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  1. Open Heart

    What is Sin to a Person Who Never read the Bible?

    The Merriam Webster dictionary says: sin 1 of 4 noun (1) ˈsin a: an offense against religious or moral law b: an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible it's a sin to waste food c: an often serious shortcoming : FAULT Going by that definition, you would not need a Bible to...
  2. Open Heart

    Should the son of a deadbeat biological father be put to death?

    You've been hurt, and it has scarred you. It is impairing your ability to think clearly. Find a good counselor. Best of luck to you.
  3. Open Heart

    Should parents be judged for their kid's crimes?

    In that particular case, the parents were negligent, and their negligence resulted in many deaths. In such case, throw the book at them. I remember in M Scott Peck's book "People of the Lie" how he illustrated evil with the story of parents who gave their son the gun his brother had committed...
  4. Open Heart

    "Only God Can Judge Me"

    Just earlier this week, I was watching a People's Court episode where the defendant lost, and on their way out exclaimed "Only God can judge me!" It was funny, because in fact she had just been judged by Judge Marilyn Milian. IOW the answer to your question is yes, people use this as an excuse...
  5. Open Heart

    What are your views of “mansplaining” a thing or not?

    Yes its very much a real thing. Men assume that women don't know stuff and that it is their job to teach us. They do not talk to other men this way. And yet it is amazing how they suddenly become very stupid when you ask them to do the laundry or get the kids ready for bed or plan...
  6. Open Heart

    A pastor's sin should remain private?

    The incident you are describing is abusive. The pastor is using his authority over a female parishioner to have an illicit and toxic sexual relationship. The Southern Baptist convention is working overtime trying to deal with the scandal of all the sexual abuse cases that are coming forward...
  7. Open Heart

    A pastor's sin should remain private?

    If someone is hurting someone else, the appropriate response is to stop them. You cannot do that if you keep it a secret.
  8. Open Heart

    I love animals but are we getting our priorities wrong?

    Ending world hunger would require significant financial resources. According to estimates from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an annual investment of around $267 billion is needed to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.
  9. Open Heart

    Christian Domestic Discipline

    It appears to be the religious sanction of husbands beating their wives. Not only is it abusive at face value, but it infantilizes women, meaning it treats adult women as if we are children. You don't get a much clearer vision of misogyny than this.
  10. Open Heart

    Is self-defense a sin?

    Leviticus 19:16 Do not stand idly by while your brother blood is shed. Basically, if you do not defend (either yourself or another innocent), you are morally complicit in their sin. In my book, Pacifism is an evil doctrine, because it disables good so that it cannot fight evil.
  11. Open Heart

    What is happening with our Ivy League Schools?

    Not just that, but if you are a black woman, you can feel free to plagiarize.
  12. Open Heart

    Someone at church said that Bipolar 1 is the work of the devil.

    You are correct. The rare person who thinks it is of the devil is simply ignorant. They used to think schizophrenics were demon possessed too.
  13. Open Heart

    A Jewish President?

    Two of the leading Democratic contenders for nomination to the Presidency, Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, are Jewish. What is interesting, is that their Jewishness doesn't seem to be an issue for non-Jews. Indeed the only talk I've ever heard is some grumbling from fellow Jews that Sanders...
  14. Open Heart

    The world does not understand that one Jew, differs from another (Jew)

    No, it was a Roman cross. Jews don't do crosses.
  15. Open Heart

    Chanukah 2019 & the NYC attacks

    This post may be a little late in coming, but it's still on my mind these weeks later. I had many good happy times during the Chanukah holiday, but I can't help but feel like they were spoiled by the anti-Semitic violence in NYC. Every time I sat down to a good time, thoughts of the attacks...
  16. Open Heart

    Struggling with manic grandiosity

    First of all, don't kick yourself. You were manic, meaning your were fighting a biological impulse. It's like a diabetic trying to use meditation to lower his blood sugar!! The fact that you resisted says very good things about you. Kudos! I can't tell you how many times I did very stupid...
  17. Open Heart

    Bipolar 2 ruining my marriage

    Hi, sophian. First off, I am soooo very sorry to hear about your pain, and the terrible troubles your family is going through. I hope this can be fixed before something serious happens. Please know that I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, so I can't diagnose you. I am bipolar II and...
  18. Open Heart

    The Evolution Controversy: On the Links That Are Missing (discussion)

    Actually plenty of theists, myself included and many, many Christians, accept that the universe is 13.8 billion years old, and that there is no conflict whatsoever with this and the existence of God, and that in fact the very nature of the Big Bang rather supports the idea of God. First, I do...
  19. Open Heart

    The Recovery of the Jewish Gospel

    It's not that they signed them into law, so much as they gave them an honorary position in terms of national morality. "The United States Congress recognized the Noahide Laws in 1991 when it passed the Education Day Bill. "Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values...