Christian theology thread for Christians - Deus homo factus est naturam erante, mundus renovatus est a Christo regnante

Dancing Axolotl said:
I've been trying to become more spiritual and turn to Christ because I feel as if our world is just fucked up enough to end after all that's happened in just the last 4 years. I think the logical conclusion is that we as a species have been enduring horrible shit for centuries now so this is nothing new, we just have "the news" now, but I can't help but feel like something is on the horizon. I want to be one of God's elect because of the pure fear I have of an eternity being worse than what we have going on now if I don't repent. Anyone else feel this way?
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At times. Though, I hope you'll learn to proceed in your faith with love, rather than fear. That is, a legitimate fear, rather than reverential respect and admiration.
 
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When did catholic confession become such a joke?

"Father, I have masturbated to zoosadist animal torture again"

Latin priest: "no worries, my son. You are absolved".

Russian priest: "50 prostrations a day, read at least 3 psalms, give half your week's earnings to the local animal shelter, and no more warm showers until you stop lusting after animal torture. Also no communion for 3 months."
 
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"Since my childhood I loved the wrestling. My idols were El Santo, Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras. I dreamed that the I grow up I become a professional wrestler. I thank Saint Jude Thaddeus with this humble retablo because now, with many efforts and dedication, I’ve become a professional fighter. My idols will always be my source of inspiration."

also from the same site
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"I dedicate this exvoto to Saint Francis of Assisi in gratitude for the evolution of the Godzilla movies, one of my favorite movie monsters. The latest movies have recovered the essence of the character, and I think they are going in right direction to show his grandeur and splendor."
 
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Dancing Axolotl said:
I've been trying to become more spiritual and turn to Christ because I feel as if our world is just fucked up enough to end after all that's happened in just the last 4 years. I think the logical conclusion is that we as a species have been enduring horrible shit for centuries now so this is nothing new, we just have "the news" now, but I can't help but feel like something is on the horizon. I want to be one of God's elect because of the pure fear I have of an eternity being worse than what we have going on now if I don't repent. Anyone else feel this way?
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Fear of incoming judgement is certainly a motivating factory for some. The important thing to remember is that while yes, it will get worse here on Earth before the end, we have the promise of eternal redemption if we follow Christ. Remember our Lord had to endure literal torture and crucifixion so that we could even have the opportunity to escape damnation.
 
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foreman 89 said:
What are your thoughts on this video on predestination? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DptKWFvDsqE
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Seems to make sense, on its face. I suppose I take a rather simplified view, yet one in accord with this video to some extent. It's based on the views of Albert Barnes, a theologian of the 19th century. His thought was that man was predestined in his choice to accept Christ, whereas his damnation to hell was his own design, which God had nothing to do with. I'm not acquainted with the finer points of the discussion, but I find Barnes' thought to be useful in its applications.
 
HyperboreanRightsActivist said:
When did catholic confession become such a joke?

"Father, I have masturbated to zoosadist animal torture again"

Latin priest: "no worries, my son. You are absolved".

Russian priest: "50 prostrations a day, read at least 3 psalms, give half your week's earnings to the local animal shelter, and no more warm showers until you stop lusting after animal torture. Also no communion for 3 months."
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In my experience it depends heavily on the priest. Parish priests are most like your example, but if you can find a religious community (monks and what have you) you'll tend to find priests who take it more seriously.

Tangent, but the minimization of sin really grinds my gears. I'm not asking for fire and brimstone here, I just want to acknowledge my failure before God and actually try to be better. Hard to do that when a clergyman says or implies that it's no big deal.
 
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HyperboreanRightsActivist said:
When did catholic confession become such a joke?

"Father, I have masturbated to zoosadist animal torture again"

Latin priest: "no worries, my son. You are absolved".

Russian priest: "50 prostrations a day, read at least 3 psalms, give half your week's earnings to the local animal shelter, and no more warm showers until you stop lusting after animal torture. Also no communion for 3 months."
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I would argue any mainstream religious following has to eventually bend to the will of the masses. If not they risk disillusionment and people abandoning.

While I respect Catholicism I really wish they would just do away with the no marriage rule for Priests. I probably come off reddit-esque for this view but I think the ban on clergymen having families was only in place because the Church didn't want to deal with families fighting over inheritance when it could just all stay within the Vatican's wealth. I cannot reconcile a religion that has law going directly against "Be fruitful and multiply..."
 
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I have soaked up the multimedia offerings of many of the e-Christians. Nothing could have been more destructive to my faith than consuming the work of e-Christians. Even the theological "greats" can't agree on anything. John MacArthur stated during one of his Q&A sessions that the sin for which a person was ultimately damned was the rejection of Christ. The late RC Sproul stated the exact opposite: fundamentally, we're damned because of the full multitude of sins we commit; lack of faith in Christ ensures that those sins won't be pardoned, but ultimately it's the sins themselves for which punishment is meted out. Or, here's another example: MacArthur has waxed poetic during several of his sermons about how Christ cried out, "Why have you forsaken me?" because the full wrath of God was being poured out upon him in that moment. Yet James White has convincingly argued that Christ's purpose in uttering those words was to quote from Psalm 22 and direct attention to the prophetic fulfillment of the subsequent verses in Psalm 22.

