Christianity

[reasonvemotion]

Gary Childress wrote:

Well, unless I'm mistaken Jesus also stated that we're not even supposed to think about copulating with a woman we are not married to.

  

“let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to the husband,” 

 I'm told that the Bible more or less states somewhere in it that non-procreative sex is frowned on by the god of the Jews. 

Song of Solomon celebrates sexual love, giving "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy.
The two lovers are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy.
Awake, north wind, and come, south wind!  Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere. 
Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.” 

I've heard there are disparaging passages seeming to show disapproval of "sodomites" and things like that.

Genesis 18:20-21 NKJV
And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

The Word sodomy comes from Sodom and Gomorrah and God destroyed the city because of homosexuality.

Here's someone's interpretation of what the Bible says about masturbation and sex.Here's someone's interpretation of what the Bible says about masturbation and sex.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-s ... ation.html

The Bible does address masturbation, despite what detractors may say. Leviticus 15:1-18 speaks directly to a man’s emission of semen. Verses  13-15 state the one who has been cleansed after the offense is to present either two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest who offers them as a sin offering to the Lord (one is presented as a burnt offering, and both are made as atonement for the sin).

In reference to the above. Verses 13-15

The general principle regarding an abnormal bodily discharge according to Scripture:
a. When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean: The idea is of some obviously abnormal genital discharge, indicating some type of disease. When this occurs, the man was to be somewhat isolated in order not to pass on the infection to anyone else.
i. “This refers to an abnormal fluid that comes out of the male sexual organ as a result of some kind of sickness.” (Peter-Contesse)
ii. “The exact nature of this discharge is not stated, although the most frequently suggested opinion is that it refers to gonorrhea. ” (Rooker 
b. And this shall be his uncleanness: In contrast to the previous chapters regarding the broad definition of leprosy, there is no mention made of priestly inspection or monitoring. This was done by the individual, supported by the expectation of the culture.
i. His body is stopped up by his discharge: “One way of understanding this passage is that the discharge caused by the infection may block the opening in the penis.” 
c. It is his uncleanness: The status of “unclean” did not completely take the unclean one out of the community. It placed restrictions on them and required a ceremonial purification if and when the infection was gone.

Regarding a normal bodily discharge from a man.
‘If any man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening. And any garment and any leather on which there is semen, it shall be washed with water, and be unclean until evening.
Also, when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

and further on there is reference to bodily discharges from a woman during menstruation.

Yet a principle behind this command is universal, for every Christian and even every person: God commands sexual restraint. 
 
This does not mean that sex itself is regarded as inherently sinful or impure.

Beyond building a culture of appropriate sexual restraint, there were additional benefits to these commands.
 
These laws would undeniably provide a measure of good hygiene as well.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Care to provide a Gospel-inspired definition of God?

Sure. A specific personality, seemingly outside of this world, who determines destiny, who intervenes in history, who has determined specific ends (cataclysm, apocalypse) and will ‘return’ one day to set up divine administrative offices — I assume in Jerusalem.

None of that nonsense was in any Gospel I have read. But sure, from experience God has intervened in at least my destiny. (affected my decisions)

I provided the Gospel concept of god. How god is represented in the Gospel accounts.

You respond that “none of that nonsense was in any Gospel I have read”.

I then talked or commented on subjective spiritual experience as different from mass perception.

Where did I go wrong?

None of what you stated was what I had issue with, via your statements re the Gospels (it was the other shit that you removed).

What was removed?

[attofishpi]

Sure. A specific personality, seemingly outside of this world, who determines destiny, who intervenes in history, who has determined specific ends (cataclysm, apocalypse) and will ‘return’ one day to set up divine administrative offices — I assume in Jerusalem.

None of that nonsense was in any Gospel I have read. But sure, from experience God has intervened in at least my destiny. (affected my decisions)

I provided the Gospel concept of god. How god is represented in the Gospel accounts.

You respond that “none of that nonsense was in any Gospel I have read”.

I then talked or commented on subjective spiritual experience as different from mass perception.

Where did I go wrong?

None of what you stated was what I had issue with, via your statements re the Gospels (it was the other shit that you removed).

What was removed?

This was removed, but you have added back in above quote:--> "Sure. A specific personality, seemingly outside of this world, who determines destiny, who intervenes in history, who has determined specific ends (cataclysm, apocalypse) and will ‘return’ one day to set up divine administrative offices — I assume in Jerusalem."

I don't recall anything in the four main Gospels re any of that. Anyway, I am off to India as you know but I do find it astonishing that you don't believe in the Gospels re the life of Christ. Well, me saying that sage\God informed me at least a few times that He did suffer the crucifiction isn't going to sway anyone's belief...so..mmm.
But I will say this, that when dealing with the TESTS and the wrath of God, keeping faith in that man bloody well works.

[Alexis Jacobi]

This was removed, but you have added back in above quote:--> "Sure. A specific personality, seemingly outside of this world, who determines destiny, who intervenes in history, who has determined specific ends (cataclysm, apocalypse) and will ‘return’ one day to set up divine administrative offices — I assume in Jerusalem."

