May 30, 2006 (Coleman Household)
Officer Jones escorted Dre to The Coleman household in cuffs only releasing them once they were inside.
(Officer Jones) Ms.Coleman the owner of the store decided not to press charges because your son is still a minor, but next time he might not be so lucky. I suggest he spend more time with father and less time with these thugs in the streets.
(Ms.Coleman) Thank you officer Jones, have a blessed day. See you on Sunday.
The officer leaves as Dre sits on the couch unwilling to meet his mother’s eyes.
(Ms.Coleman) Welp Andre I would like to say I’m surprised but we both know that would be a lie. These days you spend more time in handcuffs then in school. Running around this city with those boys like some demon!
Dre continued to look away.
(Dre) Don’t call me that.
(Ms.Coleman) Well what else should I call you? All those years of Bible classes I took you to surely didn’t make you into no saint. Boy all I’ve ever done is try and keep you on a righteous path and you have done nothing but fight me every step of the way. You’re just like your no good daddy, just born to be wicked. You wouldn’t know God’s presence if he was standing in front of you.
(Dre) Isaiah 29:13
(Ms.Coleman) Excuse me?
Dre looked up tears in his eyes.
(Dre) You honor God with your lips but your heart is far from him. All you have ever done is call me a no good demon just like my dad! Told me everyday I would be nothing and a bum just like him! Mom this is a nigga I’ve never even met!
(Ms.Coleman) I don’t know how you talk out there but you will watch your mouth in my house!
(Dre) See that’s what I’m talking about! You think it’s okay to call your son a demon but I’m a sinner if I say nigga! Mom you want me to know God when you don’t. You just know that church you go to.
(Ms.Coleman) …Well don’t talk back to me in my house! Everything I do for you I’ve done by myself! Show some gratitude for once in your life!
(Dre) It’s not my fault you let some random nigga hit and had to raise me alone! Stop blaming me for that shit!
Ms.Coleman mouth opened wide as she went to the door and swung it open.
( Ms.Coleman) Get out my house and don’t come back Lucifer.
(Dre) Fuck it!
Dre walked out slamming the door behind him!

I'm Catholic and I believe in the intercession of the saints, but i want to know where did it come from. Can someone please explain how the it works and it's origin to me?
How it works:
How the saints can hear us? Does God give them the capacity to do it?
How the prayers reach the saints? Do God lead the prayers to them or do they hear our prayers directly?
We should only ask them to pray for something, not to give us something, right? Exemple: "Mary, please pray for me to be healed from this injury" vs "Mary, please heal me from this injury".
Origin:
Is the intercession of the saints in the bible? Where?
Do the Church Fathers prayed to the saints or taught this? Where?
Thanks in advance and feel free to explain things are not asked here.

