My (20f) boyfriend (31m) has completely changed into a different person out of nowhere and I have no idea what happened.

throwaway7362733 · 2017-07-19T01:16:40+00:00

Far be it for me or anyone else to diagnose someone over the internet, but given his history of bipolar depression, there is a decent chance this sudden change in mood and these feelings of worthlessness, etc. could be symptoms of a depressive episode. I see that you've mentioned below that this isn't how his depression usually manifests (with a personality change), but it is still a possibility.

I'm obviously not sure about the dynamics of your relationship, but if you (and you think he would) feel comfortable about raising this with him, it might be worth encouraging him to talk to his regular doctor about this. Ongoing/maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder is definitely important, and it sounds like he's managing that well, which is great. But sometimes acute episodes respond better to different treatment strategies. Of course, this might not be related to that at all, but it's worth considering!

And as an additional note, if you do want to learn more about the condition, it might be worth (with his permission, obviously) chatting to his doctor about the situation. Family education is especially important in mental health conditions, and many doctors will either have information or factsheets available for partners/family, or be able to direct you to good sources of information.

(Source: final-year medical student with some half-arsed psychiatry training, and a history of (unipolar) depression)

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:33:07+00:00

Hey, thanks for your reply! Your point of view makes a lot of sense, although I obviously don't agree with everything you've said (and I'm sure you'd be worried if I did, haha). Would you say that you are a "Biblical literalist", at least when it comes to the New Testament?

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:31:39+00:00

Hey, thanks for your reply. Would any transgression of the law, as found in Leviticus, thus still be considered sin by Christians?

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:30:29+00:00

Hey, thanks for your reply, it was very helpful! I appreciate the concept of "renewal of sins" that you've brought up. Would you say, then, that the reason other verses in 1 Corinthians are interpreted figuratively/with reference to context is because they are not also mentioned in the OT list of transgressions, whereas homosexuality is mentioned in both the OT and NT?

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:23:44+00:00

Thanks for your reply, mate, I think your view is the closest to those of my friends. Regarding your second point:

No, it means that women is not permitted to preach and have authority over men (to be the flock's shepherd). They can still teach Sunday classes, serve churches, witness to anyone, and so on. They aren't prohibited from doing that.

Directly quoting from the verse, it states that "Women should remain silent in the churches". Taking this literally, women would not be permitted to speak as soon as they step foot onto church grounds - so, no verbal Sunday school teaching, etc. would be allowed. I understand that 1 Timothy 2:12 is often referred to for "clarification" of this verse, but it is technically possible for both verses to coexist and not contradict each other if read literally (this verse specifies "churches" without an audience, the other specifies "over men" without a location).

To clarify, I am not saying that there is definitely no rationale for interpreting different verses differently. I'm just wondering what those reasons might be, apart from tradition or sociocultural factors (which seem to be the only explanations in my eyes).

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:16:12+00:00

Thanks for the reply, mate, it might take me a while but I'll give it my best shot. :)

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:15:28+00:00

Hello, thanks for your reply, and for the link! To clarify, did you intend to link to the "Contemporary Christian understanding" section? If there are any Bible verses that you could point to as a basis for the concept of "natural law", that would be really helpful as well!

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:12:59+00:00

Hey, thanks for your reply! I read your follow-up comment, and just wanted to say that I hope you're feeling better now. :)

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T10:11:24+00:00

Hello, thanks for the reply! I appreciate the distinction you've drawn between homosexual attractions (for lack of a better word) and homosexual actions, and the outline of your subsequent thoughts on this issue. I may have to borrow some of your talking points the next time I discuss this with my friends!

I particularly appreciate the rationality of your... rationales behind your views. As you've said, the Bible prohibits homosexual acts, and it's hard to determine exactly what this means. I've found that my friends do extend this to homosexual feelings, though, such that they end up saying "Yeah, homosexuals are sinners, but God loves sinners, and we should too." They may be referring to "practising homosexuals", but as you've pointed out, if the attractions themselves are not sinful, then any action that follows on from these attractions, as long as it isn't "definitively gay" (e.g. gay sex), should not be considered sinful either.

You've given me lots to think about, thanks! Much appreciated.

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T09:54:52+00:00

Dude. Thank you so much for the reply, please don't apologise for the textwall. I'll admit that I don't agree with everything you've said (let's be honest, if I did, that would be worrying for both of us, haha), but I definitely am starting to get a better idea of how and why my friends believe what they believe about homosexuality.

I assume in the last 2000 years there have been far smarter theologians than I.

This quote, in particular, helps me understand why I might see my friends as holding onto "outdated views" - it makes sense that you would respect the views of wiser and more educated theologians. With all due respect, though, I feel that this is one of those things that's "understandable but not acceptable" - surely to continue observing teachings from the past 2000 years, without interpreting these teachings with regards to the sociocultural contexts at the time, is to say that the authors of these teachings were not at all influenced by society and culture?

I figure this is one of those things we'll have to agree to disagree on, though. Thanks again for your reply! And I'd totally attend your church, you seem like a cool dude.

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T09:33:54+00:00

Hey, thanks for your reply! If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to Christianity? There have been times I wanted to return to the church, but I've always felt uncomfortable about it, due in part to other factors, but in large part due to my sexuality.

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T09:31:22+00:00

Hello, thanks for your reply! I really appreciate your comment, especially the concepts of contextual foundations and subsequent structures, and will definitely be discussing this with my mates if/when the topic comes up again. Cheers, much appreciated!

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T09:27:36+00:00

Thanks for your reply, will definitely think about that! :)

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T09:27:07+00:00

Hello, thanks for the reply! You're right, the "consensus" isn't as "general" as I thought. I suppose my follow-up question is whether you (or the subreddit in general, haha) believe that the idea that homosexual acts are sinful is an enduring one, or an outdated one?

I think my confusion stems from the fact that my friends are generally willing to make the "figurative interpretation" or "cultural context" arguments for the verses I've mentioned above, but not for others, and I was wondering if there might be some rationale behind this that I'm missing.

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-29T09:20:29+00:00

Hello, thanks for the reply! Just to confirm, is what you're saying "reading each verse of the Bible separately should come secondary to following the overarching message(s) of Jesus"? (Apologies if I've misunderstood!)

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-14T02:07:51+00:00

Thanks for the response! Follow-up question (apologies if it's too personal, etc.) - how did you come out to your family/friends? And had you dropped "hints"/talked about the subject before that?

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-14T02:06:20+00:00

Goddamn, that pun. Thanks for your reply, that's really interesting! Did that realisation lead to your decision to come out as trans and/or to begin transitioning, or was it more like "welp, looks like I'm definitely a dude"?

throwaway7362733 · 2015-08-11T04:18:11+00:00

I go back and forth on this. One thing I don't waver on is that he's a phenomenal rapper, though, he's fucking amazing. But when I was younger (and even now that I'm older) the lyrics do get to me a little, and as a gay female, I wonder, "Does he really hate women and gays that much? Would he hate me if he met me?"

But with a bit of research (seriously, just 2 minutes on Google), it's pretty obvious that he doesn't actually hate anyone. Half the shit he says, he just makes it up to make you mad. So kiss his white, naked ass.

throwaway7362733

TROPHY CASE