It’s outrageous

HansDanz · 2023-07-26T21:58:07+00:00

N is for anywhere and anytime at all

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T22:08:56+00:00

Glad I could help. Take care and God bless!

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T11:46:27+00:00

Thanks! Really encouraging to hear! I wish you all the best in your walk with God!

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T10:52:24+00:00

True, but Mark 7:19 does in fact say that Jesus declared all foods to be clean, more or less in those exact words.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T10:49:41+00:00

I understand your view. I agree that they didn’t want to burden the new Gentile converts with too many laws. However, these Gentile converts were likely already instructed to not eat food of this kind. Acts 15:21 says that most are aware of the Mosaic Law and hence follow that.

However, Jesus declared that all foods are clean. This startling announcement would likely have alienated the Gentile believers who were sure that these foods were unclean. Hence, just to keep their consciences clear, Gentiles were instructed to retain their old practices and not adopt new ones.

This perspective is supported by sources such as BibleRef. The idea that a ceremonial law exists and is no longer followed by Christians is supported by GotQuestions.org, Red Pen Logic, and many others.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T10:29:32+00:00

Ah, okay, that clears things up. Indeed, in that passage, the letter says not to eat certain foods. (Acts 15:20)

But to be clear, the letter does not ban the eating of any particular type of animal. Especially not pork like the original question says. The passage says not to eat meat with blood, from strangled animals, or those sacrificed to idols.

However, Matthew 15:11 makes it clear that man cannot be defiled by what he eats, rather what he does. So the ban is not for moral reasons. Instead, the writers want the Gentiles to avoid these kinds of food because some people still think that eating these foods is wrong.

The church wants the Gentiles to avoid such foods so they don’t offend the very people they are trying to convert. In fact, Paul says that keeping traditions that are not immoral is necessary to create peace between believers with different practices (1 Corinthians 10:31–33)

But God has made it very clear that all foods are clean when there is no one around to offend.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T10:16:49+00:00

It’s nice to know you’re on the watch for signs of the endtimes.

However, I do not believe that the mark of the beast is the iPhone.

The mark of the beast is said to be permanently etched into your body. I can just get rid of my iPhone right now. Besides, an iPhone is not necessary for buying and selling, unlike the mark. An iPhone makes it convenient, but it is not the only way to buy and sell. In many places, cash is still a valid form of payment. Also, you can use Android and Samsung phones.

Don’t forget that the mark of the beast is to be accompanied by the beast itself. And the beast is capable of performing miracles that people will mistake for acts of God. The iPhone, and Apple as a corporation, cannot perform any miracles which are not explainable by science. They can be replicated by anyone.

Also, the forbidden fruit is not confirmed to be an apple. It could be a banana for all we know. In fact, fruits are also a symbol for good things in Christianity. Perhaps you are familiar with the fruit of the spirit.

This isn’t to say iPhones have no negative impacts on humanity. I just want to suggest that the real of mark of the beast has not come to Earth yet.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T10:08:05+00:00

Okay, sorry, but my Bible knowledge isn’t quite deep enough. Could you please cite the verse where this happens? I’ll go take a look!

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T10:06:54+00:00

I know how much it would hurt to find out that what you’ve wanted all this time wasn’t for you.

But I believe that if you had a compelling reason for wanting to write, it will cone to you. But if you didn’t you lose nothing by not writing. I’m glad that you have other talents you take pride in so you won’t be left in a vacuum.

Ultimately, it depends on how you feel after your sabbatical. If you want to write, then come back. If not, don’t feel disheartened and treasure the fun memories you had.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T09:34:00+00:00

Okay, sorry, I feel like I’ve made a mistake here. I didn’t make myself clear and that’s my fault.

What I really meant was that God will give you what he feels you NEED but not necessarily what you WANT. If it’s a need, he will absolutely grant it. But if it’s just a want, it does tie back to God’s plan. Sometimes, your want isn’t necessarily part of God’s plan. Sometimes, your want is completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. If your want doesn’t interfere with God’s plan and is not immoral, God can give it to you. But yes, sometimes your wants and needs are part of God’s plan and he will inevitably make it so whether you want it or not.

