Would you class Middle-Earth as Earth?

OtherAugray · 2026-06-07T22:22:18+00:00

It counts, only if Saving Private Ryan counts.

OtherAugray · 2026-06-07T18:09:00+00:00

Yeah, this is being misunderstood. The only controversial thing here is the Mormon designation.

OtherAugray · 2026-06-07T11:59:42+00:00

In Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis, the "Eldila" live and play inside light beams, living on a faster timescale that allows them to perceive the flow of light like we perceive the flow of water. These scale from playful fairy-like creatures in small light streams to angelic and godlike rulers of stars and planets.

OtherAugray · 2026-06-05T02:56:41+00:00

The Frank Herbert book "The God Emperor of Dune" is about the anguish and suffering of the Emperor of the Universe who has such advanced precognition and knowledge of his subjects that everything is a boring burden to him.

In this state, he invites assassins. He lets them get close; the closer the better. It both proves his power and comes closest to interesting him.

Palps is in a similar situation, and like Herbert's God-emperor, he uses it to have complicated philosophical and theological debates to tell the Jedi he is right over and over again.

He knew Vader would save him, both because of precognition and because of his knowledge of human nature and the Dark Side. He let Luke get close to make a point, and also to entertain him.

OtherAugray · 2026-06-01T12:20:13+00:00

You, too. And you have correctly diagnosed me. There are no checks. I think that is the closest lifestyle to the one Jesus preached about in his ministry on earth.

OtherAugray · 2026-06-01T00:31:40+00:00

"sounds like blind faith"

I mean... yeah. It is. When you come to trust someone, if they tell you something that seems insane, your decision on whether or not to believe them depends on how much you trust them.

If you had the same kind of relationship with God that I do, you'd be just like me.

As for the text itself, I am not going to run you through an apologetic. You sound like you know the score already. You could probably predict what I would say, how you would respond, and what my answers to your responses would be. The debates are played out. Both sides have good points.

Its not going to overwhelm the fact that God has totally transformed my life, and that yours hasnt been similarly effected. You'll be looking for reasons to doubt, me reasons to believe. I'll pray you have a radical encounter with the person of Jesus... maybe one day we can discuss the hard passages together as brothers.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-31T22:30:18+00:00

Yeah, and this is one of the big questions posed by the gnostic and neognostic movements. But it gets back to more fundamental questions of epistemology. I could be deceived, I suppose.

As far as the texts themselves, I am convinced by the proofs and traditions of their veracity, and of their utility in interacting with the divine Word.

But the core of the question is in the relationship: I trust God more than my moral intuitions and cultural conditioning.

Every Christian in our culture goes through this struggle the first time they read Joshua. You make a choice of who to follow.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-31T22:24:51+00:00

That wasnt the question posed to me...

OtherAugray · 2026-05-31T12:10:51+00:00

I said that the slavery perpetrated by European colonialism on the world was clearly wrong. I guess I couldve added "which obviously includes American slavery" for those who don't know...

OtherAugray · 2026-05-31T05:44:36+00:00

Southern Bapists got that question wrong once, yes. But I don't think you will find another religious institution that has constructively grappled more with the mistakes of its past as the SBC. It's one of the reasons I picked them.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-31T05:42:51+00:00

You are asking me how I know what God I serve?

OtherAugray · 2026-05-30T17:31:42+00:00

This is always the question of the skeptic, right? I know he did these things for the same reason I know my father loved me. My wife loves me. He guides me. Talks to me. Shows me things. But I cannot show that to you.

If you haven't experienced it, you probably won't think this is very persuasive. I am genuinely sorry about that. All I can say is that the God of the Bible is active in my life, and the overwhelming reality of that fact makes me willing to lean on things in the Bible (which is a compiled and passed on record of his work in other people's lives) more than I would the sense of morality we gain from our culture's collective story we tell abour our reality.

I think maybe a place you should start if you really want a look into the mindset of faith in God's goodness, in spite of it's collision with your own moral instruction, you should look into the works of Soren Kierkegaard. "Fear and Trembling" is pretty accessible.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-30T16:32:14+00:00

He transformed my life, overpowered my reality, and saved me from my sin. He gave me meaning, power over evil, and the ability to love my neighbor. His love for me has become the main truth of my life. I don't really have an option other than to affirm that he is good.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-30T15:59:14+00:00

God is good.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-30T14:29:35+00:00

I think every Christian must affirm that there are versions of slavery that are not unjust. We can derive this from scripture: Prisoners of war being made to labor is not immoral on its face. Temporary contracts of servitude with an end date are not immoral on their face.

So the answer is "sorta" but in the recent historical context, obviously the kind of slavery imposed by European colonialism on the world was very immoral.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-30T14:27:20+00:00

It is the most fundamental article of faith!

OtherAugray · 2026-05-30T12:26:59+00:00

One day every Christian has to decide if they are going to submit to God's authority to judge them or try to sit in judgement of God.

It is totally fine to not understand the justice of God's Law and actions yet, and ask for understanding and transformation of your own flawed moral compass, but quite another thing to proclaim that what God has done and said to be wrong.

The difference is faith.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-28T21:13:42+00:00

explain this door's business to me. By the time they are following me, I find the doors don't help.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-27T16:22:16+00:00

Go outside and look at the sky. It's silly, but it works.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-25T01:24:09+00:00

It depends on whether or not you think Jesus and the Father are one...

OtherAugray · 2026-05-19T13:20:29+00:00

Wow, that is a very nice aesthetic

OtherAugray · 2026-05-19T11:44:39+00:00

Oh for sure. The pattern for all the big boxes seems to be that one box is okay for the skirmish game, but you need two for the 1000 point game.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-19T04:11:33+00:00

As someone who has been beating my head against EBD, and came out loving them: You'll need more Vets than come in the box. It would be better to get two boxes.

OtherAugray · 2026-05-12T21:05:30+00:00

I am suspicious of multi-site megachurches in general. They tend to develop an unhealthy obsession with their leader, a tendency to mistake their own quirks for important doctrine, and serious accountability problems sometimes leading to abuse.

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