TSR Christian Society (X-SOC) Episode IV: A New Hope

"There's nothing an agnostic can't do if he doesn't know whether he believes in anything or not”. So as a Christian agnostic I say, give me the herring b****






Also TLG said it was "Please Rate Some Other Member" Which is irksome when people are consistently smrt.

Ah ok then. But how do you know I'm not a hyper intelligent female dog?

Ah, I loved that game. Very tempted to find a copy - t'was released on PC right?

I'm so fed up. Some friends are claiming I'm having sever disconnection from God because I'm not attending church. Heck, if there even was a good church to attend!

I listened to the last Wagner Prom while I had a bath in the bath. Bliss.

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What did the Romans ever do for us?

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Ooh, shiny new thread. How fancy, and with a very droll title I'm thanking the Lord today for a lovely holiday with my family and girlfriend, and more importantly my brother's safe return from a gap year in central america

I'm not sure if I should question the Wagner love or the fact that you implied that you had baths elsewhere more

Ooh, shiny new thread. How fancy, and with a very droll title I'm thanking the Lord today for a lovely holiday with my family and girlfriend, and more importantly my brother's safe return from a gap year in central america

Finn, don't be fed up. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us to pray alone and in secret, not to make a big deal out of it.

Are these CU friends? Coz God really is NOT limited to a religious building. Take it from someone who knows

"A person can become a saint anywhere. [...] At your work, whatever it may be, you can become saints - through meekness, patience and love." - Elder Porphyrios (again, because I am something of a fan!)

I can recommend having a bit of a pray! It helps me when I'm glum at all. Orthodox Tradition teaches that repeating a short, simple prayer frequently can be useful. The commonest one in its commonest form is the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The frequent repetition of that prayer is, in turn, closely linked to the idea of theosis and prayer of the heart, but that's a story for another day.

Hope you're not feeling too disconnected. He's there, waiting for us all. Admittedly, He's waiting outside the bounds of space and time, which can make these things difficult, but He's there. Wherever that is.

Ooh, shiny new thread. How fancy, and with a very droll title I'm thanking the Lord today for a lovely holiday with my family and girlfriend, and more importantly my brother's safe return from a gap year in central america

Finn, don't be fed up. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us to pray alone and in secret, not to make a big deal out of it.

they sound pretty annoying and ignorant tbh

I'm just thanking God today because my brother was told he didn't have cancer (which was a possibility), and my sister got a job which she loves!


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Like TLG, I've been thinking a lot about being gay and my faith. Do you think God would be understanding of someone who is in a committed relationship with someone of the same sex? Surely he understands natural human inclinations. I mean, many things we now interpret or disregard from the bible, more specifically the Old Testament. Maybe this is one of them, although it's tricky?

Thoughts?


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Like TLG, I've been thinking a lot about being gay and my faith. Do you think God would be understanding of someone who is in a committed relationship with someone of the same sex? Surely he understands natural human inclinations. I mean, many things we now interpret or disregard from the bible, more specifically the Old Testament. Maybe this is one of them, although it's tricky?

Thoughts?


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I don't think any of us really have the answers. The question of homosexuality is a huge problem for the church and opinions differ from the very liberal like me, who says anything goes between two people in a loving and committed relationship, to people who think that homosexuality doesn't actually exist, but is just straight people being tempted by the devil and giving in to that temptation. My personal take on it is that the Bible does say that men and women are meant to be together, but Jesus at no point spoke out against the homosexuality that was everywhere in the ancient world. Imho if there was such a problem with it he'd have said so. But instead, he said we should love God, and love each other, and treat each other the way we'd like to be treated. So gay people are to be loved and accepted as members of the church on equal terms as straight people.

(I know that's a bit controversial! Happy to chat about it via PM if anyone has questions, don't want to debate here )

Actually, looking on the internet, it is astonishing how little Jesus discusses homosexuality. I even saw a passage where He spoke of how "some were born incapable of marriage," which could refer to homosexuals. St Paul does refer to homosexuality, however St Paul was not God and every Pope has different views on things.

Thanks for the brilliant advice by the way, that was all very well put!

Oh, cool, what did your brother do in Central America?

Sorry, could you elaborate what do you mean by this? I mean, I know Matthew 6 very well, but possibly because it's me just woken up added with extra derp

You mean you don't bath in the stream? Such opulence!

I'm just thanking God today because my brother was told he didn't have cancer (which was a possibility), and my sister got a job which she loves!


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Like TLG, I've been thinking a lot about being gay and my faith. Do you think God would be understanding of someone who is in a committed relationship with someone of the same sex? Surely he understands natural human inclinations. I mean, many things we now interpret or disregard from the bible, more specifically the Old Testament. Maybe this is one of them, although it's tricky?

Thoughts?


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I honestly don't mind it when people ask me to their churches to see what it's like or understand that I haven't found a church that suits me, but yeah, it's rude that people just sort of go "you aren't complete without a church, a church will fix this disconnection" ... a disconnection which I don't have, thank you very much. Me and the J-Man are cool.

Back in Preston, so less North than I have been. Still waaaaaaaaaaaay Ooop North though

Ooh, shiny new thread. How fancy, and with a very droll title I'm thanking the Lord today for a lovely holiday with my family and girlfriend, and more importantly my brother's safe return from a gap year in central america

Anyone know the greek for it?

x

Matthew 19, right? I had a look, but it only refers to'eunouchoi' ('eunuchs', 'castrated people') in the Greek - I've quoted Fee in below since she'll probably be able to shed some more light on the matter than me.



See above

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Yeah that's pretty much it. εὐνοῦχοι are eunuchs or castrated males. The verse (Matt. 19.12) distinguishes between those who are born eunuchs, those who have been made into eunuchs (those who were castrated by other people) and those who make themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. It's been used in the past to refer to gay people, but personally I don't buy that at all. Homosexuality is not a physical difference, which is what εὐνοῦχοι refers to. εὐνοῦχοι are those who have undergone a physical change that renders them unable to fulfil the obligations of marriage. A gay man or woman would also be unable to fulfil the traditional obligations of marriage if they married someone of the opposite gender, but that's something very different. The modern English translation of 'unable to marry' lends itself to homosexuality, but that isn't what the Greek is focussing on at all.

Edit - should also point out that eunuchs had an important role to play in society. They would hold certain priesthoods and have certain jobs. It was common for brothel and harem owners/guards to be castrated, for example (for obvious reasons ). Once castrated, the eunuch could engage in no sexual activity whatsoever. That makes it even less likely that εὐνοῦχοι refers here to homosexuality since they would have been equally incapable of traditional Jewish marriage and any sort of homosexual sex either. Just because they couldn't marry women it doesn't make them gay.

I'm back in the Safe South, where unfriendly people will continue to cause me to stand on a Tube on one foot and stare at me grumpily (or with huge fear in their eyes, if I have a violin case)

Guaranteed that if I went on the Tube with a violin case, no one would bat an eyelid

Thanks for the explanation, Prof Feefs

Yeah, I once got asked by a TfL worker whether my violin case actually contained a violin. At Barbican, of all bloody stations

Might as well make use of having a Latin and Greek prof in the thread