Do We Have a Christ Followers Thread?

[gsoda3 3236]

1 hour ago, RomaVicta said:

Hey, gsoda3, my mind returned to our exchange last night. A question emerged. It's unprejudiced in that I truly don't know your answer.

What is my fate should I not find my way in the person of Jesus?

 

Jesus, in answering Nicodemus in John 3, outlines two fates:  one for those who are saved, one for those who aren't saved.  

 

Quote

“For God so loved the world,^[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

 

That's why recognizing Jesus is king and submitting in faith to His will is the most important thing one can do.  However, the benefit of life isn't reaped only after you die-  there is an inexplicable and unexplainable joy in submitting and having a personal relationship with the Lord.  It's something I've found unable to replicate or come close to through any other experience in life.  Wiser, richer, more accomplished people than myself have found the same.  Jesus himself tells us in John 10:10

Quote

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

There's nothing that compares.  It is real. It's why when I hear stories like yours, where they have sought after this but not been able to find it, I am especially heartbroken.  I don't know your circumstances, what transpired, or why you didn't find what you were looking for but I have faith that Jesus's words are true when He says seek and you'll find, knock and the door will be open to you, so I pray that you will find that opened door.  

 

 

[irishtexan 11445]

8 hours ago, South Austin said:

True, but there is a line you cross, and like obscenity, you know it when you see it.

I see obscenity every time I see your mom. 

[mchookem 16195]

12 hours ago, South Austin said:

And since you bring up Paul, let's see what he had to say about women:

"But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Cor. 11:3 NIV)

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." (Eph. 5:22-24)

"Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." (1 Cor. 14:34-35)

"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety." (1 Tim. 2:11-15)

If people want to cite Paul when they leave a church over the ordination or marriage of homosexuals, then maybe on their way out they should also tell their wives to shut the fuck up and just make them a sandwich. 

[Anastasis 23393]

14 hours ago, South Austin said:

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." (Eph. 5:22-24)

 

That was part of the Epistle reading at my wedding.  Of course, the rest of the passage was also included. 

 

[SydneyCarton 47847]

15 hours ago, irishtexan said:

I see obscenity every time I see your mom. 

I’m not sure why you find the female form obscene, sir. Even if it is sweaty, hair matted, and leaking from all orifices. 
 

too much for the Christianity thread? Probably. I’m also hungover AF so all of you can share my poor choices. 

[burntorangebongos 10681]

21 hours ago, DeweyCox said:

I struggled, mightily, with unrepentant sin until I was 42…when I came to realize that it wasn’t that I needed more Holy Spirit in me but that I needed to give the Holy Spirit in me more of me. My life, since that realization, has been amazingly wonderful, blessed, exciting, energized, purposeful…adventurous. 

The most impactful advice I’ve ever been given is “don’t settle for less than God’s best”. 

Congrats on getting sober. If you are the dewey that used to post here under a similar handle then maybe the sobriety is what "God's best" is?

[Brisketexan 104558]

i know what you mean, and it's a common sentiment, but the church is the bride of Christ of which He is the head.  

Well, He should dump that bitch, because she’s been shamelessly cheating on him, gleefully breaking the core covenant all while doing so in His name.
He should get a new bride.

People use “the church shouldn’t be political” to keep Jesus away from their politically held social views.

Bingo.

I agree and know there are a metric ton of Christians who do not "get it" and believe and act in wicked and sinful ways--either purposefully or ignorantly. There are also a ton of Christians who do act in wicked and sinful ways and are truly repentant and want and try to change, etc . The difference it seems is that I am okay with not trying to be the judge of the character of another persons heart and will let God sort that out. 
Ultimately, I completely get that you have your position and that's that, but I don't think it's nearly so black-and-white as you do. But that's the beauty of religious freedom-- you are free to lead your family and impart on them your spiritual "wisdom" as you see fit.
I love that you get to do that within your sphere of influence and I hope it's helpful and life-giving to those who would see and hear you and think you are someone worth listening and following advice from.
For my tastes from reading about your spiritual takes on this site, you ring too much like one of those really smart teenagers, authoritative in what you think you know and really pleased with where you've landed on the position, but to more judicious and wisened people, it's a foolish sort of definitiveness.
But to each their own, compadre.

Oh, I don’t know shit but the basics. As our own Bozo Casanova likes to say, I’m not a Christian….but I’m trying to be.

