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Seven questions: 1) Would a good God punish me for asking the hard questions? 2) Why do I believe what I believe? 3) Is this a good reason to believe in this? 4) Is belief, or faith, a good measure for morality? 5) Have I explored other religions to the extent that I explored...

How many gospels are there? The gospel according to... Matthew The gospel according to... Mark The gospel according to... Luke The gospel according to... John The gospel according to... Paul The gospel according to...Catholicism The gospel according to...Protestantism The gospel according...

May 7, 2023 Just heard a sermon that came down pretty hard on skepticism. Trying to process how I feel about that. Thanks for listening. (send help) It appears that there is no room for healthy skepticism in the church. But for some reason the skeptics weren't called gullible. No one was...

When many hear about Apokatastasis (the restoration of all things), Universalism, Christian Universalism, Universal Restoration, Universal Reconciliation, Ultimate Redemption, Ultimate Reconciliation, UR... There is an assumption that this is a new idea. Something modern liberal theologians...

The purpose of this topical thread is to discuss where the Bible came from. I keep encountering forum members that seem to have no clue, or at least some misconceptions about the origins, history, issues and substance of the scriptures. I invite others to share their knowledge on the...

Christians tend to treat LGBTQ as if it is a singular thing. It's not. It's a very complex subject that the church has, for the most part, swept under the rug. Those who have stepped up to be inclusive have taken the heat for it. And there is even a broad spectrum of how inclusion can play out...

I'm still trying to help Christians understand this COMPLEX issue that they have reduced to a knee-jerk reaction. Notice the term "LGBTQ humans" in the topic title. I need to remind Christians that these people are human. - Sigh. :( Because they are typically treated by Christians as subhuman...

My re-evaluation of my religious upbringing was spurred by the discovery that the church I was raised in was withholding evidence. Say what? Christian believers don't like it when I use the term deconstructing. And I suppose I understand why. Most deconstructionists end up leaving the...

God is sovereign. But... Should I blame Him for the bad things in my life? (nope) ]

Pick a godly character quality and write a post about it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Generosity The godly character quality of generosity has been on my mind lately. I had some opportunities to be generous financially lately and was surprised at how God...

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Religious institutions, particularly the churches of Christianity, provide a sanitized sterile environment. A bit like a petri dish in a lab, in which church culture can safely grow. But, tribe members don't live in the bubble. So they have to travel outside eventually. They may surround...

https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/geomagnetic-solar-storm-northern-lights-05-10-24/index.html [

Our human view of justice seems to not reflect what I understand about God's justice. Humans want revenge. (a sin) When they used to have public hangings, it was like entertainment. The whole town came and watched the authority put criminals to death. And they stayed around "until the last...

Is God ever surprised by our behavior? Does he dwell on disappointment and offense? Does he lash out in anger at those who "offend" Him? There seems to be a case for this in the OT scriptures. But what about the God of the New Testament? Even then, does the NT have an OT "hangover"? - LOL ]...

No warning, no discussion. Blocked from entry. (just like CF) Went to check my messages and got this instead: Oops! We ran into some problems. You have been banned for the following reason: Violation of forum rules.. ]

Was Jesus orthodox? Or did he operate outside the realm of the orthodoxy of his day? Was he a heretic by their standards? Perhaps being heterodox is WAY underrated. Do we worship the status quo? Acts 24:5 For we have found this man to be a troublemaker, one who stirs up riots among all the...

"Man chooses that which is according to his nature, and therefore before he will ever choose or prefer that which is divine and spiritual, a new nature must be imparted to him; in other words, he must be born again. Let me appeal to the actual experience of the reader of these lines. Was...

This is typically discussed under the derogatory term OSAS (once saved always saved) So, I wanted to present the topic under positive terms. To me, the comparison is between Eternal Security and Eternal Insecurity. (my own derogatory term) Those who oppose OSAS (Eternal Security) usually don't...

Seems to me that biblical understanding has more to do with religious upbringing and environment than the content of the Bible. I imagine that a young Catholic learns that Mary is the Mother of God based on the statement of the angel, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with...