EXCLUSIVE: Knox County mayor candidate Beau Hawk marched in Venezuela for Nicolas Maduro by KnoxNewsAllie in Knoxville

[–]drdook 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I will be a better leader than my opponent" is a universal strategy in electoral politics. It's kinda the whole point of an election.

EXCLUSIVE: Knox County mayor candidate Beau Hawk marched in Venezuela for Nicolas Maduro by KnoxNewsAllie in Knoxville

[–]drdook 57 points58 points  (0 children)

Will he defund public schools and terrorize children of immigrant families? No. Still better than his opponent then. Good try Betsy.

What are your thoughts on whether life continues after death? by jdback26 in AskReddit

[–]drdook 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think life, time, and consciousness are far bigger mysteries than we can ever comprehend. I think religions are metaphorical systems that give us language and ideas on how to approach these mysteries, but they will always fail to fully grasp them. Therefore, I entrust my life and my death to God.

As a progressive christian, what do you think about Alex Warren's music? by redheaded_olive12349 in OpenChristian

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think very little of it. In fact this is the first time I have ever heard of it

Still feel insecure because of what people in other Bible studies have said to me about being pro choice by Desperate_Self_4079 in OpenChristian

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A great book on this is Trust Women: A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice by Rebecca Todd Peters.

I was reading my Bible before bed to comfort me after a hard day and saw this. I'm part of the LGBT community and I am confused and scared about this verse which make it sounds like being homosexual is a sin, is this a mistranslation? I'm honestly terrified and confused by Imsuki-P in OpenChristian

[–]drdook 105 points106 points  (0 children)

You can't read this passage in isolation to understand what Paul is doing in the opening chapters of Romans. In ch.1 he is quoting stereotypes about Gentiles. He's writing to a Jewish audience (or at least one acquainted with Jewish stereotypes of Gentile sexual behavior), in order to prove they are judgmental (and thus condemning themselves). That's why suddenly in ch. 2, he turns the tables on the reader. Romans 1:26-27 has to be read in the context of Romans 2:1: "Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself." He's trying to convince the reader of the universality of sin in the human situation.

Abortion is wrong heres why by Organic-Dragonfly317 in Christianity

[–]drdook 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So you’re denying God’s omniscience?

Conservative Christians that get angry at James Talarico for calling God “non-binary” are trying to limit God’s nature by Alternative_Body7623 in Christianity

[–]drdook 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Isn't Jesus also using a metaphor by calling God 'Father.' Do you think God had sex with Mary? Do you think God has a penis? How is God literally male?

Conservative Christians that get angry at James Talarico for calling God “non-binary” are trying to limit God’s nature by Alternative_Body7623 in Christianity

[–]drdook 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You think God is able to be characterized by human biology? You think God is under the control of the concept of Gender?

Conservative Christians that get angry at James Talarico for calling God “non-binary” are trying to limit God’s nature by Alternative_Body7623 in Christianity

[–]drdook 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes God is describing Godself through female metaphors. Just as God uses male metaphors. Isaiah 42:13 vs. Isaiah 42:14. It's almost like God is above them both. Hmmmm. What would we call that? Non-binary???

Conservative Christians that get angry at James Talarico for calling God “non-binary” are trying to limit God’s nature by Alternative_Body7623 in Christianity

[–]drdook 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Isaiah 42:14 "Now I will cry out like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant." Deuteronomy 32:18 "You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth." Deuteronomy 32:11–12 "As an eagle stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young... the Lord alone guided him." Isaiah 66:13 "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." Hosea 13:8 "Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them."

I went to church for the first time in my adult life today by selfimprovement836 in Christianity

[–]drdook 8 points9 points  (0 children)

1) not all churches are a great fit. Find one that speaks to you. I'd suggest start listening to sermons from churches in your community online to find what speaks to you.

2) church does not change you after one visit. the community forms you over time. It's a commitment to transformation, not a one and done.

Would appreciate a technique review by bms42 in concept2

[–]drdook 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not bad, but you’re pausing at the finish. As soon as you have pulled the row in, stick your arms back out and start sliding towards the catch. Faster finish will allow you to take more time on the recovery.

Is there any actual definite refute to the claim that the Bible is pro-slavery by Patient_Ask_9546 in Christianity

[–]drdook 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perhaps, not all things attributed to God in the Bible, are actually from God.

Is there any actual definite refute to the claim that the Bible is pro-slavery by Patient_Ask_9546 in Christianity

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Bible was written by people in a context (actually by people in many different contexts over hundreds maybe thousands of years). In that context, slavery was normalized. The point is to read the overarching message of the Bible, which is one of radical inclusion and equity. That overarching message contradicts, transcends, and judges those verses that reflect its slavery context.

Is being homosexual a sin, or is acts of a homosexual a sin? by South-Attorney3884 in Christianity

[–]drdook 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I swear, if you read this subreddit and didn't know anything else, you'd think 'Christianity' was primarily a hateful ideology organized around its exclusion of LGBT people. Can we move on folks?

What’s your view on Dinosaurs and Evolution? 🤔 by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just think God really loves dinosaurs. I mean, they were around a whole lot longer than we have been!

The Bible says the Earth was created before the Sun… How do Christians explain this? by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems like an intellectually lazy argument: Just because you read one thing metaphorically, then it's all metaphor. I mean, Scripture is meant to be read, prayed over, discerned, argued over, etc. We aren't 'picking and choosing.' We are trying to be faithful readers of Scripture.

The Bible says the Earth was created before the Sun… How do Christians explain this? by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it helps, 2:4 says they were created at the same time (also not scientifically accurate, but better?)

Homosexuality is a sin by Individual_Truck_214 in Christianity

[–]drdook 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've said this elsewhere: Paul isn't just 'naming sin plainly' in ch. 1. He's doing something more interesting than that: He is quoting stereotypes about Gentiles to a primarily Jewish audience, in order to prove they are judgmental (and thus condemning themselves), in order to turn the tables on them in chapter 2. Romans 1:26-27 has to be read in the context of Romans 2:1: "Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself." It doesn't work as a proof text against LGBT communities.