There’s no easy way to put this, and because I was raised in an environment of brutal honesty instead of watered down truth, this will be very difficult or uncomfortable to read so fair warning for the content below.
I only remember the first few years of my childhood barely, but the years following after the age of 5 were not pretty. I was quite an introverted kid mainly due to stupid kid stuff at the time, I remember elementary school where the big talk was about modern musical artists at that time and Wii was a huge thing, I was more interested in ocean life and life outside, and more interested in bands like ACDC, twisted sister, Motörhead, and Black Sabbath. I was picked on constantly, I never really dressed in basketball shorts and jerseys, I always stuck to what I grew up around Bikes, Bands, and my dear old mom and dad. My uncles was a chopper builder and felt like a big bro more than an uncle, my aunt the same.
Of course because I was raised in a Roman Catholic family, I got sent to religious instructions, it wasn’t bad yet, but I met my first ever like real friend a kid named Devin, he was a year older but we grew up together and made each other laugh, we did everything together to make each other laugh like we had nothing better to do, he was the ultimate brother from another mother. Because of these classes every now and then the local priest would show up and observe, there was guy who followed him around, I think he was like a priest in training or something like that. This sounds like a set up to a dark South Park joke, but it’s the real thing. Devin was my only friend, but he went to a different school, everyone else at my school picked on me or spread rumors to have people avoid me.
Every Wednesday I went to religious instructions, and this priest kept calling me out of class to go to his office, now I had learning disabilities and couldn’t sit still, so I ended drawing on my paperwork a lot and I would get called in for it, but instead of being mad at me for defacing Bible passages, he instead took an interest in my artwork, and it made me feel proud and I felt less introverted. These office visits became frequent and the priest kept encouraging me to keep drawing which I thought was great, it made me feel important.
That was like alcohol to an addict, it felt good to be noticed and it felt good to feel like you’re important until he started touching me. I know this sounds like a stereotypical dark joke, but most dark humor wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t some real life occurrence. It started slow, a hand on the lap, a hand in the shoulder, a hand moving up my thigh, a hand moving up my thigh and around my butt, before it became a sexual assault. Picture the worst thing happening to you, that can be categorized as a sexual assault or rape, and that’s what I was going through. I felt guilty, I felt ashamed, at the same time I felt addicted because I was getting special treatment in these religious classes, I felt good sometimes but at the same time I had a know in my stomach, I felt fucking pain all the time. I lost feelings for pain and instead it became a crutch, watching a 7 year old start scraping his arms with the blades of scissors in 2nd grade art class is not an image you want to see.
My parents became aware of my strange behavior and believe me when I say it took a lot to tell my parents what was going on every Wednesday.
They were livid, they responded like any parent who found out their kid was being raped by someone they trusted. I don’t need to get into the details of police officers asking me to go into detail about what happened to me. As for what happened to the priest, suprisingly the church defended him, and I was seen as a little liar, he never got to see life behind bars, because cancer took his life away 6 months after all of this came out. Though in my mind now I’d like to think he committed suicide because he was a coward and didn’t want to face consequences.
If not the act of being raped as a child is disgustingly awful, it’s the years following that are more painful, but somehow even at the worse times of it, I’m still here! I smoked, I drank, all at ages you wouldn’t even fathom, Devin was still around, and he was the only friend I confided in with this event in my life and he took it to his grave, he passed away in 2020, age 20. Years following after the priests death and the therapy I went through I felt like I wanted to die, I had to die, I hurt myself, sometimes I hurt others, I wanted that time back but now 17 years later I know I’ll never get it back.
Some kids found out around that time and thought it was the greatest joke, I must’ve heard the word faggot and queer a thousand times. But even more surprising is that the same kids that said that, ended up realizing just how bad it was, and gave me some of the most heartwarming yearbook signings when I graduated high school in 2018.
How the fuck I’m still here? I’ll never really know, the times where I was blindly self harming and feeling a shit load of pain, i really felt like dying but now it’s something I want to pretend never happened, but I accept it and like most things in life, I have to move on. It’s not easy, it never is but somehow I just do.

Genesis 19:24
24 And Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of heaven,

This text is used a proof for the trinity. But what does the context say?

Genesis 19:12-14
12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and everyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place;
13 for we are about to destroy this place because their outcry has become great before Yahweh, so Yahweh has sent us to destroy it.”
14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

You see how the angels said they are send to destroy the cities themselves? Then right after they say Yahweh will destroy. The angels are representatives, destroying Sodom in the name of Yahweh who is in heaven. In Genesis 18 we see Yahweh stayed with Abraham while He send his angels to Sodom.

Genesis 18:22
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before Yahweh.

In Genesis 19:1 we read only the 2 men (angels) appeared in Sodom.

Genesis 19:1
1 Then the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them and rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
Genesis 18:33
33 And as soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham, Yahweh departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

It says Yahweh departed. It does not say where to. But in 18:22 it clearly says the angels went to Sodom.
Now notice this:

Genesis 19:18-23
18 But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords!
19 “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by preserving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest calamity overtake me and I die;
20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be preserved.”
21 And he said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
22 “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

Lot asked the angels if he could go to the nearby town (Zoar). One of the angels replied and granted his request, saying "I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken."
Now notice 19:22, the angel tells Lot to hurry, because "I cannot do anything until you arrive there."
And finally, Lot arrives at the town (Zoar) in verse 23. THEN the infamous verse 19:24 comes.
All in all, the Bible clearly says that the angels were send to destroy the cities, and that they (the angels) will destroy the city. That is a fact (Gen 19:13).
Again, we also have to consider the most logical explanation from the context. Why is this explanation the most logical? Because there being two Yahwehs is in complete contradiction with the rest of the scriptures.
Verse 25, the very next verse. “and HE”. Singular. Not plural. Why does it not say “they” if “they” did it in cooperation?
The answer is that the angels are representatives for Yahweh. If not, 19:13 and 19:14 would contradict each other.

