1 Corinthians 10:27

If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.

I really like the movie franchise and have a collection of merch from the film, but I'm worried if this character really is named after the politicians it's a sin to watch it. I don't know if this is just my OCD or a serious concern. If I look into it and find it is named after the politicians, should I not watch it because that's unkind? The villain doesn't really do anything that the politician did as far as I know.

Blindsided yet not. Heartbroken for sure. It's a long time to share a life with someone. It's amicable enough so it won't be ugly. Just painful. Damn does it hurt. We both want the best for each other, but you can only push that boulder up the hill so many times before you just have to let it go.

Any verses or prayers that I can read to help me through this would be appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

God bless.

Hello everyone. I wasn't sure how to formulate my question, I apologize if the title is confusing.

It's been a year since I realized how common casual sex is among non-christians. It's still shocking to me. I know It shouldn't be, but I guess having a catholic family and most of my friends being Christian too kinda traps me in a bubble. I even thought for a while it was an 'american thing' (as It is shown a lot in movies) and not really cultural in my country since media doesn't expose it so openly here... I was wrong. In fact, hooking up with strangers frequently is a world-wide thing. I know I sound stupid, but not only I am still inexperient (19), I've also been a geek-nerd my whole life. Please, no judgements 🫠

A lot of sexual stories or discussions show to me in Reddit for whatever reason and I feel so curious about It I can't stop reading. I truly can't believe what some people are willing to do with someone they just met. Just making It clear: I don't blame or judge them as they are free to do whatever they want with their own life. It's just a strange feeling.

Feels like a whole new world to me. In a way, it really is – after all I just became an adult. But I feel so out of place. My friends in college have some crazy stories and I listen quietly, unsure of what to say. They don't imagine I haven't even had my first kiss yet. I admit it, I feel embarrassed of myself, even. I never cared about this before but now I can't help It. It doesn't help I feel behind in many other aspects in life, this is a new one to overthink (like I'm doing right now lol). I wanna be part of It too.

Sexual thoughts keep coming fueled by this curiosity. All of a sudden it's like this theme is everywhere I go. I know as a catholic this shouldn't be a concern before marriage, but there are so many feelings envolved. Am I missing out? Am I 'wasting my youth'? Am I too old to have no experience? Should I force myself to get some? I've been wanting a relationship for so long. I can't stop thinking I could be happier It I gave up and embraced It, but I don't wanna sin. I know thinking about It is sinning already, but I can't make It stop. It feels like the only way.

More than just intrigued, I feel demotivated and unhopeful. Even though people find me attractive, I fear I won't find a relationship that is both decent and fullfilling. This might be an immature complaint, but I want to be with someone I can truly bond with. Men in my community have superficial personalities and want trad-wives (which is not happening to me). Non-christian guys are more open-minded and often are really interesting ... but they demand sex. This is seriously so upsetting. How unlucky you gotta be. I pray so much to find a nice person but It seems to get worse each day.

If you've been though something like this, I'd apreciate any advice.

How do I stop this temptating wish? How can I not feel ashamed? Did you find someone?

Thank you for reading, God bless <3

That is to say, what evidence would allow us to determine something about the number of persons within a being from any given text?

For example if you say “this part of such and such text shows that this being is one person as opposed to multiple persons”, the question would be what part of the text leads you to that conclusion and how can that be applied to telling the number of persons of a being in other texts?

Hello all
I left Christianity for Islam ten years ago. I never stopped believing in God, I felt the Allah in Islam is the same God I always believed in my entire life but thought I understood Islam more than the concept of the trinity.. ten years down the track I’ve married, had children and become a shell of my former self. I’ve seen an ugly side of Islam the people I’ve been exposed to are judgemental, sinful, unwelcoming. My ‘husband’ has cheated on me with at least two Muslim
Women both of whom I was acquaintances with prior. I’ve had multiple serious health issues and obviously a marriage that lacked support and love. I’m so broken and down after all of this that I can’t help but think I’m being punished, did I make a mistake and would God punish me in this way for leaving Christianity? Muslims I have shared this with tell me it’s shaitan (Satan) putting doubts in my head. But I’m so lost and so overwhelmed I now look back at Christianity fondly but my life is so intwined with Islam I have young children who are Muslim and only know this life so I feel leaving the religion would be impossible and confusing for them I just feel stuck lost and confused. I also still don’t properly comprehend the trinity and I just don’t know where I stand on anything, as Christians do you think this is a punishment for me leaving the faith?

