A confused sort-of-Christian with heaps of questions!

[Toronto]

Hi there. I hope nobody thinks that it's rude of me to ask for advice before posting my introduction - I plan on posting my introduction, but I just want to get this out first. I'd like to get a feel for the forum and the way they handle advice, so to speak. :3

In seven days, it will be my one-year anniversary since I accepted Jesus. It was a decision that I was pressured into, though; I didn't feel it, and I didn't believe in Jesus until a few months after I did it. My friends were bullying and pressuring me to force me to do it. Now that I know that Jesus exists, though, I want to make it more sincere. I want to come to Him out of my heart. I have a few problems that are making me hesitate, though:

• Is Jesus likely to accept me if I choose to re-dedicate myself to Him? It's my understanding that He sees into our hearts and we need only to say it once, but as I didn't mean it (nor believe in Him), it will be good for my sense of well-being and sense of peace if I do it again.

• I am struggling with my sexuality - I don't tend to judge who will make a satisfactory romantic partner by gender, though I do find the female form slightly more attractive. I have never met a follower of God who treated homosexuals, pansexuals and bisexuals as human beings. Is it possible to completely overcome a "wrongful" sexuality? Why is it that lesbians and non-sexual gay male relationships are looked down upon, when from memory, the Bible only condemns sodomy?

• I am asexual. This means that I have no sex drive and am totally indifferent to sex. God created us to have sex, though, else it wouldn't be pleasureable. Is it a sin to have no sex drive, or is it perhaps God's guiding hand to prevent me from engaging in acts of lust before marriage? Related to this, I lost my virginity in an act of sexual assault. I hope that there is no blame in God's heart, but would a Christian man forgive me for being physically impure?

• I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven? It seems like unnecessary prejudice.

• I am studying to become a nurse. This will mean that I'll be working on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. I can't personally think of a better way to serve God than to protect the lives of His creations, but will it anger him? I want to work on Christmas day - so many people injure themselves on Christmas day (especially here in summery Australia; drunken pool parties equal drowning!), and I don't want people to die on God's special day.

• I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and moderate clinical depression, all of which I'm being medicated for. I've also been diagnosed with a mild autism spectrum disorder. I understand that the first three are products of the world and of Satan, but why has God given me autism spectrum disorder? It's something that I acquired at or prior to birth and something that will never leave me; why would he do this to his followers? It is NOT NICE to function so abnormally in society.

• I love God and all, but I worry about the sort of person I might become if I follow him. The only place I've found nice Christians is on livejournal (and even there, only one person has actually given me the time of day - hah!). I mean, it's part of my reason for seeking advice before posting an introduction ... I've never found a nice church, never found a nice Bible study group ... So many Christians seem so hate-filled and judgemental, so against helping people who are not Christian - but we're all God's creatures! Do all Christians end up judging non-Christians (and would I be better to ask this in a non-Christian area of the forum?), or do I just live an area where there are many, many SERIOUSLY bad apples? If I just live in a bad-apple area, what would suggestions be for finding friendly Christians? I feel like I've gone to EVERY protestant church in my district!

• Gender equality. Oh yeah, you were seeing this coming right when you saw my gender icon! I don't like feminism: I'm anti-feminist, and I always have been, much to my mother's hatred. Discussion of abortion makes me blood pressure rise so much that I've fainted more than once, I was very surprisingly irritated when Julia Gillard became the Australian prime minister (hopefully only for a few more hours... Her competition, Tony Abbott, is a good Catholic man), and all talk of feminism just riles me up to no end. Where can the line be drawn at gender equality, though? I consider myself a tentative equalist, but I still personally think that males should be the heads of the families (with counsel from their wives, of course!) and that girls shouldn't go cross-dressing, et cetera - but why are so many Biblical verses pertaining to this ignored? Why is it that a few sparse verses about, say, homosexuality blown up as though half of the Bible is about it, and then the verse about women covering their hair is completely ignored out of JWs, orthodox Catholics and orthodox Jews?

• I'm attracted to non-religious paganism, and I'm not gonna hide it or lie about it. God is the only God for me, but I don't understand why there seems to be NO emphasis on nature-reverence and on economic conservation in Christianity. The earth is God's creation, and ever flower, bush and tree were hand-crafted by God... So why is there NO emphasis on taking care of nature in Christianity? It seems to me as though it should be an important thing...

Please don't think that I'm trying to challenge Christianity! I'm not! I do consider myself a Christian (or, at least, want to consider myself one / will consider myself one when and if I can re-dedicate), I just have so many questions ... And they always seem so confrontational ... So if I look upon your answers with irritation, scepticism or further questions, please don't assume that I'm rejecting what you're saying! I just want to ... I just want to get the most thorough understanding as is possible. All of these issues, even if they might be discussion-ish topics, are relevant to me as a new Christian specifically; I've never had these answered before, and I'm just so confused... *scratches head*

Thank you so much to anybody and everybody who answers! ♥

 

[SharonL]

Well first off - you are worrying about things that you need not worry about - God is a loving God and He knows your heart. If you ask Him into your heart and did not mean it at the time, but now want to be a Child of God - it is as simple as talking to God and telling Him you are sorry and to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life - you don't have to be on your knees with people around you, Bible in Hand - God hears you at all times. Once you ask God into your heart and repent of your sins, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life and the Bible tells us that NO ONE can snatch you out of God's Hand.

The ailments you have were not put on you by God - God does not put heavy burdens on us to make us suffer. The enemy is always around searching for those he may devour. Just because you have an ailment - that does not mean that God is out to get you.

Working on Holidays is not a problem - God rested on the 7th day - He just means for us to have a day of rest to restore our bodies. Sunday was a pagan holiday for sun worshipers - Constetine (sp) declared a day for all sun worshipers to worship the sun - therefore it became Sunday. although Christians use it for their day of worship - but many have to work on Sunday - if it was wrong - look how many preachers would be sinning.

Don't let all the legalisms get in your way - just put your hand in the hand of Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide you and just let the Joy of the Lord shine through you and don't let all those do's and don'ts get in your way.

God is a loving God and our walk is a beautiful walk - God is not sitting in Heaven with a big stick ready to knock us over the head when we do wrong - just relax, talk to Jesus, Praise Him, the Bible tells us that Jesus is our Friend - do you think a friend would do the things to you that you are thinking God is doing to you - no - walk with Jesus every day and let the Holy Spirit guide you in all that you do.

 

[TexasGirl06]

I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven? It seems like unnecessary prejudice.

Indeed, the punishment for sin is death.

A lovely Grandma who bakes cookies for her neighbors, but has never accepted Jesus' gift of Salvation is headed to Hell.