A lot of times in criminal series, murder suspects try to buy a new identity. They try to clean up what thy did, leave their old live behind and try to live a new one. But as we know most of them get caught anyway. they life in fear that their past may Cath up.
If we take a look into the Bible, we find out Jesus is actually one of those guys that offers a new Identity for people with messed up lives. But he is different! The guys in the series get their new identities from other wicked guys, but imagine, the government would come and say the following:
"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Hebrews 8,12)
Well these are Jesus words, one day well stand in front of the only judge, who really matters, and if we confessed our sins to Jesus, this judge will see Jesus sacrifice and accept our new identity.
So lets life in this new identity, once we were wicked people, but Jesus gave us a new self way better then any stolen identity on this earth could ever be!
Let's give our next 24 hours to Jesus again! Who is in ?
What is included ?

1. stay pure
2. fill your heart with god ( read his word. If you only have strength for one verse, Jesus can make a lot of that seed, it might grow into a big tree)
3. meditate on it ask god questions, pray learn to understand him and hear what he is saying
4. ask god to teach you how to love him (it’s key!)

I could probably go on a limb and assume everyone here knows what the problem of evil is, but just in case:
Premise 1: The bible describes god as all powerful and all good
Premise 2: god doesn't like evil (Psalm 5:4) (Proverbs 8:13)
And when I use the word "evil" think of all the things god says not to do. From getting a divorce to being gay to wearing mixed linens. Y'know, all that depraved stuff that's worthy of death!!! UwU (seriously though when I say "evil" I just mean anything outlined as "sin")
Premise 3: god (probably) doesn't like suffering(while I couldn't find any verses where god explicitly says he doesn't like human suffering, Revelation 21:4 at least implies that he plans to do away with it and it does stand to reason that an all-good, all-loving god would be opposed to suffering)
Premise 4: There's a lot of evil and suffering in the world. Like, a lot
Premise 5: if an all powerful and all good god existed he wouldn't make a world with so much evil and suffering
Conclusion: The god described in the bible does not exist
Easily the most popular and easiest to explain argument against god, but one that has long been contested and argued against. Which is where theodicies come in. Theodicies are arguments that attempt to prove god has some reason to allow evil and suffering to exist.
In this post I will attempt to disprove the major theodicies, proving the problem of evil to be a logically coherent argument against the existence of god.
Let's start with the one I dislike the most: God allows evil in order to facilitate higher order goods
Now, let's set aside how appalling, emotionally speaking, the idea that a world where people get beheaded and gored and burned alive has more moral value than a world with none of these evils because of "Higher order goods" or something, actually is.
This argument is also logically bankrupt. For evil to be justified under this theodicy, it must allow for some higher order good to obtain. There's no way for bravery to exist without fear. So that particular evil is necessary for bravery to exist. With this in mind, answer me this:
What Higher order good can ONLY be brought about when an earthquake makes a building collapse on a family of five, or when an infant chokes to death on a particularly large lego brick. What good could possibly come from somebody getting struck by lightning and dying with 3rd degree burns and charred skin(it may not happen often but it happens) or when a Muslim girl is publicly executed for trying to learn how to read?
Set humans aside for a minute and consider animal suffering. What good can come about from a tree falling on a deer's leg? While it starves to death with a broken limb in agony, where nobody can hear it's cries. What good is achieved by this? When an antelope has it's throat crushed in a lion's mouth, why would a good god allow this cruelty? If an evil thing cannot facilitate some higher order good it can't be justified by this theodicy. So tell me: what higher order good's can only come from these?
Aside from this, consider the fact that there is no evil in heaven. To be philosophically consistent, one would have to claim that our world has more moral value than heaven because it has goods that can't exist in heaven. Heaven, being eternal and all, is the last stop for god's children, so if this is where the righteous are meant to live forever, and god truly believed a world with the higher order goods facilitated by evil is better than a world without evil, then why isn't there evil in heaven?
Finally, consider that evil did not exist in the world before the original sin. It was only after Adam and Eve's slip-up that the hearts of man became utterly evil or something. So if you believe that god wanted evil to exist in the world, and acknowledge that evil didn't and couldn't exist until Adam and Eve ate the possibly metaphorical apple, you must then be committed to the belief that god punished Adam and Eve for something he wanted them to do.
The Second Theodicy: God allows evil because without it, we would have no concept of good.
This argument states that evil is to good what shadow is to light; the former is simply an absence of the latter and one cannot be appreciated without the other, or, as put by C.S Lewis: "A man has no concept of a straight line unless he has seen a crooked one."
This isn't as much of a slam dunk as it sounds like on first glance once you consider that before the fall of man we had neither a concept of good nor evil. In an ideal state of affairs god was totally cool with us having no concept of good and since he actively discouraged Adam and Eve from committing the original sin, one can even argue he actively didn't want them to have such a concept.
Also, once again, there's no evil in heaven. So it's either the case that good can be appreciated without evil, or it really just doesn't matter that much.
Lastly, the moment we've all the waiting for, the one I like the most. the theodicy based on a concept that doesn't actually exist. Make some noise for: The free will theodicy.
This one is pretty self explanatory. God allows evil because, even though he doesn't like it when we do bad things, he respects our freedom and wants us to choose him for ourselves.
Two teeny-tiny problems with this: 1. Unless there is no free will in heaven, it is possible to have free will without committing acts of evil and 2. Free will in our world just doesn't exist.
I recognize the second claim needs a little more explaining:
Premise 1: All mental activity(whether material or immaterial for those of you believe believe in the soul) is either determined or indetermined.
Premise 2: If some particular mental activity is indetermined it is, by definition, random and out of our control. If it is determined then it is either determined by something outside our self and thereby not free will either, or determined by something further inside ourselves, in which case we can ask the same questions to figure out if that something is determined or indetermined. So on so and so forth until all causal chains with eventually terminate at something we can't control.
Conclusion: There is no free will.
With this done I hope I have provided a convincing argument for The problem of evil and against the Christian god and would be elated to hear rebuttals. In addition to this I would be curious to see if Muslims have some sort of way around this problem exclusive to their faith or something. Thanks in advance for the Civilized discussion. :)

