Followers of Christ
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LadyMysterio ooh so much to go over! I'm not super familiar with the history of each denominations myself, but I'm sure some people in this club are. Most of the beliefs/history etc could probably be found by reading the Bible itself. I feel like @Snoink could probably fill you in on the Catholic side of things(I think your Catholic snoink)
Dec 8, 2024
momonster hey! i'm Lutheran, so i'd be happy to answer any questions you have about my beliefs.
Dec 9, 2024
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For those who observe Advent... what are your (or your church's) traditions?
For everyone... what are your favorite Christmas Hymns you look forward to in this season ahead?
LadyMysterio Usually my family just do a fun advent calendar/ Christmas countdown. We did a Bible advent reading book one year, years ago, so that was cool
Dec 7, 2024
soundofmind I love O Come O Come Emmanuel and I think it’s funny it’s a Christmas song when the song is about his second coming and not his first lmao
Dec 7, 2024
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Well, I'm posting about why I think I've decided to go atheist (or just unsub to being catholic) Dude...I'm disallusioned with the church at this point. We (not blaming any of yall here) have these sects of Christianity that are starting to preach far right politics and are also starting to encourage members to get involved in politics and push right focused Christian values, and break the separation of church and state. The abortion thing is....well......who was the abortion rule made by? That's right, the church. Who is the church hierarchy made up of? Men. There has never been a female cardinal or pope. The other issue I have is with the anti-lgbtq plus stuff. Last year the bishop of my city banned any lgbtq+ symbols from schools. It has not been reversed. Soooo....yeah I'm thinking of just not having a religion now.
LadyMysterio I'd you ever Wana talk, lemme know <33333
This is mainly why I went "bible Christian" or non-denomination.
A lot of Christian stuff seems more intense in the USA, so it's honestly understandable your stressed out/confused with everything that's happening.
Dec 6, 2024
LadyMysterio Also I didn't know city's had bishops??? Maybe because I'm not familiar with Catholic stuff. Huh
Dec 6, 2024
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The political scene is very loud at the moment, on YWS and everywhere in the US. As a Christian (I can't and won't speak for everyone, only God's word can do that!) I believe this was a hard election to vote in. Lots of Christian issues on both sides of the aisle where the choices were ... very bad to put things mildly.
Maybe this is a bit of a loaded question, but where do you see the role of a Christians in midst of an election like this where people are so divided and broken-up and grieving in both parties? (not trying to ask who you voted for or support / but what the role of a Christian is now post-election in a divided country)...
Where do we weigh in with opinions, where do we just offer comfort / support / compassion?
Where is Christ calling us to be?
I'm honestly not sure! I am sure though that our ultimate citizenship is not of this world, but in heaven, where the lamb and king will forever reign victorious. Scripture says all earthly kingdoms will pass away, but the word of the Lord will stand forever. I'm also sure that we are asked to pray in times of difficulty, and division, for our enemies, and those who hate or persecute us, and we are asked to pray for our leaders.
May God give us compassion no matter what our political affiliation, and bless all of our elected leaders with the discernment of the Holy Spirit, may those who plan for violence have their schemes stopped, and may Christ heal wounds of division in the US and in the world. Amen."20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. - Philippians 3:20-21
Wolfi Beautifully said, alliyah <3 That prayer is just what my heart needed to dwell on right now.
It's easy for me to feel powerless/helpless when faced with the enormity of national or global division. And the truth is, aside from the power of prayer, I am unable to do much good on such a grand scale, so I try my best to focus instead on my immediate surroundings and the people in my community. I have always had the personality of a peacemaker - it's how God made me! - so I'm doing my best to be there for the people in my life who are on all parts of the political spectrum and are struggling. In a world that often lacks it, Christ is calling me to cultivate peace and love in all my little everyday interactions, seeking "divine encounters" now more than ever.
Nov 7, 2024
soundofmind I think now is a great opportunity more than ever to offer the love of Christ to others with compassion, mercy, and understanding. A lot of people just want to feel heard. We have a hope set in Christ Jesus that we get to share when the Lord opens the door in our connections with our friends and community.
I’m asking the Lord for wisdom, and taking all of this to the Lord in prayer. I pray for the unity of the Church under the lordship if Christ Jesus, and for God to make himself known to our leaders and guide them in his will. My comfort is that God knows the future, and he hears our voices. Like wolfi said, the most powerful thing we can do is pray and be present in our communities, loving others like Jesus by God’s grace. I’m honored to love Jesus alongside you all.
Nov 7, 2024
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Everything is in God's will, and His will is good, because He is good.
Just some encouragement ♡
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Kaia Very encouraging:D
Nov 5, 2024
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WinnyWriter Yes, and yesterday was Reformation Day as well, for those who want something to observe other than Halloween.
Nov 1, 2024
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I'm thinking about Joseph forgiving his brothers, and not only that, for seeing past everything that had happened to him. He kept his belief that G-d fulfilled a greater purpose than he originally realized, a ruler that saved the lives of the people he ruled. I need his faith because seeing past everything is hard.
He forgives them after burying his father though. Maybe sometimes, there’s something you need to entomb before faithing, or forgiving. Life goes on despite it. There is always room to believe and grow!!
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I've been thinking of the women of the Bible a lot today. I'd love to hear what your favorite women/story of women in the Bible is! Can be more than one, dont have to have a favorite, I'm just curious!
candyhearts I love this question!! There’s so much nuance to these women; misunderstood, marginalized, but also fierce, resilient, and profoundly human. Hagar stands out to me!! The way she’s cast out into the wilderness with her son and then encounters G-d is so powerful. He saw her, truly saw her. That's real and beautiful.
Oct 5, 2024
alliyah Hagar is a fabulous answer. I'm also a big fan of the woman by the well and Mary the mother of Christ and Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus.
