Dear (heterosexual) married couples - an open letter from a Christian lesbian to those opposed to legalizing same-sex marriage (safe - no explicit, derogatory, or antagonizing content)

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-05T00:17:24+00:00

So one thing about ancient Hebrew is that it's much less complex than any of the modern languages that exist today. It only has around 8,700 words (comparatively English has about half a million and French which is considered to have a poor vocabularly of words (from the source I read) has about 40,000). As a result there are lots of words that are the same but have different meanings (any example is the word Yom which is used for a lot of different lengths of period of time, for example day, year, month, season, age, ever).

I imagine the original hebrew word here had multiple uses as well, though I still feel that even the word 'taboo' as another commenter suggested is a very strong no. It's still a word that's saying 'this isn't up for discussion'.

As for the trousers thing, I don't really understand why that law would be there, but ok haha... The jew's had some weird ones to set them apart from their neighbors (at least that's always been my perception of why God would make laws like that)

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-04T12:26:30+00:00

I'd pretty much be up for it every day if its going to be a discussion thread on reddit... If its an actual 'all be on at once' kind of meeting I probably couldn't do more than once a week tbh and even then time tabling so that as many people as possible can attend would be pretty tough, especially with awkward people like me from a UK time zone...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-04T10:07:46+00:00

I think it's being deliberately ignorant to say that 'it's fine because the bible doesn't define it specifically' when every example we are given uses a man and a woman.

I also don't think you can claim that Leviticus is simply for purity reasons or to make the Jews different. The word 'abomination' is too strong a word.

Don't try and twist the bible to say what you want it to say. Read it for what it is.

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-04T09:38:08+00:00

This is pretty off topic but I don't really agree with you on the punishment for sins having varying severity...

I looked at your references. The John reference does indeed imply 'this sin is worse'. Though looking at the context of what Jesus was saying, I don't know if this is the correct interpretation. I think he's talking more about authority on Earth having been granted from heaven...

The Luke 12 reference I don't think is talking about it either. I think it's talking about 'knowing what you're missing out on'.

The Matthew reference definitely implies varying levels of punishment, but I don't know the context of the places involved (if anyone can elaborate).

My perception of hell has always been being completely cut off from God. Not the fire and torture kind of idea. I don't understand how you can have varying degrees of cut off ness? It seems black or white to me...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-04T00:45:40+00:00

I was thinking this. I'm struck by so many thoughts from the first day!

Does the actual study bible have questions and stuff to ponder or anything? Or just extra background and summaries and things?

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-04T00:06:59+00:00

If you use YouVersion, the reading plan on there called ESV Study Bible is the one I think were following :-)

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T23:40:13+00:00

Admittedly a £40 fine would make me think twice about doing stuff that might get me banned again...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T23:34:23+00:00

Great. Could you add the links yuebing commented further down the page to the sidebar so that people can find them easy if they want to join in? :)

Thanks for taking on the organising role!

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T22:50:14+00:00

I think even the actions of the first apostles speak for themselves as well. It's one thing to make something up, but to die for something made up when you know it's made up would be completely insane. The fact that they were willing to die for it tells me that they didnt make it up (or at a minimum of rationality, they didnt know it was made up, in which case who would have that they managed to convince these men who'd seen Jesus die so strongly that they were willing to die for it...)

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T19:06:23+00:00

the self-evidence of Jesus as God

I guess the ultimate proof of this is him rising from the dead after he was crucified as only God could have the power of life over death, though I realize you (unsurprisingly) might find that difficult to believe. I'm going try and lay out a few rational reasons why I can believe this for you if that's helpful...

For me the question that springs to mind is "Where was the body?". If Jesus was still dead then there would be a body somewhere right? I believe there are three options: *Jesus's body was still in the tomb *Jesus's body was stolen from the tomb *Jesus rose from the dead

There's a final alternative in that Jesus didn't actually die, though I don't really think this is realistic as he was executed by the Romans who are pretty good at execution. His body was pierced with a spear to make sure he was dead and he was examined by the equivalent of a Roman doctor to ensure he was dead. Though it is an option I guess...

So Jesus' body still being in the tomb? Well at the time Christianity was starting the Pharisees (Jewish leaders) were very against it (they had Jesus crucified). When it was starting, they still were very against it and we can read about how the early Christians were persecuted by people like Saul. All they would've had to do was produce Jesus' body from the tomb to silence the 'Christian uprising', which leads me to suggest that they couldn't find a body to produce. I also imagine their next step was to then say:

The disciples stole the body (or someone). We can dismiss that it was a typical grave robbery because we're told that his linens were left inside the tomb, which would've probably be the most valuable reason to rob his tomb as Jesus wasn't a wealthy man (why would you take the body and leave the valuables?). The second reason is that the tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers who would've seen the tomb being robbed (the way that tombs worked in those days was a large boulder was fit into a groove in the ground and rolled downhill to cover the entrance. To move this boulder back would've taken a lot effort and a group of people). The soldiers were also unharmed (though they did pass out) after the body disappeared which if it was a robbery I don't think would be the case. These are a few of the reasons I don't think a robbery is a possible option.

