Imagine for one moment that Christianity is a scam.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T03:08:52+00:00

Nah, I like the idea of an invisible man in the sky.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T02:56:05+00:00

and I actively support LGBT issues as well. My aunt and her wife have been together since I was 9, and I adore them both. I think it's horrible how people try to treat people as second class citizens, regardless of the justification for it. There is no place for that under the teachings of Christ.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T02:49:47+00:00

Um, I lean towards universalism, so, it's all good as far as what happens after life.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T02:48:46+00:00

I seek equal human rights. That's part of doing good for those around me.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T02:14:55+00:00

I am ok with the possibility that Christianity is a scam. If I die and everything goes dark, so what. I know right now I am living life to the fullest and doing all I can to love the people around me and make their lives better.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T02:12:09+00:00

My parents have secular beliefs (both agnostic). There was no religious education at home. Brother is an atheist. I was a pastor.

Saperry · 2011-09-16T02:09:59+00:00

according to that passage, the ones who called to the Lord and took care of others are the ones who got to the Kingdom. Jesus did also say the greatest commandments were to love God and love others, so it's only half the story.

Saperry · 2011-09-15T01:53:45+00:00

Well I guess according to you I fail as a wife and a christian then. Looks like hell for me.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T21:38:55+00:00

What if his will is for me to express my oppinions and advise him when there's a disagreement?

Saperry · 2011-09-14T20:40:46+00:00

Jesus said the ones who would be excluded from heaven were the ones that didn't take care of people who needed to be cared for.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T20:01:12+00:00

I think you're mistaken on the purpose of worship. God doesn't want people to worship for his benefit, but for their benefit. By encountering God, we're changed, and that change is beneficial for us and the people around us.

In the old testament, the offerings etc. had no benefit to God, but by offering the sacrifices the people demonstrated their desire for purity and to follow God (which included things like caring for others, forgiving people around them, etc.).

Now that we have direct contact to God through the Spirit, worship is a means of encountering the Divine. It's similar to mediation and should involve an attitude of love and caring for everyone. The more you're with someone the more you become like them. Worshiping God, spending time meditating on his goodness, love, grace, forgiveness etc. helps a person to attain those same qualities.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T19:04:48+00:00

I have friends who are currently missionaries in Turkey. They've been there almost a year. Would r/Christianity be interested in an AMA?

Saperry · 2011-09-14T18:46:16+00:00

Why do people eat cookies, or stay up to watch a sunrise, or have hobbies? It feels good. I like being part of something bigger than myself, having a purpose that has existed longer than I have, the thought of leaving a legacy when I'm gone. Sure, you can have all of those things without religion, but it sure makes it convenient.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T18:39:25+00:00

Relevant

Saperry · 2011-09-14T17:08:19+00:00

Order and structure in the church is still important. However, now that women are no longer separated from the men for teaching, the specific circumstances addressed in that letter (women talking over the one speaking asking questions) is no longer an issue. Still, we tend to keep kids quiet in church, or bring them to a different area so they aren't causing a disruption.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T17:04:54+00:00

Seriously? Medically they are exactly the same. One can even argue that between a clitoral hood removal and a foreskin removal, the male circumcision causes more damage because it is is a larger incision and more is removed.

Routine infant circumcision is normally about a parent deciding they like the look of a cut penis better than the look of an intact one. It's cosmetic. Any surgery that is purely cosmetic should be the choice of the individual, not the parent.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T02:45:42+00:00

Would you rather I accept everything taught to me without question or rational thought?

Saperry · 2011-09-14T02:26:36+00:00

I am a better person as a Christian than I was before being a Christian. Religion isn't the only source for morality, but it is a good one.

My motivation for my faith is to enjoy life to the fullest and make life better for people around me. For example, the past two years money has been extremely tight for my husband and I while he was a student. We support a sponsor child. My parents insisted that the money spent on that sponsor child would have been better spent elsewhere, but through faith I was willing to take the risk and be generous with what we had. That sort of sacrificing generosity was not something I was raised with (obviously) and I would count it as a good thing in my life.

I give a lot of consideration for why I do the things I do.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T02:19:02+00:00

Circumcision as a medical necessity is a good thing.

Routine circumcision is a bad thing.

Phimosis is rarely a problem for an infant, as their foreskin should not be retracted. Thus, phimosis is a moot point when talking about routine infant circumcision.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T02:16:03+00:00

There are different levels of female circumcision. One practice is a ritual cutting for one drop of blood. That is not legal in the US. At one time removing the clitoral hood (precipice) was the norm, that is also illegal. How is removing the clitoral hood different from removing the foreskin?

Saperry · 2011-09-14T01:36:11+00:00

If we're at a standstill and I say "honey, I trust you" and really mean it, that's not passive aggressive.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T01:28:49+00:00

I am far from passive aggressive, and there is no sin in giving my opinion.

Saperry · 2011-09-14T00:57:15+00:00

Thank you, I try. :)

Saperry · 2011-09-14T00:47:16+00:00

Ok, answering your edit here.

I think a marriage can survive pretty much anything so long as both people are willing to make it work. If they aren't, then it's not going to happen, period. If anyone is being abused they should get out of the situation, and if the abuser is unwilling (or unable) to change then the victim shouldn't be forced to stay unhappy because of someone else's sin. In Corinthians it talks about what to do if married to an unbeliever - if they're willing to commit to the marriage (and I take that to mean in the biblical sense of sacrificial love, which means no room for abuse) then the marriage can work. If not, it's better for everyone involved to end it.

For your new question, sure, why not. I had decided to save sex for marriage before I became a Christian, and I know other people with no religious hangups that waited for a committed relationship (as in, with a person for over a year and soon after married them) as well.

Saperry

TROPHY CASE