I'm a born-again christian single parent - AMA

[midwifeinthemaking]

Just that really - would love to answer any questions, dispel myths etc.

I get what you're saying about church attendance not being necessary. Fair enough. But there are also lots of very good people who not only don't go to church but don't believe in Jesus either. Where do they fit into your world view?

@TitusPullo

I'm not evangelical. I'm not the OP. I chose that version because it's plain language.

I'm Catholic, or as I like to call it, a good Christian and a mediocre Catholic. The Catholic version is "...neither fornicators nor idolators nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."

What is your thought on free will, because if you believe the bible, then we have it, but if you think your life is planned out for you, then it doesn't matter the choices that we make we don't have free will

@AlexaShutUp

I believe that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, and as such they have immeasurable value. I don't think you have to profess Christ to be a good person. There are plenty of good atheists, Jews, wiccans, agnostics, etc.

Being a Christian doesn't make someone better, it ensures salvation. As to the eventual disposition of the souls of people with other beliefs, or no beliefs, I leave that to God. It's none of my business.

Wow they did a job and a half on you didnt they?

I will see the rest of you in hell, as I was brought up to believe and then I decided I didnt, so having "rejected" the OPs god, I will be in the front row.

my personal favourite satire about religion....Old Harrys Game (often on BBC sounds and available on Audible!)

Favourite lines?

God - Some say that mankind is the glory of my creation.

Satan - Yeah...MANKIND says that!! Jeez....how gullible are you?

Scaring children brainwashing them that they are going to hell sounds like a barrel of fun along with the homophobia.

Also how convenient these woman were extra friendly to you then invited you along to join the cult too. Must have seen a lost vulnerable woman and recruited you. Now you are telling your daughter she is going to hell.

@BigWholeBean

I’m Jewish. So yes, I reject Jesus. I also live a moral life. I give a lot to charity, I’m active in many religious organisations that help people. I have a decent value system and good morals. By most people’s judgement I’m a pretty good person. I work on myself to try not to be envious, or to gossip, or to hate others. I aspire to be a better person most of the time. Am I still going to hell according to your beliefs?

I was raised loosely Anglican but am now agnostic (and I know that that's cheating so let's just say that I am much closer to the atheist side of things) but I've become strangely interested/have a great appreciation for Jewish theology. I love that it is a non-proselytizing religion and that there is a belief that only Jews are bound by Jewish tradition and all others are looked upon kindly by God so long as they live a moral life (Moses Mendelssohn's letter in response to Lavater is a fantastic read - germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/pdf/eng/15_TheJews_Doc.2_English.pdf). I find it to be such a fair philosophy, whereas I find Christianity to be rather transactional at times (the notion that someone who has lived an evil life could hypothetically on their death bed repent and pronounce a belief in God and go to heaven + generally the idea that you are moral in order to go to heaven vs. living a moral life out of principle)

Which somewhat brings me to my question...

Do you believe that morality and religion are indelibly linked? Can one live a moral life without being a Christian?

(Sorry if I offended at all by the way... I have just thought about a lot and have some issues with fundamental aspects of Christian theology)

@midwifeinthemaking

Just that really - would love to answer any questions, dispel myths etc.

You are very brave, OP.

Do you think, as per above ^^ that you’ve dispelled any myths? Or reinforced them?

Women and men are sexual beings - I wouldn't want to cause men to sin from lustful thoughts etc.

So you think women are somehow able to hypnotise men and take over their minds/bodies?

Will you be teaching your daughter that she is directly responsible for the actions of men?

How do you feel that those running alpha courses specifically target people who are vulnerable and often people with low IQs, those with poor mental health, people with low literacy levels etc. Why do you think they specifically target vulnerable people and people with low IQs?

Are you aware that by saying the bible is real that you do then take the bible literally?

I’d love non-christians to experience the freedom and happiness I have found,

See this is one reason why a lot of Christians get a bad wrap - literally holier than thou. I am very happy and much freer than you - I don’t have a God to answer to. Any comments?

My question is - have you realised how infinitely enormous the universe is? We are atoms on ants. What is your reasoning for believing we are so special that there is a God out there looking out for us all individually and controlling our lives?

I have some VERY religious family members (missionaries) and while they are nice people otherwise, the arrogance displayed is astonishing.

@TitusPullo

To me this thread shows evangelical Christianity to a tee. A veneer of #bekind and faithful and Jesus will save you, covering over layer after layer of judgement, sin, homophobia, sexism. Be nice but don’t be gay, dress modestly otherwise your rapist can’t be held accountable for their actions, believe or you are going to hell. ‘‘Twas ever thus.

Yep, you’ve hit the nail on the head.

There are huge issues with abuse as well, financial, emotional and sexual.

They also purposely prey on vulnerable people, those with mental illness, people who are hugely struggling with money, people with a low IQ and those with low literacy levels.

One of our cleaners at work fell victim to them, she is functionally illiterate, a low earner and not at all bright, she was successfully groomed by them as was her husband. They couldn’t keep up with the amount of money they had to tithe so they started selling furniture, when this source of extra money ran out the church offered to manage their finances for them, this ultimately led them to being evicted as the church did not give them enough of their own money to pay their rent. Their brainwashing has been such a success that they believe their landlord is a problem because they won’t let them live rent free, they now live in a room in a ‘leaders’ house and pay their keep by cooking, cleaning etc.

