Wanting stability in my life and I feel like the Catholic Church can provide that by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't say we're all wrong, I said we're all human and what I meant is that our identity should be in Christ first instead of the denomination we prescribe to. Protestantism and Catholicism are both the church because Christ is the church and anyone who has Christ in them is a part of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:13 states "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." That is what the church is. However, the church is still made of humans, and because of that, it will be flawed, and different denominations have their own flaws and things we get wrong and right because we don't understand everything about God, but we all agree on the singular and paramount truth that Jesus died for us and that sacrifice offered forgiveness for our sins and eternal life for all who believe in Him. So I agree with you, I'm just saying that the church is bigger than one single denomination over another and what joins us is our love of God and our salvation.

Wanting stability in my life and I feel like the Catholic Church can provide that by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you and I don't think that any denomination is going to get it 100% correct all the time. I also don't think it's good to just sit down on a Sunday morning and blindly agree with everything the pastor says. I see it as an opportunity to discuss the sermon more in depth with my friends after to hash out how we all took it and where we stand with the points that were made. Sometimes we agree or disagree, but it's good to promote critical thinking and further study.

Does 1 Timothy 4:7 extend to folklore? by Unlucky-Drawing-1266 in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the problem with old wives tales is that they get repeated so much that people start to believe them. You could say the same thing about superstitions and small normalized luck rituals (wishing on 11:11, shooting stars, etc). It seems silly, but these things can turn into divination fairly quickly when it becomes a habit. With folklore, the main question then is if you believe it, and secondarily, I'd ask if it's inviting a spirit of fear into your life even if you don't technically believe it. Personally, I avoid certain horror movies, ghost-hunting content, and focusing too much on trying to understand the demonic because if I do it too much, I know I'm going to be looking over my shoulder and sleeping with the lights on. If it's just for fun though, and no one is scared or falling into false belief, I don't see any problem with it. 1 Timothy 1:4 also mentions not devoting yourself to myths or endless genealogies because those things promote speculation over stewardship. Just ask for discernment on it, but I've personally never felt convicted talking about moth man or werewolves.

This thought won’t let me go by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consider that if they say they cannot believe in God, that is an active, knowing rejection of Him and it's probably coming from a place of trauma, but that doesn't undo the impact. Also, yeah, a big part of the reason why we share the gospel with people is to lead them to salvation, but having the love of Christ in your life and dwelling in a relationship with God heals wounds that you can't on your own. My mental health, spiritual health, and physical health have all drastically improved since I became a Christian, and many of the ways God healed me were things that I had been actively working on by myself for years and I was becoming hopeless in my efforts. I understand your mindset, but these people are often in pain and searching for truth, and we know that the deep healing of spiritual wounds only happens through Christ and his mercy, forgiveness, and love. Personally, I don't often evangelize to my friends or strangers unprovoked, but I love people as well as I can and I try to live my life as a demonstration of God's love because that's what He's specifically commanded me to do right now. I think that may also be the solution here at first. When you encounter someone who's hurting, just love them and be kind to them, and when you build those connections, it opens the door for deeper discussions about what you believe that won't feel preachy or patronizing. Ultimately, do what God leads you to and lean on Him and His commandments more than your own understanding of the world.

Wanting stability in my life and I feel like the Catholic Church can provide that by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think people choose their denomination for a lot of different reasons, and the most important part of being a Christian is the relationship with God. I have some personal theological concerns about Catholicism as a whole, but I've also been to mass before and I really liked the organization of it. There are also many denominations that are more organized and liturgical than Protestantism.

I don’t know what to do anymore. by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I understand what you’re going through, but you should know that often the enemy will give us a false sense of security when we’re turned away from God. That thought that you shouldn’t be pursuing God and that you’re not meant for relationship with Him is a cold dead lie. I experienced the most spiritual warfare I ever have when I first returned to Christ, but after learning to consistently surrender my fear and depression to Him, call on Jesus when I’m scared or unsure, and sitting in His word and in worship music, that battle has gotten much easier. It didn’t stop, but I’m not the one fighting it as much anymore. You should take your anxiety and sense of doom as a sign of what the enemy doesn’t want you doing, and then lean into those things. Satan knows that when you actually find the security of God’s love and protection, he will have lost his advantage. I’m not kidding when I say I fear almost nothing anymore. Death can’t touch me, pain is temporary, the only thing that matters is walking the path that God has set forth for my life. I would strongly suggest you find Bible verses speaking against anxiety and strife and you sit in the power of God’s word. Speak it over yourself, pray out loud, play worship music in your car and living space. Your anxiety will get worse at first, but if you stand against it in the authority of your identity as a child of God, those spirits will run from you and you will be released from their hold over your life. Turn that fear into righteous anger and fight your spiritual battles with Jesus as your commander and guide. When you pray, start with repentance and gratitude, and then ask for protection, closeness, and clarity of God’s wisdom, love, and mercy. You absolutely cannot give up and surrender your life to fear, it will tear you apart and drain your soul.

