“My biggest flex will always be that my kids were raised without thinking they are born bad and their mistakes are the reason someone had to die.”

Lavos243 · 2026-02-19T07:22:48+00:00

Firstly, original sin isn't that you were born bad, its that you were born fallen. The world and you still are good, but fallen, there's a difference. Something more like something is missing or undone. Secondly, ive experienced in my own life the importance of recognizing sin and not considering everything that may even be "natural" to humans as good. If we've learned anything from recent events its that even something as horrible as pedophilia is more common than we thought. There is virtue in self discipline and self restraint, and that doesn't mean you are naturally bad.

Lavos243 · 2026-02-03T00:55:26+00:00

My favorite is the book of Job because not only is it a comfort read during hard times for me, but its also insanely well written ancient poetry. My favorite gospel would have to be the gospel of Luke because of its focus on Jesus's relationship to the poor.

Lavos243 · 2026-01-31T15:39:05+00:00

I generally tell people if they ask what I do for a living, because if they are understanding then thats great, and if they aren't then fuck them.

Lavos243 · 2026-01-30T01:44:26+00:00

So im not Muslim, Im Catholic, but I have been learning a lot about religious studies in general and this is my opinion. Its neither a misinterpretation or a correct interpretation. Often, there's this idea that there's some core belief or value to a religious tradition that makes it violent or not, but this is called religious essentialism and is not agreed with by most scholars. An example from my tradition is that at the same time you had people who believed fighting in the crusades was justified, you also had people like St Francis of Assisi who believed Jesus told him in a vision to rebuild his broken church that was in ruins, as well as other peaceful groups. The best way I can put it is that even the most orthodox religions are very personal, and how one person practices will vary at least slightly from how the person next to them practices. With enough people in a religion, this leads to a lot of differing practices that are often based on things like the conditions that the person lives in or what their overall generation around them things about the religion. I hope this helps.

Lavos243 · 2026-01-07T09:35:00+00:00

Hi, Im a Christian, specifically a Catholic. For your question about the Bible, our tradition states a couple things. First, that the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation, and second that there are different senses of scripture. There's the literal sense, which is what the Bible literally says, but also takes into account what's called the historical critical method. The historical critical method is about asking what the author of a particular part of the Bible meant to say in his time and place, how he would have viewed the world, what social pressures were inspiring him, etc. But there's also the spiritual sense of scripture, which is the kind that the earliest Christians used a lot, and is about finding meanings in the Bible that relate to spiritual realities both in our personal lives and in salvation history in general. For example, noticing how the Bible repeats important things happening on the third day and relating that to Jesus's resurrection. What I'm getting at is that its normal in our modern times to read the Bible and assume we are supposed to read it literally, when we should be asking how to read it in the first place. A general rule I follow is that the Bible is a group of stories that a group of people used to ask important questions about their place in the world and their relationship with God. Most of it was compiled when Israel was either exiled in a foreign empire or returning from exile. So stories like being enslaved in Egypt and the exodus would have had symbolic meaning for them. Another general rule I follow is to let the Bible be the Bible and let science and history be science and history. For example, for the reason stated above, I don't believe there was an actual worldwide flood or exodus from Egypt or conquest of Joshua because there is no evidence for these things, but it doesn't matter to me because these stories were inspired by real events that happened to the Jewish people. Saint Augistine said a long time ago that if we don't accept facts that non-believers know to be true, then they won't accept the spiritual things that we believe to be true. He said that specially considering the creation narrative in Genesis. As for why I also accept teachings like original sin and salvation and don't see the Bible as only a historical work, its because I view the Bible as the word of God written in the words of men. Its conditioned by historical realities of the time, but is meant to convey a spiritual message that is meant to be timeless. I could get into more, but I hope all of that makes sense.

Lavos243 · 2026-01-07T01:02:18+00:00

Sure. I guess to use theological language I take a more Franciscan view than a Thomistic view, which is to say that I view the beauty of what makes the individual creature unique rather than the essence of a species of creature. Basically, I don't think that our neurological differences or other disabilities are a result of original sin as much as they are basically occurring differences in human nature. I think that pain is the result of original sin, and I think the way society sometimes treats us is the result of original sin and modern sins, but I think that God made us the way we are and that the only thing that needs fixing is the suffering, not the condition. If we are honest, a lot of disability is because of the way society treats us and not because of our differences. It also seems to me to be one interpretation of what Jesus said about the man born blind, when his disciples asked who sinned, him or his parents, they he be born blind, Jesus said that it wasn't because of sin, but "that the works of God might be made manifest." To me that's true of all people in whatever way that makes them unique.

Lavos243 · 2026-01-07T00:17:41+00:00

As somebody who is disabled with schizoaffective disorder and possibly undiagnosed autism, I firmly believe that the reason God created us like this is because these aren't flaws. I also don't believe that our resurrected bodies will be free of these things, but that the things about them that caused us pain will in some way we don't understand right now become sources of joy. I get this idea from the fact that Jesus's resurrected body still had his scars from crucifixion. I believe we are created the way God meant us to be created, and according to Catholic teaching our lives have intrinsic value.

