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Finding Simplicity in God’s Plan: An Inspirational Devotional

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the complexities of life? It’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of worries, projects, and endless To-Do lists. In moments like these, we can learn a valuable lesson from one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century—Albert Einstein. English theologian C.S. Lewis once noted that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” It might come as a surprise that Einstein, often heralded for his intricate theories, believed, “God always takes the simplest way.” Intrigued? Let’s dive in to explore how simplicity in God’s plan can bring peace to our chaotic lives.

The Beauty of Simplicity in Scripture

The Bible is brimming with verses that highlight God’s preference for simplicity. For instance, Micah 6:8 (NIV) says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Notice how straightforward these instructions are. Despite the complexities of life, our calling is clear and uncomplicated.
Consider also Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” It’s an uncomplicated formula for a fulfilled life. Focus on God’s kingdom, and everything else will fall into place.

Examples of Simplicity in God’s Actions

God’s simplest way is evident throughout the Bible. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He replied in Matthew 22:37-39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” These are simple yet profound directives that can transform our complex lives into a journey of love and grace.

• Feeding the 5,000: Jesus didn’t need grandiose plans to feed the multitude. He used a young boy’s simple offering of five loaves and two fish (John 6:9-13).
• Prophet Elijah: In 1 Kings 19:11-13, God revealed Himself not in the wind, earthquake, or fire but in a gentle whisper. In the simplest way, God communicated His presence.

Questions for Reflection

• Personal Connection: What complexities in your life could benefit from a simpler approach?
• Faith Journey: How has focusing on God’s simple instructions transformed your walk with Him?
• Everyday Actions: Can you identify small, simple actions that align with God’s will today?

Reflect on these questions and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. It’s a wonderful way to connect and encourage each other.

Call to Action: Embrace Simplicity Today

Remember, God’s simplest way is often the most profound. As you go about your day, consider how you can shift your focus from the complex to the simple joys and directives laid out by God. Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments. How has embracing simplicity drawn you closer to Him?
By seeking beauty in simplicity, you can experience the divine peace and clarity that God offers. Embrace it today and witness the miraculous transformation it can bring to your life.
Isn’t it refreshing to know that God’s way, like Einstein’s insight, often lies in simplicity? Let’s journey together in faith, embracing the simple yet profound path God has set before us.
If you like this content, please connect with us at: https://BGodInspired.com
Or dig for more answers yourself with our BGodInspired Bible Tools! Be careful – each interaction is like a new treasure hunt… you can get lost for hours 🙂
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Joy in the Scriptures: Discovering Biblical Joy Through God’s Word
Introduction: The Pursuit of Joy
Joy is an elusive yet essential aspect of human existence. From the exuberant laughter of a child to the soulful contentment found in a deep relationship with God, joy embodies a spectrum of human experience that everyone yearns for. But how do we find true joy that transcends circumstances? Let’s explore what the Bible says about this invaluable state of being and uncover powerful verses that emphasize the essence of joy.
Finding Joy in the Lord
In the Bible, joy is often intertwined with our relationship with God. The Apostle Paul, despite facing numerous trials, wrote extensively about joy. One of the best-known verses on this topic is:
– **Philippians 4:4** – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
This verse isn’t just a recommendation—it’s a command. Paul emphasizes the importance of rejoicing, particularly in the Lord, which speaks volumes about where true joy originates.
**Reflection Question:** How do you find reasons to rejoice in your daily life? Do you draw joy from your relationship with God?
Joy in Every Circumstance
One might wonder how joy can be maintained in difficult times. The Bible offers an answer in James:
– **James 1:2-3** – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
James isn’t suggesting a superficial happiness in suffering. Rather, he’s pointing toward a deeper understanding that trials produce growth, endurance, and ultimately, joy. This joy isn’t dependent on circumstances but on the spiritual growth and intimacy with God that results from them.
**Reflection Question:** How can you view your current challenges through the lens of producing perseverance and joy?
Joy as a Fruit of the Spirit
Joy isn’t merely an emotional response; it’s a fruit produced by a Spirit-filled life. The Book of Galatians lists joy as one of the fruits of the Spirit:
– **Galatians 5:22-23** – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
When we walk by the Spirit, joy naturally becomes part of our lives, akin to fruit growing on a tree. This joy surpasses momentary happiness and is rooted in our spiritual connection with God.
**Reflection Question:** How can you cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, particularly joy, in your daily walk with God?
Joy in Salvation and Eternal Hope
The ultimate source of joy for believers is the salvation and eternal life given through Jesus Christ. Peter talks about this in his letter:
– **1 Peter 1:8-9** – “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
This “inexpressible and glorious joy” stems from the assurance of salvation and the hope of eternal life. It’s a joy that cannot be fully comprehended or articulated, but one that profoundly fills the heart.
**Reflection Question:** How does the hope of salvation and eternal life influence your experience of joy?
Conclusion: Embracing Biblical Joy
Joy in the biblical sense is not fleeting but enduring. It’s rooted deeply in our relationship with God, our understanding and perspective on life’s trials, and our eternal hope in salvation. By embracing these principles, we can experience a joy that transcends our everyday circumstances.
**Call to Action:** How has joy manifested in your life through your faith? Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below and let’s encourage one another to live out this profound joy in Christ.
By exploring and integrating these biblical principles, we not only enhance our understanding of joy but also apply it in ways that bring enduring positivity and encouragement to our daily lives. Let’s continue this journey together, fostering a community of joy-filled believers.
If you want to want to research more Bible Answers on your own, please try our Bible Answers GPT. It’s easy to get lost in the interesting responses you’ll find… every search is like a new treasure hunt 🙂
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I have read the entire Bible over the years. I read the entire Old Testament front to cover in 2020. I read the entire New Testament in 2023. It helped give me perspective as a Christian on why Jesus came to fulfill the law.
I feel like reading the Bible is good - only some sections though. It’s hard to get immersed in it probably because I don’t take special time every day and just binge read every once in a while. I think the purpose of reading the Bible in the 21st century is having quiet intimate time with God - I can look up any verse on the internet quickly but I’m not immersed in the word as well if I go that route.
I read many self help books over the past year. Ones I’ve completed include:

1. The 7 habits of highly effective people
2. The millionaire next door
3. Getting things done
4. Feel good productivity
5. Building a non anxious life
6. How to get a date worth keeping
7. How to be a 3% man

The problem is there are just so many more I could read and I feel like I’m wasting my time. There’s diminishing returns with books and unless I’m absolutely in the book I think it’s a waste of time. I also need to take action on the books but want to make sure I don’t have any blind spots before taking action. Most of the book could be summarized in 30 pages but they’re 300. The Bible guarantees success in my life and my job is demanding… I’d rather be meeting people and doing activities rather than be reading on the weekends.
When is good enough with the self help books, should I just focus on the Bible?

