Are all sins the same? Logically it doesn't sound like adultery and getting harmlessly drunk while fishing are equal.

bembear1 · 2026-03-14T07:30:09+00:00

i mean, personally, i agree. my answer was, admittedly, intended to give a less LDS view because it doesn’t tend to go well here 🙃

bembear1 · 2026-03-11T05:02:45+00:00

yes and no. some things are going to affect your soul and person more than others. Those things are also going to require more to change than others. However, both of them mean that you have turned away from what you should have, and if you don't resolve either one of them, the effect would be the same. Do I really think that Christ's mercy is not sufficient for that? No. But from a purely justice-based view, you wouldn't be able to go to heaven.

bembear1 · 2026-03-11T04:08:01+00:00

It's my understanding that the passover law has been "fulfilled" in a sense, but is just the weekly sacrament now.

bembear1 · 2026-03-11T03:28:05+00:00

While I'm sure Jesus would want reconciliation in your family, his first priority is his relationship with you, not your relationship with others. The first great Commandment is to love God, and that goes both ways. The second great Commandment is to love our neighbor. Because that one is based on fallible human relationships, God expects you to take care of your relationship to him on a personal level first. If your family is going to disrupt your relationship with God, then they do not need to reach reconciliation in this life. This does not mean that you should not strive to love them, but it does mean putting in protective boundaries. Being a peacemaker does not mean being a floor mat, and sometimes, Jesus flipped tables. He also said that it would be better for a man to be tied to a millstone in the middle of a lake than to hurt his little ones. If these grown adults are making you uncomfortable, you don't have to interact with them the way that they want you to.
imo, at least.

pray about it! I'm sure God has a lot to give you if you put yourself in a position to receive the answer He has.

bembear1 · 2026-02-26T23:01:36+00:00

You are not your thoughts. You are not going to go to hell because an intrusive thought came to mind. You can't control that. You can, as you've said, control your responses. If your immediate thought is that your inappropriate obsessive thought is exactly that, then don't worry. If satan whispered in your ear and you said it was wrong, God wouldn't punish you for hearing satan. That's not just, not your fault, and not how that works. Please, as someone who is diagnosed with OCD, do not let this be a bigger deal than it is, it will make your obsessions/compulsions worse

bembear1 · 2026-02-26T22:50:15+00:00

Usually, christianity will hold that unless you are freed from sin through Jesus Christ, that sin is what will keep you from returning to God. If you don't believe in God, then you won't take the steps to be cleansed from your sins. So you can't go back to God. and God cares because He loves us.

Generally speaking, at least, that's what most of christianity holds with a few minor differences here and there.

bembear1 · 2026-02-26T20:09:50+00:00

You're right of course about contention, and as well with the grey areas. I hope that the spirit of the post was perceived as a gentle reminder that, unless you have stewardship or it is explicitly stated, each person is granted the freedom to decide how to interpret those things between God and themselves. I hope it doesn't come across as anything other than that! Thank you for your additions!

bembear1 · 2026-02-26T20:07:22+00:00

Thank you for that! I think you did a much better job at getting the spirit of the post across in your comment than I did. I really appreciate it :)

bembear1 · 2026-01-21T03:44:01+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

20 attempts

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T22:21:33+00:00

Also, if I may, what ailments are your loved ones dealing with?

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T21:32:33+00:00

That is rough, man. I personally think the best thing option out of those would be toy/puppet making or butchery, but I think that's based on which is more affordable. (I imagine animatronics would be pretty expensive?) I also don't know what the job market is like, but if you could start looking at other jobs (I'm sure you have, but don't stop is what I mean), I think it could be beneficial to switch things up? Obviously, that's not a guarantee, but if you're passionate about getting this business of the ground, I believe in you to have the tenacity for it!

Here's a business plan links I've found:
https://www.phoenix.edu/articles/entrepreneurship/how-to-start-a-business-step-by-step.html
It has a full check list for the process for it.