All I really “know” is this: if your faith gives you the excuse/reason to hurt other people, you’re shit, and your faith is shit. And that’s what American Christianity is.

[J.R. Juniors Junior Jr. 1084]

On 8/29/2020 at 2:07 PM, J.R. Juniors Junior Jr. said:

I don't follow him super closely, but what he's been able to do at Wisconsin with mostly 3-star recruits is amazing.

Oh well.

[gsoda3 3236]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:51 AM, Brisketexan said:

 

Well, He should dump that bitch, because she’s been shamelessly cheating on him, gleefully breaking the core covenant all while doing so in His name.
He should get a new bride.
 

 

that's the point of the entire bible.  it's why the old testament isn't an antiquated collection of stories we can just ignore.  it's a love story of a God and His people who keep disobeying, but He always remains faithful.  

[Bozo_Casanova 26277]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:51 AM, Brisketexan said:

All I really “know” is this: if your faith gives you the excuse/reason to hurt other people, you’re shit, and your faith is shit. And that’s what American Christianity is.

That and names like NewPointe Grace Fellowship 

[Brisketexan 104558]

 
that's the point of the entire bible.  it's why the old testament isn't an antiquated collection of stories we can just ignore.  it's a love story of a God and His people who keep disobeying, but He always remains faithful.  

No, I didn’t say merely “disobeying.” I said doing it “in his name.”
It’s a sin to be cruel to someone. It’s “American Christian” to do it and say you’re doing it in the name of Jesus. American Christians don’t merely “fall short”….they use the faith - or at least its label - as a weapon.
If that is Christ’s “bride,” he needs to dump her AND get a restraining order, because that bitch is beating the kids while saying “your dad told me to do this!”

[F250 28680]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

No, I didn’t say merely “disobeying.” I said doing it “in his name.”
It’s a sin to be cruel to someone. It’s “American Christian” to do it and say you’re doing it in the name of Jesus. American Christians don’t merely “fall short”….they use the faith - or at least its label - as a weapon.
If that is Christ’s “bride,” he needs to dump her AND get a restraining order, because that bitch is beating the kids while saying “your dad told me to do this!”

I'm pretty sure Jesus was clear on this topic. Throughout the gospels Jesus uses the phrase "Depart from me, I never knew you."  regarding believers that were pretty crappy.

Something that always stands out to me is that Jesus doesn't spend any time discussing culture wars or enforcing social norms but really seems to focus on action regarding the weakest in society.

Matthew 25:41-45

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’  44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’  45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

[Brisketexan 104558]

1 hour ago, F250 said:

Matthew 25:41-45

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’  44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’  45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

You left out the New American Translation, which has verse 45a:

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"....unless, of course, they are dirty mexicans or from other mexican countries or they are lazy welfare recipients or they are black people who have everything handed to them because affirmative action and have only themselves to blame for anything bad in their lives, and to go off on a tangent, I actually want you to be super-cruel to the gays and the trannies so you force them to suicide, because the fewer of those people, the better, and also, MAGA."

You need to get with the new scriptural times, man.

[gsoda3 3236]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

No, I didn’t say merely “disobeying.” I said doing it “in his name.”
It’s a sin to be cruel to someone. It’s “American Christian” to do it and say you’re doing it in the name of Jesus. American Christians don’t merely “fall short”….they use the faith - or at least its label - as a weapon.
If that is Christ’s “bride,” he needs to dump her AND get a restraining order, because that bitch is beating the kids while saying “your dad told me to do this!”

thanks for the clarification.  that bugs me also and for me it's hard to follow Jesus's words to not make a judgment on who's truly saved and who isn't.  esp when he leaves all those examples of what a true believer looks like for the purpose of checking yoself.

[Brisketexan 104558]

4 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

thanks for the clarification.  that bugs me also and for me it's hard to follow Jesus's words to not make a judgment on who's truly saved and who isn't.  esp when he leaves all those examples of what a true believer looks like for the purpose of checking yoself.

Step 1: make the focus you and your own behavior and treatment of other children of God.

Step 2: if you're making your focus judging others, and treating them like shit because you have decided they don't measure up to someone else's (God's) standards (viewed through your lens, of course), then you're not following step 1, and you're being a shithead.  So...don't do that.