I know Christmas is celebrated but it doesn’t seem to be religious, just more winter and gift giving and food as opposed to the true Christianity meaning of Christmas. Apart from that (and even that in and of itself isn’t all that’s much related to religion) I can’t think of any other mentions of religious practices in the book (besides smaller things like the name “St. Mungo” and Bible verses on the headstones in DH). So, do wizards/witches practice any religions?

They Have Power Over This Earth And Nations And The Power Is In Their Hands, And They Can Destroy This Whole Earth And Nations And Upset All Government Plans Are Based On Real Ancient History And Biblical Prophecies And The Book Of Revelation'' Discover Ancient Knowledge Of The Bible And Secret Power And Illuminated New World Order Secret Societies And Secretive Power Elite And Freemasonry Brotherhood!!
And their hidden agenda is reuniting people under one religion organization so they can peacefully except UN goal, such as population control and abortion rights and one world government and the mark of the beast and new age movement combines with the new world order and the devil know this and through the new age movement have taught millions to trust in another Jesus and other Christ
antichrist and satanic agenda to control the world secret society and people have already heard about new age movement revolutions and new world order secret societies, is all true and based on the book of Revelation chapter 13 verse 11-18, they are going to create an image here in the future, a global spiritual body, a stature will come alive and speak and one world religion and if no one who does not
worship this image will be killed and based on the book of Revelation, a false prophet will be coming here in the future, and he is the second beast of book of Revelation and will have power to make fire come down from heaven and to give life unto an image, a global spiritual body a stature and what they are planning here is a kingdom of evil and think they can manipulate the world believing this is not true,
are based on real ancient history and biblical prophecies and they come from a cursed bloodline and are offsprings of the devils' seed and they are a danger and threat to our nations and countries and state, and they think what they are doing here in this time is a secret and no one doesn't know what they are planning here in this time and is setting up the stage for one world government and new world order
and the mark of the beast to attack the nations based on the book of Revelation and if they get complete control of these whole nations, they can destroy the whole world and through satanic occult people are being demonize and control and manipulated, using lust and money and drugs and alcohol and lottery and cigarettes and life simple pleasures and tv game shows and video games and music and
free vacations and leisure and pagan holidays and free food and recipes and beauty commercials ads and animals and pets and social media to distract them to infiltrate their minds tempting them and people do not know they have been brainwashed and lied too and are living here without God's law and no church here in this time were send from God and through new age movement have taught millions to
trust in another Jesus and other Christ antichrist and not the real gospel and this is a prophecy taking place here right now in this time and darkness is sweeping the face of the whole earth and is consuming everything in its path, a world out of control beyond redemption and without God's law the whole nations will be destroy and if people continue living here without God's law the whole nation will
perish and they do not want people to know the real reason what this is about and secret societies and where this power comes from, they have over these nations, are based on bible prophecies and the reason God gave them temporary power over these whole nations, was because their forefathers forgot God and did not keep his commandments and served false gods and involved themselves with
heathens and YouTube do not want this video being played in public on their web site, because they do not want the truth to come out and do not want people to know the truth and they know the video is being talked about them, are based on real bible prophecies and they are members of secret societies and are a part of the bible's history based on ancient prophecies people in this time are bringing to pass
and no church here in this time were sent from God they are all possessed with devils in them global worldwide using them to destroy and rob the whole world of salvation and they have nothing but pure evil in them and are not what you think they are, and they come from a corrupt bloodline because
of curses and the whole world is being ruled by evil people possessed with devils in them, for complete details please visit my page links from here.
https://biblepsalms23.livejournal.com/69910.html
https://www.deviantart.com/lbww/journal/Discover-Ancient-Knowledge-Of-The-Bible-And-Secret-1057781497
https://www.reddit.com/TrueGospelOfChrist/comments/1d3xxw7/discover_ancient_knowledge_of_the_bible_and/
https://nations94.wordpress.com/2024/05/28/discover-ancient-knowledge-of-the-bible-and-secret-power-and-new-world-order-secret-societies-and-who-will-it-be-this-man-of-sin-the-false-antichrist-of-book-of-revelation-hd-movie-will-broadcast-l/

This sub is dedicated to acknowledging gods wrath. You sinned, and I’ve sinned, let’s talk about how why and how in brutal honesty and how it’s a slap in the face to God so we can stop.
Not a Christian? Many things in this sub relate to everyday life. Addictions (Porn, Alcoholism, Drugs, Sex), Anger, Greed, Jealousy, and wrongs committed. Everyone can learn. New to Christianity? Post what’s affecting you so others can guide you to not make the same mistakes again. Already Christian? As you read your bible, give some verses that will help us recognize the cost of our sins and Gods mercifulness. Falling back into sin? We can’t be perfect, but this is a place to go when you feel like sinning to stop it in its tracks. Dealing with guilt? We all have. Talk about it, repent, and grow away from sin.
DO NOT CRITICIZE AND JUDGE! - (Mathew 7:5) be respectful, loving, constructive, but firm.
VERSES!! - (2 Peter 1:19) If you are giving advice back it up with gods word
EVERYONE IS WELCOME! - (Proverbs 11:11) I do not care if they are black white blue orange pink Atheist Jewish Muslim or anything. They are gods children and will be respected
Not a PC space. - speak your mind, smartly. If you are easily triggered you might want to try some other sub. Always remember though (Matthew 15:11)
NO SUGAR COOKIE POSTS! The tune of this sub isn’t Reckless Love (by Cory Asbury) but more like Sinners and saints (by Andrea Wasse). Post the visceral truth about the sins we make and continue to make so that we won’t forget the cross and what was sacrificed.
BE BRUTALLY HONEST! (Proverbs 12:22) Make a burner it doesn’t matter. God knows what you did and it’s in the past. All you can do now is help others from making the same mistakes. We only have one judge and every sin is judged equally.
GOD LOVES YOU - This sub will be dark, but God lead you here to come back to him and rebuild that relationship. God seeks sinners and loves all the same. Please read Luke 15

