CIVIL RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION: All things Christianity

[foszoe]

Trump Can?t Save American Christianity - OCL

 

[Kutnupe14]

Trump Can?t Save American Christianity - OCL

The Church shouldn't look to Trump to revive Christianity (as the article states). I would hope that Evangelicals didn't vote for Trump based on belief of what he would do for their faith, bt rather they voted for him, because his platform, though from a flawed man, aligned the best with their beliefs.... which is reasonable.

 

[foszoe]

The Church shouldn't look to Trump to revive Christianity (as the article states). I would hope that Evangelicals didn't vote for Trump based on belief of what he would do for their faith, bt rather they voted for him, because his platform, though from a flawed man, aligned the best with their beliefs.... which is reasonable.

I almost posted this in the Messiah thread

 

[historian]

Here in Montgomery County, our Orthodox Men's Group is planning a series of meetings on The Benedict Option and how we could employ it in our lives.

Yeah. I'm still chewing on it. I agree with it in theory, the practice is where I think it can easily fall apart. His reliance on the tight communities doesn't work well when you look at America and the housing market. His viewpoint works better in large, urban areas, rather than smaller cities and especially not well in rural areas.

 

[T.Lex]

So, my kids have all gone to Catholic school. I was helping my youngest study for jr. high level science and religion tests. The science lesson included the modern model of the atom - protons, neutrons, electrons. All working together to make an atom. Part of the quiz will be drawing a model of an atom and labeling the parts. (I briefly segued into a discussion of the TOE and strong/weak forces.)

The religion lesson was on the Trinity and God's love. The lesson included a diagram of the Trinity and how love "flowed" among the parts.

We are all probably familiar with St. Patrick's analogy of the Trinity to a shamrock. Seeing the 2 diagrams so close in time to each other made me realize that the atomic model could itself be another analogy to the Trinity. (I'm not talking about specific atomic weights or anything, just the theoretical structure.) Three parts making up one single thing.

I doubt I'm the first to realize the analogy, but I thought it was cool.

 

[JettaKnight]

We are all probably familiar with St. Patrick's analogy of the Trinity to a shamrock.
...

Take your black magic, and be gone!

 

[T.Lex]

Take your black magic, and be gone!

Hope you like snakes.

 

[Alpo]

 

[JettaKnight]

Hope you like snakes.

There's always a box of them next to the pulpit!

 

[foszoe]

The Beheading of St John the Baptist is commemorated today.

It is customary to observe this day as a fast and not to eat anything from a plate

 

[foszoe]

The rest of the story

REFLECTION
If you observe how men die, you would see that the death of a man usually resembles his sin. As it is written: "For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (St. Matthew 26:52). Every sin is a knife and men usually are slain by that sin which they most readily committed. An example of this is given to us by Salome, the foul daughter of Herodias who asked for and received from Herod the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Living in Spain in the town of Lerida [Loredo] with the exiled Herod and Herodias, Salome set out one day across the frozen river Sikaris. The ice broke and she fell into the water up to her neck. Icebergs squeezed around her neck and she wiggled, dancing with her feet in the water as she once danced at the court of Herod. However, she was unable either to raise herself up or to drown until a sharp piece of ice severed her head. The water carried her body away and her head was brought to Herodias on a platter as was the head of John the Baptist at one time. Behold how terrible a death resembles the sin committed.

 

[caverjamie]

Church Explosion Spares Choir

I was thinking tonight about a story I read in a magazine, so I googled what I remembered about it, and found it on snopes. I thought what the hey, I'll post it on here in case some folks haven't read it before. I guess this is an appropriate thread.

I think this is something I want to keep in my pocket to bring up in the future if I find myself in a theological discussion. Not so much for Christianity specifically, but a general discussion of whether there is a creator. There are so many stories out there. Even if half of them are lies, the other half make you think.

This story gets kind of deep. If you believe God had something to do with this event, you could say "whoa, why didn't God just keep the church from exploding?" That explosion altered the future of all those people involved. Perhaps intentionally? By someone that not only knew the future, but knew exactly what to do when in order to shape the future of individuals. And if those sorts of things are happening in our own lives, in ways that are not so obvious...the implications are mind boggling.

 

[JettaKnight]

The Beheading of St John the Baptist is commemorated today.

It is customary to observe this day as a fast and not to eat anything from a plate

I think I accidentally observed this because of oral surgery.

 

[T.Lex]

Sometimes, it is important to be reminded of certain things.

Catholic Bishop protects 2,000 Muslim refugees in CAR - BBC News

He says that both anti-Balaka and Seleka militias have attacked the church's properties, but adds that it is determined to protect vulnerable people from both sides.
"For us, there's no such thing as a Muslim person or a Christian person, everyone is a human being. We need to protect those who are vulnerable."

 

[SEIndSAM]

Glenn Beck......Glenn Beck's Blaze announces mass layoffs | Fox News

 

[foszoe]

Then why practice closed communion?

The statement quoted, sounds too much like universalism/uniatarianism.

Probably needs more context.

Sometimes, it is important to be reminded of certain things.

Catholic Bishop protects 2,000 Muslim refugees in CAR - BBC News

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Glenn Beck......Glenn Beck's Blaze announces mass layoffs | Fox News

His network has become stale and stagnant. Most of the programming he hyped never panned out. Ever since he got that autoimmune thing, he lost focus, got into financial difficulty and things just sputtered. There's just not that much of interest there to keep me tuned in and I'm a fan of his.

 

[T.Lex]

Then why practice closed communion?

The statement quoted, sounds too much like universalism/uniatarianism.

Probably needs more context.

Indeed - the article lays the groundwork for the quote.

But c'mon, isn't it obvious? Any priest's dream is to have a couple thousand congregants who can't get out.

(I keed, I keed.)

The concept of "sanctuary" applies, regardless of religion of the seeker. "Love thy neighbor" does not include a litmus test.

 

[historian]

I'm considering going this year:

Together for the Gospel 2018 - April 11-13, Louisville, KY : Together for the Gospel

 

[T.Lex]

I'm not really an end-times kind of guy, but:
- 3 Atlantic hurricanes at the same time (a pretty rare event)
- Massive earthquake hits Mexico (8+ on the Richter scale is a big deal)
- North Korea nukes
- Middle East nightmarishness
- Our own leadership issues
- Growing lack of... morality, for lack of a better word

I know we don't know the time in the night, but it seems like sometimes you can hear a window break.