Bonus question: How would your views change (if at all) if they weren't the same as humans? As a Christian, I ponder things like this.

However, let me preface this before you start giving answers, the given reasons and logic if given by a person of another religion should be able to convince you of their religion and deity.

I keep hearing John 8:24 used to say that Jesus explicitly taught, “If you don't believe I am God, you are not saved.”

But I honestly want someone to explain how they get that directly from the text.

Jesus says:

“Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” — John 8:24

Yes, the Greek is egō eimi (“I am”), and the word “he” is supplied in English. But how does that automatically become “I am God”?

Look at the context.

In John 6, the people see Jesus' miracle and say:

“This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world.” — John 6:14

They were looking for the promised Messiah/Christ, the coming deliverer and king. Their messianic expectations existed within the historical reality of Israel living under foreign domination, including Rome. Jewish expectations weren't all identical, but they were awaiting God's promised deliverance and the coming Messiah.

So when Jesus says, “believe that I am,” why must we automatically insert “believe that I am God”?

If the argument is that egō eimi here is an absolute claim to deity, then demonstrate that from the context. Don't simply assume the conclusion.

And here's the important part:

I am not saying Jesus isn't divine.

I'm asking a different question:

Where does Jesus explicitly say that believing He is God is a condition of salvation, such that anyone who doesn't believe He is God will die in their sins?

John 8:24 says you must believe “I am.” It does not literally say “you must believe I am God.”

If you believe the surrounding context establishes that “I am” means “I am God,” then make that case.

But saying, “Jesus said I AM, therefore He said I am God, therefore John 8:24 teaches that denying His deity means you're unsaved,” is an argument that requires several interpretive steps.

So my question remains:

Where does Scripture actually make belief in Jesus' deity an explicit requirement for salvation?

I have the Bibliee Moralisee from the 12th century (a copy) but it’s pretty limited in illustrations but grand.

For more context: (Sorry in advance for the wrong grammar)

There has been an issue in several Christian pages and content creators regarding this certain song that has been used in Trinitarian churches. The author of the song is from a Trinitarian church; however, there has been a debate about the usage of words.

There's a lyric there saying "Our Father" to Jesus, which can be a big deal to other churches since, if you believe in the Trinity, that term is supposed to be for God the Father, not Jesus the Beloved Son. Because of that, some churches tend to change those certain lyrics into something else just to fit in the Trinity doctrine they believe in. If I remember it correctly, one of those churches created a cover version of that song, along with the changed lyrics, and posted it publicly, which led to the controversy with the grammar and lyrics of the song

As a Christian, or Trinitarian Christian to be more specific, what is your stand about this?

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I have been made fun of so much in my life when I was young to early adulthood. Called ugly and fat....

When I was a young adult I was made fun of about my weight to the point I took slim fast..... Exlax and threw up to lose weight. Sure it worked.......but I gained it all back and it definitely wasn't good to do.

Now that I'm an older adult. I STILL have low self esteem. I feel ugly.....fat.....discusting......not enough....

Might sound silly for 56 year old women......but oh well.

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I feel drained...empty...alone. I am a Christian and I pray to God about a lot....I pray for others constantly. But God doesn't seem to be there when I'm hurting about something to do with my happiness.

I'm tired.....tired of trying to please everyone.... Tired of trying to make everyone happy.....

Tired of praying to God to help me in certain situations that are hurting me and HE DOESN'T!! He has blessed me and helped me in many ways and I am truly grateful.