That's it.  Follow those two steps, and you're probably walking a whole lot closer to the path.

[MeerkatBong 115]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:51 AM, Brisketexan said:

All I really “know” is this: if your faith gives you the excuse/reason to hurt other people, you’re shit, and your faith is shit. And that’s what American Christianity is.

 

I want to say we are conflating some issues but because this topic is so layered and complex, I don't think that is fair. There are a lot of factors to consider, chief among them that we, as a people, cannot definitively or authoritatively prove anything, in any aspect.

There is the pure spiritual basis of the conversation, which I think is the this thread was created and participated in initially, and then there are the social/psychological/political bents on Christianity (to say nothing of the purely historical) which I think is the direction these threads go when you get a certain subset of people who have "American Christianity" in their crosshairs and want get some shots in.

But I agree there shouldn't be an "American Christianity", for all the warts and ugliness you described. There is either you are a brother/sister in Christ or you are not. After all, it is my belief that on a long enough timeline, all knees will bow and all tongues will give praise anyhow.

Edited October 3, 2022 by MeerkatBong

[txhorns 2408]

On 9/30/2022 at 12:17 PM, 'stache said:

Yet another area that the political right has perverted. They've turned "freedom of religion" into "my freedom to exercise my religion by forcing it upon others through the law." It's truly disgusting how this freedom has been perverted. "My religion doesn't like gays, so all books featuring gay characters must be removed from school libraries, or else my freedom of religion is violated." The fallacy is so blatant, the people saying it even know it, they just don't fucking care so long as they get their point across that they hate the gays. 

I think a big part of this is just pushback on the media portrayal of the lgbtq community.  Every show or movie now has to feature a gay couple or character and make their sexual orientation a focal point.  The lifestyle is portrayed as being glamorous and something to celebrate.  When the reality is that only 5% of the population identifies as lgbt and their lives are much the same as any heterosexual person.  When you start glamorizing a small subset of the population it is not surprising that a percentage of the people that is more mainstream gets pissed about it.  Then add in the fact that the group who is upset about it views it as a sim and the issue is just compounded.

[F250 28680]

30 minutes ago, txhorns said:

I think a big part of this is just pushback on the media portrayal of the lgbtq community.  Every show or movie now has to feature a gay couple or character and make their sexual orientation a focal point.  The lifestyle is portrayed as being glamorous and something to celebrate.  When the reality is that only 5% of the population identifies as lgbt and their lives are much the same as any heterosexual person.  When you start glamorizing a small subset of the population it is not surprising that a percentage of the people that is more mainstream gets pissed about it.  Then add in the fact that the group who is upset about it views it as a sim and the issue is just compounded.

Glamorous?

 

[SydneyCarton 47847]

1 hour ago, txhorns said:

I think a big part of this is just pushback on the media portrayal of the lgbtq community.  Every show or movie now has to feature a gay couple or character and make their sexual orientation a focal point.  The lifestyle is portrayed as being glamorous and something to celebrate.  When the reality is that only 5% of the population identifies as lgbt and their lives are much the same as any heterosexual person.  When you start glamorizing a small subset of the population it is not surprising that a percentage of the people that is more mainstream gets pissed about it.  Then add in the fact that the group who is upset about it views it as a sim and the issue is just compounded.

And yet this same group of "majority" people don't seem to get pissed at TV shows or movies that portray the ultra glamorous lifestyles of wealthy people. An even smaller subset percentage of people than 5% of the LGBTQ population, but I've never seen disgust or vitriol, much less accusations of sin or evil, at shows that show off the lifestyles of wealthy people as glamorous, etc. The Kardashians built a billion dollar brand on it. Gossip Girl. Real Housewives bullshit. 

1 hour ago, F250 said:

Glamorous?

 

Everyone wants to be part of a lifestyle that makes them a target of hate crimes, sir. Duh. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by SydneyCarton

[F250 28680]

4 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

And yet this same group of "majority" people don't seem to get pissed at TV shows or movies that portray the ultra glamorous lifetimes of wealthy people. An even smaller subset percentage of people than 5% of the LGBTQ population, but I've never seen disgust or vitriol, much less accusations of sin or evil, at shows that show off the lifestyles of wealthy people as glamorous, etc. The Kardashians built a billion dollar brand on it. Gossip Girl. Real Housewives bullshit. 

