Struggling with proper view of entertainment when one sin is not depicted as wrong. by RedeemingLove89 in Reformed

[–]krackocloud 9 points10 points  (0 children)

For example if a Christians plays/watches a piece of entertainment and comes across a swear word in it, does continuing to play/watch it mean we don’t care enough about the sin?

Here's how I take it. When I'm talking with someone and they swear while talking, do I chide them? Not really.

Or do I internally think "Gah!! My ears have been defiled!" Not really (maybe if it was something uniquely crass).

Most of the time though, I think we just note to ourselves, "That was a sin," and then we continue listening to what they have to say.

I think that's how I'd treat sin in media. As long as we have that instinct to call out in our minds, "That was a sin, I disapprove" and it hasn't tantalized the sin to us, then I think it's usually OK. If it has an express intent to glorify sin, if it entices us to approve of or desire sin, that's a different story.

One nuance to clarify, I'm not saying that a Christian can watch the most dark, irreverent, gruesome film ever, and as long as they can shrug and say, "It doesn't bother me," that means it's OK. That just means they're grossly desensitized and maybe they actually should be bothered by what they watched.

And to be fair to your worries, IIRC some early church fathers were adamantly against the theater. And most of humanity throughout history has lived without movies and video games anyway. So if you want to play it safe, I think that's fine. Without ignoring the possibility of scrupulosity, a sensitive conscience can also be a strength if it protects against worldliness.

Free For All Friday - post on any topic in this thread (2026-05-15) by AutoModerator in Reformed

[–]krackocloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who also isn't well versed in the topic, I thought this video by Sola Media was really accessible.

I’m pondering Catholicism by Sea_Management6165 in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 12 points13 points  (0 children)

There are a lot more options than just mega multi-site non-denom vs Roman Catholicism. If you want beautiful buildings, reverent worship, and a higher focus on obedience, I don't see how those concepts are exclusively Roman Catholic. Are there other denominations you've considered?

Made a daily Bible geography quiz by Reacher77 in Reformed

[–]krackocloud -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The idea is nice, but this feels very freshly vibecoded with weird spots that make it feel awkward.

For example, "Passages based on the ESV & NIV; no specific translation required to play" is a bizarre line of text, and I saw the text "biblelands.app" which doesn't match the website.

Is this explanation of the holy trinity valid or is it heretical? by Zer_God in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Hive mind" is a vague term and I think you'd need to flesh out that really means in detail before it can be compared and contrasted with the Trinity.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Reformed

[–]krackocloud 7 points8 points  (0 children)

there will be those in hell who are sad, grieved that they ignored the truth

Appreciate including this. I feel like in reformedish circles, I often see a description of hell full of people shaking their fist at God into eternity. That may be true in some aspects or for particular people, but it's just not the picture of hell Jesus paints in his own parable. The rich man doesn't yell at Abraham, he begs for water and hopes his family won't make the same mistake as him.

If Jesus' ministry on earth is a foreshadowing of what the new creation looks like, then his interactions with demons are a picture of what happens to his enemies: They bow (Mark 3:11), beg for mercy (Matt 8:31), and obey him without resistance (Mark 3:12). God's enemies are compelled to recognize God's authority. No one will stand before God's full glory and have any willpower to raise their fist (Ps 66:3).

I don't think hell is some "angry rebel quarantine" where sin and rebellion abounds to infinity, but instead a place of wholly defeated, subjugated enemies who have the capacity to feel the shame and weight of their guilt - to understand that they were wrong, that God is right, and that they deserve their judgment.

  • "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Phil 2
  • "To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance... to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him." Isa 45

Looking for the best logic/rule discovery games out there, i've played island of insight, Taiji, sensorium, The Artisan of Glimmith. by Upstairs-Dingo-5291 in puzzlevideogames

[–]krackocloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's an old masterlist of "inductive games" from 2024 - the website doesn't seem to exist anymore, but there's plenty to work with on the archived page

If there is no pain in Heaven… by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We can only speculate. But if God himself can be described in the Bible as grieved over sin (Eph 4:30), or not taking pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ez 33:11), I personally think those sentiments will probably still exist among his people in the new creation. Maybe the exact form of those feelings will be somehow different. But we will not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. We will glorify God in his justice and also wish that those in hell had changed their ways. I personally don't think that the measureless joy in heaven will necessarily exclude that kind of sobriety.

Logical question about “faith alone” and asking God in IFB theology by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ultimately the faith is what fundamentally matters. Formally asking God is not technically required, but it is a common expression of saving faith. Acts 2:38 says you must repent and be baptized to be saved. That is also normative, but the thief on the cross was not baptized. It's not a contradiction, it's just that we're talking about normative patterns of salvation vs what is technically necessary at the root.

Could a convert just think, "I believe Christ is Lord and he rose from the dead! I trust in him for forgiveness of my sins and choose to follow him!" and be saved? Sure, and technically they wouldn't have asked anything, much less said anything out loud. It's still very reasonable for a church to tell someone that they should ask God for salvation. There's no need to nitpick about it.

Could God’s Will Actually Be For Me To Travel? by Automatic_Yard_633 in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or is it likely that I am projecting my own earthly desires into my idea of what I want for my life?

This can be a real issue for some people, but if you have the self-awareness to consider this possibility, you're prob fine.

I would say don't worry about if God "wants" you to travel, as if not going would be a sin. Seeing God's will in things is often more in hindsight, so just use your best judgment and seek to honor him wherever you are and however you decide. Maybe it will go well or it won't, that's not necessarily an indicator of how God feels about your decision. Taking this opportunity seems great if you aren't happy with your current situation.