St.Matthew 4
Verses 1-11
Jesus was led up of the spirit into the wilderness so that he would be tempted of the devil. This works because when we are alone and in boredom(in the wilderness) that’s when the devil mostly seeks to attack us, throwing a bunch of ideas, temptations, and thoughts at us.
The bible says that when Jesus was tempted by the devil, He spoke the word of God against every temptation of the devil, rebuking it.
The devil opposes God’s word and God’s word is against all unrighteousness, therefore we know that no matter what evil the devil tries to send at us we shall overcome if we stand on the word of God.
A reason Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil was to show us how to overcome temptation. That all we use is the word God.
In addition, when we continue to use the word of God against the temptations of the devil, the devil flees from us; but only for a season, for he hopeth we become weak in that certain area.
With that, when you continue to overcome temptation you will from God receive the word of wisdom to overcome temptation, so that you see clearly and to help your brother overcome temptation. The bible says that after the devil fled from Jesus angels came and ministered unto him.
By this we know that in order to overcome temptation we must turn to and stand on God’s word nothing else, and when we continue to do that, the devil shall flee from us and God shall give us the word of wisdom to overcome temptation, that we see clearly to help our neighbor. Remember always Vision comes from the Lord who is light and blindness comes from darkness. In Jesus name, Amen

The way I feel is that all righteousness honors Jah. The Bible tells I
James 1:17 (KJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
I&I was telling my bredren a week or so ago that the devil can bless no man. He was worried about a witch cursing him I&I told him she has no power. Witchcraft is a lie from the devil, trickery into giving him credit fir the blessings and mercy that Jah shows. That being said I&I then read this today.
Matthew 12:31-32 (KJV) Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
I&I was explaining too my roommate that I was raised learning about a vengeful and wrathful Jah. That forgave no blasphemy and was taught that I&I couldn't even ask certain questions less I commit blasphemy an unforgivable sin.
I&I believe that all righteousness honors Jah no matter our religion.
In this verse it says
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Jah understands that some will be raised different religions and worship different prophets that he send but there is only 1 Jah. As long as we honor Jah and not lie on the SPIRIT about from which our blessing come from being the one creator we will be forgiven if we are "wrong"
"And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,"
It also says of the prophets we worship
Matthew 10:40-41 (KJV) He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

I not only loved you, I loved the things that made you, you. If you ever did love me, it was because of my great taste in everything you enjoyed. And not just your interests, but your bad habits too. Being a music snob, a pothead, and a cat mom to this day, I thank you for these gifts. But, I have to confess that listening to music is still hard for me. The verses of every song we shared left deep marks in me and after we parted ways, I experienced a bought of depression that made it even harder to listen to the music I once loved. Something about the way music encapsulates our memories in rhythm, it was torture. I cried so much everyday, sometimes to the point of dehydration. I was mourning and somehow lost a lifetime in what felt like a week. Everything reminded me of you the first year after you left. I’m still pissed you didn’t let me say goodbye to “your” cat. That was the cruelest thing in a long list of fucked up shit you did to me. When I reflect on this part of my life I hate myself for having loved you so much.

Any Bible verse, think about my post and just post ANY Bible verse. (KJV) only please.
The scripture could be about anything, whatever touched your heart to send to me.

As a Christian how should you respond to the issue on homosexuality. What does Jesus himself ( red letter) say about sexual sin?
He did say "Neither do I condemn you" to the would allegedly caught in adultery..
Specifically how should we speak, what should be in our heart and what should we ask?
Many weaponize the Bible verses to condemn gays, but are deep in sin themselves.

Hi my name is Andrea
My sister and I were gangstalked, had witchcraft done on us since 2020.
My sister made a friend in 2020. My sister got close to her. This friend was getting interesting as time went on. My sister and I would let a lot of stuff go when things happened between us and this friend. It was like there was a veil up, and we were blinded. We did however feel a lot was wrong, many things weren’t adding up. Eventually we got tired and angry and we broke things off in the beginning of 2023. I was starting to get into new age stuff in 2022, but after we cut this friend off I heavily got into new age stuff. I discovered frequencies, subliminals and more. I manifested so much. I was manifesting for this friend to be exposed, to know her secrets, and stuff like that. Immediately after manifesting that My sister and I started remembering things left right and center, and we became so aware. We realized that she was in a gang. One example, this friend went into my room with my sister while I was sleeping elsewhere for the night. My sister watched this friend go on a chair and unscrew my vent. My sister also saw that she had a remote looking device in her hand beforehand. A lil time went on and my sister and I were in an argument. I slammed my door and then we saw this device fall down from my vent and it was making noises. We both were too angry to care and we threw it in the garbage not thinking much about it. I was manifesting revenge and all the things all summer of 2023.
On august 9 2023 my sister encountered God. I was inside manifesting while my sister went for a walk to see if she can catch her ex friend in the act of stalking us. She saw a car drive around her for about an hour. She called me to tell me that she was seeing this car and then the call dropped. This tough looking biker guy parks and tries to come around my sister and grab her. Suddenly she heard the audible voice "pray". She prayed and people started coming out of their houses at the same time. Then my sister heard ringing in her right ear, and looked at the guy and he was holding his right ear. She said he was looking up at the sky like he was being questioned by God. This guy seemed confused and angry. So this guy left.
My sister sat down on the grass listening to music and her phone started flooding with bible verses that were relating to her. One that stood out was "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:1-6 ESV. She then felt this authority and conviction to lie down. She also felt the presence of God. She layed down and she said it felt like vacation. She heard the chaos of the world get quiet and she heard nature sounds. She said she felt relieved in a way that she never ever felt before. Her tension was all gone. She also felt her head being anointed with oil.
Then after about 15 minutes it showed a picture of me on her phone and then it said God was calling and it showed a picture that looked like the prince of peace painting. She answered and she said "hey Andrea" (that's me) and God said "instead of saying Andrea insert God" (God used my voice but she said it sounded more deeper) His voice was soft but firm, perfect, peaceful, loving and intriguing. She started to know it was God when she said she wanted to catch this friend in this gang and God responded with "be careful and be humble." "You don't know she could also be into other things". "We gotta think about her soul". At the time I wouldn't say that stuff because I was revengeful. I didn't even like talking about God. God also gave my sister feelings of what I was going through. He brought her through the emotions gradually. She started to cry. She described it as agony, heartbreaking, being super anxious, dissociated, and angry thoughts only I knew. She also felt like she wanted to run onto the street, and that's what I always wanted to do when I was drunk. My sister prayed to understand me because we always got into fights. They talked about a lot, and then God said he loved her and asked if she loved him back. My sister felt touched and said she loved him too. She wanted to talk longer because she felt so happy and intrigued to talk to him. He said that he will always be with her.
She called me right after to see if it was God she truly talked to because she was still in shock. I told her I knew nothing of that conversation, and that I never had it. I also was weirded out how she knew exactly my thoughts and feelings that I told nobody. I was angry that she was talking about God. I felt like I had to go to her and when we walked back I saw the biker guy stare at me. We crossed the street and I felt like we had to run inside. As soon as we got inside the biker guy was riding in a circle on our parking spot and he left.
A couple days after I got my sister to help heavily manifest revenge on this friend. Right after these people drove in front of our place and gave us gun fingers. 2-3 days after my sister woke up by angels at the end of the bed telling her "tell Andrea to come to God". I woke up shortly after but I was too disoriented and panicky to take in what my sister was saying. I felt like I was having a spiritual attack, like a panic attack but worse. I had this sense of doom that I was gonna die. My ears were ringing high pitch and I was getting weird symptoms. My mom who had been praying for me and trying to talk to me about God happened to stay the night at our place and I ran to her and told her to pray over me. As soon as she prayed it immediately left and I felt this voice inside of me "come to me" I knew it was God. I gave my life to him then and there. It felt like that verse (Matthew 11:28-29 KJV Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.) I felt a huge weight being lifted off me.