I’d like to tell you about my spiritual journey and see what Christians have to think about it. When I was around 12 years old I went to Egypt on a holiday with it’s family. During this holiday I went to a shop that sold witchcraft items and decided I liked the look of ornament which I now know to be a Bastet statue. A few years pass on by and I decide to meditate (I’m not a Christian or anything btw) it was just regular meditation. My eyes are closed and I see something known as the Eye of Ra appear. When this happened I was very confused because at the time I had no idea what the Bastet statue even was, I just liked the look of it. After doing research online I was able to figure out that this was an Egyptian god but I still didn’t know why this was happening to me. I decided to contact a witch who was my friend from school to see if she could figure out what was happening to me and why this god was interested in me. She told me to write my name down on a piece of paper which i did, she also told me to close my eyes. Then she burned some sort of herb and all I saw was satan. I had no idea what was going on but I later realised my third eyes (spiritual eyes) had been opened. I later found out that this particular witch I decided to ask for help was actually a practising satanist. Honestly what I saw you wouldn’t believe. I began to astral project without any control whatsoever. I saw many things but mostly aliens. These aliens didn’t just appear out of nowhere. I was moving very fast and many portals were opened. Eventually I stopped moving and realised what was going on. I saw two entities that had a hold of me. One being Satan and the other being Bastet who I then realised was an alien. The problem I had to figure out was whether it was Satan or Bastet who took me through all them portals. I may not be Christian but I know Satan is evil and from my understanding he’s a demon not an alien. The fact I was seeing so many different extraterrestrial beings suggested to me that it was Bastet who took me through all them portals because I don’t think Satan is necessarily partnered with any alien races (just demons and fallen angels). I did eventually stop moving and regained control of my spiritual body. I realised I had many spiritual powers but I also realised I was in what I can only describe as a deep hole. The reason I’m posting this here is because Christianity has caused me an incredible amount of stress. The constant realisation of being a sinner and feeling terrible for it. The reason I feel bad is because I use spiritual powers in the hopes of getting out of this dark and dangerous hole. Im very aware that you can use the bible to fight the devil, however, it’s not going to move you spiritually it’s just going act as a shield of protection from evil spirits (which is good I know). It’s very hard to explain what the spiritual realms look like but try to understand that when you’re spiritually awake you have to move (walk the path) and then you’re left with a choice, fight or run. Honestly I haven’t got the heart to confront Satan so I just choose to run but I will defend myself if necessary. As you know there is a spiritual war in the spirit realm between Satan and God and I seem to have found my self in the middle of it. I feel like Im disappointing God but I honestly feel like I don’t have any other choice but to continue moving. Satan is absolutely terrifying and the thought of being stuck with him isn’t a nice feeling. I’d also like to mention that it’s not quite as easy as performing an exorcism as we are stuck in the hole together along with many other entities which were also dragged down with me into this hole by Satan. I don’t want to go to church as I feel I will be judged or they just won’t understand. I do care about Christ I just don’t see how His teachings are compatible with my current situation. Another thing I’d like to mention is that I’ve been going through this for 4 years this is not new to me.
Sorry this is super long but I’d like to get your thoughts and know if you think a relationship with Christ is still an option for someone like me so I feel it’s important you know the full extent of my situation.