A man who murdered 10 women and is currently in prison, but has received the Good News of Jesus Christ (in prison), has repented of his sin and turned from his wicked ways .... is headed to Heaven.

The above is hard for the "world" to grasp, but it is true.

Unfortunately, a lot of "Christianity" is based on works, and this is not exactly biblical.

Genuine faith will produce good works,
but good works is not what saves you.

We are saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

So, to try to answer your question: People today (Christian and non Christian) do not know the Word of God very well.
Discipleship is lacking.

 

[Loukas]

At the very beginning I'd like to underline one thing especially - I'm not here to judge, as no one should ever be, so if something I say implies an attempt to judge you morally or in any other possible manner, I apologise in advance. I don't have even the slightest intention to do so. This is simply a very difficult, very complex, and even very personal matter and it's not easy to talk about these things indifferently. I'll try to answer some of your questions, or at least give you some hints to explore these areas yourself - we are the ultimate judges and we shouldn't ever let ourselves be satisfied with even the neatest answers someone proposes. Christianity is about liberation despite all that has been done to obscure this fundamental fact!

It was a decision that I was pressured into, though; I didn't feel it, and I didn't believe in Jesus until a few months after I did it. My friends were bullying and pressuring me to force me to do it.

Though I boasted so much about my being nonjudgmental, I have to say: shame on them. Force-converting someone is the most clear way one can offend the spirit of Christianity. I may understand why - they are simply other victims of a system we created through centuries - but I can't accept. And such a thing is happening in Australia? I know it from my own playground, for the country I'm presently living in is one bigotry won a long time ago, but I wouldn't suspect this to happen to such an extent there... well, I'm probably just being naive.

Is Jesus likely to accept me if I choose to re-dedicate myself to Him? It's my understanding that He sees into our hearts and we need only to say it once, but as I didn't mean it (nor believe in Him), it will be good for my sense of well-being and sense of peace if I do it again.

I believe we can't decide to believe, to dedicate ourselves to faith. The English word belief is derived from love, while the Greek word for faith means actually trust. So to believe truly and to have a genuine faith is to... love and trust God. Because it's all about a relationship, an experience. How can we be forced to love and trust, or even force ourselves? It's a process, it happens. It doesn't mean that one who doesn't feel such overpowering love and trust to God should think of himself as damned or predestined to damnation. Faith is not an intellectual thesis we accept as true, but something we experience as true - the Truth embodied, incarnated, one that chose to be our fellow human being and share in our misery! Yet we feel emptiness, don't we? We feel abandoned, we feel there is no one and nothing out there reaching out to us or something we can try to reach out to. And that's a part of the faith experience either, of our human life. Faith must start with something. Usually even the greatest saints and titans of spiritual life are not granted a divine illumination, a vision, a prophetic dream in which God reveals himself. There has been a very interesting discussion going on between scholars who wanted to establish if it is God's grace and decision that draws as to him or if the responsibility stays with us. Yet for most of us it is unimportant - the living experience doesn't allow to be classified in this simple way. Our decision can be grace, can't it? So, as it so often happens in life, it can start very casually. We may say: I want to believe in Jesus. Doesn't it signify that we are already somewhere on the path we just want to enter? When we decide so, it is important that we don't limit ourselves to accepting the theological doctrines, statements and teachings. We must strive for our faith to be alive, to be what it should be: love and trust, namely. We can feel abandoned, we can feel emptiness and coldness in our hearts, but we should stay open. It's what the Greek word for truth suggests and what Heideger explored so beautifully: truth is un-concealment, so our part of the job of getting to it is to stay open and receptive. Theological doctrines, moral laws and regulations, even the institutional church can be effective barriers here. They are important - even fascinating - but may easily cover and obscure what is most significant: an experience, a relationship we should constantly seek and re-establish. And what Christianity teaches us is that God is always ready to give himself to us, he is the giving love. How could he ever not accept you? You will come to him out of your heart if you stay open and accept Him. It's not a school assignment, as it is with every relationship you have to give it time to grow. There is a very moving passage I'm always reminded of when talking about believing, believing sincerely and all these problems people have not feeling good enough believers,
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief (Mark 9:24)

I have never met a follower of God who treated homosexuals, pansexuals and bisexuals as human beings. Is it possible to completely overcome a "wrongful" sexuality? Why is it that lesbians and non-sexual gay male relationships are looked down upon, when from memory, the Bible only condemns sodomy?

Well, it's you lucky day, apparently. You just met one No only do I see the LGBT persons as human beings, but as equal human being. The Old Testaments doesn't condemn lesbian sex, nor does it condemn [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], two males kissing, hugging, erotic massage and so forth. I'll return to the question whether it condemns sodomy in a minute, but let me first address the suprising lack of interest the Bible has when it comes to various sexual activities save for penetration. It is because the prejudice towards homosexuals comes from the notion of males being better, fuller humans than women. Being meant to dominate, to rule; the women's role in sex was thought of as a symbol of submission, thus a men couldn't possibly allow to be treated in this manner, because it destroyed his dignity as a superior human being. He couldn't be penetrated, which is indicated by the meaning of the Hebrew word for homosexual intercourse: lying as a women, in literal translation. The idea of gender complementarity arose late in answer to the growing need, the growing awareness of women's equal dignity. In the ancient times it was believed that there is a hierarchy which places God ahead of men and men ahead of women. How can we possibly find it still actual, if it opposes even the official church teaching? Well, humans tend to illogical.
Now, the sodomy issue. I encourage you to read the Biblical account closely, and what you'll probably notice is that the story isn't about the city being punished for homosexual sex, but for... an attempt to rape people who where protected by the sacred Jewish law ruling that the guest be not violated. The mob tried to do so by raping them and hence God's wrath! If the angels had been women, it would have unfolded in the very same way!
I won't comment here on the New Testament passages, because there are multifarious articles examining them, presenting both the attitudes. I may recommend some, though: there is a wonderful commentary on the Bible's approach to homosexuality included in Peter J. Gomes' (a brilliant Episcopal theologian and preacher serving in the Memorial Church of Harvard University) book The Good Book. It's worth a few dollars or a walk to your library. And of course there is the classic work by (ex-)Rev. Helminiak What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality? that provides the broadest, most consistent exegesis of the passages of interest. And there are some internet sources you may check out: dstp[dot]cba.pl/?p=2123, a short article by Peter J. Gomes, www[dot]philosophy-religion.org/ a site of an American theologian, Richard T. Nolan, where you can find many inspiring texts and among them a multitude of those concerned with homosexuality; finally an exegetic work by Justin R. Cannon Bible & Homosexuality. These are just some suggestions that came to my mind first, but there are multifarious more on the internet - spend some time on reading and think them over. Let your heart and intuition have a say about whether they proclaim the truth or are merely deceitful!
Also, there are many Christian communities that declare inclusiveness and openness to homosexual believers. The Episcopal Church in the USA is one I am most fond of, besides the European Old-Catholic Churches. Try to find out the attitude of some other, possibly non-Protestant, churches in Australia. Perhaps you'll find something worth a closer look?