Question about the new rule: The rule states that you can get banned even if your entire post is only Holy Scripture. Stating that "clobber verses" are harmful.
Why does the Bible include those verses? If I name all the verses that tell me not to steal something similar can I ignore them and still call myself Christian--by my definition and expect that definition to be shared by Jesus too?

After seeing a lot of discussion about the Quran, and some people defending absurd things like child marriage, I decided to read this book to form my own opinions about it. I am aware that my analysis may be biased because as I have a different religious view, this may influence my opinion. However, I think that a Christian perspective on the subject may be valid, as Muhammad claims to have had revelations from the same God who presented himself to the Jews and Christians, but that the Jews and Christians distorted God's message, and that Muhammad came with the true message.
So I started reading and made notes of the differences I noticed in a Twitter thread: https://x.com/Gabi_Ichthys/status/1794385330906517660
I found the first Surah of the Quran to be somewhat acceptable, but problems arise in the second Surah, which for me is perhaps the worst text I have ever read in my entire life! It honestly seems like someone heard some stories from Jews and Christians, didn't understand most of them and made a big mix of everything.
It is as if the stories that in the Bible have several chapters, an entire context, and certain specific lessons, were summarized in a text of 1 to 3 verses, and even though it is very summarized, it still gets basic things wrong in the original story. For example, Satan's sin is not prostrating himself to Adam, the Israelites were transformed into monkeys in the desert, the central theme of the surah is a cow but the cow's color is wrong saying it is yellow while in the original story it is red. Saying that Solomon never worshiped other gods, prohibiting eating pork but ignoring all the other food prohibitions that Moses established. Thinking that the statues of cherubs that were in the ark were real angels that carried it, confusing the story of Gideon with Saul. And other random stories that no Jew or Christian has ever read or believed. The biggest problem isn't even getting the stories wrong, it's getting them wrong while accusing the Jews of lying about their own stories. It's simply bizarre, no Jew who knew how to read the Torah would ever agree with Muhammad, would see that he clearly didn't know the original stories and was mixing everything up into a big mess, and losing all their essence.
In addition to summarizing the stories, he tells them in such a random order that it seems like the text is going nowhere, while he says Islamic rules in the middle of the stories, which makes everything a mess without context. For example in 2:126 the text is talking about Abraham traveling with Ishmael to Mecca, a few verses later it goes to banning pigs then changes to the fasting of Ramadan, then the text starts talking about killing infidels, the theme changes again to husbands and wives, then the theme changes to King Saul and then the text returns to Abraham but telling another story about him. In other words, a big mess! In a single chapter he addresses so many topics in such a disorganized way that it is really difficult to continue reading.
I know the forum is for ExMuslims but I've been following the posts and felt like sharing my reading experience with you. I intend to continue reading and analyzing the other Surahs. And I would also like to know if there are other people here who, like me, are reading the Quran for the first time?

In the Old Testament, book of Numbers, the latter half of chapter 5 reads:
The Test for an Unfaithful Wife
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him 13 so that another man has sexual relations with her, and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), 14 and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure— 15 then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah[c] of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering to draw attention to wrongdoing.
16 “‘The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. 17 Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. 18 After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20 But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— 21 here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse[d] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. 22 May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”
“‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.”
23 “‘The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering will enter her. 25 The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord and bring it to the altar. 26 The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial[e] offering and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. 27 If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse. 28 If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.
29 “‘This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray and makes herself impure while married to her husband, 30 or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her. 31 The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.’”
Additionally there are two more verses in Numbers that state “God gives breath to all living things” (see verses below). Without breath a fetus is not alive.
Numbers 16:22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”
Numbers 27:16 “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community.”
I’d like to understand why Christian’s don’t recognize this part of the Bible with regards to abortion?

