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  1. DailyBlessings

    Liberal Church Ideas

    I don't think so. Jesus came to save the world; the church was never supposed to be a dismal oppressing force, but a community based on love. And though many "conservatives" feel uncomfortable around the traditional liturgies, they were built to reflect love. All this hellfire and brimstone...
  2. DailyBlessings

    Drug war when will it end

    I don't think the drug wars would exist if the country were more stable in the first place; the cartels cement their influence by stepping into vacuums of power and organization. I wonder, sometimes, what all these "mission trips" that Americans like to go on are actually doing, because even en...
  3. DailyBlessings

    Questions that I am sure this sub-forum can help with...

    Well, I'd rather be an "atheist" who follows the teachings of God than a "Christian" who does despicable things in the name of God. Atheist isn't really an insult; the first Christian martyrs were called atheists by their Roman detractors, after all.
  4. DailyBlessings

    Questions that I am sure this sub-forum can help with...

    I don't think the purpose of the Scriptures is always prescriptive. Lots of nasty things are ascribed to the name of God in the books of history, and this does not surprise me because I look out my window and see billboards spewing hate and televisions spewing lies and promoting wars all in the...
  5. DailyBlessings

    Printed in China Bibles

    I don't think we should purchase or distribute Bibles that have been created evilly. Nor any other product, but it is particularly loathsome to taint the Scriptures that way. But then, I don't think Bibles should be "products" in the first place, neither bought nor sold. But hey, I'm just a...
  6. DailyBlessings

    Liberal Church Ideas

    Liberal is the norm in my part of the country. I'm not sure if there is a "generic" liberality, but there are some patterns. One will almost always hear the term "open and affirming", for instance, which means that no one is barred from coming or kicked out for not believing something. Usually...
  7. DailyBlessings

    Rewriting the 10 Commandments? I'm speechless!

    As long as one keeps the "old" ones around, I'm okay with trying to find a positive statement of the principles the commandments were meant to teach. Luther did similarly after all, as have many wise teachers of the faith. I'm not sure about some of his specific changes, though. "Do not steal"...
  8. DailyBlessings

    Should this sign have been banned?

    "Legal" and "good to do" aren't necessarily the same thing. As St. Paul wrote to the oft lawless Corinthians, "all things are permitted for you, but not everything is beneficial".
  9. DailyBlessings

    What is your current bible study curriculum?

    My church is doing the churches of Revelation. A really funny choice, I thought at first, since that normally seems like more of an Advent topic than a Lent one. But actually, it's looking kind of promising. Revelation isn't just about prophecy, after all; it's an introspective book when you...
  10. DailyBlessings

    Prayer before meals?

    We never did around the family dinner table, except for holidays. I picked up the habit in smeinary, though, and usually take a silent moment or two to reflect on the blessings of the day and the gift of life represented by the food. As for the church I grew up in, church events, like Lenten...
  11. DailyBlessings

    Should this sign have been banned?

    Well, the same bus company apparently flashes "God Bless America" periodically on their tickerboard, so I assume it's not a church-and-state thing. It may have just been a bad decision though, as it were, not meant as a philosophical statement. Still makes us look bad, though, in the press and what.
  12. DailyBlessings

    Should this sign have been banned?

    This sign: was recently turned down by a bus company in Pennsylvania. Is it right to ban a bus sign that promotes atheism, when it just says the word "atheism" on it? Personally, I was a bit put out by this; it doesn't seem like very good Christian ministry to look like rabid authoritarians...
  13. DailyBlessings

    Possibly stupid newie question - What makes the idea of universalism bad?

    I love the Bible, but that doesn't mean I feel compelled to turn off both mind and heart when I open it. I don't think the Bible itself would recommend such an action. I don't understand how someone can disdain compassion while worshipping a book that names love the greatest virtue under heaven.
  14. DailyBlessings

    Possibly stupid newie question - What makes the idea of universalism bad?

    If I save five people I happen to be friends with from a burning building while letting ten others burn to death inside, I'm a hero, but if I save all fifteen, I'm a liar and my actions are pointless? I refuse to accept any theology which makes me more merciful and compassionate than God.
  15. DailyBlessings

    Possibly stupid newie question - What makes the idea of universalism bad?

    People are bloodthirsty to the core, and desire to see "bad people" suffer rather than be redeemed to their Father, because that way they too are allowed to hate who God hates. It's a scarier world for some people if hatred of others is not allowed, because they know it is a standard they cannot...
  16. DailyBlessings

    An awesome lesson

    I like that the shopowners did notice, even if they couldn't come over themselves.
  17. DailyBlessings

    The Kingdom of Israel

    Who is the true king over Israel, if not God? Wherever God reigns, is the kingdom of God, and it is spread all across the world. I don't think God cares as much about lines on the map as people tend to.
  18. DailyBlessings

    Share YOUR Statement of Faith

    I do understand what you are worried about. It is very true that a lot of things that go on in the church these days seem to be very egocentric. Not just egocentric but subtly cynical at the same time, in fact, which can be a horrifying combination because it directs the eyes inward at the same...
  19. DailyBlessings

    Where'd This Whole "Bringing Your Body Under Subjection" Thing Come From Anyway??....

    You know, I really think he was. There are a lot of signs of perfectionism in his letters, a desire to be "everything to everyone" and difficulty admitting superiority in others, even when trying to downplay something as unimportant, like having visions or baptizing people personally. That said...