God created us to have sex, though, else it wouldn't be pleasureable. Is it a sin to have no sex drive, or is it perhaps God's guiding hand to prevent me from engaging in acts of lust before marriage?

Have you considered a neither option? To assure and calm you about God's attitude towards asexuality, let me quote Matthew 19:12:
Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
The most basic message Jesus gives here is simple: you don't have to have sex/marry/raise children and not only if you plan to become a nun and live a life of an eremite. Some where just born that way and let those who can accept it.
[TO BE CONTINUED]

 

[Loukas]

I lost my virginity in an act of sexual assault. I hope that there is no blame in God's heart, but would a Christian man forgive me for being physically impure?

What are the Christians you came across? Let me draw a little broader perspective on this. First of all: a blame in God's heart? You were the assaulted, the harmed one. And the ones who committed this crimed, assaulted, raped Jesus himself, for,
The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers [or sisters] of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (Matthew 25:40)
God is the one who places himself in place of the afflicted, suffering one; who always takes his side. If anyone ever tells you God finds you impure, they don't know Him.
What is also worth mentioning is that the biological purity is not important in the Christian perspective at all, at least I believe so. It is not what we'll be examined of at the end of time. What many people try to convince us about, the key significance of a pure life in terms of sexuality, obscures the core meaning of the Christian message even to the point of believing that this is the most important task of our lives: to stay pure. Yet the only image we have of the Judgment in the Bible clearly says:
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (Matthew 25:31-46)

There is nothing about sexual immorality there. Just the works of mercy, taking care of our fellow human beings, attending the needs of the afflicted. That's our job as Christians. A great Orthodox saint, Mother Maria Skobcowa, who was protecting Jews in France during WW II, said once (I couldn't find the exact quote, that's my paraphrase), I won't be asked about the number of evening prayers I said and the times I bowed before the icons, but about what I did for the afflicted. We can naturally extend this and add: I won't be asked about what entered my vagina or anus. Yes, because God won't hire a gynecologist; He has more important things to care about.

I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven? It seems like unnecessary prejudice.

This is prejudice, of course, and this is also a waste of energy, which could be spend on what we are called to do here: love, comfort, forgive. Musings about the classification of sins and all other doctrinal matters may be fun, but they shouldn't cover all other, more important things in life and most notably - in Christian life. And we should remember that God's message is mercy and forgiveness in the first place. One who speaks more of sin and punishment than of mercy is not preaching Christianity, I think.

I am studying to become a nurse. This will mean that I'll be working on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. I can't personally think of a better way to serve God than to protect the lives of His creations, but will it anger him? I want to work on Christmas day - so many people injure themselves on Christmas day (especially here in summery Australia; drunken pool parties equal drowning!), and I don't want people to die on God's special day.

Jesus himself broke the sacred Jewish law of refraining from work on Sabbath - he healed, allowed his disciples to collect food and much more. When the Pharisees accused him of breaking the law, he answered: My Father is working until now, and I am working. We are the body of Christ, we are his hands: our works of mercy are his. And he is still working, be it Sabbath (a Holy Day) or not. And how can one follow his words and act as he would have us to, than taking care of the suffering?

I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and moderate clinical depression, all of which I'm being medicated for. I've also been diagnosed with a mild autism spectrum disorder. I understand that the first three are products of the world and of Satan, but why has God given me autism spectrum disorder? It's something that I acquired at or prior to birth and something that will never leave me; why would he do this to his followers? It is NOT NICE to function so abnormally in society.

The problem of suffering is the world's greatest theological and moral problem and it works both ways. Instead of asking: what did I do wrong to be punished like this, we may pose a more difficult question: why does God allow suffering? I believe there are no good answers, no full answers. I know one thing: God chose to suffer with us and he is always present when someone is in pain, violated, harmed. He suffers with us to the point beyond compassion: to love. If this explains Him... I don't know. But it shows how much He cares and that He will not stop before anything to be with us wherever we are.
And your direct question now - Jesus addressed the problem of blame for suffering,
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (John 9:1-3)
Clearly, there is no reason you should blame yourself for anything.

I love God and all, but I worry about the sort of person I might become if I follow him. The only place I've found nice Christians is on livejournal

We all are human and none of us is blameless. It helps to realise that it is not about Christianity. It is about Christ, a relationship with our Saviour, and a relationship with our fellow human beings whom we should love (or try to accept, at first ), regardless of who they are. Of course, the community should elevate its members and not spoil them in its image, but still - we are who we are. You don't have to accept all the teachings of the church you choose... in fact it's healthier to keep a distance to at least some of them. It is worth a try, because we can't worship God and isolate ourselves from those in whom we can see and touch him - our neighbours. I hope you'll find a reasonable church and reasonable people.

I consider myself a tentative equalist, but I still personally think that males should be the heads of the families (with counsel from their wives, of course!) and that girls shouldn't go cross-dressing, et cetera - but why are so many Biblical verses pertaining to this ignored? Why is it that a few sparse verses about, say, homosexuality blown up as though half of the Bible is about it, and then the verse about women covering their hair is completely ignored out of JWs, orthodox Catholics and orthodox Jews?

Well, I also prefer to speak of myself as an egalitarist rather than a feminist, but we can't separate theory from history. The liberation of sexes (males too!) and, for example, homosexuals, came through women. It is our story and the name belongs to it and it does not imply an attempt to replace men with women, make them the better ones or a constant talk about abortion. I wrote something on my vision of gender equality and the role of aspect or sexes in our life. You can find it here: dstp[dot]cba.pl/?p=121. In a nutshell, I think we should reconcile in ourselves the feminine and the masculine. A full human is one embracing both the aspects, thus growing in humanity as revealed by Christ. Was Christ a man? Is God a man? This trivial questions provoke serious reflections, because it is not as obvious as it seems. If Christ redeemed the whole human nature and was the perfect, the full human, than what about us who have to follow in his footsteps and gain the redeemed, deified nature he has prepared for us?
Anyway, I don't think the man should be the head. Do biologically determined roles allow a true partnership, a true love to grow in a relationship? Individuals differ significantly and the leading role may once be meant for a woman and once for a men. There arise many psychological problems when people are forced to be what the cultural type of their sex seems to suggest and not what they feel they should and could be.

