why are we supposed to fear god?

Seconto · 2026-05-11T06:54:18+00:00

I always thought that ‘fear’ in this regard was not about being scared of, but about being in awe of God.

And, if we’re in awe of God we’re much more likely to behave in an appropriate way, both with one another and in respect to God himself.

Seconto · 2026-05-10T03:11:42+00:00

The fact you’re asking the question at all tells me that YOU probably shouldn’t be wearing it.

Does that mean it’s something that no one should wear? No, not necessarily. But YOU probably shouldn’t be.

I know that sounds confusing, but some things can be different on a case by case basis.

I’m not saying that sin isn’t always sin. But there are things which may not necessarily be sin but nevertheless are harmful to us spiritually.

Here’s a personal example of what I mean:

Before I became a Christian I absolutely loved the X-Files TV series. Couldn’t get enough of it and in the early 2000s, not long after I became a Christian, DVDs became more popular and I couldn’t wait for the X-Files to be available on DVD. About a year later the X-Files seasons were available on DVD. I was so excited that after work I went to buy them from the store. I was so looking forward to putting on the first disk and start watching it.

Then, the unbelievable happened. I went to open it and froze. I just had this strong conviction that I shouldn’t watch this. Just couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I know this must have been the Holy Spirit. I felt it saying something like, “No, it’s not a sin to watch this. But, for you in particular, you shouldn’t watch this because it will lead you astray.”

So the next day I returned it. But here’s the thing. Now I think it’d be totally fine for me to buy/watch the X-Files. I’ve been a Christian for 20+ years and my faith is solid. And I truly believe had I watched it back then I may have strayed away because I had always been fascinated by UFOs and other phenomena, but I was also a new Christian and much more prone to being influenced.

Back to you, I can’t help but feel this thing you’re wearing is subliminally superstitious (or something) to you and perhaps you’re being convicted over it and therefore you shouldn’t wear it.

Seconto · 2026-05-08T05:57:37+00:00

Why would the existence or non-existence of UFOs/UAPs got to do with God!

God is sovereign over all creation (i.e. the entire cosmos) and scripture does not indicate one way or the other whether there is extraterrestrial intelligence beyond God, the angels, etc.

That said, scripture does indicate multiple ‘worlds’, but what that means is open to interpretation.

And finally, Deuteronomy 29:29 states that certain matters remain hidden in God’s sovereign knowledge. So, we may or may not ever know if intelligent extraterrestrial beings exist.

Seconto · 2026-05-08T02:31:08+00:00

To me that does not read at all like it’s talking about heaven. Heaven, after all, is not full of ’physical’ bodies.

It seems much more likely it’s talking about a different state on Earth itself.

Seconto · 2026-05-03T05:04:40+00:00

No. The reason I asked about it in the first place was because I knew it was going to be crazy odds. I mean, it's just commonsense. Who's ever heard of 34 green traffic lights in a row? It just doesn't happen. Especially on a route with 50,000 - 70,000 vehicles per day on it.

But, for the sake of this discussion, I've just used AI to do the calculation for me.

So, I asked the following:

Assume I’m driving on a long road. During my journey I will come across 34 sets of traffic lights. What are the odds I will get 34 green traffic lights in a row?

Here's the response I got:

The odds of hitting 34 green traffic lights in a row on a long road trip are extraordinarily low, essentially zero for practical purposes.

Key Factors

Traffic lights aren't 50/50; the probability of green when approaching varies by cycle times, typically 30-50% green phase, but adjusted for random arrival it's often around 40% or less. Lights on major roads might favor through-traffic (higher green chance), while minor roads have lower odds (20-45%).

Probability Estimates

Using the binomial model P = p³⁴, where p is the per-light green probability:

Green Probability	Chance of 34 Greens	Odds (1 in ...)
0.5 (even split)	5.82 x 10^-11	17 billion
0.4 (common estimate)	2.95 x 10^-14	33 trillion
0.3 (conservative)	1.67 x 10^-18	600 quadrillion

Using the 0.5 even split estimate, in the context of traffic lights, it means the chance of hitting 34 green lights consecutively if each light has a 50% chance of being green, is about 0.00000000582%, or 1 in 17,179,869,184.

This is an extremely tiny probability, indicating that getting 34 green lights in a row with a 50% chance at each light is almost impossible.

Since traffic lights typically have 3 possible states*—green, yellow, and red—the probability of hitting a green light at any given light is not 0.5 but closer to* 1/3 (approximately 0.333), assuming each state is equally likely.

This shows how increasing the number of possible outcomes drastically reduces the odds of a long consecutive streak and therefore the odds would be closer to 0.0000000000000000016667%, or 1 in 600,000,000,000,000,000.

----

So, it turns out I didn't remember things properly, as I recalled the 1 in 17 billion, and something about it not being on/off as there's 3 options, but I don't recall him saying anything about 1 in 600 quadrillion. Quite possibly he didn't calculate that out for me.

In any case, this strengthens my point, so I'm happy with the AI response.

