Questions for conservative Christians

fschmidt said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?

What do you think justifies divorce?

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

Do you have television in your home?

Would you send your children to public school?

I am not Christian but I will answer my own questions. I keep the Sabbath. Only adultery or failure of husband to provide justifies divorce. Clothes should be loose fitting from collarbone to knees (at least). The sexes should be separated in religious service. I do not have television. I homeschooled my kids.

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1. I do not keep the sabbath, although I do spend Saturday and Sunday focused on god and try not to use technology (which I already don’t use very much) and spent with my family
2. IMO the standards for divorce are Adultery, marital rape, some insanely immoral act (like murder or rape outside of the marriage)
3. My standards for modesty are pretty strict, and yes this applies outside of church. For men I think dress shirts and dress pants are appropriate. For women I think long sleeve solid color shirts, sweaters, or blouses are appropriate as well as a floor length skirt and hose. Me (M) and my mom are the strictest in my family, and follow the rules except I usually wear a tie as well.
4. Mixed. I don’t see how this would matter- I sit with my family and close friends no matter what gender they are.
5. TV has sinful unchristian programming that it is unhealthy to fill the mind with.
6. I haven’t really thought about schooling yet.

Do you keep the Sabbath?

We acknowledge Shabbat but don’t burn candles or abstain from activity. For the most part, its a day of rest. We were more observant in the past.

What do you think justifies divorce?

I don’t think anything ‘justifies’ divorce. Some behaviors and circumstances are difficult for couples to move beyond.

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

I choose clothes that complement my silhouette and position. Modesty is a non issue. My style is decidedly feminine and classy.

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

The seating arrangements in places of worship have had zero impact on my faith and walk with God.

Do you have television in your home?

Yes.

Would you send your children to public school?

I think homeschooling is best.

~Bella

fschmidt said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?

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No (Colossians 2:16-17).

fschmidt said:

What do you think justifies divorce?

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Adultery (Matthew 19:9) and possibly abuse (Luke 21:20-21, Acts 8:1). However, remarriage is not justified as long as the other spouse lives (1 Corinthians 7:39), with the possible exception of their committing adultery against you (Matthew 19:9). When I name abuse as a possible reason to divorce, it is in the interest of protecting yourself from further harm, not an excuse to find somebody else.

fschmidt said:

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

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Whatever is modest in the context of where you will be. A conservative swimsuit would be fine for the beach, but unacceptable for a funeral.

fschmidt said:

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

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Either/or is fine.

fschmidt said:

Do you have television in your home?

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Technically yes, but I need to get a streaming box for it. I get no channels currently.

fschmidt said:

Would you send your children to public school?

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Given what I endured in public school, probably not. But I'm not foolish enough to assume that a Christian school would be free of bad people (I know that several Christian schools accepted delinquents who were kicked out of public schools, and I remember someone from my youth group who left his Christian school for a public school because everyone at the Christian school, which had a very small class, smoked weed). Nor would I automatically assume that I or my future wife would be the right kind of parents for home schooling, though that is something we would look at.

fschmidt said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?

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Not in the traditional sense. I worship God on Sunday as the Lord Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday

What do you think justifies divorce?

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Marital adultery, hardness of heart, abuse, and departure of an unbelieving spouse

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

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nothing that is provocative or draws attention to me in a sexual way

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

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I don't think there is a should or shouldn't, but I have never been to a church that is separated by sex. I personally would prefer to worship with all believers, particularly alongside my husband.

Do you have television in your home?

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Yes of course

Would you send your children to public school?

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no, as I don't have any faith in the public school system that it would actually educate my children. I also enjoy my time with them and find it a privilege to teach them.

I am not Christian but I will answer my own questions. I keep the Sabbath. Only adultery or failure of husband to provide justifies divorce. Clothes should be loose fitting from collarbone to knees (at least). The sexes should be separated in religious service. I do not have television. I homeschooled my kids.

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So if you aren't Christian may I ask--what is the basis for your moral and religious standards?

.

fschmidt said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?

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Yes, by faith in Christ, I enter rest. The principle of one day of rest in seven...I attend worship on the day my church has set aside for the purpose of sabbathing.

What do you think justifies divorce?

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Matthew 5:32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

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Don't have one.

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

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No.

Do you have television in your home?

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Yes.

Would you send your children to public school?

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Yes, but wish I didn't. Public education is indoctrination and very poor. I spent many hours educating my children after school and looking back wish my wife and I home-schooled.