I'm attracted to non-religious paganism, and I'm not gonna hide it or lie about it. God is the only God for me, but I don't understand why there seems to be NO emphasis on nature-reverence and on economic conservation in Christianity. The earth is God's creation, and ever flower, bush and tree were hand-crafted by God... So why is there NO emphasis on taking care of nature in Christianity? It seems to me as though it should be an important thing...

Nature is important and some people, some Christians do notice that. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury or Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople - nicknamed the "Green Patriarch" - are good examples. It is a very, very complicated topic and much could be said about the bonds of poganism and Christianity. I know one excellent article, but unfortunately one written in Polish... perhaps I'll translate it sometime. For now let me stress one thing: Christ is the Lord of all and the fulfillment of all. Everything is redeemed in Him, poganism too. The elements, sparks of divine inspiration are scattered across all earth - even if Christianity is the fullest form of God's revelation, Christ, the Logos, influenced other cultures too and we can find Him there either. It's about him and not about Christianity, again!

I know what I wrote is not enough; it is merely an attempt to expose some things, some dimensions you may want to explore further. I hope it will be of some use.
God bless you!

 

[Loukas]

A lovely Grandma who bakes cookies for her neighbors, but has never accepted Jesus' gift of Salvation is headed to Hell.

A man who murdered 10 women and is currently in prison, but has received the Good News of Jesus Christ (in prison), has repented of his sin and turned from his wicked ways .... is headed to Heaven.

Well, and what about this, For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. (Romans 2:12-16)?
There seem to be people who don't know the Lord but obey the law and are thus saved...
Besides this "technical" remark I'll just say that a Christian shouldn't say coldly "Grandma is headed to Hell" - "that's life, baby, it's tough down here - either Jesus or death". Show some compassion, some mercy - pray for these "grandmas". One great saint, St Silvan of Athos, said once about the misery and torments of Hell, love can't bear it. Be they just or not, love truly can't bare them!

 

[oi_antz]

Hi there. I hope nobody thinks that it's rude of me to ask for advice before posting my introduction - I plan on posting my introduction, but I just want to get this out first. I'd like to get a feel for the forum and the way they handle advice, so to speak. :3

In seven days, it will be my one-year anniversary since I accepted Jesus. It was a decision that I was pressured into, though; I didn't feel it, and I didn't believe in Jesus until a few months after I did it. My friends were bullying and pressuring me to force me to do it. Now that I know that Jesus exists, though, I want to make it more sincere. I want to come to Him out of my heart. I have a few problems that are making me hesitate, though:

Jesus wants you to seek the answers from Him, not so much from His disciples. You can do this with prayer and reading the Bible, it requires your faith that Jesus is listening and that when you open the Bible to find the answer you are ready to hear the answer you seek. Every person has the same right to access Jesus' advice in this way.

• Is Jesus likely to accept me if I choose to re-dedicate myself to Him? It's my understanding that He sees into our hearts and we need only to say it once, but as I didn't mean it (nor believe in Him), it will be good for my sense of well-being and sense of peace if I do it again.

Yes you have to mean it, a matter of accepting Jesus into your life is a life-long decision and you should not be coerced to make this decision for any reason but that you need Jesus to shine the light in your heart. Jesus does nothing against our will, we have a completely free will in Jesus, in fact this is the reason He came was to give us our right to freedom from the bondage of sin.

• I am struggling with my sexuality - I don't tend to judge who will make a satisfactory romantic partner by gender, though I do find the female form slightly more attractive. I have never met a follower of God who treated homosexuals, pansexuals and bisexuals as human beings. Is it possible to completely overcome a "wrongful" sexuality? Why is it that lesbians and non-sexual gay male relationships are looked down upon, when from memory, the Bible only condemns sodomy?

Well I can testify that sexual attraction is a sense of taste we develop, and as such it can be altered by training it. It is naturally easier to love someone of the same sex because they are more similar to our self. Usually someone who prefers the same sex will have been hurt by misunderstanding the opposite sex. I think you need to find less judgmental Christians to gage your perception of a Christian disciple, just my opinion.

• I am asexual. This means that I have no sex drive and am totally indifferent to sex. God created us to have sex, though, else it wouldn't be pleasureable. Is it a sin to have no sex drive, or is it perhaps God's guiding hand to prevent me from engaging in acts of lust before marriage? Related to this, I lost my virginity in an act of sexual assault. I hope that there is no blame in God's heart, but would a Christian man forgive me for being physically impure?

Me too! This is not a curse, it is a blessing which makes sexual perversion less of a temptation. Again, I suggest you seek your assurance from Jesus Himself through prayer and reading the Bible. I'm serious about this, you can't go through life believing the answers you get from Christian disciples, at some stage you'll have to go straight to Jesus and seek how to be a disciple standing on your own two feet.

• I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven? It seems like unnecessary prejudice.

You shouldn't concern yourself with such judgments of eternal damnation, that is God's job and it is much more difficult than anyone else could bear. The whole Bible is about getting us through THIS life, not the next. Can you show me the verse which gives you the impression that people will burn in Hell for eternity? There are various different theories on the afterlife, all of which could be completely wrong in the end but what matters is the life you have lived while you had the body.

• I am studying to become a nurse. This will mean that I'll be working on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. I can't personally think of a better way to serve God than to protect the lives of His creations, but will it anger him? I want to work on Christmas day - so many people injure themselves on Christmas day (especially here in summery Australia; drunken pool parties equal drowning!), and I don't want people to die on God's special day.

Don't worry about it, God has an extremely open mind and loves you to worship Him every day with all your heart and all your mind, not just three days a year.

• I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and moderate clinical depression, all of which I'm being medicated for. I've also been diagnosed with a mild autism spectrum disorder. I understand that the first three are products of the world and of Satan, but why has God given me autism spectrum disorder? It's something that I acquired at or prior to birth and something that will never leave me; why would he do this to his followers? It is NOT NICE to function so abnormally in society.

It happens, I have psoriasis which can give bad flaky scalp and flaky facial skin. It's not a matter confined to whether you are a believer or not, these diseases are part of the naturally sinful world we are born into, eventually the body is gone and so are the diseases.

• I love God and all, but I worry about the sort of person I might become if I follow him. The only place I've found nice Christians is on livejournal (and even there, only one person has actually given me the time of day - hah!). I mean, it's part of my reason for seeking advice before posting an introduction ... I've never found a nice church, never found a nice Bible study group ... So many Christians seem so hate-filled and judgemental, so against helping people who are not Christian - but we're all God's creatures! Do all Christians end up judging non-Christians (and would I be better to ask this in a non-Christian area of the forum?), or do I just live an area where there are many, many SERIOUSLY bad apples? If I just live in a bad-apple area, what would suggestions be for finding friendly Christians? I feel like I've gone to EVERY protestant church in my district!