Leviathan, the Eikon of Water concept art
Leviathan, the lost Eikon of Water, has finally been found! After months of waiting, the Rising Tide downloadable content (DLC) has been released and with it, I am once again rambling about the mythological, religious, and cultural inspirations behind the Eikons of Final Fantasy XVI. If you would like to check out any of my previous posts on the subject of Eikons, you can find them here:

1.) Phoenix

2.) Ifrit

3.) Shiva

4.) Ramuh

5.) Garuda

6.) Titan

7.) Bahamut

8.) Odin

As I’ve said in the past, if you feel that I may have said something wrong, or if you would like to add to what information I have provided; by all means please do so. I absolutely welcome the discussion.
The sea serpent Leviathan, like most of the Eikons, has been a staple of the Final Fantasy series since its introduction as one of the original summons#Summon_Magic) from 1990’s Final Fantasy III. While modern usage of the terms “leviathan” and “behemoth” are often used to denote something large and imposing, these words actually originate as the names of two creatures from the Tanakh (or Hebrew Bible). According to the verses 40:15-41:34 in the Book of Job, Leviathan and Behemoth are two gigantic and nigh indestructible animals born around the same time as the creation of the first two humans Adam and Eve, with Behemoth residing over the wilderness east of the Garden of Eden called Duidain and Leviathan bound to the watery Abyss) as stated in verses 60:7-10 in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. While the term abyss may bring to mind the idea of a bottomless hole or even an underworld such as the Greek Hades, Hebrew Sheol, or Christian Hell; the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, often uses the term abyss to instead refer to deep bodies of water. In fact, Abyss is the translated noun for the Hebrew Tehom, or the “deep” primordial waters from which the god Yahweh formed the world after the creation of light as stated by the verses 1:2-10 in the Book of Genesis; which is but one example of the cosmic ocean motif, whereby existence is conceptualized as originating from a watery void. I find it very interesting then that the Abyss is referenced several times in the Rising Tide DLC, such as in the name of Leviathan’s Eikonic ability Abyssal Tear; the Motes of Water adage “Know that even should you walk Abyss, our hands will guide you home” from the Minwu Arm Ring description; or the description of the Radiant Tidestrike weapon that says “Surge did the tide, the water rising as if it were some mighty whale stranding itself upon the shore. Behold, the Devourer of Worlds. The beast within whose foul belly our hopes are carried unto the Abyss. - Eikonomachy - Book of Currents 15:40-41”.
From the aforementioned verses of the diegetic Book of Currents, as well as one of the Active Time Lore Entries for Leviathan that states “Old writings clearly speak of Dominants past summoning great whale-like creatures capable of swallowing entire cities…”; we can possibly see a reference to Leviathan) swallowing the protagonist Firion and his allies on their way to the Mysidian Tower in Final Fantasy II. However, I would suggest that these quotes go further than mere references to past games and are actually an allusion to the parable of Jonah surviving in the belly of a whale from the eponymous Book of Jonah. For those unfamiliar with the story, the Hebrew prophet Jonah was tasked by God to preach on His behalf to the citizenry of Nineveh in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Jonah instead refuses the call, and attempts to sail across the sea to Tarshish. On the journey, Jonah and the sailors he is accompanied by are caught in a huge storm, and believing that Jonah’s dismissal of God is the cause, the sailors thus throw him overboard. God then sends a whale to swallow Jonah, with the intention of preventing the Israelite from drowning. Miraculously surviving in the whale’s stomach for 3 days, Jonah vows to do God’s bidding and is thus safely returned to shore, whereby he travels to Nineveh and beseeches the citizens to renounce their wicked ways, lest they be visited by calamity. This story is meant to illustrate that Yahweh is a merciful god who allows for second chances, giving not only Jonah, but also the Ninevites the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and redirect their course of actions.
With this parable in mind, I would like to mention that in 1949, literary professor Joseph Campbell published “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”; a work of comparative mythology in which he proposed his idea of the Monomyth (later called the Hero’s Journey). Campbell’s theory of the Monomyth posits that while most narratives involving a heroic protagonist may have differing contents, these stories also typically follow a similar pattern; that being a three-act structure comprised of 17 subset stages. One such stage in Campbell’s model is the Belly of the Whale (sometimes also referred to as the Abyss), one of the literally or figuratively lowest points in the story for the protagonist in which the hero must engage in introspection and commence a process of self-transformation if they are to be equipped to finish their journey. This stage acts as a symbolic death and rebirth for the protagonist, with some Christians even interpreting Jonah’s story as actually being an allegory for Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.
A prime example of this stage can be seen in Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio”, whereby the eponymous puppet Pinocchio and his creator Geppetto are swallowed by the Terrible Dogfish; with the typically irresponsible and selfish Pinocchio instead performing a self-sacrificial act in order to save his “father”, which he is thus rewarded for by being brought back to life as a human by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair. Viewing the Pinnochio narrative as an example of a more modern mythical epic, Thomas J. Morrissey and Richard Wunderlich state in “Death and Rebirth in Pinocchio”; “Gods can die and be reborn, or rise from the dead. Such mythological events probably imitate the annual cycle of vegetative birth, death, and renascence, and they often serve as paradigms for the frequent symbolic deaths and rebirths encountered in literature. Two such symbolic renderings are most prominent: re-emergence from a journey to hell and rebirth through metamorphosis. Journeys to the underworld [Katabasis] are a common feature of Eurasian literary epics: Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante all benefit from the knowledge and power they put on after such descents. Rebirth through metamorphosis, on the other hand, is a motif generally consigned to fantasy or speculative literature… These two figurative manifestations of the death-rebirth trope are rarely combined; however, Carlo Collodi’s great fantasy-epic, The Adventures of Pinocchio, is a work in which a hero experiences symbolic death and rebirth through both infernal descent and metamorphosis”. We as the player also experience this Belly of the Whale stage in Final Fantasy XVI, when our heroes Clive Rosfield and Jill Warwick confront the Dominant of Darkness Barnabas Tharmr on the seafloor of the sundered Naldia Narrow, appropriately labeled as the Abyss, whereby Clive is soundly defeated by Barnabas for a second time. Fleeing their assailant, Clive and Jill consummate their love for one another on the shore of Ash, with Clive acquiring a portion of the Eikon Shiva’s powers from Jill so that he may finally triumph over Barnabas in a battle of physical prowess and ideals; proving to the false prophet and his God that compassion and the desire for freedom will always overcome any adversity.
With all this talk of whales, I should mention that from the descriptions as given in the Book of Job, Behemoth sounds to resemble that of a large ox or hippopotamus, while Leviathan is suggested as being similar to that of the tanninim) or “great whales” mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. In fact, Islamic folklore has its own variant of this terrestrial and aquatic duo, that being the large bull Kujata and the even larger whale Bahamut; as outlined by the medieval cosmographer Zakariya al-Qazwini in his seminal work “The Wonders of Creation”. Even though I am going to hazard a guess that the name of the Kuza Beast), a variant of the Behemoth enemy in several Final Fantasy games, is named after Kujata; it is quite obvious on the other hand that the draconic Eikon Bahamut borrows its name from the Islamic whale of the same name as well as the dragon god Bahamut) from the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. While the Book of Job describes Leviathan as being a whale or even a crocodile as suggested by a footnote in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, verse 27:1 in the Book of Isaiah instead equates Leviathan to a sea serpent or dragon, with the Book of Job description also making it a point to mention Leviathan’s fearsome fiery breath. Given its status as a tutelary god for the Japanese-inspired nation of Wutai in Final Fantasy VII, it could be argued that Leviathan in the Final Fantasy series also shares similarities with Eastern dragons, such as the Chinese Lóng or Japanese Ryū; beneficent, serpentine deities of water and rain.
It is presumed that the figure and name of Leviathan actually originates from the older Canaanite sea monster Lôtān, whose name in the Ugaritic language meant “coiled” and was given the epithets “the fugitive serpent” or “the wriggling serpent”. In the first two tablets of the fragmentary Ugaritic Baal Cycle text, the storm god Baal (Lord) Hadad engages in a feud with the deification of the sea Yammu) to succeed their father El) as the ruler of the gods. At some point in this first chapter of the Baal Cycle, Hadad strikes down the seven-headed serpent Lôtān, who given the missing pieces of the text, could either be a servant of or another name for Yammu, with it also being believed that the monster was a zoomorphic representation of the Lebanese Litani River. Why I bring this up is to illustrate that Hadad’s defeat of Lôtān is but one example of the Chaoskampf mytheme, a pattern found in numerous Indo-European mythologies whereby a younger storm god or culture hero representing order and human civilization slays an ancient serpent or dragon associated with water that represents primordial chaos); perhaps a sentiment held by early agricultural riverine civilizations wishing to triumph over the constant and often devastating threat of floods.
One of the oldest examples of this mytheme is that of the Mesopotamian god Marduk’s dismemberment of Tiamat. According to the Babylonian Enūma Eliš, in the beginning there existed only Tiamat, the female personification of salt water; and Abzu, the male personification of fresh water. From the union of the two primeval waters sprang forth the first generation of gods called the Anunnaki. One such god, Enki (or Ea) would capture and kill Abzu after he plotted to kill his children due to the commotion they were causing. Enraged by Enki’s actions, Tiamat gave birth to eleven monstrous children to wage war against the gods along with her new consort Kingu, who possessed the Tablet of Destinies); the mark of divine rule. Marduk, the son of Enki, challenged Tiamat and her monsters, eventually slaying his opponents with lightning and storm winds. Defeated, Tiamat’s body was sliced in twain, with the two halves becoming the sky and earth. From an earlier promise made with the Anunnaki and the Igigi (lesser gods) as well as the acquisition of the Tablet of Destinies from the beaten Kingu, Marduk was made king of the gods; later mixing the blood of Kingu with clay to also become the creator of mankind.
