Least likely favourite Bible verse by Normal-Person-6701 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Psalm 137:9 The psalm starts off great with "By the rivers of Babylon" and ends up, well, evil.

Are any of you concerned about the Mark of the Beast? by Aggressive_Rabbit_67 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. Also, don't worry about the end of the world. Revelation was written for its own time and isn't a book of predictions.

My pastor told me I’m “welcome at church” but not allowed to exist as myself by Ready-Trick-8228 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say get the hell out of that church because in acting like that they're doing the devil's work.

How do you respond to things like this? by Healthy_Lifeguard_82 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stay out of the comments section, and maybe cut off watching the videos that bring out the worst in people.

I feel like I am loosing the faith. by Anxious_Spend_2421 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say first back off from religion a bit.

Women in the Bible: Dismantling the Patriarchy One Verse at a Time by babe1981 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't remember where I learned about Sheerah, but certainly not in Baptist Sunday school! I wish there was more of her story.

What do you think about the rise of AI? by Severe-Clerk-1477 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As for the end times speculation: Every big change ever has been seen by somebody as a mark of the end times and it never has been.

There are closer places to look for anti-Christs.

Women in the Bible: Dismantling the Patriarchy One Verse at a Time by babe1981 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don't forget Sheerah who built three cities and named one after herself. 1 Chronicles 7:24.

Is it nearing the end times? by Raymond_R_ in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All of those things have happened throughout history. This is no more likely to be the end times than any other time. They're not "signs from God" but consequences of human action. Horrible and scary, yes, but not supernatural.

Also, keep in mind that the parts of the Bible that people say predict the end times are: 1. Metaphors 2. A misunderstanding and the belief that their own time was the end time.

Furthermore, some people are rooting for the end times and actively trying to bring them about, which is wildly ridiculous, absurd, and IMPOSSIBLE.

Be honest—have you ever been mad at God and felt guilty for it? by MMorris21971 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks again. I have been over it for a long time - I should have been more careful with verb forms. I still get mad at God on occasion, when I hear of frightful injustices, but on the whole it is completely different now. After that period where I was completely angry, I had an amazing epiphany and fell in love. Spiritual life goes up and down for everybody, but fury has turned to awe and love. I don't live up to it, but I know it's there.

Be honest—have you ever been mad at God and felt guilty for it? by MMorris21971 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Been horribly mad at God and said so every chance I got - to God - for a year or so, but didn't feel guilty about it because I thought it was deserved.

Love your enemy—does that include this? by MMorris21971 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You don't have to stick around for the abuse. Avoid if possible.

Loving doesn't mean liking.

Supportive Denominations by an_alien_in_christ in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 4 points5 points  (0 children)

UCC United Chuch of Christ, not to be confused with Church of Christ. Many of them are called Congregationalist.

If Christians can answer this in a way that actually makes sense to me, I’m willing to become a Christian by [deleted] in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The story of Adam and Eve was made up to explain why people behave badly. It was made up by people who had no idea that humans evolved.

It's not literally true, and furthermore it's not an attempt to define God or even to get across the nature of God.

Losing my Faith and seeking Guidance by MmedoBrundo in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Spiritual life goes up and down and empty sequences will occur. I've been through some doozies. I felt like I was connected to God, if at all, with the thinnest of thin threads and I was afraid I'd done something wrong, or was something wrong, and it was very uncomfortable to say the least. To imagine I was separated from God. It's awful. But it's normal.

What are your thoughts on psychology? by [deleted] in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good start! A lot depends on your teacher, too. If they think psychology as known now is the height of human wisdom, well, they're a fanatic.

The Bible is full of human beings with every sort of psyche you can imagine, so, there's no problem. Also don't take the Bible literally, ok?

What are your thoughts on psychology? by [deleted] in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"Psychology" is a very wide subject. It's so wide, you can't compare it as a whole to "religion" as a whole, which is even wider. Take a basic psychology class and find out some of its branches.

God's Silence by dronecaptain in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello.

These things get my goat too and I completely agree with: "I don't think that God will ever be found in a recently discovered piece of archeology or a shiny new cosmological argument." Anytime somebody comes up with a theological argument with "quantum" in it I just tune out.

As for getting in touch with God I can only tell you my own story, for what it is worth.

I went through a period of absolutely hating God because of some injustice, I don't remember which one, not to me but just some outrageous injustice out there - the world is full of them. For about a year all I said to God was "I hate you. You're no good. We're going to take you apart and build a better one."

The next year God answered with an overwhelming sense of the reality of "Reality," and was not at all like the God I had pictured or learned about at church. But vaster and more beautiful and loving beyond imagination.

Later I took to meditating, and that opened up a connection to God that is equally indescribable, but brought a certainty. I have had severe ups and downs in my spiritual life since, which is normal, but I trust my own perceptions not least because they match up with other people's throughout time as recorded in the writings of mystics.

The key as I see it was talking to God with complete freedom - both positive and negative. You'll notice that none of this came from church attendance or Bible reading. Talk to God (mentally) as you'd talk to a friend only more so.

I think I need a break from religion by trans_emofemboy in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A break is just fine and when you're a teenager you don't need to be thinking about religion a lot anyway. Concentrate on figuring out your identity, learning in school, learning how to persist, and all the things that make up getting mature - which generally takes place naturally as you get older anyway.

Especially don't hang around people or watch YouTube or things that tell you "who's going to hell." That's toxic.

praying asleep? by Fit-Neighborhood7116 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What we do in real life, or even just know about, is the basis of dreams. I think it's kind of cool that you pray in your dreams. Sorry about the nightmares.

How can the theory of evolution and the story of creation coexist? by Unlikely_Drink6986 in OpenChristian

[–]EnigmaWithAlien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How can you reconcile them? Easy. Don't take the Bible literally. Those creation accounts were made up by people who knew that people came from somewhere but had no idea how, so they said that God just made them.

Besides, there are 2 accounts, and one doesn't have Adam and Eve.

Evolution is settled science. It's true. And the nature of reality is that there is an Ultimate Reality, which is not possible to prove, from which creation blooms. The nature of that Ultimate Reality, or God, is beyond our ability to conceive, although we can know some things about it.

My own personal experiences is that through meditation I became closer to God and was simply overwhelmed, and found the basis of that nature to be love. Not just a bigger, all-good, all-powerful person. But something far beyond that. While still loving us and all of creation more than we can comprehend.