Good! You might not end up like the "Christian" you hate so much! Keep your mind open and begin seeking the truth directly from Jesus instead of His followers. All humans are capable of being wrong, Jesus is not. Just be aware that the more you learn about God, the more opinion you will naturally hold about it, maybe this opinionated Christian is what you are identifying as detestable because the opinions they hold are not the same as the opinions you presently hold.

• Gender equality. Oh yeah, you were seeing this coming right when you saw my gender icon! I don't like feminism: I'm anti-feminist, and I always have been, much to my mother's hatred. Discussion of abortion makes me blood pressure rise so much that I've fainted more than once, I was very surprisingly irritated when Julia Gillard became the Australian prime minister (hopefully only for a few more hours... Her competition, Tony Abbott, is a good Catholic man), and all talk of feminism just riles me up to no end. Where can the line be drawn at gender equality, though? I consider myself a tentative equalist, but I still personally think that males should be the heads of the families (with counsel from their wives, of course!) and that girls shouldn't go cross-dressing, et cetera - but why are so many Biblical verses pertaining to this ignored? Why is it that a few sparse verses about, say, homosexuality blown up as though half of the Bible is about it, and then the verse about women covering their hair is completely ignored out of JWs, orthodox Catholics and orthodox Jews?

I don't know what you're getting at, I consider men and women equally able to do work such as politics.

• I'm attracted to non-religious paganism, and I'm not gonna hide it or lie about it. God is the only God for me, but I don't understand why there seems to be NO emphasis on nature-reverence and on economic conservation in Christianity. The earth is God's creation, and ever flower, bush and tree were hand-crafted by God... So why is there NO emphasis on taking care of nature in Christianity? It seems to me as though it should be an important thing...

The biggest issue in our world is that humans don't know the reality of God. This problem causes all the anger and frustration in our world. Every person who discovers Jesus is transformed into a disciple of Christ, knowing God personally. The whole Bible is meant for nurturing our personal relationship with God. Smaller issues like 1080 poison and environmentalism fade in comparison to this problem.

Please don't think that I'm trying to challenge Christianity! I'm not! I do consider myself a Christian (or, at least, want to consider myself one / will consider myself one when and if I can re-dedicate), I just have so many questions ... And they always seem so confrontational ... So if I look upon your answers with irritation, scepticism or further questions, please don't assume that I'm rejecting what you're saying! I just want to ... I just want to get the most thorough understanding as is possible. All of these issues, even if they might be discussion-ish topics, are relevant to me as a new Christian specifically; I've never had these answered before, and I'm just so confused... *scratches head*

Thank you so much to anybody and everybody who answers! ♥

As I've said, we can share with you our own understandings, but to be a Christian with a "thorough understanding" of the truth you really have to ask Jesus yourself. There is a serious communication issue between humans, but God doesn't have this problem, we all understand what He means when He speaks.

 

[Toronto]

Thank you, everybody. Some of the responses seemed a little... callous, but I suppose I'm not surprised - I'm used to that sort of callousness from Christians. Loukas, please don't devalue what you've said! It was brilliant! ♥ I sometimes have difficulty reading large paragraphs of text and skip over them entirely, but I found myself trying to read through it anyway! It was an excellent answer/s. :3

 

[oi_antz]

Toronto, it seems you need to have a good think about what holds you back from accepting Jesus fully, bring yourself humbly before the Lord in prayer and then seek a blessing from God. A blessing is a spiritual encounter where you instantly realise the gift from God, and afterwards you have stronger faith. My most significant was just the right verse when I asked some Christians on a forum and that got my fire kindled again after 9 years apart. The Lord does bless!

A relationship with God is about confronting those areas where you struggle to accept Him, and by seeking His love and knowing He is everything good, He likes us to be good. Repentance is a never-ending life of learning how to please the Lord by remaining holy in mind and intent, it surpasses social morality altogether. Naturally sexuality is just one of the first lessons and it gets a lot of attention with new converts, but the life with God is not all about abstinence and addictions, it is a matter of standing for the truth that Jesus is the only way, to assist each other in their search for Him.

Sorry to sound calloused, I don't mean to sound that way, I just meant that sometimes it is good to just ask Jesus in prayer, open the Bible somewhere and see what you learn from Jesus' spirit. He's just waiting for you to invite Him into your life that you can trust Him when you read the Word of life and He'll always be there for you.

 

[Dark_Lite]

Hi there. I hope nobody thinks that it's rude of me to ask for advice before posting my introduction - I plan on posting my introduction, but I just want to get this out first. I'd like to get a feel for the forum and the way they handle advice, so to speak. :3

In seven days, it will be my one-year anniversary since I accepted Jesus. It was a decision that I was pressured into, though; I didn't feel it, and I didn't believe in Jesus until a few months after I did it. My friends were bullying and pressuring me to force me to do it. Now that I know that Jesus exists, though, I want to make it more sincere. I want to come to Him out of my heart. I have a few problems that are making me hesitate, though:

Being pressured into something does not sound like real acceptance, which is why I suppose you want to do it freely this time.

Is Jesus likely to accept me if I choose to re-dedicate myself to Him? It's my understanding that He sees into our hearts and we need only to say it once, but as I didn't mean it (nor believe in Him), it will be good for my sense of well-being and sense of peace if I do it again.

It is not simply likely. It is guaranteed.

I am struggling with my sexuality - I don't tend to judge who will make a satisfactory romantic partner by gender, though I do find the female form slightly more attractive. I have never met a follower of God who treated homosexuals, pansexuals and bisexuals as human beings. Is it possible to completely overcome a "wrongful" sexuality? Why is it that lesbians and non-sexual gay male relationships are looked down upon, when from memory, the Bible only condemns sodomy?

There are some people who argue that the Bible doesn't condemn homosexuality. Personally, I think that's a massive stretch. There is, however, a systemic problem found in some strains of Christianity where people treat others like dirt for not living up to their moral standards. It's not limited to homosexuals. That's just the most pronounced form of it these days. It's been going on forever, and will continue in the future. It doesn't really matter what the scapegoat behavior is. If it wasn't homosexuality, people would find another immoral behavior to utilize for ostracizing.

I am asexual. This means that I have no sex drive and am totally indifferent to sex. God created us to have sex, though, else it wouldn't be pleasureable. Is it a sin to have no sex drive, or is it perhaps God's guiding hand to prevent me from engaging in acts of lust before marriage?

It is not a sin to have no sex drive.

