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    Diet/exercise etc

    Yes, I've made a start on both those suggestions but your personal trainer idea is a good one and I will start looking for one next year, once I have my first paycheck. I need to lose about 40 pounds, so professional help to get rid of it all would probably be good.
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    My Girlfriend and I Are Different Denominations and Its Causing Friction

    Hi there, If you are arguing about the tone and language of the services, rather than the underlying theology, then it may be worth directing your girlfriend's attention to 1 Corinthians 8 (St Paul on eating meat sacrificed to idols). C S Lewis applies this, I think very persuasively, to...