Christians

  • ThePiesEndure

    ThePiesEndure (115)

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    @ gonna hear dru roar.
    It's controversial to say the least, and I too am guilty of judging others in the individual sense.
    September 17th, 2013 at 05:33pm
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    I might be going to church next Saturday night! My friend said she's going to try a new church by her house, non-denomination, that she heard is good and if she likes it, I can go with her next Saturday night. It was weird telling my boyfriend this. XD

    I haven't been to church, excluding Christmas Mass with my bf's family, for over seven years.
    October 4th, 2013 at 04:28pm
  • ThePiesEndure

    ThePiesEndure (115)

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    Let me know what it's like dru :) if you go :). My church is a non-denominational church, Christians from many walks of life go there [probably still mostly 'mainstream' Christians, but a lot of former Catholics go to our Saturday night services].
    October 5th, 2013 at 01:43am
  • wx12

    wx12 (10125)

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    dru brings sexy back:
    @ tonic
    I don't think every prayer should be granted. You know how sometime you look back at decisions your parents made for you that you didn't like at the time but ending up being good for you in the long run? That's the reason I don't think all prayers are/should be granted. I also don't think it works like that. I don't think you put in a prayer and pull out a candy bar. I was being Devil's Advocate in that post, very highly.
    I don't think many Christians are on the same page as you.

    It seems like a lot of times Christians pray for things at the expense of other people. For example, praying for a job, which conversely would mean God ensures everyone else who applied doesn't get that job if he "answered" the prayer. Or if someone prayed for an A on a test, it would be a slap in the face to the people who actually studied for the test and earned a good grade. Or when people like those pictures on facebook to send "prayers" to other people under the guise that they're actually helping.

    I don't get how Christians are oblivious that so many of their prayers are so self serving and not at all in alignment with the religion they claim to practice.

    Plus, with you know genocide and world hunger, it seems a little conceited to think God really gives a shit about a grade you get on a test.
    October 22nd, 2013 at 07:17pm
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    @ Kurtni
    I actually read something in "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown that kind of made that make sense. In the book, a Swiss Guard soldier asks the carmelengo about omnipotent versus well-being. As in, if God knows everything and can end all our suffering, why doesn't He? And the priest asked the soldier if he had a son, would he love him? The soldier replied yes, he would. The priest then asked if the soldier would do everything possible to prevent harm and pain from entering his child's life. The soldier again replied, yes.

    Then the priest asked if he would let his son skateboard. And the man replied that, yes, he would let his son skateboard but he would tell him to be careful.

    "So you would give your son some good advice and let him go into the world and make his own mistakes?"

    It kind of spoke to me on multiple levels, including prayer and just the general narcissistic pettiness that consumes a lot of Christian life.

    I know most Christians don't think like me. And I'm happy I don't think like most of them.
    October 22nd, 2013 at 07:22pm
  • midnight sunshine x

    midnight sunshine x (300)

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    I'm quite religious. I come from a family who have been Catholics for generations, I have only ever attended a Catholic school and I go to mass most Sundays (if I'm not too tired!)

    Just a little point, I hate the phrase "god fearing". God isn't someone to be scared of, he's someone to turn to in times of need. If you fear your God because He will do something horrible to you, then that isn't a god you should be worshipping. Like Noah's Ark, some people believe that if they aren't good, God will send a huge flood and everyone except a chosen few will live. But us Catholics don't take the Old Testament literally, therefore we believe it is merely symbolism for behaving well.

    I hope this isn't considered bashing, but I saw a Mibbian say "God is homophobic" and it just really got to me. God isn't homophobic, man has twisted the words he inspired the prophets to write and made them into laws of their own. I hope in time that Christianity can look beyond homosexuality and see that they are people in love, therefore their love should be celebrated in marriage and respected.

