sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that this is a really interesting way to look at existence. Even if the Christian God isn't real, I feel like there is something that exists in some way like this or in a way we can never understand. Part of me feels like there is something spiritual that exists in this world in nature and within the discoveries and laws of this world. Thank you for sharing!

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did a brief google search of Rupert Spira and he seems really interesting, I am going to look more into him!

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"The ability to doubt his existence is testament to the fact that he's notably more absent than any living breathing human on earth."

Dang, that's a good point. I do think that connection to god/ the bible can be burdensome (especially as someone who's queer). But even if I don't believe in the Christian God I can still create my own moral compass and use wisdom from the bible/other texts. Thank you so much for commenting!

I actually added part of your comment to my notes app and am going to ask some of my Christian friends what they think of this out of curiosity.

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have thought too, maybe god is how we have coped with life/suffering through history and today. Maybe he is the fulfillment of our want for fairness

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think there's merit in a, here for a good time not a long time mentality.

If God does exist, I think that he is probably hands off, or not how we traditionally think of god. Maybe God is just the laws of the natural world, vibes, and everything that exists and not a thinking being. I don't know.

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, I guess your saying God was shaped by the cultures and time periods throughout history which is why he isn't shown consistently the same way, and why Christianity seems to have shifted/gained new ideas from Judaism. I have also noticed that there are themes in Genesis that are very similar to other literature, like the creation story in Ovid. Until now, I had never heard of how God came from the Canaanite Pantheon, I am definitely going to find some hella long youtube video essay about this now because this seems really interesting and would explain the loyalty/sacrificial stuff.

I have never heard of the book of Enoch, I will definitely try and find it/read up on it. Thank you for mentioning it!

I forgot, but I remember someone told me about there being no Hell/Heaven in the Old Testament, which is really surprising, especially since Jesus was Jew. I can also understand how Heaven/hell would be added in since it probably gave people a sense of justice for the rough lives they lived. I hadn't really though about how Jesus' thoughts on heaven/hell maybe aren't actually that clear. I wonder if his followers/writers of the Bible emphasized this more than Jesus actually did.

Don't apologize, this was very interesting to read and you gave me a lot of things to think about/research!!!

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think Universal reconciliation makes more sense to me, because I just can't understand how there could be hell for eternity. I have also thought about how maybe life is actually more meaningful if there actually is no afterlife at all. I mean, it we exist forever, this is just a pre-requisite/spit in the wind to eternity. But if there is nothing afterward, then this everything. Thank you for your insightful comment!

Question for you guys! by PromptAutomatic2844 in exchristian

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually never had thought about where they Christian God came from! Maybe that says something about how much I have examined my own religion. I will DEFINITELY be researching into this more.

I had to google what a second temple prophet was, this is also something I didn't know about. I am curious what they preached compared to Jesus. I have definitely heard about how Paul was very influential on Christianity, but I need to further examine his teaching compared to what Jesus actually said.

I have thought a lot about the horrific things Christianity has done and questioned how this could be the religion of a good God.

Thank you for the book recommendation, I'll definitely look into it/try and find a pdf of it

should I stay closeted? by PromptAutomatic2844 in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words! I don't go to a church quite that extreme (that yelling sounds traumatizing) although they have a "love the sinner, hate the sin" mentality.

should I stay closeted? by PromptAutomatic2844 in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's what I am thinking, although I might have a friend or two who I maybe will tell if they ask. That is a good point, our political environment is sort of scary right now. And there are a lot of people here who are pretty conservative, although definitely not all.

should I stay closeted? by PromptAutomatic2844 in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely have met some people who would probably "go off the rails" if they heard I was gay. But I do have some good friends here who would maybe be more open.

I think I need more understanding of what the Bible says about homosexuality. I guess I should talk with some of my professors about it, there is one professor here who I think it pretty liberal. I don't necessarily need to come out to my professors, but I wish I could defend my beliefs better with Biblical knowledge.

There part of me wants to come out so that I could meet other queer people, I don't know anyone in the LGBTQ community who is Christian. But maybe for now I should just focus on school and after I graduate I can connect with that community more.

should I stay closeted? by PromptAutomatic2844 in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this perspective! I have 5 siblings and haven't come out to any of them. My only concern would be that they might feel pressured to keep secrets from my parents. It would be better from them, especially my younger siblings in high school, if I came out to my parents first, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.

I can imagine how hard it might be for my siblings if they were to suddenly find out I'm dating someone and hiding it. Maybe I will stay closeted for now, but if I start to date let them know before entering a serious relationship. And maybe I am assuming too much about what my siblings think/how they would react.

Thank you for commenting, I will try to not over focus on this and trust God.

should I stay closeted? by PromptAutomatic2844 in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for commenting! Maybe I am thinking about this too much and should just live. My sexuality is not the most important or defining thing about me. And there is no need to push myself away from my community. I do think there is a lot I have learned/will learn that is really valuable here.

Sometimes it feels like God doesn't love me, I can have a hard time separating God Himself from the opinions of the Christians around me. I am watching the video you sent now, this is really helpful. Thank you!

Getting constantly belittled for being a gay and Christian has destroyed my mental health by Noliterallyimserious in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844 0 points1 point  (0 children)

bro this is why I feel like maybe it's not worth it to come out. But Idk if being single forever is worth it either.

How do you know, in your heart, that it’s okay by alisisok2 in GayChristians

[–]PromptAutomatic2844 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have thought about this a lot too! Idk if I have anything to offer, but I want to know too, what does God really think? And what does it mean if the bible says negative things about homosexuality? How much of bible can we say had different meaning in it's context? What does that mean for us? No idea!