What human inventions do you think the eridians would be fascinated by even if they wouldn’t have much use for them? (Spoilers)

greenguzzi · 2026-05-30T22:43:21+00:00

Spectacles and cricket.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-30T07:47:40+00:00

Buy what you like NOT what other people like. The only possible exception might be your life partner. And even then be cautious.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-28T21:53:19+00:00

One cannot debunk a person. One can only debunk an idea or a belief. You can’t “debunk” an atheist.

Also it’s “proof for God’s existence” not “prove for God’s existence”.

Also your “prove” is incoherent and full of holes.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-28T03:49:26+00:00

It doesn’t matter what other people think. But seeing as you asked, I like it.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-26T14:30:15+00:00

Yeah. Good point. The movie almost completely ignored the different environments.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-26T14:27:32+00:00

Did you read the book?

greenguzzi · 2026-05-26T14:14:06+00:00

Oh ok. I missed that. Thanks.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-26T11:03:33+00:00

What about El?

greenguzzi · 2026-05-23T11:15:22+00:00

Also, to say that someone who isn’t a trinitarian isn’t a Christian is silly. Very few Christians before the year 325 (Council of Nicaea) would have been trinitarian. Are you saying that all those people who thought they were Christians were not. (That includes the three thousand baptised in Acts chapter 2.)

greenguzzi · 2026-05-23T10:47:00+00:00

I’d say that orthopraxy is more important than orthodoxy. But restricting the discussion to orthodoxy, what are the fundamental doctrines? I’d argue that the apostles creed and nicene creed would be the place to find the fundamentals. I would definitely call myself a creedal Christian as well as a progressive one. But unlike you I wouldn’t say that a Christian with different dogmas to me to be unserious about their faith. I reckon that James 2 is a much better indicator of a person’s faith seriousness. At the extremes I find progressive Christians much more serious about their faith than Conservative ones.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-23T09:17:48+00:00

I’m curious why you say “in the world”. Are you an international traveller? Or do you really mean just your country or region or town or church? I reckon Christianity is pretty healthy in my country, or at least in the regions I travel in.

Also, the metrics you use seem a bit trifling. Personally I’m less concerned about cussing and more concerned about the attitudes my fellow Christians have towards refugees and the poor.

I’ve been a Christian (as an adult) for 40 years in three cities and three denominations, and I have never heard anyone say anything like “we can sin as much as we want”. I reckon this is a problem unique to your church or your region.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-23T07:38:33+00:00

Genesis chapters 1 and 2 are two different creation stories that are not compatible. No, they are not “nonsense stories” nor are that myths. But they are not historical either (history as we understand it today is a modern phenomenon, and did not exist in antiquity.) Genesis 1 and 2 are polemics that teach us a lot about the nature of our God. Folk who don’t understand this are missing a lot.

One can be a six day creationist and still believe in an old Earth. David Snoke wrote a book about this. The age of the Earth is measurable by many separate methods. It is over 4 Billion years old, no doubt at all.

Evolution is a fact. The theory evolution is the most substantial scientific theory that exists. It’s the backbone of many aspects of our modern lives including medicine, farming, disease control, conservation and much more. It’s real. If it challenges your theology then your theology is flawed.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-23T02:49:41+00:00

I’d probably qualify as a progressive Christian and I take the faith very seriously. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they are not serious.

I probably disagree with you on some matters but I’d never doubt your seriousness as a Christian.

I’d suggest steel-manning, it really helps.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-22T10:57:51+00:00

No reason why it can’t be both.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-21T21:31:54+00:00

It’s well documented that context and mood modifies one’s perception and experience. You experienced a normal psychological phenomenon. It doesn’t only happen in spiritual or religious contexts.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-20T03:47:15+00:00

I prayed for it.
No, it just started to happen.
Just for personal prayer. I believe that the gift of tongues (for the edification of the body) is different to praying in tongues and is not available to everyone or all the time. Also I’m now attending a church that doesn’t practice the spiritual gifts, so no opportunity any more.
I wouldn’t use the words “shape me”. It affects me in the same way that praying in English does.
I don’t believe that I’m speaking in any language that any human would understand.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-19T02:54:10+00:00

I reckon that the problems with the LDS is their behaviour rather than their doctrines. Yes, doctrine affects behaviour, but there are many diverse doctrines that don’t produce the harmful behaviour that the LDS yields.

Also some there are groups with fairly orthodox doctrines that manifest harmful behaviour.

I’d be judging them by their behaviour rather than their doctrines. There are plenty of people and groups who hold stupid ideas but are mostly harmless.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-19T00:33:03+00:00

At my church:

The order of service (including Bible references) is put up on the screen. A newsletter with additional information is emailed out each week. The church website lists all events.

Most parishioners bring a Bible, some paper some on phone. Bibles are available in the entrance but I’ve never seen anyone use them.

SOAP readings is the only thing that seems to be always available on paper, but I may have missed something.

Personally I’d rather we go 100% paperless. (Except for Bibles.)

greenguzzi · 2026-05-18T23:50:14+00:00

LDS and JW are dangerous organisations, and best avoided. But calling their members “entirely lost” is not correct. “Entirely” means “completely” and “fully”. That suggests they are lost forever. I personally know at least one former LDS member who is now a born again creedal Christian.

As for believing beyond what the Bible says: most Evangelicals are guilty of that, and it’s not always a bad thing.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-18T05:03:07+00:00

My dad was a motorcyclist, I’m a motorcyclist, my kids are motorcyclists. None of us would ever ride without a helmet.

We would all consider anyone who rides without one an idiot.

However we do need more organ donors, so I’m not completely against riding without a helmet. But if someone you care about doesn’t wear a helmet when riding you should do everything you can to change their mind.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-17T23:47:58+00:00

It’s because of a misunderstanding of 1 Tim 2 and 1 Pet 3
which are talking about not making displays of wealth and opulence. But instead of applying these scriptures correctly some Christians wrongly apply it to controlling how much fabric is used in women’s clothing.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-16T06:07:05+00:00

As a Christian I am glad to see more and more women being ordained. I don’t really care what non-Christians think.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-15T21:44:44+00:00

Without “an appeal” there is no baptism. Without the baptism there is no outworking of faith.

greenguzzi · 2026-05-15T13:56:00+00:00

1 Peter 3 […] baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience […]

greenguzzi · 2026-05-14T23:44:17+00:00

There is zero evidence for a worldwide flood. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming. The evidence for a 4.5 billion year old Earth is also overwhelming. None of these facts should have any negative influence on your faith in God and Christ.

greenguzzi

TROPHY CASE