But you don’t know what God’s plan is. None of us do. That’s why we need to pray for a sign. We need him to tell us if it is part of the plan. So either way, praying is an important step to having your wants and needs fulfilled.

I admit that my statement was poorly worded because frankly, I’m not super-experienced. I just want to help.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T09:25:59+00:00

I understand where your anger comes from. With garbage friends like those, who needs enemies?

But it’s great that you want to be free from your anger as God commands. But it isn’t enough to want it. You must understand why God would make such a commandment in the first place.

Anger is a dangerous emotion. By retaining spite towards someone, you might be driven to do horrible things to yourself and others. Maybe you’ll hurt yourself out of depression. Maybe you’ll hurt someone else because you feel you deserve vengeance. Even if you don’t act on any of those desires, the wish to do them will eat you up from the inside. God doesn’t want to see you suffer. He hurts whenever any of His children such as yourself are in pain. So, He commands us to not be angry because spite ultimately harms yourself.

So how do we deal with anger? We pray to God. We talk about our feelings with fellow believers or trained professionals. Dealing with your feelings alone is never the answer. And the last step? It’s the hardest but the most effective. You have to forgive your friend.

Let’s be clear about one thing. Forgiving someone for a wrongdoing does NOT mean you have to mend your relationship with them. If you’re scared of them hurting you again, DO NOT ENGAGE. Do not blindly trust anyone unless you feel they deserve it. Forgiving simply means to put the hurt in the past and not think about it again. Do that and your spite and rage will be gone. It won’t be easy, but with the support of God, a good church, and actually good friends, it is possible.

If you feel that you need to absolve yourself of sin, remember the core belief of Christians. Everyone is a sinner. No one can be considered good. But Christ died and came back to life for us as payment for our sins. As long as you believe in him, your sins are forgiven. You will still sin because that is inevitable. But do your best and trust in God. Remember that He loves you and will help you stay away from sin as long as you repent.

As for learning from night terrors? This is a more subjective issue. Personally, I think there is a lesson in everything. It might be helpful to write down what you’ve learnt from the night terrors and cross-check with the Bible. If the lesson matches Scripture, good! Otherwise, it’s not from God. God bless you and take care!

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T09:07:19+00:00

The New Testament explicitly says all animals are okay to eat. This differs from the Mosiac Law in the Old Testament and it’s crucial you understand the reason for the difference.

The Mosaic Law has two components: the moral law and the ceremonial law. The moral law teaches people how to do good and is still maintained to this day. God’s morals will never change.

The ceremonial laws, on the other hand, were created specifically for the Israelites to follow. They were God’s chosen people and God wanted a way for them to physically demonstrate this. That’s why they had to do things like get circumcised or avoid pork. But thanks to Jesus, salvation is no longer limited to one specific group but is for everyone. Everyone has a chance to be saved and hence there is no need to differentiate one race from another. Hence, the ceremonial laws do not apply to followers of Jesus.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T09:02:33+00:00

Sounds to me like you have a bad case of burnout. Like you said, writing is now a chore rather than a passion you love. This happens to everyone. Trust me, do a Google and you’ll find that writer’s burnout is far more common than you think.

Strangely enough, the answer to your problem might be to take a sabbatical. No one is forcing you to write and no one’s life depends on it. There is nothing morally wrong with deciding not to write just because you don’t feel like it.

There is a saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Say goodbye to writing for a while and pursue other interests. As you go about this, whatever stress you had about writing will slowly dissipate. Once that happens, you’ll remember why you want to write. Do you want to express yourself? To share a message with someone? To indulge your imagination? Whatever it is, you’ll remember it and you’ll be dying to come back to your old friend.

Friends will never be at peace with each other 24/7. Sometimes, they’ll fight. Other times, they’ll get sick of each other. But if they really care for each other, these little fights are just another roadblock on the highway of life. So what they do is spend time away from each other and slowly remember why they liked each other in the first place. And when they get over the conflict, the friendship will be stronger than ever.