Hello from Seattle, US. As someone who has lived in many cities in the US, this place is just a different beast. It's common knowledge how the city is taken by deconstruction. But that's not even the saddest part cause I see as a privilege, Matthew 9:37-38 , ^"Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”. But there's this thick fog of self-righteousness from the Christians in the city. I went to this church in the University neighborhood, they used to be the most prominent Mars Hill plant after they shut down, and was shocked. Everyone talks like "We are the only church in the city preaching the gospel", but their pastor doesn't even live in the city he lives in Nashville, TN with a "campus" full of old friends of his who moved there from California in 2020. I just don't understand why so many places claim the inerrancy of the Bible as one of their biggest values (5 Solas, Tulip, Calvinism...) but keep ignoring such strong Bible commands of inviting unbelievers and showing them Jesus' love. Is this something you all deal with it as well? I mention the city specifically cause as the least religious metro area in the country I just keep seeing a big focus on discussions that are not relevant and a complete refusal to preach the most basic things: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. I think this sounds like an empty complaint but it's just a plea for encouragement I guess, please tell me the things you do at your church that help your congregation understand who they are in Christ and how you all are reaching unbelievers.

Basically the title, I made the beautiful and life changing decision to accept christ into my heart almost 3 years ago. My whole life i struggled with dreams, spiritual attacks, sleep paralysis (not all bad, but i defiantly feel like im more open to the spiritual stuff when im sleeping - i usually ask jesus for protection while i sleep) anyway since becoming christian i have been learning more and more about how to honour my relationship with Jesus. I read my bible & attend church occasionally, but i talk to god basically every day. Ive learnt over this time that when i just casually talk to him i feel the most connected.
Anyway, i've been quiet busy lately. i am about a week away from moving overseas and there of course is a lot of things to do and "worries", that i just talk to god about and trust him that everything will work out.
I have also had weird dreams, ALL involving Jesus in some way and each one becoming more memorable (i can usually remember all of my dreams) i just keep having this blurr over the dreams when i wake up.
the one that i first kind of remember, i was trying to say the lords prayer but i couldnt. it felt each time i couldnt get it right something bad would happen. He was there with me but i also had something or someone else there too, the dream was super blurry so i dont have much more detail than that.
the last two i had was this week, first one i felt like i was awake, kind of like how my sleep paralysis used to start, i could hear chatter and feel a really dark energy but it felt anxious/restless like it was in a hurry? i refused to open my eyes, but i started to say the lords prayer over and over in my head and was saying "the lord is here" & "in jesus mighty name i forbid you to be here" and not only did it leave but i felt his presence in the room right next to me and slept perfectly after that.
then yesterday, i had a dream that i was packing or folding clothes with Jesus and we were just laughing and he said something that i cant remember but i remember instantly just smiling and said "Man i love you". It was really casual and how i'd talk to my friends.
the reason why im coming here to ask is because anywhere that ive read about people who have had dreams of Jesus its been really profound.
And im here having scary dreams, weird chats, and reciting the lords prayer?
i feel like he is just really present right now and is showing me that he his here on this journey. But i actually dont know what to make of it all.
If anyone has had anything similar, or even if you think i should just take it at face value and assume the "he's just here with me" feeling is the message im supposed to receive id love to hear others thoughts on this?

so you know how in the Bible there’s multiple verses about letting God’s will be done, saying that when you pray you make your requests known to God and/but ask that His will be done.
how do i do this? i find it so hard to say it because it feels like i have no control, and yeah i know i’m supposed to surrender control to God but how? how do i learn to fully trust?
Like for example if I ask God for something and conclude the prayer with “may your will be done/ God willingly”, then isn’t my request almost irrelevant? does that not cancel out my request?