Everyone wants to be part of a lifestyle that makes them a target of hate crimes, sir. Duh. 

I think it has to do with the normalcy portrayed by queer characters rather than them being seen as social deviants. If you view homosexuals as deviants then their inclusion in society is unacceptable.

[MeerkatBong 115]

I think he meant "normalizing" more than "glamorizing" based on the whole of his post, but heck if I know.

[Bama Chick 28596]

I think a big part of this is just pushback on the media portrayal of the lgbtq community.  Every show or movie now has to feature a gay couple or character and make their sexual orientation a focal point.  The lifestyle is portrayed as being glamorous and something to celebrate.  When the reality is that only 5% of the population identifies as lgbt and their lives are much the same as any heterosexual person.  When you start glamorizing a small subset of the population it is not surprising that a percentage of the people that is more mainstream gets pissed about it.  Then add in the fact that the group who is upset about it views it as a sim and the issue is just compounded.

Ewww. This post is dumb and gross.

[Brisketexan 104558]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

And yet this same group of "majority" people don't seem to get pissed at TV shows or movies that portray the ultra glamorous lifetimes of wealthy people. An even smaller subset percentage of people than 5% of the LGBTQ population, but I've never seen disgust or vitriol, much less accusations of sin or evil, at shows that show off the lifestyles of wealthy people as glamorous, etc. The Kardashians built a billion dollar brand on it. Gossip Girl. Real Housewives bullshit. 

Everyone wants to be part of a lifestyle that makes them a target of hate crimes, sir. Duh. 

 

56 minutes ago, F250 said:

I think it has to do with the normalcy portrayed by queer characters rather than them being seen as social deviants. If you view homosexuals as deviants then their inclusion in society is unacceptable.

Applause for both of these posts.

The "American Christian" obsession with one, specific, particular "sin" (the sin of letting two dicks or vaginas touch each other), to the EXCLUSION of all others (Jesus was redundant and unambiguous in his condemnation of the rich fucking over the poor, yet we FELLATE the rich in entertainment, hell, we have turned it into a sign that you are actually FAVORED by God, meaning you must be a good person....and poor people are poor because they are BAD people) is yet another inflamed tumor in the cancerous body of American Christianity.

Only to American Christians is an approach of "hey, gay people/black people/other marginalized group are people too!" an affront or "glamorization" of those people.  You know what American Christians DON'T get up in arms about?  Society/the police/their own churches treating those marginalized folks as pariahs and scum.  In fact, they CELEBRATE it.

American Christianity is a disease, and it's killing the host.

[YGIFS 19449]

1 hour ago, F250 said:

Glamorous?

 

Wait, I think he meant "Fabulous."  or "Tremendous"  

I have noticed at least in our parish, there has been a marked tonal shift from "being gay is a sin" to "being gay is a choice" to "It's weird and gross to us, but who gives a shit"  But "being gay is glamorized and off-putting to the mainstream!" that's a new one I have not really heard much about.  I guess it's an offset of the "I ain't got no problem with gays, just don't shove it in my face everywhere I look" which was a school of thought so brilliant crystallized in the socio-theological journal "The Onion"...an article entitled "Why are all these homosexuals trying to suck my dick?"  

 

[safe sex 11678]

Y'all, it's only in the last few years that any movies about gay people were allowed to have happy endings. The "forbidden love" has almost always been the focal point, especially when the movie was directed by a straight (which is most of them). It used to be that if your main character was gay, they couldn't have a happy ending because that would be an endorsement of being a homo. 

FFS, Pose, which is maybe the most successful, best written, best cast (queer people played by...gasp...queer people), and most representative tv show still devolves into a depressing AIDS saga, because that is how we are still primarily viewed by American culture at large.

It makes my eyes ache from rolling so hard in my head when I hear/read Christians talk about how the Bible is actually all about inclusion, love, and all of the nice stuff when I live, you know, in Texas.

Edited October 3, 2022 by trauma babe

[Poe It Up 126]

3 hours ago, txhorns said:

I think a big part of this is just pushback on the media portrayal of the lgbtq community.  Every show or movie now has to feature a gay couple or character and make their sexual orientation a focal point.  The lifestyle is portrayed as being glamorous and something to celebrate.  When the reality is that only 5% of the population identifies as lgbt and their lives are much the same as any heterosexual person.  When you start glamorizing a small subset of the population it is not surprising that a percentage of the people that is more mainstream gets pissed about it.  Then add in the fact that the group who is upset about it views it as a sim and the issue is just compounded.