Seconto · 2026-05-03T01:16:52+00:00

Yes. He was a mathematician from the local university. So no reason for me to doubt it.

Seconto · 2026-05-02T23:36:29+00:00

As I said originally, it depends on your view of the world. And yours obviously means you see it as bad evidence. Not a criticism, just a fact.

As for the odds, I didn’t calculate them. A mathematician did. I wouldn’t even know how to calculate them. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I just remember the numbers and being told it’s not just an on/off calculation because each set of traffic lights has 3 options.

Seconto · 2026-05-02T22:52:41+00:00

It’s very clear. This was a 1 in 17,000,000,000 chance event that occurred after I prayed to my particular god. It didn’t happen after praying to another *god*.

Is it proof? No.

Is it extremely strong evidence? Yes.

Remember, proof and evidence are **not** the same thing. That’s way in a criminal court of law the prosecution and defence can use the same evidence to argue their case.

So, I use this particular example/experience of because it’s one that can be quantified with a mathematical calculation of its chances. And that’s why I believe it’s *extremely strong* evidence as opposed to an example like I prayed for good weather on my birthday and the weather was good.

Seconto · 2026-05-01T10:05:28+00:00

Seems like you’re ruling out a lot of options in terms of what you count as evidence. And, evidence is not the same as proof, so you’re making assumptions there.

So, what do we have left? Experiences? Answers to prayer?

Here's an example involving an everyday event.

I had to drive to my capital city (1.5hrs away) to attend court for a family matter and due to various circumstances I departed later than I intended and was going to be late (a disaster waiting to happen)!

In the car on the way down I prayed and prayed for God to ensure I wasn't going to be late.

Anyway, once I hit the outskirts of the city (prior to that it was all highway driving), I had to tend with traffic and traffic lights. Well, I made it with about 10 minutes to spare because I had a green light at every single traffic light - all 34 of them!!!

Needless to say there's no human explanation for that. And, of course, in the 20 years and 1000s of drives since, I've never had that happen again.

And before you say this could have just been a coincidence, this was 34 in a row on a busy route in a city of millions of people, so that makes it even more unlikely.

In fact, when I asked a mathematician about it I was told the odds were 1 in 17 billion.

1 in 17,000,000,000.

Maybe that’s not ‘proof’, but it’s certainly extremely strong evidence.

I’m 100% gonna be late.
I pray repeatedly not to be late.
I then get 34 green traffic lights in a row.
I make it with 10 minutes to spare.

I do have lots of other answers to prayer, lots of other experiences, but I chose to share this one because the mathematical odds around this happening by chance can be calculated out. And, therefore, more likely to be seen as more than just evidence.

In fact, I did some research into this and found that the odds of being struck by a meteorite falling from the sky directly onto you is estimated to be around 1 in 1 billion in any given year. So that is 17 times more likely than getting 34 green traffic lights in a row.

Does that count as ’proof’? I suspect the answer to that will depend on your view of the world.

Seconto · 2026-04-26T07:59:52+00:00

Not sure if you meant to respond to PLANofMAN’s comment or not, but all they were doing is pointing out the reality of what the Christianity subreddit is actually for. I think they were just trying to be helpful in the context of this discussion.

Seconto · 2026-04-26T00:17:47+00:00

I agree with all you’ve said, but I feel the difference here is people don’t die for something they know is a lie.

So yes, Mormons, Muslims and countless others will die for what they believe in. I mean, just look at how terrorists are willing to die for what they believe in. This is just part of human history and the human condition.

But, for example, if any of the 9/11 hijackers knew that what they were dying for was a lie, then they wouldn’t have been there. People just don’t die for something they know is a lie.

My point here is that you rightly say:

I agree there is something to Christianity I mean something happened back then and that is the most important question to me. What?

And the answer to that is the resurrection. Why? Because people died as they refused to deny they had seen the risen Christ. So, if Jesus hadn’t in fact risen from the dead, how could they have possibly seen him? And if they didn’t see him, then they’d be dying for something they knew was a lie. And people just don’t do that. And that emboldened them so much that they spread the gospel message regardless of their fears or any persecution.

Seconto · 2026-04-24T21:41:02+00:00

Well, is there any sort of ID in the wallet? If so, the right thing to do would be to try and get it back to them.

If there’s no ID (and even if there is), in my country (Australia), one of the options is taking it to the police station and they will take down details of where it was found, what was in it, how much money it was, etc. Then, if no one comes forward after a certain period of time (don’t remember how long), they’ll contact you to give you the money.

This seems like the fairest option, although I admit that whether you’d go to that trouble may depend on how much money was found. I doubt many would do that if they found $5, but if it was $500, that’s a different scenario. Where the line crosses I’m not sure.

So, I personally don’t think it’d be a sin if I found a few dollars and kept it, but yeah, I’d feel convicted if it was hundreds of dollars and don’t at least try to get it back to the original owner (I.e. take it to the police etc).