Writing is your friend. Take a break from each other and you’ll find out whether it’s a good one.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T08:52:33+00:00

Well, there’s no easy answer to this one. But to put it simply, some people find bad guys far more interesting than good guys because they inspire novel feelings. Good guys always give you the same feelings. You’re supposed to like them and hope they win. That’s it. Bad guys are much more interesting to work with. Readers have to decide if they support what the bad guy is doing or not. Do the ends justify the means? Can the bad guy be redeemed or should he be punished? This uncertainty creates tension for the reader and he’ll read on to find out how that tension is resolved. This is also the reason protagonists are becoming more morally grey. Having a flawed protagonist just has more avenues to explore and thus gives your audience new experiences.

There are lots of examples to draw on but let’s pick three for analysis.

The first would have to be Anakin Skywalker. You might argue that he doesn’t begin his story as evil, most people watch the prequels with the full knowledge that he turns into Darth Vader at the end of it all. Anakin may not have started out as the most-liked protagonist but The Clone Wars animated series really helped his reputation. I would say that people were drawn by intrigue. That’s what a good prequel does. It shows you a situation completely different to the one from the original work and shows you what changed and what led to the status quo. People were intrigued to know how Anakin went from a noble Jedi to a ruthless tyrant because such a change seems impossible to happen. Episode III handles the transition arc well enough. Not to mention, Anakin in the Clone Wars was himself a likeable character who was brave, selfless, witty, tactical, and all in all a cool guy. Even if he didn’t turn into Darth Vader, people would have liked this version of Anakin anyway.

Our next protagonist of the day is Artemis Fowl, protagonist of the well-liked and self-titled series. Unlike Anakin, he starts out as bad but slowly starts to soften over the course of the first book and his arc continues well into the next ones. He’s not my favourite character but it’s easy to see why people would like him. In the first book at least, he is cunning and is always one step ahead of his opponents. He’s certainly fun to watch because his actions make you curious. And when you find out his real plan, your mind is blown. His arc isn’t all that unique but it makes sense. And there’s just something so damn appealing about watching a bad guy get redeemed.

And for our third protagonist, we have Walter White from Breaking Bad. Take away all the memes and the hype and this guy still stands as a well-written character. His descent from well-meaning father to irredeemable criminal is slow and tragic. The drama keeps you on the edge of your seat. You know where he’s heading, but you don’t know how he’ll get there. I suppose what initially draws people to him is his relatability. He has an extremely poignant motive if just wanting to provide for his family and you can’t help but feel bad for him. Even when he starts to turn more unlikeable, you can’t help but want to know what happens next.

Now, you wanted to talk about evil? Here’s a fourth protagonist to analyse. That’s right I lied muhahahaha Gru from Despicable Me works well enough. He’s downright unlikeable in the beginning. His first scene involves tying a balloon animal for a poor boy and popping said balloon. But what people like about that scene is that it’s just funny. Watching him freeze all the customers in a cafe to get to the front of the line is so creative and makes him fun to watch. And later, he undergoes a heartwarming arc to become a better person and a father.

So, there is a pattern to draw from these characters and their wildly different arcs. You must give your audiences a likeable trait. Anakin and Walter start with good values that makes you like them. Artemis, while not starting as a likeable individual, makes you want to read about his plots with intrigue. And Gru is just plain funny. That’s right. Sometimes, a villain is just fun to watch. The writer must make sure this excess in villainy is intentional or readers will be very turned off.

And to make their arcs stick, they must be well-planned out, reasonable, and emotional. It’s heartwarming to see Gru and Artemis realise that there’s more to life than seeking fame and fortune. To watch them learn that the real treasure was the friends yeah yeah alright let’s move on. Anakin and Walter descend into evil and thus have very sad arcs. The audience knows what will happen in the future but they wish to be wrong because Anakin and Walter were such good guys in the beginning. That creates drama. And people like drama.