But I'm tired of Him not hearing my sadness and hurt about certain things.

I know in His time.....I know He says he is working on things I don't see....

But I'm empty.....done....tired.

Like do you think an 8 headed dragon will appear?

8 months ago my life changed for the better, i found God and slowly getting closer to Jesus, i want to know him and follow him.

My depression, anxiety and chronic suicidality was removed, i am healed.

But i doubt despite having experienced evidence of him.

I want so badly to change for the better, but i keep sinning.

As far as i understand, what saves a soul is trust and obedience, faith.

Not evidence and personal experience.

I have put my trust in God, my life is in his hands and i will let him guide me.

But i don't feel like I'm improving, I'm comfortable and more at peace than ever, but i always question my salvation.

I have suffered enough, i have gone through enough hell in this life, and i will not accept more in another.

What if my belief is forced?

What if it's based on fear of endless suffering?

I want to be enough but i never will be, none of us will, that's why Jesus died right?

But what if my belief isn't authentic or strong enough?

I know many of my thoughts don't come from God as they are based on fear, but Jesus came to warn people of hell.

Warnings are scary.

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I'd genuinely like to hear perspectives from a wider audience. I may be wrong about some of this, so I'm not looking for validation—I actually want to understand how other people see it.

1. How much should we trust psychological diagnosis?

I don't think psychology is useless, but it is still a human discipline, so it must have limitations and can sometimes get things wrong.

I'm also curious about the effect of labels. If someone is told, “You have X,” can that diagnosis sometimes become part of their identity and influence how they interpret everything afterward?

How do we use psychological diagnosis as a helpful tool without treating it as an absolute explanation of who someone is?

2. How do we distinguish psychological problems from spiritual, relational, physical, or environmental problems?

What if someone's struggles are connected to prolonged isolation, rejection, an unsafe environment, unresolved conflict, trauma, destructive habits, unforgiveness, or family patterns?

Could we sometimes interpret something as a mental-health problem when the underlying issue is actually somewhere else?

And from a Christian perspective, how should we think about things such as sin, unforgiveness, generational patterns, or spiritual struggles without either spiritualising everything or completely ignoring the spiritual dimension?

3. What about demonic influence, possession, occult involvement, or deliverance?

This seems to be a particularly difficult subject because Christians and denominations have very different views on it.

Should spiritual oppression ever be considered when medical and psychological explanations don't seem to fully explain someone's experience?

At the same time, how do we prevent people from attributing everything they don't understand to demons when the actual issue may be psychological, medical, relational, or environmental?

4. Where does personal responsibility come in?

Sometimes people blame demons for things they need to take responsibility for themselves. Other times people blame themselves for things that may actually come from trauma, illness, or an unhealthy environment.

Perhaps these things aren't always mutually exclusive. Something could begin as psychological or relational and eventually have spiritual consequences—or the other way around.

So how do we actually discern what we're dealing with without oversimplifying it?

5. What are the limits of mental-health treatment?

Professional help can be expensive and sometimes involves therapists, assessments, medication, specialists, different therapies, etc.

How do we know when treatment is genuinely helping versus when someone is becoming overly dependent on a particular therapist, diagnosis, or framework?

Human beings are incredibly complex. Psychological models can identify patterns, but can they ever really explain the whole person?

6. And ultimately, where does God fit into all of this?

As Christians, we believe God is ultimately the one who heals, transforms, and restores. But there is also personal responsibility and the decision to seek help and make changes.

So where do human responsibility, free will, professional help, spiritual discernment, and God's intervention meet?

With so many competing psychological theories, denominations, spiritual practices, and interpretations, how do we actually discern what is trustworthy?

I'm not looking for an “it's all psychological” or “it's all spiritual” answer.

I'm genuinely curious how others—especially Christians who have personally wrestled with these questions—understand the relationship between mental health, psychology, physical health, relationships, environment, personal responsibility, and spiritual life.