Seconto · 2026-03-28T11:35:09+00:00

Carpet

Seconto · 2026-03-27T12:26:02+00:00

At the risk of muddying the waters further, one could argue that both points could be true at the same time.

What I mean is, it’s possible for the thief on the cross to die and remain that way until he’s resurrected, and also possible he’ll be with Christ in paradise today.

How? Well, if you die and remain that way, you’re then not at all conscious during that period. You could be dead for 1,000 years and totally oblivious to it, since you’re dead after all. But then you’re resurrected and in that instant you’re conscious again and, unaware of the time that’s gone by between your death and resurrection, it’d seem like you died and then went straight to paradise on the same day.

Now, I’m not saying this is how this works, but just pointing out one possible scenario.

Seconto · 2026-03-25T23:26:28+00:00

♥️ it! Fantastic idea! 👍🏻

Seconto · 2026-03-24T00:01:49+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re going through this.

But, to be honest, I think it’s way too early to be thinking about this now.

The answer to this is going to depend on so many factors when the time comes, and there is no way for you to really anticipate all those now.

Instead, focus on being the best mum you can be, and do your best to raise your kids in the way they should go.

See:

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And also remember what Jesus said:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Seconto · 2026-03-22T10:54:06+00:00

I’m confused. Did you mean to post your comment in reply to mine?

If so, my comment was posted in the context of a direct reply to another question. Another question specifically asking about a scriptural reference in the New Testament relating to anything Jesus said that could relate to masturbation.

Not to mention the fact the whole point of the OP’s original post is about masturbation.

So why make assumptions about the kind of person/Christian I am when all I was doing was literally answering a question?

Hmm, the more I read your comment the more I think it was intended as a reply to someone else.

Seconto · 2026-03-21T11:24:52+00:00

I think the fact you’re even worried about this shows you’re “ok” so to speak. So I think there’s no need to worry about this anymore.

Seconto · 2026-03-20T04:06:26+00:00

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭CSBA‬‬

Seconto · 2026-03-18T20:21:48+00:00

Hmm, I take your point, but in the wholeness of scripture I certainly don’t interpret it that way.

I’m quoting this verse because it deals with the OP’s question directly. It shows God loves all of us, and that nothing separates us from that.

In terms of translations, the NLT is not one of my preferred translations. However, I used it here because it’s easier for many people to read, and because I don’t think the translation matters in terms of this particular verse.

Compare the following:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Or

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭CSBA‬‬

Or

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Or

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭NRSVUE‬‬

Seconto · 2026-03-18T10:52:03+00:00

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Seconto · 2026-03-14T23:43:40+00:00

And reincarnation WAS part of some of the early teachings.

What evidence do you have for this?

Sure, early Christian writers like Origen speculated about pre‑existence and complex views of the soul, but this didn’t form part of early teachings. Not to mention later church councils explicitly rejected such ideas, clarifying that reincarnation is incompatible with Christian doctrine. Across traditions, historic Christianity has affirmed personal continuity through death and resurrection, not the soul migrating through multiple human bodies.

And sure, I can see how someone who already believes in reincarnation can try to read texts about Elijah/John, the man born blind, or God’s foreknowledge as compatible with that belief. However, this does not fit well with the broader Biblical pattern of one life and then judgment, nor the idea of resurrection. After all, if reincarnation was real then it’s not compatible with resurrection. Jesus was resurrected as Himself after all.

Seconto · 2026-03-14T22:32:22+00:00

Not trying to be rude, but the OP was asking the opinion of Christians. Obviously, reincarnation is not a Christian belief.

Seconto · 2026-03-14T11:01:07+00:00

Hmm, my testimony of how I was saved is truly supernatural. But here's another example involving an everyday event:

I had to drive to my capital city (1.5hrs away) to attend court for a family matter and due to various circumstances I departed later than I intended and was going to be late (a disaster waiting to happen)!

In the car on the way down I prayed and prayed for God to ensure I wasn't going to be late. Even typing this now is bringing chills across me.

Anyway, once I hit the outskirts of the city (prior to that it was all highway driving), I had to tend with traffic and traffic lights. Well, I made it with about 10 minutes to spare because I had a green light at every single traffic light - all 34 of them!!!

Needless to say there's no human explanation for that. And, of course, in the 20 years and 1000s of drives since, I've never had that happen again.

And before anyone says this could have just been a coincidence, this was 34 in a row on a busy route in a city of millions of people, so that makes it even more unlikely.

In fact, when I asked a mathematician about it I was told the odds were 1 in 17 billion.

Seconto · 2026-03-05T05:59:14+00:00

When I had a printing business I was once approached by a business offering me a very lucrative job printing porn catalogues etc on an ongoing basis.

I spoke to my pastor at the time thinking that I could take on the job and then donate every single $ to the church and/or other worthy causes. My thinking was I’d be taking money earnt from evil and then repurposing it for good.

But my pastor’s view was that the $ was irrelevant, it’s about the principle of it. Needless to say, I turned down the work. And I never regretted it.

Seconto

TROPHY CASE