    But, I don't think governments should force the Church to support gay marriage, it needs to be a gradual process where everyone in the Church accepts the LGBT community. If governments force it, some people may be resentful. Though, the church should support gay marriage, that is for definite in my opinion as we are taught that we are all "Gods children"

    Wow I go off on tangents really easily... Very Happy
    October 22nd, 2013 at 09:44pm
  • ThePiesEndure

    ThePiesEndure (115)

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    @ Kurtni
    I guess I don't fit into the many Christians category because I don't believe all prayers should or can be answered.
    October 23rd, 2013 at 12:44am
  • Crash Thrusts.

    Crash Thrusts. (100)

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    I like to consider myself as an "Open-Minded Christian". I believe in God and Jesus being God's son, but I don't believe everything the Bible tells me. I don't think someone goes to Hell just for being homosexual. I think Church and State should be separated. I like reading about other religions, just for curiosity's sake.

    My mom was raised Baptist. We've never went to church very often together, but I wish we went more. I used to go to church every Wednesday when I was a teenager, but...eventually I just stopped going. Maybe one day I'll find a good church near me and go more often.
    October 29th, 2013 at 03:25am
  • midnight sunshine x

    midnight sunshine x (300)

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    @ Crash Thrusts.
    I have such similar beliefs to you! I completely agree about the Church and State being separate, it would really be biased towards new laws such as abortion and homosexual marriage.
    November 4th, 2013 at 07:31pm
  • ptvjaime

    ptvjaime (1600)

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    I don't think any church should have to accept anything, but some are already okay with it. I know several non-denominational churches that would be fine with performing a marriage. Not everyone gets married in church, and you don't have to. Therefore, the church needs to stay out of it. I also don't blame people for judging until it turns into hatred and discrimination that destroys people's lives. Then you're not only not following the Bible, you might as well be going totally against it.
    November 17th, 2013 at 07:46pm
  • holli.sullivan.sykes

    holli.sullivan.sykes (150)

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    @ Kurtni
    I guess I don't fit into that category, either. Haha

    I attend a non-denominational church, and when we pray for things, we ask for the Lord's will to be done in our life. If someone is going through a hard time, we don't pray for everything to go away; then what has that person learned in life? We pray for God's will to be done in the person's life, because we believe that there's a reason that God has put them on that path.

    I don't pray to make an A on a test, or for God to give me the answers to the test. I pray that God will give me the patience and the attention span (because I have the attention span of a one-year-old lol) to take the test to the best of my abilities.

    I know a lot of Christians that pray in the same manner that I do, so I guess none of us fit into the category you described. I think that only a poorly-practiced Christian would pray for the things you're talking about!
    November 18th, 2013 at 09:03pm
  • a mimosa pudica

    a mimosa pudica (2200)

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    I've had an experience with my school wherein they didn't accept this girl. She was an outstanding student but she didn't get in even if she passed the entrance test. The reason for that was because she wasn't a Catholic.

    I almost didn't get into the same school because they wanted my parents married in a church. I'm Catholic, that is true. But then my parents were only married legally.

    Just an experience.
    December 27th, 2013 at 11:00am
  • gar-bage

    gar-bage (300)

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    Kurtni:
    I don't get how Christians are oblivious that so many of their prayers are so self serving and not at all in alignment with the religion they claim to practice.
    As a devout Christian involved passionately in a relationship with Christ, I could not agree with this more. Thank you for saying this.

    My usual prayers are "God's will be done" because first of all, I don't know what His will for my life is. And second of all, because praying for a certain, exact thing to happen is selfish, just as you've pointed out.

    When my aunt got cancer my prayer wasn't for her healing or for clarity for the doctor's, it was that God's will would be done and she would be brought closer to Him through the whole experience.

    And she was healed, and I was thrilled, and she relied on God a lot more through the experience - which was the best part of it all.
    January 10th, 2014 at 01:23am
  • awake and alive;

    awake and alive; (100)

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    I resented God as a child, thinking he was stupid. I began believing in God again at 14, but I began getting into Christianity this year! I feel really late to the party...
    January 18th, 2014 at 03:39am
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    Hypothetical questions 'cause I was thinking about me and my boyfriend.