Through the lens of the Chaoskampf mytheme, we can start to see connections between Tiamat’s dismemberment, the defeat of the multi-headed Lôtān, and Leviathan form. The non-canonical Book of Enoch actually specifies that the land-dwelling Behemoth is male, while the aquatic Leviathan is female; possibly creating an inadvertent association between Leviathan and the sea goddess and mother of monsters Tiamat. This may also be why Leviathan’s Chronolith Trial is named the Hand of Tethys. While still following the moons of Saturn naming convention, it is very fitting that the trial is also named after the Greek Tethys); wife of the world-encompassing river Oceanus and mother to the male river gods and female water nymphs called the Potamoi and Oceanids, respectively. Furthering the connections to Tiamat and Lôtān, several accounts in the Hebrew Bible describe Yawheh triumphing over the forces of the sea, such as in Isaiah 51:9-10 “Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab) to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed may cross over?” and Job 26:12-13 “By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent”. It is believed that Rahab, while occasionally used as a flowery term for Egypt or arrogance, was also a sea serpent either comparable to or synonymous with Leviathan. While Leviathan’s death at the hands of Yahweh in Isaiah 27:1 is viewed as a metaphor for the enemies of Israel who will submit to the Hebrew God, the Chaoskampf and the connection with the Canaanite Lôtān is further shown in verse 74:14 from the Book of Psalms, which says “Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness”; which is where the name of the trophy for beating Leviathan on Final Fantasy mode, Thou Brakest the Head, comes from.
Along with the account of Leviathan’s death in Psalms 74:12, several other Jewish sources, such as the Second Book of Esdras 6:47-52, the Apocalypse of Baruch 29:4, and the Bava Batra tractate in the Talmud state that Yahweh will slay Leviathan and Behemoth so that their flesh shall be given as food and shelter to the righteous during the End of Days and the Messianic Age. This may explain why the Behemoth King in FFXVI has several attacks referencing Christian eschatology from the Book of Revelation, such as the Four Horsemen; personifications of War, Conquest, Famine, and Death that herald the Last Judgment; and the Apocalypse, another term for a revelation which has since become synonymous with a cataclysmic end-time event, like the battle at Armageddon for instance. Leviathan and Behemoth’s statuses as eventual sacrifices is very similar to the role that Leviathan and its Dominant unfortunately play in Final Fantasy XVI.
Both DLCs, the Echoes of the Fallen and the Rising Tide, deal with themes of rectifying the sins of the past; whereby the Fallen and the Motes of Water engaged in questionable behavior in an attempt to create their own Mothercrystals to disastrous effect. The Motes of Water, a central focus of the Rising Tide, are a tribe originating from the southern coast of the continent of Ash and hosts to the Dominants of the Eikon Leviathan. After the loss of their Mothercrystal Drake’s Horn, the tribe migrated across the twin continent of Storm; where they were mercilessly persecuted by several groups, particularly the Greagorian faithful of the burgeoning Holy Empire of Sanbreque, causing the tribe and their Eikon to become “lost” to history. Due to their nomadic nature as well as Sanbreque’s similarities with the Roman and Holy Roman Empires, one could say that the Motes of Water mirror the Jewish Diaspora (exile) and transformation of the faith after the Roman Empire’s siege on Jerusalem) and the destruction of the Second Temple during the First Jewish-Roman War; or perhaps one could say the tribe is treated in a similar fashion to the oft demonized itinerant Romani people of eastern Europe. Either way, the Motes of Water are meant to represent the “Other”; ostracized outsiders to the customs of Storm who hid themselves away from the rest of the world to avoid further religious persecution.
After finding sanctuary in the northern territory of Mysidia, the Motes of Water tried to create for themselves a new Mothercrystal to replace the Northern Territories’ own shattered Mothercrystal called Drake’s Eye. The story of the Motes of Water is one of loss and a constant fight to carve out a place in the world to call their own, so it is no surprise then that they wished to regain something taken away from them so many years ago. However, the tribe would engage in a terrible act, enraging their Eikon Leviathan that laid dormant within the infant Dominant Waljas, and freeze both the baby and the Eikon in time to essentially act as an aether battery. Unsuccessful in turning Waljas into the heart of a Mothercrystal, all the tribe achieved was robbing the poor baby of its life and autonomy, imprisoning the Dominant and the tidal wave it summoned in that moment where the tribe’s greatest sin occurred for 80 years.
This frozen tsunami, dubbed the Surge, is not only a monument to the tribe’s greatest shame, but is also a constant looming threat over the tribe’s village of Haven; a reminder to never again engage in such a transgression, lest they be met with watery doom. This mirrors not only Jonah preaching to the Ninevites to change their ways, but also God’s warnings against individuals sacrificing children to Moloch in the Book of Leviticus 20:2-5. In fact, as ProfNoctis suggests in his video “Final Fantasy XVI Lecture Stream: The Mythos of Leviathan Part 2”; Leviathan and the Surge are symbols of human and divine regret, with Ultima, the creator of mankind and the Mothercrystals, referring to Leviathan as its “most profaned fragment”; due to the Eikon being rested from its creator’s control and the act of creating a man-made Mothercrystal being a repeat of the Fallen’s blasphemous attempts at attaining godhood during the War of the Magi and the Sins of Dzemekys, flagrant displays of mankind’s development of free will which is anathema to Ultima’s collective identity.
As a symbol of divine regret, the Surge could be seen as a parallel to the Flood from the Book of Genesis. Deluge or flood myths are motifs that can often be found amongst cultures residing near the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Persian Gulf such as Egypt, Greece, and Israel; with these stories usually recounting a tale in which a deity or deities summon a world-wide flood as a form of divine retribution. One of the earliest examples is the Mesopotamian Epic of Atra-Hasis, in which mankind was created by the gods to act as servants and laborers. However, due to overpopulation, the storm god Enlil seeks to reduce their numbers by bringing forth a great flood. Enki, seen as a benefactor of mankind, warns the human Atra-Hasis about the flood, telling him to build a boat to protect himself, his family, and his livestock from the deluge. After seven days, the waters recede and Enki and Enlil agree on other means of maintaining the human population. This story is also thought to have been later adapted in Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the survivor of the flood is renamed Utnapishtim; though both the Atra-Hasis and Gilgamesh flood accounts seem to originate from an even older source called the Eridu Genesis. Similarly, the Greeks also had a deluge myth, as outlined in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where Deucalion, the human son of the divine Prometheus, is warned by his father to build a chest for himself and his wife Pyrrha to escape a gigantic flood that the storm god Zeus plans to bring forth as a response to the insufficient offering given to him by Lycaon), the king of Arcadia); with the pair washing up on Mount Parnassus nine days after the storm.
There are several theories, such as the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis, that propose that the ancient Middle East did indeed experience a large flood at some point in the very distant past. Given that flood myths are thus believed to have originated from Mesopotamia, it should come as no surprise that the Hebrew flood narrative bears similarities to the previously discussed deluge myths as well. According to chapters 6-9 in the Book of Genesis, God grows increasingly distraught over the wicked nature of the humans descended from Adam and Eve and their inadvertent creation of sin, and so decides to reset creation to a state of watery chaos. God warns one of the few moral men, the Antediluvian patriarch named Noah, about His plan to flood the world and instructs him to build an ark to house himself, his family, and two of each animal to be the first creatures to inhabit the new world. After the firmament breaks forth and floods the world for 40 days, Noah’s Ark washes up on Mount Ararat. Noah then builds an altar, with God forming a covenant with Noah whereby He declares to never again summon a flood to devastate the world. As Genesis 9:9-17 states, this promise between Noah and God is commemorated by the rainbow, a symbol of peace; which as ProfNoctis points out, also appears once Clive saves Waljas.
Through a certain perspective, the Flood could be seen as a sort of baptism, a spiritual cleansing of the world through physical water. Baptism is considered one of the 7 sacraments of the Christian Catholic denomination; a rite of initiation whereby the individual joining the faith is either submerged in or sprinkled with water three times, representing the purification of sin and the grace given by the Holy Trinity. This is not unlike the Rite of Immersion that the infant Waljas is granted at the conclusion of the Rising Tide DLC; a ceremony for all babies born into the Motes of Water in which the initiate is sprinkled with mountainous rain water from Maiden’s March, river water from Riversmeet, and sea water from Tailwind Bay. The water used in this rite is used as a metaphor for life’s journey, likened by the tribe to that of a river, with this revealing that the Motes of Water hold a very cyclical view of life in a similar fashion to the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation or the Lifestream from Final Fantasy VII. As the descriptions for the 3 kinds of water used in the ceremony state; “The rain that falls upon the mountains of Mysidia emerges in the springs of Maiden’s March. Thus the water collected from said springs represents birth-the fountainhead from which the river of life begins”, “In the Riversmeet valley, several tributaries merge into a single stream, where clear currents and roiling eddies swim side by side. Its water represents life-a course complete with myriad meanderings, yet one that runs inexorably from source to sea”, and “The Mysidian river empties into the ocean amid the shallows of Tailwind Bay, and thus its water represents death-the stillness that lies beyond the end of the river of life, and from whence the raindrops are born anew”. In fact, the symbol for the village of Haven is meant to be the combination of Leviathan’s scales and the river called the Ceaseless Rill, “...the circle of life that has neither beginning nor end”, not unlike the serpentine symbol of the Ouroboros. I would thus argue that not only does Leviathan represent regret and retribution, but also the chaotic journey of life.
If it’s not already apparent, I find Leviathan to be very interesting. I want to thank you all for sticking around and reading the whole thing, as I know this was a lot. If you would like to check out some more information about Leviathan, I would recommend checking out the videos “Leviathan of Final Fantasy VS the Leviathan of the Bible - FF16 The Rising Tide” by Country Kratos and “A Brief History of Final Fantasy Summons Final Fantasy Lore” by Alleyway Jack.
With the conclusion of both DLCs, Clive and by extension the player, is granted one additional Eikonic power. As such, I am actually going to do one more essay, which I will post next week. I hope you look forward to it and thank you again for reading this. Have a fantastic day!
​