Related to this, I lost my virginity in an act of sexual assault. I hope that there is no blame in God's heart, but would a Christian man forgive me for being physically impure?

There is no blame in God's heart. It wasn't your fault anyway. You are forgiven by the Divine, and should be forgiven by the Earthly. Someone who doesn't forgive you for something you didn't do in the first place needs to work out things themselves first.

I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven? It seems like unnecessary prejudice.

There are different levels of sin.

I am studying to become a nurse. This will mean that I'll be working on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. I can't personally think of a better way to serve God than to protect the lives of His creations, but will it anger him? I want to work on Christmas day - so many people injure themselves on Christmas day (especially here in summery Australia; drunken pool parties equal drowning!), and I don't want people to die on God's special day.

That's not a problem.

I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and moderate clinical depression, all of which I'm being medicated for. I've also been diagnosed with a mild autism spectrum disorder. I understand that the first three are products of the world and of Satan, but why has God given me autism spectrum disorder? It's something that I acquired at or prior to birth and something that will never leave me; why would he do this to his followers? It is NOT NICE to function so abnormally in society.

Thinking that disease is a product of sin or the Fall or directly of God often leads to strange ideas and warped perceptions. I prefer not to speculate on whether or not a handicap/disability has a supernatural origin (whether it be benevolent or evil).

All people suffer, and some would even say that all are called to suffer. It is difficult to get a satisfactory answer to these kinds of questions that isn't either A) completely devoid of emotion or B) wrong. Generalized, your question is the Problem of Evil. The best answer I have for the Problem of Evil is the Irenaean Theodicy.

I love God and all, but I worry about the sort of person I might become if I follow him. The only place I've found nice Christians is on livejournal (and even there, only one person has actually given me the time of day - hah!). I mean, it's part of my reason for seeking advice before posting an introduction ... I've never found a nice church, never found a nice Bible study group ... So many Christians seem so hate-filled and judgemental, so against helping people who are not Christian - but we're all God's creatures! Do all Christians end up judging non-Christians (and would I be better to ask this in a non-Christian area of the forum?), or do I just live an area where there are many, many SERIOUSLY bad apples? If I just live in a bad-apple area, what would suggestions be for finding friendly Christians? I feel like I've gone to EVERY protestant church in my district!

You will find horrible people anywhere and everywhere. In this context, worry not about what others do, but worry about yourself. Becoming Christian does not open a magical floodgate that changes your personality (for better or for worse). People change their personality on their own subconsciously. They force themselves to think a certain way and then attribute it to an external cause, such as a higher power. They respond to and absorb the poisonous influence they are around, and make it their own.

You will find this kind of influence everywhere in Christianity, whether it be from "conservative" churches or "liberal" churches. What you described is generally the viciousness sometimes found in extremist fundamentalist Christianity. But do not forget that liberal strains of Christianity often become so "tolerant" that they become just as intolerant as those they initially opposed.

You should worry about viciousness and petty gossip in Christianity, and try to fix it. But you must also constantly be vigilant and rise yourself above it, where ever it is coming from. True love for humanity is not found in tolerance or intolerance. It is found in acceptance of things for what they are. You don't have to agree with what something is, or even like it, but if you accept it you will be able to better understand it. If you better understand it, the true way to deal with it will be elucidated to you.

This doesn't mean you have to go around approving of anything and everything. When I say "accept," I don't mean "accept" in that sense. I mean that you should learn to see past the shallow ideas of "well, this person isn't really like this underneath" or "if this one person does this evil, all of these people must do this evil!"

Gender equality. Oh yeah, you were seeing this coming right when you saw my gender icon! I don't like feminism: I'm anti-feminist, and I always have been, much to my mother's hatred. Discussion of abortion makes me blood pressure rise so much that I've fainted more than once, I was very surprisingly irritated when Julia Gillard became the Australian prime minister (hopefully only for a few more hours... Her competition, Tony Abbott, is a good Catholic man), and all talk of feminism just riles me up to no end. Where can the line be drawn at gender equality, though?

Men and women are equal, but that does not excuse the physical, mental, and emotional differences thrust upon us by biology. In the secular world, men and women need to be equal. Objective tests should be set and those who pass them should be allowed to practice whatever it is the test was for, be it law, firefighters, whatever.

Outside of that, though, it may just be that men and women are called to different things.

I consider myself a tentative equalist, but I still personally think that males should be the heads of the families (with counsel from their wives, of course!) and that girls shouldn't go cross-dressing, et cetera - but why are so many Biblical verses pertaining to this ignored? Why is it that a few sparse verses about, say, homosexuality blown up as though half of the Bible is about it, and then the verse about women covering their hair is completely ignored out of JWs, orthodox Catholics and orthodox Jews?

The verses are never ignored, they are just applied properly within context. Applying them out of context leads to legalism. One must realize what the writer of the letter was writing about, to whom he was writing to, and the era in which he was writing. The advice or commandments not to be excused, but they are not to be taken at face value either.

I'm attracted to non-religious paganism, and I'm not gonna hide it or lie about it. God is the only God for me, but I don't understand why there seems to be NO emphasis on nature-reverence and on economic conservation in Christianity. The earth is God's creation, and ever flower, bush and tree were hand-crafted by God... So why is there NO emphasis on taking care of nature in Christianity? It seems to me as though it should be an important thing...

"Non-religious paganism." Is that kind of like "Christian atheism" or "Christian Wicca?" Paganism, by definition, is religious/spiritual. Secular respect for the environment isn't religion. It is pure practicality.

There is plenty of respect for the environment in Christianity, derived from practicality, if not divinity.

Please don't think that I'm trying to challenge Christianity! I'm not! I do consider myself a Christian (or, at least, want to consider myself one / will consider myself one when and if I can re-dedicate), I just have so many questions ... And they always seem so confrontational ... So if I look upon your answers with irritation, scepticism or further questions, please don't assume that I'm rejecting what you're saying! I just want to ... I just want to get the most thorough understanding as is possible. All of these issues, even if they might be discussion-ish topics, are relevant to me as a new Christian specifically; I've never had these answered before, and I'm just so confused... *scratches head*

Thank you so much to anybody and everybody who answers! ♥

You are throwing a lot stuff all over the place in a small room. You should take these one step at a time, or at least divide them up so you can get more detailed answers.

I think your overall issue is that your perception of Christianity has been marred by the extremist strains of fundamentalism. It's a constant theme through this entire post. You must know that the Christian world is much, much bigger than the small, isolated universe that is extremist Christianity.