I have no idea where to post this, but I'm wondering how to meet other Gen Z 20somethings in-person for social activities/friendships. I tried Bumble BFF before the pandemic, but didn't really have too much luck on there. I've been on Meetup for quite a while, and before the pandemic it was just okay, but seems to be worse now for a combination of reasons.
I guess I should add that I'm in the Bible Belt in the US currently in case that would be helpful. With that, I should also add that I am agnostic, but would not be opposed to trying a young adult church group as long as they are open minded and truly accepting.
Thank you for any suggestions

So back in like the 2010s there was this really popular instagrammer who would go to Disney world all the time and make these cutesy little posts with bible verses in front of the castle and other aesthetics spots. I remember being in elementary school and loving her posts so much. I’m trying to find it now for the nostalgia but I can’t remember her name or her handle. Does anyone remember her Instagram/Pinterest?

Mattana Ministry Welcomes You To: Weekly Bible Study: 14 May 2024 Theme: Bible Basics Explained/Faith Scripture: Heb. 10:35-39 & Heb. 11:1-2 Message: God Exists
Faith may seem a small thing, but it can lead people to some extraordinary actions. Consider this story from Romania. The year was 1989, and the Communist government ruled. The Communism that ruled much of Eastern Europe in the 20th century was built on atheistic ideology and philosophy. Though the government allowed church, it kept a tight grip, and often jailed and tortured pastors and believers who defied their rule.
In the town of Timisoara, a local pastor named Tokes, who was teaching the Bible faithfully, was commanded to leave his home and church because he had criticized the government for human rights violations. On the day the police were to evict their pastor, local Christians surrounded the home to stop them. A crowd grew quickly, and the army was called in to stop them. Shots fired. Many wounded, many killed. But then something incredible occurred. The people didn’t fight back. Instead they knelt and prayed. Can we picture that? Prayer against bullets.
Yet the sight was too much for the soldiers. They refused to shoot any more. By this time, the whole town was there. Another pastor named Dugulescu climbed to the balcony of the local opera house and addressed the crowd. He recited something, only a few lines, and two simple words struck deep in the hearts of the people. They began chanting. Then shouting. Two words in defiance of oppression. Two words that cried out for freedom, equality, and dignity. Again and again, they shouted in unison: God exists.
We’ll come back to that story. For now, those same two words are at the very heart of this little thing called faith. So what is faith? Is it just another word for belief? I believe in God - so that’s faith. Right? Well, James reminds us that demons believe in God, and they tremble over that belief. So faith is more than that.
So what is it then? Is it an action of the heart or a conviction of the mind? Or maybe it’s just a feeling in our gut of what we know is true.
To find some answers, we’re turning to the book of Hebrews, and a chapter known as the Hall of Faith. Hebrews 11. The chapter reads like an Old Testament hall of heroes. It’s a highlight reel from every prophet and warrior who ever made it onto a Sunday School flannel board. If we grew up with Bible heroes, we’ll recognize these names. And even if we missed out on all that, there’s something about these heroes - something they all have in common. Many epic stories, countless grand adventures, one shared attribute. And it’s not just courage, or compassion, or integrity. All of those are beautiful and necessary. But this one, this one changes them all. Faith transforms all of our virtues because it gives them direction and purpose. It points everything about us back to God.
So what is faith? Hebrews 11 verse 1:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is confidence. The Greek word here can also be translated substance. Faith gives substance to the things that we hope for. Hope is about the future anticipation of good things coming. But hope alone is ephemeral a dream with nothing tangible to grab hold of. It takes faith to give hope substance, and confidently grab ahold of it here in the present. And back in verse 1, faith is also assurance about what we do not see.
Now not seen is not the same as not real. The Greek words here carry a sense that means not yet seen. Just because we don’t see it yet doesn’t mean it isn’t real. That’s where hope comes in. Hebrews 6 calls hope an “anchor for our souls.” It keeps us grounded, stops us from drifting.
See hope without faith is just wishful thinking. Like a lottery ticket - I hope this one changes my life, but it probably won’t. But hope with faith is like a bus ticket. Sure, the road might be rough and my fellow passengers can occasionally get on my nerves, but my ticket says home, and I know that my bus driver will get me there.
And verse 2 tells us:
“This is what the ancients were commended for” (Hebrews 11:2). The ancients here refer to Old Testament heroes, and the rest of the chapter reminds us of their stories. Fantastic stories. But they’re not just here to tell a good story. This chapter was written to encourage us. Chapter 10 ended with a powerful call to stand strong to persevere in the face of trial. Back in 10:35,
“Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised”(Hebrews 10:35b-36). And chapter 10 ends with one essential Old Testament quote from Habakkuk:
“The righteous shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38). Remember, righteous means right with God. And in the Bible it’s the only way to Heaven. And Hebrews reminds us that when we’re right with God, faith is how we live. That short verse is quoted throughout the New Testament.
MM
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Grew up Baptist, but have been soteriologically reformed for a long time. Currently looking at taking a job as a (non theology) teacher at a school with close ties to the reformed community in an area where it seems like the reformed churches are the only ones that are thriving. However, the general vibe of reformed theology has generally put me off. However, I learned the hard way that what’s really important about a church is people that are passionate about the gospel and about living life as a church community instead of particular views on baptism.
For reference, I have a BA and MA in theology from two non denominational schools, I know the gist of reformed theology.
EDIT: the attitude of “just read the Bible” is the exact vibe I’m referencing above. All theological systems (reformed theology being one of them) requires some type of abstraction from the biblical text and thus, theological argumentation.