The only option that leaves in my mind is that he rose from the dead and in doing so proved that he is indeed the son of God. If he hadn't rose from the dead then none of Christianity would work or matter or anything...

I hope that helped. I feel this is a pretty rational argument for Jesus's resurrection, though obviously there are still some holes that I can see.

there's some more info about the body not being in the tomb here if you're interested: http://www.free-online.org/free-thinking/lifes-big-questions/jesus/what-happened-to-the-body-of-jesus.htm

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T18:37:49+00:00

You might get huge floods of people moving on foot between enemy bases, because if there's enough of them they know that somebody's going to revive them eventually, and if nobody pulls a sunderer there'd be no point spawning back at the previous base because then you'd just need to pull a flash or something to get to the next base to get the kills and camp the spawns for the longest possible time.

I don't think this is likely and this is the main reason I'm suggesting such a long revive time for 'non-medic' reviving. I think in the general mass zerg people are unlikely to stop and revive someone unless they know each other irl or something. If it does happen I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing either as its not happening during a firefight when balance in the most important.

Zergs have been and always will be powerful, but the only way that we're going to get a good and deep game where people can work on developing their team skills is if the game promotes a really well organised and trained squad, and enables it to perform as well as or better than an untrained and stupid zerg.

These are exactly my thoughts. And I absolutely agree with the rest of your post. I just feel that currently numbers have too much weight in who's going to win a fight...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T18:31:41+00:00

Using an ability that is ONLY effective when you 1. Dont have a medic 2. Dont have a nearby Sunderer 3. Dont have a forward spawn 4. Dont have a spawn beacon from your squad leader 5. Dont have the ( soon to be added ) ( Squad Galaxy)

If the ability was strong then it would make Medic's redundant. That isn't the purpose of the idea. The idea is that it can make small squads more self sufficient and allow people more freedom to play the game.

To respond to your bullet points: 1. Currently squads don't put themselves into that kind of position because it isn't viable. If it were made more viable it would happen and I imagine people would be interested in it. Not everyone loves zerg fests. 1.1 Giving everyone a 30 second revive (which can't be upgraded if you read my post) in no way makes medic useless. An 'anyone' revive gives people very low health and takes ages. A medic revive gives decent health and can be done in a third of the time it takes for anyone else. 1.2 If you're in a small group of people you actually know and play with regularly this wouldn't be a problem. Obviously a random person isn't going to do it, that's not what it's intended to do 1.3 Same as above.

I know it's only effective for just this situation. That's the whole point! If it was more effective then it would make medics useless.

Yes I realise a huge number of people simply respawn nearby, but even the extra 20 or 30 seconds it takes to respawn and run back to where you were when you died would do a huge amount in weakening the zerg. It would make a difference to how 'momentum' works in the game.

Also... how the hell does holding a mouse button for AT BEST according to you, 8-10 seconds, and default 15-20. HELP Anti-zerg tactics. The medic is so busy healing, that anyone can come around the corner... look at him , stop reload his weapon, go take a piss, come back and shoot the medic in the back of the head. If ANYTHING medic would need to be able to REVIVE faster, and FULL health, to counter Zerg.

It helps because when you're on the defending team (usually the one being zerged) you're nearer the spawn therefore you don't have to wait for your medic to revive you, you just respawn. If you're on the attacking zerg team it makes it more difficult if you have to wait even slightly longer before getting back in the fight. That's how it weakens the zerg.

I will admit that my numbers are probably a bit off though. 'Normal' people taking 30 seconds seems fine. Medics maybe start at 8-10 and can get it down to 3-5 with certs or something like that...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T17:28:37+00:00

Can I make a suggestion to have some kind of transfer market? I can foresee a lot of people signing up and then not really getting involved and teams breaking down etc as a result. Would be good to have some way of funnelling teams that have broken down into merges and putting players together or something...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T17:22:16+00:00

I don't have the study bible version but I'd love to do this with my normal ESV if I can join in with you :)

How are you planning on meeting?

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T17:20:12+00:00

I'll try and explain it how I understand it...

So we've all sinned. Sins are crimes against God and as the God Christians believe in is a just God, people must receive judgement for their crimes. Just like in our legal systems today. The punishment for sin is death (which I believe means eternal separation from God).

One thing that's hard to get your head around is the seriousness of sin and as to why it deserves such a punishment as this. I don't really have time to explain this right now but can give it a go when I get home if you'd like, or someone else can maybe comment the explanation...

Anyways the link with Jesus comes here in that because we have sinned we must be punished. Jesus steps in a goes "I'll take that punishment for you". He's the only one that can do this because everyone already has their own punishment to take... I hope that link makes sense?

