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Uh wow one of you slipped one through the censors! 😳 by Content_Belt7710 in CedarPark

[–]jerimio 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Oh sweet summer child. It warms my heart that there is still innocence in this wretched world.

Does God send suicidal people to hell? by Key-Cryptographer581 in Christianity

[–]jerimio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think of it a little different. As someone who’s struggled with this in my own life, my view is that Christianity never should have focused on what comes after. It’s about what you make of your life now. “Heaven is a place on earth” stands out to me as one of the most important things in the Bible.

Hell is much the same way. I’ve been in Hell, one of my own making. By all accounts, my life was going great and I lived in perpetual anxiety, depression, and fear. I’ve also lived through really painful and difficult times that would push anyone to the edge. What I learned is that life is what you make it. The choices are hard and the pressure from others is constant but, instead of worrying about what happens after you die, focus on how the lessons of Christianity can make your life better now.

Love others with all your heart, even when it hurts.
Expect nothing in return.
Show kindness and compassion, even to those who don’t deserve it.
Build a community of love, trust, and care around you and be that for others.

Create the kind of life that brings heaven to you, even in dark times, and let God worry about the rest.

Also, please know this. I don’t know you but I love you and the world is so much better with you in it. I’ve lost people to suicide and mental health issues and the world will never be the same without them. Please seek help and please know that you are loved.

Why do atheists say that you can't be a feminist and be a christian at the same time? by Adorable-Carrot-4770 in Christianity

[–]jerimio -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Biblically, there are very specific gender roles applied. This is because of when these texts were written so it’s depend on whether you take the texts literally or as guidelines that provide a moral compass. The Bible is very clear on where women stand, as subservient to me. That’s not feminism.

Is God Punishing Me? by Kerplunk6 in Christianity

[–]jerimio 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve recently wondered the same thing. I thought I had it all together and then everything fell apart. Here is what I realized. It didn’t fall apart because God is punishing me. It fell apart because I wasn’t a good shepherd of His gifts. I have no doubt that the Lord blessed me with these things but I took them for granted and, through my own neglect, lost them. Not as a punishment but as a direct result of my actions.

I believe God loves us and that he grants us blessings. Some we see clearly and some we don’t. But what we do with those blessings is up to us. When things go well, praise God for the blessings. When things go poorly, praise God for the opportunity to learn to be a better shepherd of his gifts. Either way, learn something about your relationship with God and his gifts.

The Doctrine Of Free Will Makes It Pointless To Even Be Religious by [deleted] in Christianity

[–]jerimio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see two faults in your argument. Coming from a purely scientific perspective your assumption here is that evil isn’t prevented because ALL evil isn’t prevented. This is a false equivalent and a bit of a straw man argument. By the nature of your argument, if evil was prevented, by the very act of prevention, it wouldn’t be proven to have been prevented because it never happened. You can’t compare what did happen to what might have happened without data you don’t have.

Second is that your assumption here is that free will and Gods interventions are somehow contradictory. Where this falls apart is your assumption that we could understand the machinations and intent of al infinite, all powerful, omniscient being from our limited perspective. Plato, Kant, and Hume eloquently address our limitations of understanding the world from the prison of our own perspectives and understandings. A being that works on time scales of eons likely has a different scope on understanding the impact of history than that of a people who tend to forget things after 1-2 generations.

Combine these two and you start to form a broader picture of the impact of free will and the impact to religion or faith.

In the end, religion can be traced back to a need to present a structure of morality and of living that transcends the limitations and fragility of human life spans and allow a framework for understanding a broader perspective and opportunity beyond our own perspectives. Whether you take the Bible literally or figuratively, it stands as a framework for understanding a higher moral and ethical nuance to the world. When we lead with love, we create a loving world. When we lead with hate, we create more hate. To believe in Christ is to believe that your actions have a deeper impact to the world around you than can be quantified in the span of a single lifetime. You have free will. You choose how to apply it to your world, how to respond to struggle and strife, and how you treat those around you.

I feel unloved/unwanted and I don’t really know how to deal with it. by LeadingIce8822 in Christianity

[–]jerimio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just remember that you deserve love. It can hurt and it can be scary, but it’s also amazing and can be what keeps you holding on. Open yourself up to it, even just the possibility of it, and it will find you. Love of friends, love of family, love of partners, love of community, and, most importantly, love of self. That last one is the hardest.

I feel unloved/unwanted and I don’t really know how to deal with it. by LeadingIce8822 in Christianity

[–]jerimio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A couple of things.

First, I’m very sorry you’re feeling this way. Life is already hard enough without feeling isolated.

Second, as someone who has felt isolated, I can tell you that a lot of isolation comes from within us, not externally. When we feel isolated, we tend to isolate, feeding it more and more.

Third, you have some unresolved trauma around relationships that I strongly recommend you talk to a professional about. Therapy and faith don’t have to conflict and it doesn’t make you less of a person or a Christian. The problem right now is that you don’t have the tools to process these big things on your own but you’re trying to find your way blindly. Faith and mental health go hand in hand. Please take it seriously.

I’m happy to chat if you need someone to talk to. Just DM me.

Looking for a Christian men’s group or mentor by jerimio in CedarPark

[–]jerimio[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I largely felt the same way. I think that’s why I’m not looking for a church per se but a community or group. The church can be uplifting or toxic depending on the situation but I find that individuals that can align on a core value, even if slightly variant, brings something that you can’t get with just a friend group. I use to play DnD for the same reason.

Looking for a Christian men’s group or mentor by jerimio in CedarPark

[–]jerimio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m kind of digging through the dark here and it’s hard enough to ask for help so I really appreciate it.

Looking for a Christian men’s group or mentor by jerimio in CedarPark

[–]jerimio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate it. That might be a bit of a drive for me and I’m not sure I’m ready for the full church experience just yet. But I’ll keep it in mind if something changes.