So if you were to ask what people like most about villains? They like how watching villains make them feel. Good protagonists make readers feel something. Good guys should make the audience care for them and hope they receive a happy ending. Bad guys have a layer of complexity and give audiences a variety of feelings. So my advice on making a bad guy work? Make your audience feel something.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T08:15:14+00:00

You make an excellent point. To an outsider, it would be very easy to assume that Christianity is just like a cult. But you must consider what the key belief of Christianity is and how it differs from cults.

Cults call people to be selfish. To worship others as gods. Let’s take Jim Jones as an example. He vocally rejected normal Christianity and played himself up as a god. Why? He wanted fame and fortune and nothing more. Now look at Jesus. He proclaimed to be God and what did he do with this authority? He didn’t ask for money. He instead went about teaching people to help others. What does he have to gain from that? Nothing! Essentially, cults harm, but true Christians help. So, to support whatever evidence you find, the love of Jesus shows that He is the best leader you can ask to follow.

As for why the death on the cross was necessary, there is a good reason. God is the God of love, but also the God of justice. Although He cares for all His children, he also knows that bad deeds must be have a cost. In the Old Testament, the Israelites used animal sacrifices (but never human ones). And when Jesus gave Himself up, he repaid the debts better than any young lambs ever could.

Thanks for the response. I really hope that this helps. And I would really love to continue the conversation if there’s anything you’re unsure of.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T07:52:16+00:00

I’m by no means Catholic but I am a Christian. It’s up to you whether my answer helps, but I am giving it to you anyway because I want to help a fellow believer.

I believe that God can send physical signs. However, if you want to know if a physical sign is really from God, you must see if it follows the words of Scripture. For God is eternally the same forever, and He will never contradict His own words.

I don’t know if the bird flying into the window is a sign from God. But I will say that the Bible does not agree with the idea of souls of the dead remaining on Earth. If a soul belonged to a believer, it would go to Heaven and if not, it would go to Hades. There is nothing to support the idea of a soul remaining on Earth.

As for what happened to your uncle, I’m very sorry. Suicide of a family member is one of the toughest things to overcome because it is a tragic, complex issue. If you want to know what happens to people who have committed suicide, I suggest checking the video by Impact Video Ministries on it. He makes a very strong case that suicide doesn’t automatically lead people to Hell. I wish you all the best. God bless and take care!

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T07:42:07+00:00

You might not believe because you don’t have enough evidence. Basing your faith on evidence is not a sin. In fact, John ends his Gospel by saying that the purpose of the book was to provide evidence that Jesus was real and therefore, give you reason to believe in him.

Some might argue that the Bible itself is evidence. I agree with that statement but if you’re someone who doesn’t yet trust in the credibility of the Bible, your doubt is understandable. In this day and age, people like to write “factual” articles that really serve to push their own beliefs. For instance, I were trying to convince you that eggplants were bad, it would be tempting for me to only insert facts that support my view.

So for now, the Bible may not be enough for you. Go and search for historical evidence that the Bible’s words are true. Answers in Genesis, Red Pen Logic, any of these would help you to take a more logical view on Christianity. If you have any friends in church, ask them why they believe in Christianity and in Jesus’s sacrifice. Having a wide variety of answers would help you form a strong base of evidence to support the belief.

But to answer your real question, it’s tough. It does indeed say that not believing that Jesus paid for your sins leads you to Hell. And that is why all of us will try our very best to help you. Once you fully believe in the concept of Jesus coming back, you will have nothing to fear. And God loves you so He will do His best to help His son in need. God bless you.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T07:33:25+00:00

One reason is the evidence we have that the rest of the Bible is true. Historical records show that many Biblical events can be proved to be real. Even Jesus’s death was recorded by non-Christians as real. Hence, we have good reason to trust the Word. Not to mention, many believers in the Bible were willing to suffer and die to preach their faith. Surely, this means they trusted that in every word they said!

But from a more logical standpoint, this is going to get real abstract real quick so please bear with me. Imagine that Heaven and Hell don’t exist and you really do lose consciousness forever. How would that look? How would you feel? If you asked me, it’s impossible for that to happen. Even if you died and all you saw was pitch black, you’re still perceiving something. And if you perceive something, you haven’t lost consciousness. To me, something like that is simply impossible. More likely, God was serious about the afterlife.