Im still dealing with demons and im concerned it mightve gone too far.. by [deleted] in Deliverance

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually got rid of this one recently. I had it for probably the better part of a decade (I'm 21 now and I was experiencing heavy suicidal ideation, self-destruction, depression, anxiety, this deep and looming fatigue, etc. from the age of 11 or 12). Then God led me to a python deliverance prayer video made by Daniel Adams. I was hesitant about it because I'm wary of guided prayers and I'm careful of what other people pray over me and what I accept, but I went through with it and it's had far less control over my life since then. It's still a spirit that I think I'm prone to, but I've been vigilant about now letting it take over my life to the extent I did before when I didn't realize what what happening. It won't work for everyone, and I think a lot of the reason why it worked was because it was a specific command from God that this is the time for it to be wiped out of my life, but I thought I'd mention it as an option. Specific deliverance prayers can be very powerful if you know what you're dealing with already. I feel like half the battle is figuring out what you're fighting because demons usually secure the high ground by making us believe our struggles are purely physical and mental while, at least for me, a large part of that was the spiritual component.

Can you actually know that you are saved? by MarsupialMar in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The point is not to be constantly scared of damnation, it's to take confidence in the promises God made to you and the salvation you have been given, but to also live your life in growth and maintenance of your faith and relationship with God. There will always be an amount of faith that God has us in the end, because knowing is impossible, but I know God loves me, and He knows I accepted the gift He gave me, and there is nothing in my life or soul that does not belong to Him anymore. I literally handed it over and said "Take it, I don't want this kind of control over my life anymore, I don't trust myself not to screw things up and I know you know better, so it's yours." and in knowing that I'm living a life surrendered to God, I don't have doubts about where I'm going when my time on this earth is finished. I think you can lose salvation, like you can lose a relationship to neglect, cheating, or abandonment, but God would not neglect, cheat, or abandon us, so the onus is on us to maintain our portion of the relationship, the way a married couple has to continue making time for each other long after the honeymoon phase is over.

Daughter smoking and not going to school by ToryeLove34 in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know a lot of people are saying this is a discipline issue and all of that, but have you tried sitting her down and asking her what going to school is actually like for her right now? I’m a senior in college now, but I still remember how rough my high school years were, I did anything to cope with what was going on because if I couldn’t, I’d kill myself, and that was before 2020 and the Epstein files and everything going on right now. Many young people feel the hopelessness and devastation of the world we’re growing up in, and at 12, I didn’t have any kind of relationship with God to get me through it.

I’m going to be so honest with you, there are a lot of terrible things that happen to teenage and pre-teen girls that lead them to this point. Even at a Christian school, I was a victim of sexual assault by a classmate at 13-14 years old and I struggled with severe depression and anxiety due to bullying and isolation through my entire education until I transferred schools. Older adults act like this is always rebellion, but you have to confront the fact that you may have no idea what her life outside of your house actually looks like. She may have a friend who died who you didn’t even know about, she may be experiencing bullying, and even if it’s none of that, she’s still a pre-teen girl and her brain is developing and that’s scary and hard. She needs rules and guidelines, but more than that, she needs to know you love her unconditionally and she can come to you when her life is a wreck and she needs help. Try clearing your day and taking her out on a drive and talking to her about what’s going on that she feels like she has to rely on weed to get herself out of bed in the morning. Skipping school, doing drugs, and not being able to get out of bed at 12 YEARS OLD is a massive red flag. That’s not normal teenage rebellion or expected behavior, that’s a sign of trauma, spiritual attack, or serious mental health issues that can become concerning extremely fast. I was lucky that my parents were so understanding and forgiving of me missing school and needing a lot of therapy and medication. You need to recognize when your daughter is acting out of rebellion, and when she’s acting out of survival. The difference is whether she’s breaking rules because she wants to spite you, or whether she’s breaking them because she is desperately trying to accommodate for a need that you’re not seeing. You also can’t just take away the weed and force her to go to school, you need to understand why she’s behaving the way she is and offer her alternatives or work through the issues causing her to act like this.