The amount of representation is definitely confusing.

 

[safe sex 11678]

Nope, it really isn't. There are plenty of movies and shows without queer characters, and there are queer characters whose sexuality and gender are not a focal point.

Straight people, calm down.

Edited October 3, 2022 by trauma babe

[YGIFS 19449]

1 hour ago, Poe It Up said:

The amount of representation is definitely confusing.

 

It might feel like that to you because you keep searching under the “LGBTQ friendly” tab on your streaming service.  No judging.  
 

but look at it objectively, with you know—-facts and maths.  Let’s throw out all the TikTok videos and YouTube stuff.  Let’s just look at an aggregating source that is respected for their accuracy and SAG tracking.  IMDb.  Household name, right?  Nobody can really bitch that they have a political agenda or are grooming children.  Though I’m sure y’all will start.  They’re just in it for the money.  
 

you don’t have to be big studio movies to be listed there.  You can have small, progressive indie films.  Plus any serialized tv show from network, cable, and streaming.  A random sampling of 1000 films and shows in the last 25 years.  At an average of 25 credited actors per film/show.  Less than 4% of those characters are expressly mentioned as LGBTQ in the script.  And only about half of those are secondary/recurring or primary credited.  
 

if you go by which movies and shows are shown as select clips to drive home a religious or political vendetta, then yeah…not hard to find buncha ‘super gay shit’ on your TV.  If you take the whole of the body of work of distributed film, streaming, and serially produced television shows.  LGBTQ is actually underrepresented, as is Hispanic and Asian and trans. And when they do get a paid credit, about half the time it’s a throwaway scene where yeah, you can see/hear they’re gay, But they get two lines and they’re gone.  
 

if you’re sick and tired of all the gay in Hulu or art house films, maybe quit going to see stuff that obviously looks gay.  I didn’t bitch about the lack of diversity in “Das Boot” since it was all a buncha blue eyed straight German men.  Yeah, if they remade it with all gay, black sub crew…I’d probably complain.  Particularly at the change of title “Das Booty, Bitches:  Going Down Fast”

[Poe It Up 126]

14 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

It might feel like that to you because you keep searching under the “LGBTQ friendly” tab on your streaming service.  No judging.  
 

but look at it objectively, with you know—-facts and maths.  Let’s throw out all the TikTok videos and YouTube stuff.  Let’s just look at an aggregating source that is respected for their accuracy and SAG tracking.  IMDb.  Household name, right?  Nobody can really bitch that they have a political agenda or are grooming children.  Though I’m sure y’all will start.  They’re just in it for the money.  
 

you don’t have to be big studio movies to be listed there.  You can have small, progressive indie films.  Plus any serialized tv show from network, cable, and streaming.  A random sampling of 1000 films and shows in the last 25 years.  At an average of 25 credited actors per film/show.  Less than 4% of those characters are expressly mentioned as LGBTQ in the script.  And only about half of those are secondary/recurring or primary credited.  
 

if you go by which movies and shows are shown as select clips to drive home a religious or political vendetta, then yeah…not hard to find buncha ‘super gay shit’ on your TV.  If you take the whole of the body of work of distributed film, streaming, and serially produced television shows.  LGBTQ is actually underrepresented, as is Hispanic and Asian and trans. And when they do get a paid credit, about half the time it’s a throwaway scene where yeah, you can see/hear they’re gay, But they get two lines and they’re gone.  
 

if you’re sick and tired of all the gay in Hulu or art house films, maybe quit going to see stuff that obviously looks gay.  I didn’t bitch about the lack of diversity in “Das Boot” since it was all a buncha blue eyed straight German men.  Yeah, if they remade it with all gay, black sub crew…I’d probably complain.  Particularly at the change of title “Das Booty, Bitches:  Going Down Fast”

I disagree, I think the market is oversaturated. Especially for such a small percentage of the population. 

[HookEm 2443]

I opened this thread expecting it to be an assault on Christians… and it is! 

[Brisketexan 104558]

I opened this thread expecting it to be an assault on Christians… and it is! 