I don't recall anything in the four main Gospels re any of that. Anyway, I am off to India as you know but I do find it astonishing that you don't believe in the Gospels re the life of Christ. Well, me saying that sage\God informed me at least a few times that He did suffer the crucifiction isn't going to sway anyone's belief...so..mmm.

The Gospels form a complexity of writing from before the time of Jesus (Essenes and other odd groups) through the time of Jesus and to apocryphal writing. Then there is the Revelation which makes all sorts of strange claims.

I refer to all of that, or much of that, to then develop and explain the picture that traditional Christianity (generally) believes.

But I will say this, that when dealing with the TESTS and the wrath of God, keeping faith in that man bloody well works.

When someone makes this sort of statement to me -- based in faith, based in something experienced, and something real -- I do not contradict. Myself, I wonder why you talk about very personal experiences in a forum-context where they cannot be well received. But that is just my own curiosity.

[reasonvemotion]

Alex Jacobi wrote:

The Gospels form a complexity of writing from before the time of Jesus (Essenes and other odd groups) through the time of Jesus and to apocryphal writing

The Apocrypha is a collection of books that are included in Catholic Bibles but excluded from Protestant Bibles and is based on mysticism and more importantly were not considered part of Scripture by the Bible compilers, because they clearly contradict Biblical truths.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Alex Jacobi wrote:

The Gospels form a complexity of writing from before the time of Jesus (Essenes and other odd groups) through the time of Jesus and to apocryphal writing

The Apocrypha is a collection of books that are included in Catholic Bibles but excluded from Protestant Bibles and is based on mysticism and more importantly were not considered part of Scripture by the Bible compilers, because they clearly contradict Biblical truths.

There is a wide range of Christian writing -- including Gnostic writing -- that is excluded generally. All of it, and also writing and philosophy from adjacent traditions, must be studied as a whole.

There is much Apocrypha that is excluded completely from all Christian forms, and only a bit that is included in Catholic Bibles. And there are texts that have been discovered much later that could never have been rejected because they were not known.

[reasonvemotion]

The Apocrypha is based on mysticism and supposedly contains secret doctrines.

At the Catholic Council of Trent, this was decreed:

Whoever shall not receive as sacred and canonical all these books and every part of them, as they are commonly read in the Catholic Church, and are contained in the old Vulgate Latin edition, or shall knowingly and deliberately despise the aforesaid traditions, let him be accursed.

[commonsense]

The Old and New Testament, the Apocrypha—just stories and wishes.

[Alexis Jacobi]

At the Catholic Council of Trent, this was decreed:

Whoever shall not receive as sacred and canonical all these books and every part of them, as they are commonly read in the Catholic Church, and are contained in the old Vulgate Latin edition, or shall knowingly and deliberately despise the aforesaid traditions, let him be accursed.

I actually read The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Doing so helped me to understand the late Medieval mind-set.

That we have come out of that (like coming out of a capsule or a shell) and we will not ever be able to fit ourselves back into it, is a productive meditation. I.e. we (our culture) are products of what came before.

To understand Christianity (any religious orthodoxy) requires examining such closed structures. But also an examination of the *open* avenues that were (necessarily) forbidden.

[Gary Childress]

In the final score, I have nothing more to live for. I may as well become a Christian. Life has passed me by, leaving me in the dust, lonely and broken. All I ever wanted out of this world was romance and love. But I never got my chance. I just sat and watched as others played. Now I just sit by and count the days.

[Flannel Jesus]

Can you honestly say, Gary, that you've put enough effort into getting the things that you want? You seem very defeated right now, but have you actually been defeated or is it possible there are some things you haven't tried that you reasonably should before you admit defeat?

This isn't about becoming Christian, for clarity, idgaf if you want to be a Christian, I'm talking about your goal of finding your romance and love. I think it's pretty rare to find a human for whom these goals are inaccessible.

Hell, maybe becoming Christian will help you reach those goals!

[Alexis Jacobi]

Gary, you pathetic manipulator! I’m on to your game. You are a sympathy artist of the first order. But the sympathy you get is the worst thing for you. You try to play on people’s heart-strings with your endless tales of lamentation. People council you and you don’t act. Amazingly, you suck them in. Then you suck sympathy from them and that keeps you going.

Act like a man.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Alexis! That was outrageous! To say such a thing! To a mentally ill man! Have you no heart!

[commonsense]

In the final score, I have nothing more to live for. I may as well become a Christian. Life has passed me by, leaving me in the dust, lonely and broken. All I ever wanted out of this world was romance and love. But I never got my chance. I just sat and watched as others played. Now I just sit by and count the days.

You will not always feel so bad

[Gary Childress]

In the final score, I have nothing more to live for. I may as well become a Christian. Life has passed me by, leaving me in the dust, lonely and broken. All I ever wanted out of this world was romance and love. But I never got my chance. I just sat and watched as others played. Now I just sit by and count the days.

You will not always feel so bad

Yes. It usually goes away eventually.