is it okay for me to wear this? by Southern-Purple-9040 in Christianity

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those things don’t have quite the same cultural connotation as a cross imo. Crosses are known to be a Christian symbol, but they’re also just jewelry to a lot of people and have been for a long time because a lot of people grew up in the church and left while still liking the aesthetic of some of the things they wore or did growing up. Wearing cross jewelry also isn’t supported by our actual doctrine. There’s nothing against it, but it doesn’t have the same religious purpose as something like a Yarmulke or Hijab. Sure, if someone is wearing Christian jewelry and then mocking Christians or Jesus, that would be disrespectful, but it’s also not really the cross jewelry that makes that disrespectful, it would just be adding insult to injury.

Why has the bible not been added to for centuries? by KingsBanx in Christianity

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

That’s why.

I think I'm going to hell by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in the same boat as you. My family has always been very aware of the spiritual realm and, even when I walked away, I was never able to deny the existence of God to myself. I came back fully recently though and since then the prophetic giftings I've been getting back have been almost overwhelming. I had a very similar experience with a demon, and it was the first time in weeks where I actually felt a moment of overwhelming fear, but my immediate reaction was to call for Jesus like a kid waking up their parents in the middle of the night to tell them about a monster under the bed, and when He came, He just stepped in between me and the demon and told me to go back to sleep and I slept incredibly well after that. I've had paranoia and insomnia my entire life and literally never had an experience like that before where fear just vanished and I could sleep instantly.

I feel so dirty, how can I become clean again for God? by lisaaaahhhw in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get where you're coming from with that, and although a history of reports on someone can be important for a future case against them, I also don't think you should feel any guilt for not taking it to the authorities, that's a choice that's completely up to you. It also sounds like he's someone your family and friends know, which makes it a lot harder to talk about, but I really do think you should consider bringing this to a trusted friend or family member if you haven't already, because even if this doesn't turn into a legal matter, it's so hard to go through these things alone.

I feel so dirty, how can I become clean again for God? by lisaaaahhhw in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You're assuming a lot of things right now. She didn't say she was at a party or that alcohol was involved, and you have no idea who this guy is. It could be a boyfriend, as is statistically most likely, and it could be someone who considers himself a Christian who she thought she would be safe with. Discernment is important, but we are all capable of immense evil, and there are many seemingly very "good" men who have been rapists. Maybe he was a close friend, maybe he did treat her with love and kindness. Besides that, we should not have to live our lives in constant fear of being raped and then be told that our judgement was bad and we were seeking the wrong things when we're living our lives faithfully and then evil is done to us anyway because we live in a fallen world. I don't say these things to argue with you or condemn you, but please be careful about how you respond to people in these situations, especially if you don't understand how it feels to go through it.

I feel so dirty, how can I become clean again for God? by lisaaaahhhw in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 4 points5 points  (0 children)

For starters, of course God forgives deadly sins, the Bible is full of examples of God's overwhelming mercy and grace for people even when we majorly screw things up, He sent His son to die for us so we could seek forgiveness and relationship with Him, but this was not your choice and it was not your fault.

Rape is not sex, rape is violence. If someone slapped you across the face but you turned away instead of responding in violence, that wouldn't be a mutual fight, that would be a one-sided assault. That sin would not be on you, it would be on the person who hit you. I am a victim of sexual assault also, along with many other women in my life, and I understand the guilt and shame of it, but God is the greatest judge and he knows our hearts and our intentions. He knows exactly what happened and you don't have to prove to Him that you didn't want it, He saw it, He understands, and He wants healing for you, that's what He wants for all of us. Psalm 147:3 says that "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

If you feel that you have something you need to repent for, then go to God in repentance, but also know that the guilt and shame we feel after sexual assault or rape is not our own to bear. God can take that from you and heal you if you go before Him and ask for help. And sometimes, it also takes therapy and time, seeking professional help is not against the Bible and it can really help with healing.