Didja catch the part where most of the people calling out the bullshit are…..practicing Christians themselves?
That’s the part that the “ZOMG AMERICAN CHRISTIANS ARE THE MOST RELIGIOUSLY PERSECUTED PEOPLE EVER!” miss. Most of the people calling them out aren’t calling them out for actual faith positions. We’re calling them out for being cruel fucking assholes. And particularly, being such assholes and then having the nerve to put up “but I’m a Christian!” as a shield for being fucking assholes.

[SHOOTER12 8788]

On 9/30/2022 at 7:45 AM, South Austin said:

True, but there is a line you cross, and like obscenity, you know it when you see it.

People like to worship and minister in community, and I think that’s what’s Jesus intended. In modern times, we have the ability to build a structure in which people can do that free from the heat, rain, snow, etc. That naturally costs money.

Beyond that, there is indeed an opulence among many churches when it comes to buildings and grounds, bloated pastor salaries, music and production, etc. Prosperity theology is the worst offender, and I completely understand why that drives cynicism against organized religion. 

That's why I love my little 30 member church with a dedicated pastor who takes no salary and doesn't pass an offering plate.

[F250 28680]

41 minutes ago, HookEm said:

I opened this thread expecting it to be an assault on Christians… and it is! 

 

[HookEm 2443]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Didja catch the part where most of the people calling out the bullshit are…..practicing Christians themselves?
That’s the part that the “ZOMG AMERICAN CHRISTIANS ARE THE MOST RELIGIOUSLY PERSECUTED PEOPLE EVER!” miss. Most of the people calling them out aren’t calling them out for actual faith positions. We’re calling them out for being cruel fucking assholes. And particularly, being such assholes and then having the nerve to put up “but I’m a Christian!” as a shield for being fucking assholes.

Still nailed it!

[safe sex 11678]

1 hour ago, Poe It Up said:

I disagree, I think the market is oversaturated. Especially for such a small percentage of the population. 

Bro, you are just grasping for a reason to feel aggrieved. Go for a soda.

[HookEm 2443]

I grew up in a small town. Nobody attacks Christians like other Christians.

[Brisketexan 104558]

I grew up in a small town. Nobody attacks Christians like other Christians.

And nobody in this country is crueler than the loudest self-proclaimed “Christians.” Cruelty is a pretty shitty foundational creed, but there we are.

[SHOOTER12 8788]

15 minutes ago, HookEm said:

I grew up in a small town. Nobody attacks Christians like other Christians.

True, all them dad gummed denominations just can love each other like Christ does....

[Poe It Up 126]

34 minutes ago, trauma babe said:

Bro, you are just grasping for a reason to feel aggrieved. Go for a soda.

I don’t feel particularly aggrieved, just noting the ratio is out of whack. 

[YChang 3430]

20 minutes ago, Poe It Up said:

I don’t feel particularly aggrieved, just noting the ratio is out of whack. 

Is this what passes for your “nice way” of telling minorities to know their place in society?

Edited October 4, 2022 by YChang

[PRONG HORN 3108]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

I grew up in a small town. Nobody attacks Christians like other Christians.

Well yeah.  It’s based on the wisdom and teachings of thousands of years old middle eastern men.  That’s who I want to follow.  Look at how they turned out.  Nobody hates themselves more than the three religions of Abraham.  Thanks a lot bro.  Chopping off our dickskin might be the best thing that guy ever did.  

[Brisketexan 104558]

Is this what passes for your “nice way” of telling minorities to know their place in society?

That’s exactly what it is. And things were so much more….peaceful….when those folks who carry the curse of Ham knew their place too, now that we’re on the subject. God decided that things should be the way they are, and they’re out there upsetting the god-ordained order. And of course we know that God didn’t want the races to mix - I mean, right from the beginning, with Noah, God commanded that each be paired with another “of its kind.”
Note: these are arguments actually used by American Christian leaders during my lifetime. And the fact that they are echoed in the stuff you hear from people like Poe is no mere coincidence.

[Poe It Up 126]

32 minutes ago, YChang said:

Is this what passes for your “nice way” of telling minorities to know their place in society?

I don’t think so, just stating that they’re over represented. 

[Brisketexan 104558]

I don’t think so, just stating that they’re over represented. 