I found a list of verses that describe hell:
Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Samuel 2 22:6
The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
Job 11:8
[It is] as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Job 26:6
Hell [is] naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
Psalms 9:17
The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.
Psalms 16:10
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalms 18:5
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
Psalms 55:15
Let death seize upon them, [and] let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness [is] in their dwellings, [and] among them.
Psalms 86:13
For great [is] thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Psalms 116:3
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Psalms 139:8
If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there].
Proverbs 5:5
Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Proverbs 7:27
Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
Proverbs 9:18
But he knoweth not that the dead [are] there; [and that] her guests [are] in the depths of hell.
Proverbs 15:11
Hell and destruction [are] before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?
Proverbs 15:24
The way of life [is] above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
Proverbs 23:14
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Isaiah 5:14
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isaiah 14:9
Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet [thee] at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, [even] all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
Isaiah 14:15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isaiah 28:15
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isaiah 28:18
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Isaiah 57:9
And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase [thyself even] unto hell.
Ezekiel 31:16
I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
Ezekiel 31:17
They also went down into hell with him unto [them that be] slain with the sword; and [they that were] his arm, [that] dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.
Ezekiel 32:21
The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
Ezekiel 32:27
And they shall not lie with the mighty [that are] fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though [they were] the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
Amos 9:2
Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
Jonah 2:2
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice.
Habakkuk 2:5
Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, [he is] a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and [is] as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:29
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 5:30
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 11:23
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
Matthew 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 18:9
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
Matthew 23:15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Matthew 23:33
[Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mark 9:43
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:45
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 9:47
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Luke 10:15
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
Luke 12:5
But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Luke 16:23
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Acts 2:27
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
James 3:6
And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Peter 2 2:4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
Revelations 1:18
I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Revelations 6:8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Revelations 20:13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelations 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