Lets think, someone having 100% control of your wages, that someone making you cook, clean etc for free or you are threatened with being thrown out. Slavery.

Women and men are sexual beings

And that being the case, why does organised religion insist on repressing it?

Repressing sexuality does not have good outcomes. We can all blatantly see that.

Coming back to this thread this morning (probably a bad idea) I am still confused on the topic of why small children (under the age of 7 or 8 and hence ? Not responsible for their own sins) get cancer and suffer horrendously if there is a benevolent God. Other illnesses / situations could also be included but this is the one I’ve seen. Also why would outcomes be modifiable by prayer?

Free will has been suggested as a reason for suffering. How did that give my kid cancer? Is it something I did? Or more of a general “humans sin therefore there is suffering” concept - in which case why her?

Gods plan also suggested. In which case how is that a benevolent and good God?

Sorry, I don’t get it. I can however see that it would be very comforting to believe that there are somehow pre ordained rules, a plan, and that there is eternal comfort coming soon.

I think the OP has long given up on this thread.

She didn’t really want y’all to ‘ask her anything’.

Just the nice, easy-to-answer, non-controversial questions.

Haha. Maybe 23Piss. Hopefully not. To be fair to OP she last replied at 10:40pm so probably soon after went to bed!

Oh, fair play. I’m in a completely different time zone!

I do not think she has dispelled a single myth, though. Quite the opposite.

I just wanted to add my 2 cents so to speak into this thread as may be of interest I don't know!
I'm a divorced single parent and found Jesus and became a Christian about 1.5 years ago through a defining moment which I didn't intend to (I had actually spent about 6 months trying to prove to a friend that Christianity was a load of rubbish!).

But now although I know I have this belief and have tried to move forward in it, I personally really really struggle. For me there is way too much in the Bible that I can't accept as true and don't believe. I really refute Evangelical Christianity and listening to things online that is coming from an evangelical preaching stand point annoy me a lot. I can't accept things actually happened such as the flood, I do not believe in creationism etc etc. For me these are all such strong stumbling blocks that I actually don't know where I stand. My brother is gay and I of course support him 100%, if my sons were gay I would support them just the same, without a second thought. I am a strong feminist (and even run a feminism based clothing company). But I know the comfort I have gained from being a Christian and how it has seemingly changed me for the better, but I don't know if that was me looking for something and convincing myself that this was it, I really don't know!

I know there are more progressive forms of Christianity who welcome this but there are other forms that do not, I don't know where I stand.

I do have to say going to church in the uk as a divorced single mother I have never received judgement, not from the pastors, younger members of the church or older members, everyone has been so welcoming and there are many people very involved in the church is similar positions. I do sometimes wonder if the perceived "evangelical" view of Christianity is the one that gets most publicised and so therefore people have strong resistance to (like I always did) but in reality in the uk that's not the general view when it comes to being a Christian, but I really don't know, I haven't had enough time to find out especially with lockdowns and not being able to go to church.

My question is - have you realised how infinitely enormous the universe is? We are atoms on ants. What is your reasoning for believing we are so special that there is a God out there looking out for us all individually and controlling our lives

Because they can’t accept their own mortality, so they like to believe that if they behave themselves they’ll exist forever in some sort of afterlife. It’s the type of thing you tell young children so that they aren’t scared/worried about their parents dying. Except adults believe these fairytales

@AlexaShutUp

With the greatest respect, *@LifeExperience*, that kind of mental gymnastics makes absolutely no sense to me at all. It absolutely doesn't explain why bad things happen to good people, and frankly, it's pretty insulting and dismissive towards some of the parents who have shared their stories of children with cancer etc.

The argument that you have put forward relies on a weird kind of internal logic that could only possibly make any sense to people if they had already swallowed the flawed premises that are your basic starting points. It has no independent validity at all!

Exactly. I cannot begin to express how liberating it felt to no longer be exposed to that kind of frantic mental gymnastics when I stepped away from religion.

On the rare occasions I’m at a church service of any denomination, what strikes me now is the pathos (and if I’m honest, the absurdity) of a congregation of people continually reassuring an apparently praise-obsessed invisible deity that they worship him.

Having said that, the OP is at the simplistic end of the spectrum of stripes of Christianity.

There is a massive dichotomy between Jesus Christ - and Christianity / organised religion.

I don’t think the former would recognise the latter.

And I say this as an out and out agnostic.

As an ex Christian I think I already know what your answer will be but do you ever wonder why people walk away? Does it ever make you doubtful?

You said you believe that Christianity is the only true religion, but if others find as much happiness as you seemingly do while following a different religion, how can you say their faith and beliefs are lesser than your own?

How long have you been a Christian for? Do you have a close relationship with your extended family? I feel that you are a vulnerable person and may have been coerced into having such stringent rules for yourself. Everyone is entitled to believe what they want, but everyone is also entitled to be happy whether they are heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. How can loving others in these circumstances be seen as a sin?