 

[salida]

Is Jesus likely to accept me if I choose to re-dedicate myself to Him? It's my understanding that He sees into our hearts and we need only to say it once, but as I didn't mean it (nor believe in Him), it will be good for my sense of well-being and sense of peace if I do it again. Sure you can.
I am struggling with my sexuality - I don't tend to judge who will make a satisfactory romantic partner by gender, though I do find the female form slightly more attractive. I have never met a follower of God who treated homosexuals, pansexuals and bisexuals as human beings. Is it possible to completely overcome a "wrongful" sexuality? Why is it that lesbians and non-sexual gay male relationships are looked down upon, when from memory, the Bible only condemns sodomy? Its because the bible condemns sin. The bible is Gods Word that is not to be ignored. If one has he holy spirit in their life-it is possible. Without it-its impossible.

Visit: www.TheBibleProofBook.com, (you will need acrobat reader for this), read The Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell (its overwhelming circumstantial evidence of bible) and Examine the Evidence by Muncaster a former athiest/The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel a former athiest. Christiananswers.net, www.equip.org (articles), http://www.gotquestions.org/

I am asexual. Oh yes. God forgive you. If he doesn’t than you wouldn’t want him anyway. Plus, God may not forgive him if he doesn’t forgive others.
I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Sin is sin. The spiritual punishment will fit the sinful crime. All sin leads to hell.
Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven. God decides what is in the heart of men. Not the others.
I am studying to become a nurse. This will mean that I'll be working on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. I can't personally think of a better way to serve God than to protect the lives of His creations, but will it anger him? No. God opened the door for you to have that job. It provides for you and/or your family. The healthcare field is a great field. Be used of God where your planted.
I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and moderate clinical depression, all of which I'm being medicated for. I've also been diagnosed with a mild autism spectrum disorder. I understand that the first three are products of the world and of Satan, but why has God given me autism spectrum disorder? It's something that I acquired at or prior to birth and something that will never leave me; why would he do this to his followers? It is NOT NICE to function so abnormally in society. It’s a fallen world. I personally am dealing with a disease that is chronic. Romans 5:3.
I love God and all, but I worry about the sort of person I might become if I follow him. The only place I've found nice Christians is on livejournal (and even there, only one person has actually given me the time of day - hah!). I mean, it's part of my reason for seeking advice before posting an introduction ... I've never found a nice church, never found a nice Bible study group ... So many Christians seem so hate-filled and judgemental, so against helping people who are not Christian - but we're all God's creatures! Do all Christians end up judging non-Christians (and would I be better to ask this in a non-Christian area of the forum?), or do I just live an area where there are many, many SERIOUSLY bad apples? If I just live in a bad-apple area, what would suggestions be for finding friendly Christians? I feel like I've gone to EVERY protestant church in my district. It’s a serious shame. They sound like phoneys. And that their church is just a country club-not a church that really seeks God.
Gender equality. Oh yeah, you were seeing this coming right when you saw my gender icon! I don't like feminism: If feminism is about baby killing than its an abomination.
I'm attracted to non-religious paganism, and I'm not gonna hide it or lie about it. God is the only God for me, but I don't understand why there seems to be NO emphasis on nature-reverence and on economic conservation in Christianity. The earth is God's creation, and ever flower, bush and tree were hand-crafted by God... So why is there NO emphasis on taking care of nature in Christianity? It seems to me as though it should be an important thing. Its is important like recycling, etc.

 

[Aibrean]

• Is Jesus likely to accept me if I choose to re-dedicate myself to Him? It's my understanding that He sees into our hearts and we need only to say it once, but as I didn't mean it (nor believe in Him), it will be good for my sense of well-being and sense of peace if I do it again.

It is likely that you never "accepted him" (I hate this terminology to begin with) in the first place. You must believe in your heart and you never did. It's not a matter of accepting, it's a matter of believing. Christ gives us the power to believe. If we could believe on our own without the Holy Spirit guiding us after we hear the gospel, then it would be a work we do. If you now do believe in Jesus, tell him so

• I am struggling with my sexuality - I don't tend to judge who will make a satisfactory romantic partner by gender, though I do find the female form slightly more attractive. I have never met a follower of God who treated homosexuals, pansexuals and bisexuals as human beings. Is it possible to completely overcome a "wrongful" sexuality? Why is it that lesbians and non-sexual gay male relationships are looked down upon, when from memory, the Bible only condemns sodomy?

Most women would find the female form more attractive. However, thinking that a female shape looks better than a man's does not mean you are sinning. You aren't being lustful - it's more of a scientific analysis.

The Bible condemns homosexual activity (all forms of it).

Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

It's obvious that homosexuality is unnatural as seen from this verse. It's also brought up in Leviticus.

• I am asexual. This means that I have no sex drive and am totally indifferent to sex. God created us to have sex, though, else it wouldn't be pleasureable. Is it a sin to have no sex drive, or is it perhaps God's guiding hand to prevent me from engaging in acts of lust before marriage? Related to this, I lost my virginity in an act of sexual assault. I hope that there is no blame in God's heart, but would a Christian man forgive me for being physically impure?

It sure isn't pleasurable for everyone! It's not a sin to have no sex drive. It's also not a sin to never want to be married. The issue is being married and not wanting to engage in natural married behaviors. Do you wish to remain celibate in the future? I think anyone would forgive you - it wasn't your choice.

• I've been taught that all sin is equal in the eye of God, but people always say that gays, murderers and pedophiles will of course go to Hell - my question is, why? Why, if all sins are equal, is it that people feel the need to state so firmly that even if a murderer or a gay battles with his sin every day and tries to work through it with God, they don't get to go to heaven? It seems like unnecessary prejudice.

The Bible also says liars will go to hell.

nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

This is, of course, outside of the forgiveness and grace of God. When Jesus died on the cross, he died for all our sins - past, present, and future. Jesus' blood washes our sin away and even though we might sin in the future (and we will because we still are ever at odds with our sinful human nature) we have forgiveness if we come before him with a repentant spirit.

The law condemns us but it is not the end of the road. We have the gospel which shows us we have an alternative to hell through Christ.

The other half of the verse is full of the grace we have in Christ:

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

As Martin Luther said,
"God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God's glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner. "

The issue comes when people sin deliberately and repeatedly (otherwise known as habitual sin).

• I am studying to become a nurse. This will mean that I'll be working on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. I can't personally think of a better way to serve God than to protect the lives of His creations, but will it anger him? I want to work on Christmas day - so many people injure themselves on Christmas day (especially here in summery Australia; drunken pool parties equal drowning!), and I don't want people to die on God's special day.

Even in the OT law it would be fine because you were allowed to work to save someone's life (however none of those days would be Sabbath except Friday night and if Christmas fell on a Saturday).

Someone with a shriveled hand approached Jesus and the Pharisees asked him if it was lawful to heal, Jesus himself said,

If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

and he said

Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?