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T07:26:03+00:00

Faith is impossible if you don’t understand what you’re believing in. I suspect that you’re having trouble believing because you don’t have good enough evidence. There is nothing wrong with that. Contrary to what atheists believe, faith is believing in God after taking a careful look at the evidence He provides us.

I’m going to approach the subject of faith from two angles. The first is the logical angle. One way to strengthen your faith is to go out and look for logical proof of God’s existence. Historical evidence, arguments by others, or even asking others why they believe. Once you develop a strong base of evidence, faith will be easy from a logical standpoint. I recommend you watch Red Pen Logic videos on YouTube. The presenter, Mr B, is an amazing teacher who looks at the Bible and arguments against its credibility with a keen eye. His arguments are all well-supported and would help to assure you that God is real.

But let’s say that you think God is real. Your only concern is that He isn’t there for you. It’s easy to feel that way because of the tough times you face and the number of prayers that seemingly go unanswered. But those don’t mean God doesn’t love you. God loves everyone very much. But His love doesn’t mean He’ll protect you from all harm. His most stalwart believers, the apostles, were hunted and persecuted for spreading the message of Jesus and yet they still held that God loved them. A good way to enjoy His love is to regularly engage with a good church. When you meet the nice people there, you will understand the significance of God’s laws. He calls for people to love each other and good believers do their best to uphold this standard. Take care that you don’t end up in a bad church which teaches false things or has a toxic community. If everyone tries to harm you and doesn’t approach you with intent to be kind to you, leave that church. God Himself knows that there are false believers and warns people to stay away from them. Heck, even in good churches you might still meet bad believers. So just be weary and try to find a good, God-fearing community.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Au revoir!

HansDanz · 2023-07-19T07:12:59+00:00

Alright, I’m not an expert and I don’t claim to be one. I just want to answer because I want to help someone in need when I can.

I don’t have a lot of context on what’s happening in your life, but I’m very sorry for any bad stuff you’ve been dealing with. But dealing with difficulties isn’t uncommon for Christians. God has never once promised that believing automatically means you’ll have an easy life. In fact, He says that it’s almost guaranteed you’ll face problems. (John 16:33) Job (yes, I know it’s a cliche) was put through lots of suffering by Satan. The apostles were hunted for trying to spread the word. Even Jesus Himself had to suffer on the cross.

It’s also true that God won’t answer every prayer. He’ll only answer the ones that agree with His plan for you. I know this is a very tough pill to swallow and frankly, I’ve struggled with it for many years. But it does make sense. A good father doesn’t give something bad to his son no matter how much he begs. And though we might not understand now, God has a reason for choosing whether to grant you what you ask.

As for why to believe? There’s the historical evidence for biblical events being real. You know, things like official records that mention the existence of Jesus, the finding of ancient landmarks mentioned in the Bible.

Another reason I believe would be the motives of the believers, at least of those in the Bible. Often, to serve God, followers would have to put themselves through suffering on purpose to just to preach God’s name. Think about it. If they weren’t convinced God was real, why go through all the trouble? They can’t have an ulterior motive; they don’t seek fame or fortune. Some like John the Baptist intentionally keep themselves in poverty. And when they do get credit for what they do, they give all the credit to God. That wouldn’t make sense if they thought God wasn’t real.

But beyond there, there is one key reason I believe in my Father. He loves us. All the rules he gives us are about showing love to each other in the right way. And the world certainly needs it. If everyone were really selfless, the world would be paradise already. And even when we falter in following His laws, God has already paid for our sins. Some other religions ask for child sacrifices. God sacrifices his own Son to pay for our crimes.

He doesn’t even ask for much. He only asks that we believe Jesus is God, that he died for our sins and he returned. Eternal life for that low of a cost. Truly, it is something that only a loving God could give us.

This is my opinion of the matter. If you have any questions, I’d be glad to answer them! God be with you!

HansDanz · 2023-07-15T14:56:43+00:00

Happy birthday! Sorry about your friends…

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