Theological Questions (and a couple Personal Ones)

[sunlover1]

I personally believe emotions are fallible. It leads to embracing false practices, from what I've seen. No, we need not be icy like legalists are, but solemnly worship we should.

Sad to see grown men screaming and jumping with such joyful abandon when Villanova wins but thinking they can't show such excitement over our wonderful God.
makes no sense to me, sorry.
What do you mean "Solemn"?
What does that word mean concerning God?
Where does it call for such and what does it mean by it?
We need to operate out of truth of HIS WORD concerning His will ..
Not what we've been told by some well meaning but WRONG pastor or priest.
IMO

 

[NeedyFollower]

1. Total depravity?

Yes ..despite growing up in church and being a "believer " vs an atheist ..I have been lost and a self-lover all of my life .

I am not good at toggling and replying to specific quotes but I briefly I used to be a calvinist . ..from personal experience the Lord came and found me when I did not have any love or fear of God ..His will was not my agenda ..so for me ..He came and found me .

I will not answer specifically regarding the many doctrines which the catholics hold but suffice to say that any thing we do ( including prayer ) can be or become a form ...an amulet . Religion often hides the truth . I do not attend a formal church as I believe that to spend money and time on a building is vain when we can meet anywhere two or more wish to do truth . ( This is not to say that through the years many saints have met in cathedrals , chapels , etc. ) I still think it makes it easy to start loving the tradition ..the history ..who's buried in the grave yard ..how many "christmas" plays were held there , etc. Regarding worship and what songs/music is appropriate ...I do not believe that Jesus ever went to the synagouge or temple to worship for I believe He was both worship and the temple ..the idea of "going to the church " to worship is in itself misguided ..I believe we meet to pray ..share what the Lord has been teaching us ..encourage each other in the face of the great losses we have suffered for our faith , etc. To know God through Christ ..His lowliness ..His meekness ..His humility in spite of His great power and His amazing longsuffering and love ..That is worship . The other problem of "going to worship " is it may tend to make us put on and take off christ like a suit of clothes ..If we are His body ( as we ARE His body ) , when was Jesus , Jesus ? Every second .
Regarding your sexual temptations ..I was totally heterosexual but a wanton whoremonger ...I am still tempted but divert my eyes and my affections and try to remember that an immodestly dressed christian women or an unbeliever both are trying to "attract" someone whereas they are supposed to be invisible so to speak ..not to promote self but Christ ..additionally I do not understand why they would try to cause their brother to stumble ..I also try to keep in mind that their father never taught them that so someone failed to demonstrate the truth to them . Regarding temptation ..resist the devil and he will flee ..draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you ..we have His promise .... also pray for the person tempting you for we do not fight against flesh and blood so they may be in bondage to the enemy without knowing it ...Our chance to help set the prisoner free.

Female pastors ? I am not really for "paid" pastors period although a women can be a deaconess and helpmate like Paul's tentmaking friends ..Prisca and Aquila. The modern "pastor" brings a "sermon" ..does weddings and funerals and is an adminstrator ...the pastors of underground churches in china in contrast ..risk their lives caring for the flocks of small house churches ...taking substance in the form of food and if there is money ..it is often given to one of the other families in the houses churches because they often do not have government sponsored jobs . Exhausting and dangerous ..it consumes their whole lives .
Homosexuality is an abomination just like covetousness ( also called Idolatry ) Covetousness is no less a sin than homosexuality but covetousness is what allows us to keep the "church BUSINESS " going . We spent 1 billion on easter this year and 1 trillion of christmas last year ..Christianity is big business ...Look what happened to Jerusalem the last time that happened . Do truth . Grace and Peace in the name of Jesus ..He said , I am the Way , the Truth and the Life ..do Truth .

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

Sad to see grown men screaming and jumping with such joyful abandon when Villanova wins but thinking they can't show such excitement over our wonderful God.
makes no sense to me, sorry.
What do you mean "Solemn"?
What does that word mean concerning God?
Where does it call for such and what does it mean by it?
We need to operate out of truth of HIS WORD concerning His will ..
Not what we've been told by some well meaning but WRONG pastor or priest.
IMO

Reverence. Peaceful worship. Not body-pleasing beats and 'cool' sounding instruments. A capella hymns, chant, etc.

 

[sunlover1]

Reverence. Peaceful worship. Not body-pleasing beats and 'cool' sounding instruments. A capella hymns, chant, etc.

Actually I was referring to what Scripture says about it.
That's our plumb-line
Reminds me of this story of David, the one after God's own heart:

14Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
17They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

23And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

 

[ChristIsSovereign]

Actually I was referring to what Scripture says about it.
That's our plumb-line
Reminds me of this story of David, the one after God's own heart:

14Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
17They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

23And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Interesting.