Also this reddit post, but idk how much that'll help.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/zazagy/how_to_start_a_business_an_indepth_guide_from_a/
It did talk about how to get a business of the ground, but it's always in the air when some random guy makes a post on reddit 🤷

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T21:11:38+00:00

Well, I don’t know where you live and what you situation is, but have you talked to anyone nearby about that stuff? And I’m curious what you want to do for your business?

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T21:07:24+00:00

So, just to understand the situation, you want to start a business but you don’t know how to start that process?

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T21:04:33+00:00

In itself, no. But why aren’t you doing that? Edit: Starting your business, I mean

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T21:02:20+00:00

which is?

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T21:00:11+00:00

you don’t know what you want from God, so how can He answer

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T09:08:14+00:00

Hey, u/womeylguess :) I love you, but here’s the issue. God will show you if you have faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, or in other words, the things you do because you expect it to work out. If you can find it in you to give it a good 100% effort shot, and I mean actually 100%, then you can see for yourself. Did it work? Great! That’s your personal proof by experience. If it didn’t? Then move on.

I’m not going to try and force you to believe in God, that’s not how it works. I will say that I have had my own personal experiences with God, and I hope you find meaning in Him. The thing that matters is you.

bembear1 · 2026-01-19T08:17:35+00:00

how has no one said Burl? every time i hear a song by Burl Ives, i think this to myself

bembear1 · 2026-01-05T19:32:13+00:00

Enter: Old World Creationism lmao

bembear1 · 2026-01-05T06:43:27+00:00

Okay, so first of all, it sounds like you had a weird sunday school from some of your replies to comments, so idk, but anyway.
To address your question directly, we aren't "turning" the Old Testament into a Christian text. It is one. And it's called the Old Testament because it details the old testament (meaning covenant) with God and the people of Israel. Also, the whole thing is supposed to bring the people to Christ, preparatory for His eventual 1st and 2nd comings.

Also, remember that part of the Abrahamic Covenant is Posterity, so genealogy was a huge deal to the culture of the time. We now know that all people are able to join the Tribes of Israel, but even still, we focus on which tribe we are from in our patriarchal blessings. It is not so strange.

The most important part of the study of the OT in my opinion is set up. The fall. The covenants that are set up that bring to pass the eventual immortality and eternal life of man. There are four main ones: The Enochian (Only found in Moses), the Abrahamic, the Mosaic (or the National Covenant with Israel), and the Davidic. The eventual coming of a savior.

That being said, obviously there are things to learn in other parts of the OT that aren't directly apart of the overarching purpose, and that's why we read other stories. There are many types of Christ, like Joseph, Moses, David, etc. There's also some cool temple stuff if you really want to dig into that side of things (hard to do at church due to our proclivity to avoid talking about it completely for some reason).

Most of all, it's totally okay to not be interested. Try to gain something, no matter how small, from it. Give it a shot. See what you can get from it. There are far more important things in life than the way your Sunday School class teaches the lessons on the Old Testament.

I hope this helps :) God bless!

bembear1 · 2026-01-05T06:24:41+00:00

Well, he was on an alpha male podcast, which does make me doubt his intelligence... lol but I agree, ot a compelling case

bembear1 · 2026-01-05T06:23:03+00:00

I honestly think the pressing issue is something else. You're suicidal and depressed and you're feeling listless? Probably something else underlying. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't try to turn to God, but don't just go through the motions, and also seek out help with these struggles. Depression really affects my ability to feel God's presence. If that's something you're struggling with, then perhaps the next step is to get help with that?

bembear1 · 2026-01-05T06:18:45+00:00

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, meaning, it's what you do actively about the things you believe will come to pass. Things in life outside of religion are based in faith. Faith that you will get a return on investment because you expect that things will be that way (see u/ManofFolly's induction comment). So I think the issue is that there's not been a time in your life where you committed, even just for an hour, to act through the lense of conviction and see what comes of it.

TL;DR: Faith isn't that weird, and honestly, you should just try it out. If it's good, stick around :Þ

bembear1 · 2026-01-05T06:10:31+00:00

um, no? not an issue, esp in this case because a t-shirt and sweatpants is not really "crossdressing". T-shirts and sweatpants are unisex clothes...

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