To be honest.. I went over to Bible Hub for this verse... The New world translation really messes up this verse to make it hard to understand.
Anyway.. with that verse in mind.. don't you think that allowing beards, pants, not counting time and saying hello to a DF person at the meeting could all count as 'small' changes. In other words .. all of these changes are proof that the GB were not honest in the 'small things'.
So why the hell do all PIMI's still completely trust these guys? Like the verse says.. if you can't get the small things right.. you won't get the big things right either! You know.. things like understanding Jesus returned invisibly in 1914? That blood transfusions are wrong? That God uses this one and only organisation for salvation?
Not saying hello to a DF person or not having beards didn't make sense!! And they changed it! Well guess what? All the rest doesn't make sense either!!

I'm interested in learning more about what the Bible has to say about abortion. It seems that a lot of Christians think that abortion, in any situation, is a sin and that the mother will go to hell even if the pregnancy was non-viable, the mother would die giving birth, the pregnancy is the result of rape/incest, etc.
What are some verses from the Bible that discuss abortion? Does the Bible list any circumstance where abortion is allowed?

I've written and shared paragraphs and paragraphs on this topic, and I know few people really engage with walls of text, so I thought I might condense it down a little. There's less nuance in these statements, but people will get the general idea. Moreover, I'm not really going to get into specific verses - dueling clobber verses is fun, but ultimately not very useful. Rather, I'm going to talk about some big ideas and general principles about how we read, understand, and use the Bible.

• Living the way God calls us to should not drive us to guilt, shame, fear, intensify mental health struggles, or lead to suicide. Rather, it should help us heal, grow, and flourish. While a traditional position on gender identity and sexual orientation may not be the sole cause of higher mental health issues among the LGBTQ population, it should not be a contributing factor at all. The Old Testament laws repeatedly state that when they are followed, the people will flourish. The New Testament reports the same in a different way - Christians will be known by their fruit, and we all know the fruit of the Spirit and that they are good.
  
• Same-sex activity in the ancient Near East as well as in first-century Greco-Roman culture is described as being connected with idolatrous fertility practices, rape, inequality, and abuse. Temple prostitution, masters and slaves, or older men and younger boys. This is fundamentally different than what LGBTQ people - especially LGBTQ Christians - are looking for today. I am arguing that committed, equal, monogamous, same-sex partnerships are well within the Biblical umbrella of morality.
  
• While the traditional ethic is "Biblical"; so is the reinterpretation of it. Jesus reinterpreted very Biblical laws about the Sabbath, and Paul reinterpreted laws about eating kosher. Even in the Old Testament, Biblical authors disagreed or reinterpreted on various topics; there's often not one single perspective or point of view on some things we'd consider some really basic morals. (Is it wrong to kill children? The answer might surprise you!) Alternatively, think of the Bible as a math textbook. There's lots and lots of practice problems with their answers in the book. But if you try and apply every math problem in your own life to what you find in the book, it's not going to fit quite right and the answers in the book aren't always going to make sense. But the point of a math textbook isn't to give answers, right? It's to teach you how to do the math for yourself, regardless of what math problems or variables you have going on. The Bible isn't a book of answers, it's a book of tools to help you find answers.
  
• Allowing same-sex marriage is consistent with Paul's command to stop sexual immorality and provides a licit way for believers to fulfill their normal, healthy desires.
  
• Paul's hierarchical model of marital, gendered submission sanctifies the hierarchical model that existed in Roman times. However, much like the example of slavery he also sanctifies just a few verses later, it doesn't mean that the hierarchical model is universal for all times and places. A model of mutual submission in imitation of Christ's love for the world, a kenotic model, so to speak, is equally if not more Biblical.
  
• Marriage is a key path to sanctification for married Christians. By denying same-sex attracted believers one of the fundamental routes to greater Christlikeness, we make them second-class citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven.
  

u/PigOfFuckingGreed, u/clhedrick2, u/SmokyGecko
Is the doctrine of total depravity true?
I don't know. When it comes to doctrine, I prefer to stick to the phraseology in the Bible. The term total depravity is not in the Bible. I would not bother using the term in the formal doctrinal sense. I know that without God's grace, no one is righteous. I would not try to generalize that.
Disclaimer: I am not trying to encourage or discourage people from using the label "total depravity".