Where this all falls apart is with the following claim: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13).

If the Holy Spirit actually dwells within human beings and, in so doing, guides human beings into all truth ... then why is there an utter lack of Christian concord on any substantive doctrinal or dogmatic formulation? If the Spirit is leading people into "all truth," why does each individual Christian end up with quirks and idiosyncrasies that often cause two self-identified Christians to have entirely different and incompatible worldviews? Additionally, why are so many millions of self-identified Christians so stupid and greedy as to give money to televangelists and other grifters? Of course, the heart of my complaint is not that the Holy Spirit allows people to throw away their material resources. No, the problem is much deeper: The Holy Spirit didn't stop John Calvin from conspiring in the juridical murder of Servetus. You can't find one strain of Christian thought that hasn't used force and violence to impose itself. The overall effect is to make Christianity appear to be yet another man-made ideology contending for supremacy.

In the few cases in which "the body of Christ" does seem to cluster around a shared interpretation, such as the Trinity, it inevitably ends in burnings, hangings, and other violence.

Put another way, when members of one group of Christians burnt alive members of another group of Christians, was the Holy Spirit glorified? Specifically, what about situations in which the doctrinally "correct" Christians did their best to exterminate the heretics? Is the Holy Spirit glorified by executions of heretics? If you answer "Yes" then, for the sake of logical consistency, you must support the execution of Mormons and JWs—who are not merely heretical but also actively promote their heresies. Whatever criteria you might imagine justify the execution of heretics throughout history, the same criteria apply today to Mormons and JWs. Since you know in your conscience that it would be wrong to murder those annoying people who show up on your door, you should also be convicted that the murder of heretics by church authorities throughout history has been a Satanic counterfeit of justice.

I have heard the facile and idiotic arguments from mendacious Christians who have a vested interest in defending Calvin or whatever other pet murderer they wish to defend. They'll say, "Executions for blasphemy are justified under a theocratic government that enforces the will of God but are no longer justified in today's secular government." What a load of horseshit that only the most evil and simple-minded fools could even pretend to believe! Such murderous cretins allege that the blood of heretics was pleasing to God in one age but not pleasing to God any longer. They have not read or understood: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8), not to mention “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). The more pigheaded among them will insist that God is glorified by the shedding of heretics' blood, ignoring the reality that "the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

Anyway, the conclusion I've reached is that most Christians simply use their "faith" as a psychological defense dome. What angers a Christian more than anything else are uncomfortable thoughts. Having your political rival murdered on phony blasphemy charges is fine: that's something you can be redeemed from, and you don't even need to repent consciously! But questioning your own salvation, or the salvation of those around you? That's the work of the devil! Ha!!
 
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I am slightly in the whole mainstream catholicismXprotestantism sphere and it's dissapointing. We don't do much, there's little actual interaction with people who need solid help and no one that actually wants to help, which is quite natural, why would you want something that brings you down? What essentially happens is a glorified party where everyone gets drunk in the end on either food, booze or the holy spirit- which is just a sort of egoism about how great we and everything is.
I suppose it's more of my problem, these people seem to be enjoying what they do and what they are, but i keep seeing strong emotional exploitation and just training quite succesful and wealthy people to be some sort of propagandists for the church, not so much Christs message, even though that's what it is presented as.
These people are so fucking perfect, truly. Some of them don't even need to suck the soul out of some misfortunate exploitation addict. Some of them do work in the right, gospel true places and seem honest about it but they are without blemish, which is not real and again ruins the whole picture.
Last complaint is that most the 'themes' are just boring.
 
Marcus Tullius Cicero said:
What "themes" are you referring to? I'm not well-acquainted with the mainstream especially. I'm mostly concerned with the one church I visit.
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The church is acting like a faggy corporation, they are hungry for more priests, nuns and monks and complain that they can't sustain themselves and at the same time that there's too little people going to church nowadays, while they build 5 more local churches and destroy the smaller (town, village) churches by forcing the priests to leave.
Not so much themes, but, activities, topics they cover, they are boring. They are trying to 'destroy church stereotypes' by reinforcing them, they're like niggers.

Take everything i write with some less salt, cause at the moment i'm salty about the whole church thing and my illusions are breaking.
 
sedoL said:
The church is acting like a faggy corporation, they are hungry for more priests, nuns and monks and complain that they can't sustain themselves and at the same time that there's too little people going to church nowadays, while they build 5 more local churches and destroy the smaller (town, village) churches by forcing the priests to leave.
Not so much themes, but, activities, topics they cover, they are boring. They are trying to 'destroy church stereotypes' by reinforcing them, they're like niggers.

Take everything i write with some less salt, cause at the moment i'm salty about the whole church thing and my illusions are breaking.
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And this is something you've noticed only in the mainstream, yes? Is it present in more conservative circles, or are they decidedly different?
 
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