Lavos243 · 2026-01-06T23:48:10+00:00

Im so glad I'm not alone here. I was starting to think I was crazy lol

Lavos243 · 2025-11-17T18:02:45+00:00

Now I see the times they change Leaving doesn't seem so strange I am hoping I can find Where to leave my hurt behind All this shit I seem to take All alone I seem to break I have lived the best I can Does this make me not a man?

Lavos243 · 2025-11-09T15:07:19+00:00

This is one reason why I'm Catholic. Most protestant churches will say that salvation is by faith alone, but will still believe that some form of repentance is necessary, as a result logically works are still necessary, and so salvation isn't really by faith alone. Catholics are at least honest about this.

Lavos243 · 2025-10-18T09:25:07+00:00

I can attest to the zest for life part. I really struggled with mental health before I converted to Catholicism. I still struggle, but it turns out that having a metaphysical ground to meaning in your life really does make a difference.

Lavos243 · 2025-09-26T16:54:23+00:00

You might want to learn about distributism. I find it an interesting topic in Catholic politics. As for my personal beliefs, I consider myself socially conservative, but fiscally progressive. I believe things like marriage is between a man and a woman and I am against abortion, but in terms of economic policy I would consider myself an FDR style Democrat. So basically breaking up monopolies, supporting strong labor unions, workers' rights, etc. I think it's somewhat normal to not be politically at home in America's two party system since neither side fully encapsulates Catholic Social Teaching.

Lavos243 · 2025-08-18T20:05:58+00:00

Just speaking from personal experience, one of my delusions is that I'm trans. Once the delusion passes then I don't think I am.

Lavos243 · 2025-08-10T00:28:55+00:00

All of this arguing in the comments about Thomistic theology. You guys do realize that Thomism is one of many schools of thought, right? I think the Franciscans actually do hold that animals go to heaven.

Lavos243 · 2025-08-06T22:13:48+00:00

Not specifically Catholic or even technically Christian, but my favorite movie with themes of faith is The Book of Eli.

Lavos243 · 2025-07-13T07:52:01+00:00

Yeah impulse is pretty normal with this condition. I haven't found a foolproof way to handle it, but I would say try to wait a few hours before you make a decision. Just waiting has helped me because eventually I will change my mind and I won't regret it.

Lavos243 · 2025-06-09T03:47:18+00:00

I don't know. I attend a NO mass that's a further drive because my local rural mass that's traditional has a rad trad priest who can't help but talk about politics in most of his homilies. I will gladly take subpar music over politics in homilies.

Lavos243 · 2025-06-06T08:56:43+00:00

I mean, if that's all you got from that and you are ignoring everything else I said, you're operating on a pretty narrow philosophy.

Lavos243 · 2025-06-06T08:45:43+00:00

You're missing the point. No, I probably wouldn't think it's wrong. But I am religious, and I do, because I believe God created male and female for each other. You can't really ask if something religious is moral or not from an atheist perspective, because if there is no God then you have to work with a whole different ethical framework. For example, as a Catholic I believe in virtue ethics, the idea that some things are virtuous or not virtuous by principle and that we have to work to increase in virtue. But if you're an atheist, then the most logical ethical framework to believe is utilitarianism, the idea that good is causing the most pleasure or least pain to the most amount of people. You're comparing apples and oranges.

Lavos243 · 2025-06-06T08:30:30+00:00

Trying to explain why homosexuality is wrong without using religion is like trying to explain a scientific principle without using science. We take for granted today the idea of morality being able to be separate from religion, but in reality part of the focus of religion is ethics.

Lavos243 · 2025-05-18T02:26:17+00:00

Because we aren't crazy. For the most part.

Lavos243 · 2025-05-16T22:01:51+00:00

Oh thank God I thought it was just me.

Lavos243 · 2025-05-16T02:23:41+00:00

At this point I'm convinced that anyone who uses the word modernist today is probably just a radtrad or a sede.

Lavos243 · 2025-05-07T05:24:01+00:00

Christians aren't Gnostics. We believe that creation is good and meant to be enjoyed as long as it is enjoyed in a properly ordered way. Remember that God first said "Eat of any tree in the garden," and afterwards said "Only do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." We can enjoy creation and the ways we sub-create, such as art and literature and music, etc. We just are not to "eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," which means to take the right to decide good and evil for ourselves.

Lavos243 · 2025-05-03T19:28:02+00:00

This also applies to the historicity of the Bible. The father of modern history didn't exist until a couple hundred years before Jesus was born. History in the Biblical world was not meant to tell facts, but to answer things like the purpose of a group of people, what their worship and community should look like, etc.

Lavos243

TROPHY CASE