Yours in the Lord,

jm

fschmidt said:

And according to the Muslims, the Quran replaces both. There is no objective way to choose, so I choose the Old Testament. But I also attend mosque because I find that religious Muslims come closest (of religions where I live) to following Old Testament ethics. I created this thread to see where conservative Christians stand on practical ethics.

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Hello. I consider myself conservative - although like everything else the term is subjective.

I am a former Muslim who came to a saving faith in Christ.

I don't keep the Sabbath.

I did (when I was Muslim) allow my children to attend public school (although my extended family criticised that decision, my sisters children never saw public school until college age)

I don't have any change of opinion on that topic since coming to Christ. Christians live in the world, without being of the world, so may as well teach them the how of it young.

I did (prior to being saved), and still do (after coming to Christ) own a television with the exception of 3 years when my children were teenagers but that was because they started fighting me over wanting to watch what their freinds got to see. I was very picky about what went into my children's minds.

I have been trying to find my place in mode of dress as a Christian - I'm saved for 5years now. But I'm comfortable with the freedom I have in Christ, I dont wear hijab, I usually shop at thrift stores so I don't spend a lot of money on clothing, but I am picky within reason on what I wear.

I usually wear full length dresses or full length skirts and a top for church, but I haven't been wearing scarf at church, but lately I've been feeling some conviction to perhaps start wearing one for church - but I still own like a thousand scarves from when I was Muslim that I kept. Lol.. so the new conviction won't cost a dime..

When I'm out and about I dress like any 50 year old woman you see normally. It's modest, but not potatoe sack or anything. I wear mom jeans or slacks and layer top with a sweater, a very lightweight sweater in summer.. in the yard in the heat of summer I will wear a T-Shirt and Capris with sandals.

I cover my head in the mornings when I study the Word and pray.

I've just been finding my place, and as you learn more about Christianity and Jesus, much will change when you come to a saving faith. And you will grow from there for the rest of your life.

I got a divorce when I was still Muslim.. it was heavily frowned upon by the Islamic community but the why is super long story. .

I am remarried now to a Christian man, and have no issues with the re-marriage. In Christianity marriage is a covenant between the couple and God, and is to be reflecting of the Covenant we are in with Christ. (An alien concept in Islam). I do not believe the Christian marriage is allowed to be broken outside of adultery or abandonment... however I have not decided if physical abuse is also a cause.

My (muslim) ex husband broke my back and I'm disabled for life, and my children and I went through hell so inside me I always want to say physical abuse is also cause, but in this I am unsure according to Scripture.

I believe mixed congregations are fine. I attend church in a mixed congregation with the exception of Sunday school which is a womens class, and I enjoy it and feel no conviction that its anything but right with God.

I live in the U.S.

Do you keep the Sabbath?
No, I am Christian, we are not under the Jewish ceremonial law but under Grace, I find rest in Jesus alone.

What do you think justifies divorce?
Adultery, Fornication

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?
Not tight fitting but loose and covers your body. Common sense applies.

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?
If I were in charge I would have it separated and women covering hair.

Do you have television in your home?
Yes. Rarely use it.

Would you send your children to public school?
I don't have kids. However if I did I would try and homeschool up until the last few years of school so they can have a taste of the real world. It would all depend on my kids and their faith and maturity and the hypothetical school.

fschmidt said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?

What do you think justifies divorce?

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

Do you have television in your home?

Would you send your children to public school?

I am not Christian but I will answer my own questions. I keep the Sabbath. Only adultery or failure of husband to provide justifies divorce. Clothes should be loose fitting from collarbone to knees (at least). The sexes should be separated in religious service. I do not have television. I homeschooled my kids.

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Don't observe the sabbath as such. I have a day off normal routine. We meet daily
Adultery, an unsaved partner will not live in peace, any physical violence
No cleavage showing, no yoga pants without other covering. Women the same (just kidding)
Mixed sexes are fine. We are very careful with touchy feely embracing and such.
TV yes. Watch only Christian shows
Yes, if no alternative.

Do you keep the Sabbath?
Yes.
What do you think justifies divorce?
Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Heb. 13:4
What are your standards of dress for public modesty?
Saint Ephraim the Syrian, in word 82, teaches not to don flamboyant raiment, but to dress modestly. For we need only a convenient cover, not a variety of hues. “The point is, that we need but a cover for our flesh,” according to the Pandects of Nikon of the Black Mountain, word 37. Women should cover their heads
Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?
St. Cyril of Jerusalem points out, the animals entering the Ark, do so with their own kind:
For though the ark was one, and the door was shut, yet had things been suitably arranged. If the church is shut, and you are all inside, yet let there be separation, men with men, women with women: lest the pretext of salvation become an occasion of destruction.
Do you have television in your home?
sometimes
Would you send your children to public school?
If I had kids, no. Public schools only exist to indoctrinate our children with modernism and cultural Marxism

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?
Yes. I do not work on Saturday or Sunday.