    My boyfriend is raised, baptized, and confirmed Catholic. So is his entire father's side of the family. His mother changed religions when she married in. She was Protestant before.

    I'm Protestant but I don't know if I even want a church wedding. I would like to make my personal vows to God because I believe in one, but do not care if the person/people I marry choose to or not. However, I have been to Catholic weddings now and I do not want to be married in a Catholic church (or have my sole ceremony there) because it has NOTHING to do with the bridge and groom (imho) and everything to do with the Catholic church. You also have to take MONTHS AND MONTHS of classes and promise to raise your kids Catholic, which I am not doing.

    My boyfriend is a pretty lax Catholic and I know there are others out there. If I were to marry one would I have the option of simply having the priest bless and confirm our marriage (which I am okay with doing) or would I be stuck with two wedding ceremonies, lessons, and false promises?
    January 26th, 2014 at 07:45pm
  • Mukuro

    Mukuro (100)

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    @ dru is beautiful

    I honestly haven't got a clue. It might be in your best interest to ask a Catholic priest about this?
    January 27th, 2014 at 11:52pm
  • kitsch

    kitsch (195)

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    @ dru is beautiful.
    If you opt for the Catholic route, you'd be stuck with two weddings. My aunt and uncle have two marriage anniversaries because they did the legal ceremony and then the Catholic one, but of course one of them had to do the adult sacrament classes or whatever. As a baptized Catholic, I think it's really stressful to have a Catholic ceremony. Not sure about a Protestant ceremony, as I only know of one uncle who is Protestant but he was fine with a regular legal ceremony with my (baptized Catholic but not practicing) aunt.

    The process of being "married Catholic" is just very bass ackwards to me and it comprises a lot of what people believe in because of what you said---vowing to raise your children Catholic, etc. Plus, you have to have niceties with a Catholic priest who "officiates" / "approves" the union before performing it. So they interview you and deny you for the littlest thing, which, on a somewhat related note, is why my mother was unable to be a godmother. (Because I was born out of wedlock and she was honest about it.) However, if the female is pregnant, the priest doesn't have much of a problem, as long as the couple is married before the baby is born (says king they both have sacraments completed; if not, adult classes. I had Confirmation class with a girl in her 20s who had to because she was doing the marriage before baby deal.) It's just downright corrupt.

    Anyway, sorry for ranting. I don't want you to have a bad experience for something like marriage, hypothetically / futuristically speaking.
    January 28th, 2014 at 05:50am
  • Jack Donaghy

    Jack Donaghy (450)

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    @ dru is beautiful.
    It is very very very unlikely you would find a Catholic priest who would perform a non-fully-Catholic wedding ceremony. Most won't even perform a wedding mass anywhere other than their home church, or allow another priest to perform a ceremony in their church (eg if you want a priest from your childhood church to come marry you in a different town). I've heard of priests being cool and performing the ceremony for someone who wants to, say, get married both Catholic and on the beach, but I've never heard of a Catholic priest doing a wedding ceremony that isn't a Catholic mass. Maybe there's a priest out there who would do it, but he'd be hard to find.
    February 5th, 2014 at 11:33pm
  • atlas -

    atlas - (855)

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    I honestly really hate Christianity. It's kind of annoying how, almost everywhere I go, I see Christians trying to oppress and push their beliefs onto others. I hate how they scream "Oppression!" when they're restricted from doing it. (The religion in schools issue, for example.)
    February 6th, 2014 at 01:38am
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    @ atlas -
    Not all Christians are like that. I'm sorry you see it so often, but there are a lot of Christians (like me) who believe in the separation of church and state and don't care what others believe (as long as they aren't an asshole about it).
    February 6th, 2014 at 04:47am