I think it's very obvious if you are doing good, it's okay

• I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and moderate clinical depression, all of which I'm being medicated for. I've also been diagnosed with a mild autism spectrum disorder. I understand that the first three are products of the world and of Satan, but why has God given me autism spectrum disorder? It's something that I acquired at or prior to birth and something that will never leave me; why would he do this to his followers? It is NOT NICE to function so abnormally in society.

This life is not a perfect one. We are born into sin and death (and disease) are a result of it. You can look forward to the future when you will have a new body and no longer have these conditions. These issues you are dealing with can be an excellent witness to others. Instead of asking God why he made you ill, ask how he can use the illness for good.

• I love God and all, but I worry about the sort of person I might become if I follow him. The only place I've found nice Christians is on livejournal (and even there, only one person has actually given me the time of day - hah!). I mean, it's part of my reason for seeking advice before posting an introduction ... I've never found a nice church, never found a nice Bible study group ... So many Christians seem so hate-filled and judgemental, so against helping people who are not Christian - but we're all God's creatures! Do all Christians end up judging non-Christians (and would I be better to ask this in a non-Christian area of the forum?), or do I just live an area where there are many, many SERIOUSLY bad apples? If I just live in a bad-apple area, what would suggestions be for finding friendly Christians? I feel like I've gone to EVERY protestant church in my district!

I can't tell you where to find Christians, but I can say we are to love our neighbors and no one is able to achieve perfection. We are all sinners - non-Christians and Christians alike. Unfortunately some Christians think they are better than others. We changed churches and absolutely love the one we go to now. Have you considered going to a Catholic church? You don't need to be a member to attend. You might feel a little out of place because of the liturgy (which I am used to) but hey - it's more options.

• Gender equality. Oh yeah, you were seeing this coming right when you saw my gender icon! I don't like feminism: I'm anti-feminist, and I always have been, much to my mother's hatred. Discussion of abortion makes me blood pressure rise so much that I've fainted more than once, I was very surprisingly irritated when Julia Gillard became the Australian prime minister (hopefully only for a few more hours... Her competition, Tony Abbott, is a good Catholic man), and all talk of feminism just riles me up to no end. Where can the line be drawn at gender equality, though? I consider myself a tentative equalist, but I still personally think that males should be the heads of the families (with counsel from their wives, of course!) and that girls shouldn't go cross-dressing, et cetera - but why are so many Biblical verses pertaining to this ignored? Why is it that a few sparse verses about, say, homosexuality blown up as though half of the Bible is about it, and then the verse about women covering their hair is completely ignored out of JWs, orthodox Catholics and orthodox Jews?

I am on board with you. I think the stress in the NT is modesty. Some (like some Pentecostals) take it over the top and women aren't allowed to cut their hair or wear pants. That was not what the Bible is about. It's about looking your gender (a woman with short hair can still look like a woman!) and being modest (see 1 Timothy 2). Having the man be the head of the house (and in the church) is the reason why I drive 20 minutes to go to an LCMS church rather than the ELCA one within walking distance (besides the homosexual stuff they just passed).

• I'm attracted to non-religious paganism, and I'm not gonna hide it or lie about it. God is the only God for me, but I don't understand why there seems to be NO emphasis on nature-reverence and on economic conservation in Christianity. The earth is God's creation, and ever flower, bush and tree were hand-crafted by God... So why is there NO emphasis on taking care of nature in Christianity? It seems to me as though it should be an important thing...

Enjoying nature is not paganism. Martin Luther said "For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver." Being good stewards of what we have is stressed in the Bible. The issue is when one becomes obsessed and nature becomes a god.

 

[Acts_29]

There are different levels of sin.

Are you sure about this? I have heard that what she said is true, so could you be kind and explain this?

 

[St_Worm2]

Well, and what about this, For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. (Romans 2:12-16)? There seem to be people who don't know the Lord but obey the law and are thus saved...

Hey Loukas, actually, the Bible is quite clear that none are righteous apart from Jesus Christ ... see Romans 3:9-12, 23. When Gentiles do "by nature what the law requires", they are not 'saving' themselves, rather they are condemning themselves because they show that they have an innate understanding of God's law ... see Romans 2:12a. When they transgress the law, the one that was "written on their hearts" by God ... see Romans 2:15 ... it is this law that will testify against them and their sinful behavior on the day of judgment.

Yours and His,
David

 

[Aibrean]

Are you sure about this? I have heard that what she said is true, so could you be kind and explain this?

Sin is sin is sin. The only sin that won't be forgiven is the one where you deny Christ and never ask for forgiveness (disowning Christ - however he will remain faithful).

 

[Hiroyuki]

Wow, where to begin.


Point by point is not necessary. You are not focusing your faith on the simple teachings of Jesus and you are very judgmental about "what is Christian" and "what is not Christian".

The majority of the population is Christian.

You should not listen to a single group and just assume everything they say is true. You seem to be doing this and stopping at what any one group has to say be it about religion, psychiatry, politics, and so on.

Instead, you should be saying all the time - especially in your case - "I do not know, I do not know, I do not know". Listen to opinions... believe everything and believe nothing.


You are making authoritative a lot of minority opinions which comes from having a narrow mind. You seem to be listening to a lot of narrow minded people and yet trying to have a wider way of thinking, but you seem to be ending up with some kind of gut understanding narrow minded thinking is not the way... yet when you tout narrow minded thinking as authoritative ("it is the Christian statement", "it is the Godly politics", "it is the only way on psychiatrity", etc) you do grave disservice to people who are not narrow minded... and aid those who are narrow minded.


It is like someone claiming that because Hitler liked animals that anyone who likes animals are Nazis. It is unfair to everyone but Hitler.


You are also trying to make Christianity out to be some kind of 5% of the population sort of thing. Christianity is the majority of the population. You are smack dab in a Christian world.


"Feminism"... your viewpoints here are hard to decipher. There is a difference between men and women, but it is not the way it was five hundred years ago or two thousand years ago. These things are common sense. Women should not be as they were then, this is backed by Christian writings recently discovered and other such documents as well as what people know.

Opinions: I listen to all opinions. I weigh different opinions on all sorts of subjects and try and honestly weigh them.

I would not say, "Joe says he represents all Christians and the only right Christian doctrine, so Joe must be right". That sort of thinking is biased and narrow minded.

 

[Dark_Lite]

Are you sure about this? I have heard that what she said is true, so could you be kind and explain this?

Do you think white lies are as abominable as murder? Shoplifting a stick of gum as bad as genocide? What about the fact that there is an unforgivable sin, while all other sins are forgivable? That alone shows that there are different levels of sin.