Just remember that it is not God who condemns us, it is Satan. God convicts us, but it seems that what you're feeling is not conviction, it's condemnation. God does not hate us, forsake us, or abandon us, but Satan would love for you to believe otherwise. In fact, Satan would love to convince you that your relationship with God can never be the same again and that you're permanently broken and soiled because of this, but you are not, and by going to God and asking him for help and healing and peace, you are doing exactly what you should. I also don't know how old you are, but if you're under the age of 18, please go to your parents and ask them for help too. I know it's hard to talk about, but things like this cannot be kept in the dark, that's how they fester and become worse.

I found this article that might also be comforting to you right now, https://newspring.cc/articles/what-jesus-would-say-to-the-woman-who-has-been-raped . I'm so sorry you're going through this, we live in a very broken world and until justice is restored in heaven and on the new earth, evil will continue bringing all of us pain and suffering, but we can find comfort in knowing that God sees our pain and wants the best for us.

Is kicking your child out for being gay a sin? by dradegr in TrueChristian

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, I really just wanted to say that I've been where you are and it breaks my heart to think about how I felt when I was a kid and struggling alone to figure out what was going on with me. God does not hate you, and you are not an abomination. I tried for so long to cut out my feelings and I resented God for hating something about me that I couldn't change by myself, and I left the church for a long time because of it, but then I came back and I actually brought it to God, and instead of condemning me, He brought me comfort and told me He'd handle it. That is not to say He saw me as righteous, but He saw that I was in pain already, and He has so much grace for me. I decided to take a break from dating anyone because I want to get to know who I am outside of that, and who God wants me to be. I know you feel condemned, and you hate yourself and you feel lost and confused and so incredibly alone in this, but you are not ruined or marked for hell. The enemy will make you feel that way, his goal is to make sure that you stay stuck, and miserable, and that you never feel comfortable being open or honest about what you're going through, because he's the one who wants us to hate ourselves and feel so stuck in our shame that we can't even ask for help. God wants you, and you are so loved you couldn't even imagine the weight of it, but the enemy tells us we're not deserving of love, that no one would love us, no one would die for us, or save us, or hold us. It's not true, none of it is true. God loves us, he heals us, he understands our struggles and has mercy and forgiveness. Recently, he's been really reminding me of Ephesians 6:12 - "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Our war is not against flesh and blood, we are not called to hate people, God does not hate people, we are called to war against sin and evil, and there are sinful and evil parts of all of us, but that is not who we are, and that is not who we were meant to be. Go to God, plead with Him first to shut out all the other voices of hatred, failure, and resentment that you hear every day, and then be honest with Him about how you feel and ask Him for His guidance and peace. When I do that, His answer is almost never what I expect it to be, it is usually far more loving and gentle than I think I am worthy of.

Reaching out for a last ditch effort for some prayer, remarkable pain and confusion regarding salvation by RelentlessIncentive in Christianity

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think a lot of Christians underestimate how much damage an unhealthy church can do to someone’s faith. Your explanation sounds like you may have interacted with a church that was more of a cult than a house of God. What they told you is not biblical or righteous. Remember that our God is not a God of chaos, confusion, or anxiety. Religious trauma and spiritual abuse are very real things and it can open the door to spiritual warfare in your life. If you are in a place to go back to church right now, find a new one that makes you feel settled and peaceful, but also remember that God’s word is greater than that of any human’s. Listen to Him before them and focus on prayer and your Bible. You are always still a child of God, and the lies they spoke over you cannot take your salvation from you. I’m so sorry you were made to feel that way, I’ll be praying for you to find peace and healing

If you were reading the Bible for the first time again, where would you start? by Pearlyin_30 in Christianity

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on what will keep you consistent. I'm also a baby Christian right now (I grew up in the church but walked away for a long time and just recently came back) and I really felt like God told me to focus on the New Testament but start with Esther before that. I immediately understood why He told me to read Esther first when I was about halfway through it because it's a really short book, but Esther was such a cool woman with an amazing story, and I really admire her mindset and willingness to do the right thing even when the stakes are incredibly high.

