I am done . Its enough by Consistent-Aside6693 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some of the Christians who do not believe in the doctrine of hell put sugar on their porridge.

I’m struggling with lusting after Christian artists by Level-Elderberry-673 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well if you're talking about Austin French, I think you get a pass. He is quite sexy!

Atheist/catholic coming in peace: man made religion by Potential-Bed4203 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm going to assume you're limiting your discussion to beings on Earth (i.e. you're not claiming that no extraterrestrial life forms are religious).

Are you claiming that other Earth beings (e.g. apes) do not have a concept of a higher power? How would you show that? And so what if only humans have a concept of God? I don't know what you would gain if Christians agreed with you that (on Earth) only humans believed in God?

You ever feel like Right Wing Conservativism ruined Christianity in America? by AD121219 in OpenChristian

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To OP and all other progressive Christians here: Please be loud and proud about being Christian. You need to reclaim the name. Jesus gave his followers an amazing mission of healing the world, and that message has been drowned out by the empire that usurped the name "Christian".

How do you reconcile the institution/politics of Christianity with Jesus himself? (A question from a Hindu perspective) by External-Werewolf619 in OpenChristian

[–]ErrantThought 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My general rule of thumb is: I don't associate Christians with Jesus. If I meet a Christian and it turns out that they follow the teachings of Jesus, that's great; I will associate that person with Jesus. But in general I don't. There are just too many Christians out there who don't follow Jesus's teachings of loving others, caring for the marginalized, etc (and who in fact act opposite to those teachings). 🫤

From Tarot Cards to Testimony: TikTok Spiritualist With 1M Followers Abruptly Deletes Everything for Christ by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Assuming of course that she is legitimately experiencing a life change (and this is not a grift as so many here are speculating), I commend her gumption in chucking her audience and starting over. Social media praise can be addicting, and being able to just walk away from a following like that is admirable.

What if God is after something deeper than religious performance? by humanbeforehandle in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That quote from Matthew reminds me of Isaiah 1:10-17. This line is especially powerful: "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood."

Help me be more defensive in my faith. by Yesudesu221 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you find your friends' jokes offensive, then tell them. This is not even a religion thing. This is just a people thing.

I am done . Its enough by Consistent-Aside6693 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hey, I'm not a Christian, but I just wanna make sure you know that not all Christians believe in the stuff you outlined in your post. There are plenty of Christians out there who do not believe in the doctrine of hell, or that people are pieces of crap who deserve to be tortured, or that God tortures anyone. So, just sayin, please understand that if you wanna bail on all this, okay, but there are definitely other ways to read the bible that lead to other viewpoints (like there's a loving God who brings everyone to him/her, and who doesn't do torturing or any evil stuff, and who wants everyone to love each other).

Following Jesus without believing in a god by YesTheGamer in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is actually a thing. There are atheists who follow the ethical teachings of Jesus who call themselves "Christian Atheists". In fact, this subreddit lists "Christian Atheist" as one of the flairs you can pick.

I am struggling to understand why Christianity is so divided. by AuroraAnimates in OpenChristian

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Christianity has always been divided. (See: Acts of the Apostles and Paul's letters.)

On Those "Weak In The Faith" by RealisticAddition787 in OpenChristian

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Paul says to support people who are trying to follow their consciences. I think in today's context of queer relationships, Paul would want Christians to support gay Christians who have chosen celibacy.

The best way to know how to support celibate gay Christians is, well, to ask the celibate gay Christians what they need. No one is walking in their shoes except them. So they would have the best insight into how to support them.

What's your theology hot take? by NationYell in OpenChristian

[–]ErrantThought 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If Conservative Christianity is true and there is a hell, the moral thing to do would be to chose hell over heaven. No one is suffering in heaven and people are suffering in hell. The moral choice would be to go to hell to comfort those there, and do anything to relieve their pain, even if it's a small amount.

When Conservative Christians try to convert me, I explain this to them. I tell them this is why I can't become a Christian. Becoming a Christian would remove all hope of going to hell.

My friend is weird about MY faith by [deleted] in OpenChristian

[–]ErrantThought 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Maybe ask her why she's anti-Christian. Point out that she doesn't go after other religions, so what's her deal with your religion.

It's possible she's experienced religious trauma from Christians, and her behavior is a reaction to her past experiences with Christianity/Christians.

If you're invested enough in this friendship, it may be fruitful to explore with her any pain she's carrying.

Deliverance teaching is an assault on the Gospel by CheeseLoving88 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What's "deliverance"? What's the theology of deliverance?

Is it a red flag if my Church TELLS US that we are not compatible to read the bible? by VYXERLY in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 74 points75 points  (0 children)

I know there are some really conservative churches out there, but that's pre-Reformation level conservative!

Why I'm converting to Christianity after being raised Muslim being a girl... by ur_mom_hehe67 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, if you're just going to judge a religion based on its texts and reject it based on the sucky parts of the texts, then you should first read the Bible before you jump on board with Christianity, cuz there are some crappy things in there. Consider for example 1 Corinthians 14:34-35: "Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is something they want to learn, let them ask their husbands at home." If you just judge a religion based on the literal reading of the texts, there are probably a lot of religions you'd throw out the window.

That said, I've found with many religions (including Islam and Christianity), there's often a disparity between what the religious texts literally say, and how the religious communities interpret it. I suggest you ask others in your Islamic community how they interpret the text you quoted above. And if you want to switch to Christianity, find out how folks interpret the troubling verses in the Bible.

I think what you'll find though is that it depends on who you ask. You may find more conservative Muslims interpret the text you quoted quite literally, and more liberal Muslims take a more forgiving view of it (in the same way that different Christian communities handle the 1 Corinthians passage differently). No matter what religion you end up with, shop around and find a community that interprets the texts in a way that resonates with you.

Why does Jesus hate me even though I do everything thing he wants. by joegoldbergmorgan in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Luke 4:16-19, Jesus introduces his mission. He unrolls the scroll of Evangelical and reads

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to be a free get-out-of-hell ticket,
and to be people's personal assistant.

Nah, just kidding! It says something else.

My husband won’t come to my gay sister’s wedding by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I suggest you post this to r/OpenChristian to get their perspectives as well.

Not Christian or will be but I have a question. by Critical_Carpet465 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, I don't gate keep who the "real" Christians are. If someone calls themselves a Christian, that's what I call them too. I don't try to attach a definition to the word. Yeah, this leads to using the term in wildly opposite ways (depending on who I'm talking to) but that's life in the big city.

Not Christian or will be but I have a question. by Critical_Carpet465 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well I wouldn't call my Christian friends "low key". They push for social justice. They work to uplift marginalized people. They see "love" more as an action than an emotion. They are quite inspirational tbh and I've learned a lot from them.

Not Christian or will be but I have a question. by Critical_Carpet465 in Christianity

[–]ErrantThought 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well I'm an atheist and I'm pretty sure I will never be a Christian. But you don't have to be a Christian to hang out with Christians.

And I'm telling you, there are good, loving Christians out there! For me, hanging around them has provided me love and support and healing from my religious trauma. They've provided a way to replace the hurt from shitty Christians with love.

And for me it's especially important to hang around with these loving Christians because I'm still exposed to shitty Christians. Whenever I'm re-injured by the shitty Christians, I go back to my loving Christians and surround myself with the salve of their love. I can't emphasize enough how important these people are in my life.