I used to be a strong Christian when I was younger (<14). Since then I slowly started loosing faith. Now I think I reached the point where I question if I actually believe in God. (17) I think i don’t believe in him. I want to believe but i just don’t. My youth pastor said it was normal to question if God is real. But i am already pass the questioning stage. I think i decided i don’t believe he is real.
Nothing happened to me that proved he is real. No miracles, no feeling(that emotional wave that Christians talk about when feeling God’s presence).
What should i do? I think if i believe in God, either he himself proved he is real, or i would be believing for the sake of not going to hell (don’t take risks mindset)
I will not bother reading to bible. I am willing to try praying again. I don’t listen in church and don’t plan to. I have a “do it now and ask for forgiveness” mindset which i know is wrong.
I’m secretly hoping a strong Christian can convince me in a way that he is real. Or possibly give me tips on how start believing. Any advice. I have morals but not in a Christian way. I do what is right but i don’t believe in God.
Here are some of my thoughts that gave me the conclusion to not believe (Sorry if it came out sounding rude) - Why can’t he prove to me he is real - If he really loved us so much, why would he put us in hell for eternity for not believing? - If God has mercy, even if i go to hell, he would have mercy to give us another chance. - Why can’t he just make us disappear instead of going to hell? Does he take pleasure in punishing us? - If i end up believing and going to heaven, why would i want to spend eternity praising (singing?playing music?dancing?) (according to my mom i would spend eternity in heaven praising God) - the generic “if he knows everything, why did he create the tree with the forbidden fruit?”
If God is real, please save me.

I have a friend Nicole (f22) that has gone through so much in her life and she is in desperate need of prayer. She grew up in the church but was rap** when she was young and lost her mom when she was 16. She’s struggled with her sexuality and ended up leaving her bf to be with another woman. She is now living with them and her life seems to be going downhill. She doesn’t pray or read her Bible anymore and when I ask about it she says she’s losing her relationship with Jesus. I can see her physical and mental changes and it’s very clear that the devil has got ahold of her and is using her traumas against her. I tell her that I pray for her everyday and she seems thankful but brushes it off quickly. She doesn’t have any family as her dad and sister abandoned her and her childhood friends don’t want anything to do with her anymore. It’s like she is completely consumed by sin and can’t see how shes hitting herself and others around her. I know ow God is great and he can do anything but I feel as if I’m the only one praying for her and it’s not working, she needs a group of strong God fearing people right now and I’m asking everyone reading this to pray for her.