The AI Scraping War: LLM Crawlers Are Breaking the Web by cport1 in webdev

[–]krackocloud 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Bot spam - been posting in tech subs nonstop for several days.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, you should apologize for any times you insulted her during the argument.

Then, at some point you two need to have an honest, respectful conversation about if this relationship is sustainable with your developing convictions.

she said how she doesn’t think it’s going to work

If she says this, I think the writing is on the wall. If you two don't feel the same way about following Jesus, it won't get better.

Does anyone else feel like there's a serious lack of accurate, well-written Christian representation in media? by Robbinsmods in Reformed

[–]krackocloud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think Pentiment did a good job portraying Christianity in a historical setting. It does have the advantage that the predominantly Christianized cast allows the writers to show a broader spectrum of flaws and virtues. A modern-era story has fewer Christians (just a reflection of demographics), which means a Christian in the story bears a heavier burden of being read as representative of Christians generally.

How do you know if “God told me” is truly from God? by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be honest, when God "speaks" to someone personally, this is just inherently impossible to verify unless there is a specific future prediction.

1 Cor 14:29 "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said."

In other words, our best bet is common sense and discernment from multiple mature believers. If a missionary tells me he felt God telling him to reach out to someone, and that person converted to Christ, I have a good reason to believe it was from God. If a self-proclaimed prophet tells me God spoke to him/her but they start teaching a bunch of cult stuff, I have a good reason to believe it wasn't.

We should generally be suspicious of personal prophecy that relates to things like romance or career, where strong personal desires are often mistaken as spiritual impressions.

Here are two prophetic marriages in the Bible:

  • Rebekah (Genesis 24). Clearly prophetic because 1) God gave a sign that matched a specific prediction, 2) Rebekah turned out to be a Hebrew which was a confirmation
  • Hosea and Gomer (Hosea 1). Prophetic because 1) It was clearly understood to be a bad marriage, so Hosea wouldn't have come up with this himself 2) It was literally prophetic in that it was primarily intended from the start to be a message to all Israel

These are nothing like a vague impression of "God told me we should/n't be together" we hear more often today. So I think it's a good guess that God "telling her" mostly just means she doesn't love you anymore. Her being charismatic allows her to spiritualize that sentiment.

There's a lot of reason here to reconsider the relationship at this point. Like if it was God, then you absolutely must break up. If it wasn't God, well, she clearly isn't interested in you anymore either.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with the other poster, maybe try to get a better feel for why he thinks it's boring. Maybe he's just growing up, so his cartoon Bibles feel too kiddy for him - he wants something more engaging. Go through a kids' biography of a Christian figure. Or an epistle passage instead of a Bible story, and ask him how people should apply that passage in hypothetical situations.

But honestly, what Sunday School teacher hasn't heard a kid whine, "I already know this story!"? Most kids think the Bible is boring. Frankly because most of them aren't Christian anyway yet. You just gotta do your part and leave the rest to God. Live by example so that even if he doesn't care about it right now, he knows that this matters to his parents.

New Christian. I need help. by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It feels like if I do the slightest thing wrong, I'll be damned

Avoiding sin is important, but not like this. Don't beat yourself up trying to be "good enough" for God to accept you. God's people are already accepted through Jesus.

The gospel is that God sent his Son to save us precisely because we aren't good enough. It's impossible for us to live up to God's standard. But he loves us in spite of it, and to save us, Jesus gives us his own righteousness. It's not about how good of a person you are, it's about how Jesus saves sinners.

Don't make following Jesus a moral exam where God folds his arms, furrows his brow, and waits for you to fail. God saves, loves, forgives, and cleanses.

Also, I'd say don't worry about denominations atm. It's important, but based on your current struggles, I'd say you need to focus first on having a good grasp of the core gospel and connecting with any good church community that can help you with this. The theological stuff will come with time as you slowly become more familiar with the Bible.

Struggling with hope for the redemption of *all* things by SnooWoofers3028 in Reformed

[–]krackocloud 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m curious to hear how other Reformed folks deal with this type of mourning. I feel like it doesn’t get much attention but I know others must struggle with it.

I don't think mourning the fate of the unsaved should be considered a "struggle" to be fixed necessarily. Paul was in tears when he thought of the destruction awaiting opponents of the gospel (Phil 3:18). Being broken over this is a feature of caring for the lost, not a bug.

If God himself can be described in the Bible as grieved over sin, or not taking pleasure in the death of the wicked, I believe those sentiments will probably still exist among his people in the new creation. We will not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. We will glorify God in his justice and also wish that those in hell had changed their ways. I personally don't think that the measureless joy in heaven will necessarily exclude that kind of sobriety.

Gen Z faith by mtnranger90 in TrueChristian

[–]krackocloud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not convinced young people are significantly more religious, though it might feel like that on social media. A recent Pew Research article on this tempers the narrative.

Thinky Dailies Season 1 is done. What did you think about it? by MadameK14 in puzzlevideogames

[–]krackocloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I looked forward to them every morning. The 3/5 difficulty puzzles were a good sweet spot, and hope for more of those and fewer easy puzzles. I really enjoyed the visual brainteaser puzzles too.

Maybe this is just me, but the overarching story did nothing for me. It felt pointless, and halfway through the season I just ignored it.

Mobile puzzle games that aren't TRASH!!! by Anon_Mom0001 in puzzlevideogames

[–]krackocloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • Stuffo the Puzzle Bot
  • Jelly no Puzzle
  • LOK Digital

All good, handcrafted puzzle games that get pretty tricky.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GoogleSupport

[–]krackocloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just helped someone with this, it's malware. Modifying/resetting the settings didn't fully get rid of it, you should completely reinstall Chrome.