So. Proper representation ratios seem very, very important to you.
I presume you were similarly vocal about the under-representation of gay people in media for the decades before now, when they were forced to live in the shadows and media outlets would barely acknowledge their existence, right? I’m SURE you felt that way, didn’t you?
Just own your bigotry and hatred of the marginalized other. It will be quite liberating for you. And hey, it will be a moment of true honesty, you probably don’t have many of those, so give it a whirl!

[TwiceHorn 31263]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

I grew up in a small town. Nobody attacks Christians like other Christians.

Castle Rock?

[Poe It Up 126]

19 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

So. Proper representation ratios seem very, very important to you.
I presume you were similarly vocal about the under-representation of gay people in media for the decades before now, when they were forced to live in the shadows and media outlets would barely acknowledge their existence, right? I’m SURE you felt that way, didn’t you?
Just own your bigotry and hatred of the marginalized other. It will be quite liberating for you. And hey, it will be a moment of true honesty, you probably don’t have many of those, so give it a whirl!

There’s not a whole lot to get worked up about or hate. It’s a market over correction that will subside in a few years or so. 

[Brisketexan 104558]

There’s not a whole lot to get worked up about or hate. It’s a market over correction that will subside in a few years or so. 

Yet you only complain about one direction of that market disparity.
Come on, say it….you know you want to, it’ll feel so much better once you let it out….

[Poe It Up 126]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yet you only complain about one direction of that market disparity.
Come on, say it….you know you want to, it’ll feel so much better once you let it out….

I said I was confused by it, which is certainly true. 

[RollLeft 5040]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:51 AM, Brisketexan said:

 

Well, He should dump that bitch, because she’s been shamelessly cheating on him, gleefully breaking the core covenant all while doing so in His name.
He should get a new bride.
 

 

When I read this a few days back it stuck with me, and I didn't have time to respond.  It is a thought and sentiment that came to me in the past.  In fact, so much so that it caused me to reconsider the whole book then from that one particular perspective.  At that time, I came away with the following conclusion.  I hope it helps.  It did for me.

What person in their right mind would have allowed the Bible, as we know it, to be The Book that represents Him and the history of His people?  Seriously, think about it.  If you were God and knew you had to allow one book to be penned about you and especially your "followers", would you have allowed the Old and New be your Testament?  I would have written about one chapter and said that's it!  Good enough.  It would have been a cleaner more uplifting text than the one we got.  I would have left out 65 of the 66 books in it.  I mean have ya'll read the Old Testament?  Especially the books of history are story after story of failure.  God's people sucked chapter after chapter.  So much so it is THE reason Muslims call us "Infidels" because of our documented consistent unfaithfulness to our God.   Then in the New Testament there isn't a book that talks more about the failures of his people than the book of Corinthians yet in that very book it has the audacity to start with the verse, "To the Church of God in Corinth..." I mean WTF???   Draw your own conclusions but in the end here is what I took away from it.   

If the Bible is a book of fairytales and unicorns, as the unbelievers claim, why allow what was written.  I mean if it truly is a ploy to pull the wool over our collective eyes and control us, as the unbelievers claim, why expose all our mistakes.  We are the collective Don Quixote of peoples.  If I were God I would have had Jesus ride in on a stallion kicking ass and taking names and not on some donkey only to be mocked and spit on?  I was left to infer that a perfect text with perfect people would have been the real "fairytale".  To me documenting who we really are was more TRUTH than anything else. And in the end it goes to the heart of why we are called believers. 

So, as crazy as it seems.  The fact that we have an imperfect text that tells our imperfect history became a strength to me as to why the Bible is true to me.  And i'm clear, that is what i choose to believe.  I suppose many will continue to support their reasons for believing thru scripture, word of mouth witnesses, historical figures, deductions and implications of the metaphysical but in the end, to me it boils down to some who choose to believe, therefore earning the title people of faith, and those that don't.  It really is that simple.

And though history shows us to be an unworthy, "...even in our offenses and sins, He still loves us."  Why? I can't tell you, but i choose to believe because He is better than us. And if He gets what He is after in us it/we will be the greatest comeback story of all time, because as you say he has every reason to dump us.

If nothing else, i like that some of you guys provoke thought.  Whether we land on the same side of things all the time is neither here nor there.  I really do appreciate you guys, most of the time;), and can respect our differences. I am often better for it.  All the best Brisket.  

Edited October 7, 2022 by RollLeft

[safe sex 11678]

Nevermind

Edited October 4, 2022 by trauma babe