What do you think justifies divorce?
Not quite sure, according to God.

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?
Legs covered, shoulders covered...both sexes, whatever that entails.

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?
Mixed. I feel that focusing too hard on gender "works" in churches takes away the focus on God.

Do you have television in your home?
No.

Would you send your children to public school?
No, I wouldn't today.

LeGato said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?
Yes. I do not work on Saturday or Sunday.

What do you think justifies divorce?
Not quite sure, according to God.

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?
Legs covered, shoulders covered...both sexes, whatever that entails.

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?
Mixed. I feel that focusing too hard on gender "works" in churches takes away the focus on God.

Do you have television in your home?
No.

Would you send your children to public school?
No, I wouldn't today.

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Have you read the Statement of Purpose (for this "Conservative Christianity" subforum?) If you have not, please do.

What you've outlined in this post of yours doesn't look like a review of what a typical conservative Christian would say.

Albion said:

Have you read the Statement of Purpose (for this "Conservative Christianity" subforum?) If you have not, please do.

What you've outlined in this post of yours doesn't look like a review of what a typical conservative Christian would say.

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It may not. However it reflects my personal beliefs within my branch of conservative Christianity, which is not Anglican.

LeGato said:

It may not. However it reflects my personal beliefs within my branch of conservative Christianity....

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That does make a difference, all right. But your opening comment was "I am curious about Conservative Christians," and the post was put on the forum of "Conservative Christianity" which has its own, published, definition of what's meant here by the term.

So you see the reason for my reply, even though I believe that some minority of Christians...including those whom many people would call Conservative Christians for want of a better term, do exist and are hard to classify.

Albion said:

But your opening comment was "I am curious about Conservative Christians," and the post was put on the forum of "Conservative Christianity" which has its own, published, definition of what's meant here by the term.

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Ok, I see what's happening here...
I am NOT the OP. I had Quoted the OP's entire post though, and was answering it in Italics.

LeGato said:

Ok, I see what's happening here...
I am NOT the OP. I had Quoted the OP's entire post though, and was answering it in Italics.

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Alas, this is often what happens when a dormant thread is reactivated. But from what I can see in my own reply to you, nothing is changed by this.

You did put your message on this subforum which is for Conservative Christians as is defined by the Statement of Purpose, and you did refer to the people you are interested in discussing by the term "conservative Christians."

My main purpose was just to advise you that there is a definition here for the term, and it's something else.

No problem, thank you. Perhaps I should have prefaced it with "my personal beliefs within conservative Christianity"? Though i don't see anything intrinsically wrong with my answers, except for my internal confusion on the issue of the Sabbath?

Very well, but what church or group are you describing? It doesn't sound like Confessional Lutheranism or, for that matter, any other denomination this side of the Amish or a similar outfit.

Albion said:

Very well, but what church or group are you describing? It doesn't sound like Confessional Lutheranism or, for that matter, any other denomination this side of the Amish or a similar outfit.

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Not describing a group, just my own personal beliefs with my answers. I'm very comfortable at my church, but yeah...sometimes I feel like a crypto-Amish lol.

fschmidt said:

I am curious about conservative Christians, so I have a few questions...

Do you keep the Sabbath?

What do you think justifies divorce?

What are your standards of dress for public modesty?

Should the sexes be mixed or separated in religious service?

Do you have television in your home?

Would you send your children to public school?

I am not Christian but I will answer my own questions. I keep the Sabbath. Only adultery or failure of husband to provide justifies divorce. Clothes should be loose fitting from collarbone to knees (at least). The sexes should be separated in religious service. I do not have television. I homeschooled my kids.

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I'm curious why you want us to answer these questions. Rather than give specific answers to each question, my church (Lutheran) would call most of this "adiaphora", which means these are matters of personal conviction that have no bearing on justification (your salvation), and probably not on sanctification either (being made holy to serve God).

While there's nothing wrong with adhering to any of this, placing too much emphasis on it leads to pietistic tendencies, thinking you are better than others because you adhere to some arbitrary religious code.