Oct 9, 2024
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Hey - just an open question without a 'correct' answer in mind, but one I hope we can engage in knowing that folks likely have different opinions on this.
It's October - > people are excited about Halloween ->How do you as a Christian observe or not observe "culturally traditional" Halloween festivities while still honoring your faith? Are there aspects of Halloween you stay clear from? Ways you honor things like "All Hallow's Eve" and "All Saints Day" instead? How about on YWS - does your Christian faith effect how you engage with things like "Spooktober"?
.... just some food for thought!alliyah
LadyMysterio Ooh good question! I don't really celebrate it. Not anymore, my family used to go tricker treating(only for like four years) , and while there's technically nothing "witchy" or "dark" about dressing up. Infact it started as a way to ward off the evil spirits. It just has such an atmosphere of evil and generally stuff I don't feel honours God. That we aren't doing it this year! I'm very curious to learn more about all saints day. Since that seems to focus on saying "go away!" To demons and evil spirits.
I do know that's lots of people love the spooky season, so I just tend to stay away from stuff, generally not really participating, while still giving others space.
Oct 2, 2024
alliyah Good point on the dressing up @LadyMysterio!
As a kid I certainly participated in a lot of good fun just dressing up / roaming the neighborhood getting too much candy. But I feel like there is a lot of celebration of darkness / evil / death / Satan / occult things during Halloween that I'm very leery of and try to stay away from. In addition to a lot of costumes being down right inappropriate in their own right with cultural appropriation and celebration of objectifying women / children. I also don't think there's a lot of value in glorifying gore / violence in horror films - I don't know... I watched a portion of a scary movie as a small child at a friend's home, and I still have the violent images in my head 20 years later - I don't think that's good or fun. And when I have kids am certainly going to be careful about the type of scary / violent media my kids consume because that's not great and it's all over.
I do celebrate Reformation Day (falls on last Sunday of October) - where I celebrate German heritage, faith heritage, and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. And I celebrate All Saints Day - which in my Lutheran Church we treat as sort of a memorial service for all those who've passed connected to the congregation in some ways. It's a good opportunity to remember those saints who've been influential in my life and those who've passed on the faith to me. I use it as a day to thank God, reflect / remember, and worship. We spend time in the cemetery during All Saints Day - decorating the graves from our church, and remembering those who have passed - and instead of being "spooky" or a "celebration of death" it's more a celebration of life and the life we have eternally in Christ Jesus.
On YWS @_@ I try not to review / participate much in things that seem satanic / occult / overly-violent just out of a desire to distance myself from the influence of those things. But very rarely do I see that popping up - it'd mostly just be like a random RP / story - I don't begrudge others participating in those things, but it's just not for me!
Oct 2, 2024
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Thinking about Joel 2:25, especially now that we are honing in on Joel in my theology class. "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten."
What a beautiful sentiment, a true show of the weight of G-d's promises. There's something so profound to me about the idea of restoration and the hope it brings after loss ~~ Time does heal all, and so does faith.
alliyah OH my gosh @candyhearts -> I actually did a whole NaPo (National Poetry Writing Month Thread) dedicated to that verse called the years the locusts ate - for me I was thinking of the year of covid (I spent 364 days without seeing my mother because of Covid, and about 500 days without seeing my father) - but also thinking of periods of heartbreak / loss too - > those times when we feel like we've lost our hearts or lost time with loved ones or just lost-out on what "could have been" - in some very real way, God will restore and heal and make more perfect. We may never be reunited with some folks on this side of the universe and yet in heaven... as the song Amazing Grace says, "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we'd first begun". It's a beautiful beautiful beautiful verse for anyone who has lost time or longed for more time. Praise God! Thanks for bringing it to mind!
// on another tangent -> I also think about this verse in context to ancestry a lot of times, that though some of my ancestors died young with hopes and dreams unrealized, in light of eternity and through the beauty of generational echoes and healing and heaven - their dreams and hopes may be realized by future generations. (The Israelites, I would say, could certainly connect to that sentiment, that though the first who left Egypt would never realize that promised land, their children would). God keeps his promises. Not in our time. But in His.
Oct 2, 2024
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I could go weeks without reading scripture and then sit down and read 1 chapter and suddenly I feel revived and alive again
Kaia <3333
Sep 11, 2024
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Sympathizing heavily with Lot's wife.
Lot's wife is told not to look back. She looks back. וַתְּהִ֖י—"and she became"—a pillar of salt. But וַתְּהִ֖י is in consecutive imperfect, which means that it’s not that she is rendered salt, or passively becomes salt in accident. Instead, it’s something she does, chooses, is active in. Lot's wife undoes herself this way.
G-d had never threatened a salt-body, anyway. He had said only that those who look back will fall right into the hole of the city. Lot's wife turned flesh into salt on her own accord, found ways to not die and yet to not live. It was completely intentional. I believe it was a true test of faith for her. It makes me think of times where my own faith has been tested, but I don't look back.
It's strikingly poetic. I have always felt that women in Biblical settings are written as one-dimensional, when they are in fact not. There is so much to be learned by the women that came before us. It speaks many unspoken words.
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Bible study has been amazing already! Tonight half of us broke down in tears because we got so in depth and real. And I felt such a presence there and with prayer and our group hug and I just feel so on fire for God after this and having a group of people to support me is so important. Would definitely recommend if you were thinking about starting one to go for it!
Dec 8, 2024
As an atheist, I'd like to learn more about Christianity (and not have people get mad at me for not knowing every minute detail of their belief). Mostly, I want to know about the beliefs, history, and overall ethics of the church and Christianity in general. What with different denominations and that. I know each denomination has it's own history, and I would like to look into those as well.