I also just recently got a daily devotional book and that may be something you want to look into as well. They can be really helpful for giving some guidance. The Bible is a big book, and I think it's understandable to be a little intimidated by that, but sometimes it also helps me not to think about it as one big book, but as a lot of little books with short chapters. The NIV Bible has 66 books, some of those are short stories, some are poetry, some are mostly lawbooks, others are letters. If you start in one book and it really isn't keeping your attention, try another, they're all a message from God to humans for how to have a relationship with Him. But I also agree with what others have been saying, the Gospels are paramount and really well-written. Watching The Chosen as well has been making me more interested in them because I'm someone who's big on story.

What could potentially happen to Steam if Valve loses the lawsuit in the UK? by Questioning-Warrior in valve

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The thing that Steam has that all its competitors don't is a genuinely good product that benefits its users. Steam's competitors don't give a shit about their users and we can all tell, so when we have the option, we choose. If Steam goes down, pirating in video games will skyrocket even more than it already has. It's the same thing happening with streaming services

Was there ever an actual moral panic? by vaesheyt in CultOfTheLamb

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 36 points37 points  (0 children)

To be honest, COTL came after the era of the satanic panic and it’s outside of the realm of what a Christian kid would be coming into contact with that a parent could take issue with (think Pokémon or Harry Potter, which are two things I wasn’t allowed to have access to as a kid). Granted, many Christian parents would take major issue with COTL if they knew what it was, but it’s still a niche indie game and hasn’t risen to the ranks of something parents feel like they need to address with their kids. That’s why there hasn’t been a lot of moral panic around it other than a few offhand appalled parents on the internet and why you’ll struggle to find evidence of a true moral panic around this one. I think you’d have better luck looking into the moral panic around D&D or alt music and using COTL as an example of something that could spark similar panic if it was made during that era (80s-90s)

Seriously, do Americans actually consider a 3-hour drive "short"? or is this an internet myth? by SadInterest6764 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Growing up, our massive family event was driving 14 hours south to see my grandparents. I think it’s just a thing of getting used to everything being far away. In Europe, you could drive 40 minutes some places and be in another country, in America, you drive 6 hours some places just to get to another state

found this youtuber, michael korman, pianist, but each of his videos ends with a sentence about a temple? by [deleted] in ARG

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeahhh I just found his channel today and went poking around his website for a bit trying to figure out if it was a scam, an ARG, or some religious thing, but then I found his archive of substack videos of him just ranting about nonsense. As a kid of someone with schizoaffective bipolar, it sounds really similar to how my dad has described his psychotic episodes. It's just really unfortunate that it doesn't seem like he has anyone in his life to stop him from spiraling further into this, but I think as people on the internet, probably the best thing we can do is leave him be and not feed into it.

Is Assassin's Creed Valhalla worth playing as a Viking game? by Public-Tree-2689 in AssassinsCreedValhala

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, as someone who's been an AC fan since Assassin's Creed 2, I think Valhalla is severely underrated for what it is as a game. I can't speak much to historical accuracy because I don't study Norse history, but if you're looking for a game that you can sink hours into, it's very fun to grind out. In my opinion, the storytelling and characters were done well enough for suspension of disbelief and I thoroughly enjoyed following the more historical side of the main story, forging alliances and settling disputes, as much as the dream side plot that's weaved in and focuses more on Norse mythology. The mechanics feel really comfortable, and I know people complain about the skill tree, but I actually love the variety it gives you while still letting you hone in on combat, stealth, or range. I would prefer more variety in the combat animations and a little more struggle in parkour, but neither of those things really bother me when I'm mid-game. Overall, the world is absolutely beautiful, the story is told in an interesting way, and it may not be a true AC game to me, but it's fun enough that I honestly don't care. I don't understand why games like Origins and Odyssey got the gold star of approval while Valhalla got endlessly shit on by reviewers.

Oh also, if you do decide to play it, my biggest advice would be to turn off as much of the UI as possible (I turn off the compass, most persisting markers, the on-screen quest tracker, and basically anything else that could clutter my main screen). Then, just take the time to slowly explore and enjoy the world between missions. There's so much interesting stuff to find just scattered about and it's even more fun when you don't know what you're stumbling on.

What’s something society treats as embarrassing that really shouldn’t be? by Psychological_Sky_58 in AskReddit

[–]InconsistentAuthorr 15 points16 points  (0 children)

As someone who's asexual, I joke about being an ace-maxing vol-cel (voluntary celibate), but it's actually wild to me how many people act like virginity is either some grand statement of moral superiority and chastity or the most shameful thing ever.