I remember how it felt to read the Bible when I was twelve
like I was reading an overly complicated bedtime story that people took as gospel
I never understood the religion I tried so desperately to cling to
but when I finally let it go, I looked at it through the raindrops on my window
and it magnified the bits and pieces that had drawn me to it in the first place;
it was poetry.
I had never actually believed there was a big man in the sky who created the universe and everything within it
but I wanted to believe that the stories told about him held some significance that I could use as a lens for my glasses to see the world through
and I think they did; I think they do
but every so often
I regret looking at my glass in the sunlight and finding red wine in place of the blood of Christ.
I wonder, sometimes, what it would have been like to allow myself a baptism in blissful ignorance
to not see through the symbolism of holy water and communion crackers
to believe the written word of men who said God was moving their hands
to feel His presence in the eerie silence of the empty church basement.
But I do not want to believe that way so that I can follow a god and find him at the end of every road I travel
I do not feel it is necessary to devote myself so wholly to a romanticized personification of power
but as I lay in my unmade bed for sixteen hours on a Tuesday locked away inside my messy bedroom in a house I may soon come to lose,
as the safety nets carefully crafted and intricately woven beneath my feet begin to fray and fall away,
as my thoughts scream out my uselessness from the rooftops of every abandoned residence within my mind,
it would be nice to allow myself to think that someone can hear my prayers
that someone will answer them
that someone is listening to my pleas and sees the silent weeping on the nights I need it most
but I know better, unfortunately
that I can mutter under my breath and ask the Lord for daily bread as much as my battered heart desires
but it doesn't change the fact that he whose name be hallowed is nothing more than a gust of wind that will carry the prayers on my breath away to a dead leaf in the sand
and that my words will wither along with it.

I have been raised Christian my whole life but would have called myself lukewarm until about 6 years ago when I was a senior in HS and started going to church regularly with my now fiancé. Within the last few years I've found myself wanting to study more apologetics rather than the Bible studies that I had been doing to learn the word.
What are some of the questions that someone who is secular or someone from another religion would have most often? How have you guys been able to answer these question in the past? And I think most important how can I share the gospel in a concise way to people who ask for it or could benefit from the explanation of why Jesus is the way and the truth and the life?
Thank you for any responses!

https://youtu.be/04GsnBo7Q0A?si=Oq8yxHb8fsbYc3Pv
it is well past time they were called out for what they are doing. in fact they should loose their tax status for using the church for political gain. just like they ere going to do for other churches. BUT YOU ONLY WANTED THE CULT 45. BIBLE OR POLITICAL HOST

The Bible says things like we should stone disobedient children,women should not speak in church and pork and shellfish are unclean and not to be eaten and to abstain from alcohol but Christians don’t take part in those behaviors. Why then do Christians still consider homosexuality a current sin and continuously demonize homosexuals. What is the determinant for choosing what laws to abide by?

Hello y'all
Ten years ago I went through what was at first a divorce. A couple years down the road my ex-wife communicated me she wanted to go for an annulment. She's a very, huh, persuasive (sometimes even aggressive as far as her persuasion skills are concerned) so to avoid any unnecessary stress, I told her to do whatever she wanted, whatever it would take - and I'd just sign whatever document she needed to do it. She sent the necessary documents to the church, with claims that were really exaggerated versions of reality, with a touch of lies here and there - we were really toxic to each other but she blamed me alone. I was kinda upset but signed the docs anyway, she got what she wanted and I got "peace". At the time I was a full blown atheist and also very hurt from what happened during our marriage and wouldnt even consider the possibility of being with anyone again.
So, years have passed, my heart has healed and since a couple months ago things happened within myself and I've been learning to become a believer. I've been reading the Bible everyday and found out dirvorce is not allowed but annulment gives the possibility of a new marriage. But what about this scenario I lived, where the arguments of the annulment where a bunch of lies I ended up undersigning, which I understand is a big sin itself? Would God see a new marriage as adultery after this ? Is this forgivable?
Sorry for the poor English, not a native and still learning to speak in more Christian terms.