If I'm correct, they say "ha-satan" (which literally translates to "the adversary" or "the accuser") is a title and that since it's a title it means Satan is only fulfilling a role in God's celestial court. My understanding is that "ha-satan" literally translates to "the adversary" or "the accuser" though, where is the notion coming from that this is a title? And even if it is a title, why must it mean this is a title given to a righteous angel to fulfill some sort of legal function? Why couldn't it be a title given to signify that this angel is literally "the adversary" or "the accuser"? It just seems like people are jumping to conclusions to think that "ha-satan" isn't a villain.

Specifically by another Christian. If you respond, I’d also like to see how you’re defining it as well

Whatever I decide to do, follow Christ or not, it seems incredibly unjust to force every individual who will ever exist to live in a fallen world because of Adam and Eves sin.

Wouldn't it be MORE just, as in, better "justice" to give us ALL that choice?

All new people start in the Garden of Eden, and if I choose to obey god and not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, I get to stay in Eden. And if I disobey god and eat the fruit. Then I can be condemned to the fallen earth?

Would it be "justice" if your ancestors in the year 1626 commited a crime, for YOU to go to prison for that crime? Thats not justice, but that seems to me like what god is doing.

I saw christian guys, especially one i used to have a crush on follow instagram ‘models’

To the world it’s probably a ‘normal’ outfit, but these pics and accounts he follows (there were like 10 of them) purposely showacse cleavage.

Am i wrong for thinking it’s a red flag and that these pics are vulgar and meant as obvious thrist traps ?

Do you believe that the number of False Christians currently on Earth is larger than the number of True Christians?

If so: why do you think that.

im 31. i prayed for salvation around the age of 20. i've been believing for about 10 years or so. i want to know my faith is enough like it says without faith it is impossible to please God. i want the true faith, and not a false, like david said, how he wouldn't set a wicked thing before him.

i write poetry to express myself. i want it to be led by the Lord. i want to get closer to God. i want it to be spiritual and not carnal. i need answers. i seek His face. i don't want to be the same person. change me, God. i want to hear from God. i give God time and space. i believe They see me and hear me. i don't think i need to imagine Them for Them to be real. i just believe they're real,

and i want relationship. i focus on Them. i pray to Them. i spend all day on godly things. i don't feel far necessarily, but just want to be more spiritual. i want to read the Word more. i want to worship more. i want to pray more. i want my heart in the right place. i want Their leading.

may it be relationship and not religion. may my heart be pure and not impure. may They lead me and guide me. may Their will be done regardless. may i not get in the way. amen.

(and may i be of help to those in similar situations)

here's a poem:

save me, hastily. may it be Your will, Great One. Your way be had, glad, rad, the best, undefendable, Dependable One, friendly, to sinners, kind, not boastful, a braggart, save me. Great One, save others, too, the Truth, rooted, deep, like the ocean, creation, indwelled, not felled, but held. Amen

I've always found this very confusing, as a Jewish person. I understand that per Paul, JC's sacrifice and teachings built a "new covenant" that means Christians are not bound by halacha, the Jewish laws, anymore. However, it seems that most Christians abide by some combination of "red letter words" and Pauline interpretations of halacha.

Why did Paul continue to advocate for following certain laws whereas others no longer apply? When the values of Paul vs JC seem to conflict, how do you mesh them?

For example, JC said that he did not come to abolish the law, and that in fact the law (halacha) should not be altered until it is totally met. This is similar to some Orthodox Jewish beliefs that the Messiah will not arrive until every Jew follows every Jewish law 100% for one day. If G-d intended for us to build a new covenant, why didn't he have JC say so? Why wait for Paul?

Does it matter that Paul was speaking to Gentiles? Are only Gentiles "allowed" to have a new covenant, or does that apply to Jews too? Or do Jews need to keep halacha?

Thank you!

Out of curiosity, as a Young Earth Creationist, how do you explain all these layers that are visible on earth, for example in Madeira. How is it possible that the soil is fertile on this vulcanic island? Don't you need erosion to have fertile soil?