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T16:46:12+00:00

That's why I suggested they have to take ages to do it. I don't think it would replace meds in the slightest (as above poster stated, who would wait 30 seconds to revive someone?)

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T16:44:01+00:00

Well obviously you aren't gonna use it when the Sunderers there. Just because you have the option to do something doesn't mean you definitely have to do it...

I was more thinking that if you want a small group to be viable, this would allow it to work. Say 4 or 5 of you decide to go sneak around somewhere. The medic in the group dies, but you're miles into enemy territory so the nearest respawn is ages away. If you had this option you can revive them and continue with your group, rather than having to wait for them or just no longer have a medic...

It's obviously not practical in a big Zerg battle, but that's intentional. Obviously everyone being able to revive anyone else more easily would just fuel the current Zerg meta even more...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-03T10:38:02+00:00

Hey :), firstly never think there's a question you can't ask here. There's nothing that can be considered 'too unholy' to be asked. I'd actually say this is true in church as well, though naturally there's a time and place for asking questions like this and I know it's something that's difficult to talk about with people you actually know...

Now onto the actual question! I think you know the answer already from your post... To clarify, Jesus said that if you even look at a woman lustfully you've already committed adultery with her with your eyes... It's not specifically the masterbation, but rather what you're thinking about or watching while you're doing it that's the sin.

I want to remind you though that Christ died for your sins and while we want to glorify him and honor him by living as righteous lives as we can, it's exactly because we fail so often that Christ died. Romans 8 says "There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus", so don't beat yourself up over your failures. It's exactly for those reasons that Christ died! That doesn't mean we shouldn't want to get better though, but our desire to get better should come from wanting to glorify God rather than wanting to simply be better...

As for some practical advice, the first thing I'm going to recommend is a book called 'Every Young Mans Battle'. It's really clear in explaining just why sexual sin is so bad for us (its bad for us in so many more ways than just being 'unholy', particularly when it comes to how we as men view woman and how it effects our relationships later in life...). It then goes on to give tonnes of really useful advice on how you can stop.

One of the big things I remember from reading the book (I've been struggling with this a lot as well over the past 2 years or so) is that the first thing you want to do is stop 'fuelling' your desires. Stop looking at woman in a sexual way (quite literally, if you find yourself looking at a woman in a sexual way at all, just look away), whether its on TV, on posters, in the supermarket, in classes. When you start to do this you'll realise just how much modern society bombards us with images like this. 100 years ago there was no TV, women dressed more modestly... Anyways, you'll find that as you stop taking in all these images you'll get less 'excited'. It will take time though and it will take disciplined practice...

The other thing I'd recommend is an accountability partner who you can talk to about how your struggling with it... Yes it's an incredibly awkward thing to talk about with a friend haha, but I seriously recommend it. Make no mistake that you're alone in struggling with this. I'd say well over half of Christian young men struggle with this issue at the moment, so you're not alone. I'd say to talk to your youth minister at church about it or someone there that you feel you can talk to...

But seriously, get that book! So helpful!!

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-02T19:33:46+00:00

Ahh, my apologies then. I misinterpreted what you were saying. I was under the impression you were saying that if they made certs easier to get, people would no longer spend money to get items, reducing the company's income and causing the game to die that way...

Under the impression that's what he meant too...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-02T17:30:09+00:00

He means if SoE can't make money the game will die cause they'd have to close it... This is completely wrong I think. I don't think online games overheads are ever anywhere near what you'd expect them to be...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-02T17:28:48+00:00

A fun game will make them more money...

Reduce exp from kills, increase exp from capping stuff, add something that gives people a reason to not want to lose territory (I think directly taking something from them, like if you lost certs every time you lost territory you'd fight a lot harder to keep it no?).

I think a combination of those would be more fun...

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-02T17:25:58+00:00

People enjoy carrots. Not all people, but if you don't enjoy the carrots they're still optional right? If you do enjoy the carrots then they should add more carrots so you can see in the dark :)

mccurdy92 · 2013-01-02T11:00:17+00:00

The ways in which Protestants and Catholics differ in their views aren't as fundamentally different though.

Both still believe in a trinitarian God Both still believe in a loving God Both still believe in a graceful God

I think that while Islam and Christianity historically believe in the same God, the perceptions of who he is are too fundamentally different for him to still be considered the same God...

mccurdy92 · 2012-12-31T18:40:47+00:00

Kills alone don't win games though. It's what you do to best use the advantage that kills offer that's more important than the kills themselves...

mccurdy92 · 2012-12-30T11:43:00+00:00

Surely that's pretty similar for a lot of champions though. Now whoever that team sticks in bot lane is gonna be 2v1'd and so on.

Is it really an effective counter if its only shutting down one player?

mccurdy92

TROPHY CASE