#theological reflection

[pastorhogg]

Empty Words and Earnest Wounds

Job’s Struggle with His FriendsThru the Bible in a Year Reading through Job 11–15 feels like listening to a debate where one side brings anguish and honesty, and the other offers theology without empathy. Job, broken and bewildered, is trying to find some meaning in his pain. Meanwhile, his friends deliver what sound like holy words, but without the heart of God. Today’s passage highlights the…

[pastordin]

Renewed Strength Through Faith in the Lord

Renewed Strength Through Faith in the Lord | Pastor Aamir and Carissa Din Home | Media | Contact Renewed Strength Through Faith in the Lord “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) Published on December 10, 2024 Dear Faithful Brothers and Sisters in…

[biblebloodhound]

For the Sake of Beauty (1 Kings 7:1-12)

Beauty in architecture is a theological statement.

King Solomon’s throne room, by Edward Poynter, 1890 Solomon’s palace took 13 years to build. Forest Hall was the largest room in the palace. It was 44 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 13.5 meters high, and was lined with cedar from Lebanon. It had 4 rows of cedar pillars, 15 in a row, and they held up 45 cedar beams. The ceiling was covered with cedar. Three rows of windows on each side faced…

[tmarshconnors]

"You don't have to give up your intellect to trust the Bible. You have to give up your pride."

Robert Charles Sproul was an American Reformed theologian and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. He was the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries and could be heard daily on the Renewing Your Mind radio broadcast in the United States and internationally.

Theologian and Author: R.C. Sproul was a prominent Reformed theologian and author known for his extensive work in Christian theology. He authored numerous books on theology, biblical interpretation, and Christian living, including notable works such as "The Holiness of God" and "Chosen by God."

Founder of Ligonier Ministries: Sproul founded Ligonier Ministries in 1971, a Christian educational organization dedicated to teaching the Reformed faith through resources such as books, conferences, and broadcasts. The ministry is named after Ligonier Valley, where it was initially established.

Teaching Pastor: He served as the teaching pastor at St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, where he was influential in shaping the church’s theological direction and providing teaching and preaching that emphasized Reformed theology.

Popular Speaker and Teacher: R.C. Sproul was known for his engaging teaching style and was a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars. His teaching reached a wide audience through radio programs, such as "Renewing Your Mind," and his teaching series were widely distributed.

Reformed Theology Advocate: Sproul was a staunch advocate of Reformed theology, emphasizing doctrines such as the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of understanding and teaching core Christian doctrines. His work contributed significantly to the spread of Reformed thought in contemporary evangelicalism.

[dionysus-complex]

still have not found a more succinct description of where I’m at theologically than “by now I think it’s pretty obvious that there is no God / and there’s definitely a God” from Fox’s Dream of the Log Flume by mewithoutYou. there cannot be a god with coercive power because if so then none of this makes sense and because I wouldn’t trust any god that works coercively. but as someone who was a firm atheist until about 8 years ago, I’m at a point that without a god I have a hard time making sense of it either. intellectually I agree with the case for atheism but emotionally there’s something in me that needs the transcendental

[fandfnews]

Wikipedia Co-Founder Larry Sanger Shares Journey from Atheism to Christianity

In a candid interview, Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia and a lifelong skeptic, revealed his transformative journey from atheism to Christianity—a shift rooted in intellectual rigor, personal relationships, and a deep dive into scripture. Sanger, who holds a PhD in philosophy, spent 35 years questioning faith before embracing Christianity in his 50s. His story challenges stereotypes about…

[christian-witchy-business]

I think the most important ways to do this is to identify, doctrinally and biblically, how we are taking steps everyday to not be like that rather than making a declaration that we are fundamentally not like that already.

Saying that we can’t hurt people or perpetuate oppression through Christianity because we’re the “right” kind of Christian and the people who use religion as a weapon are “wrong” only isolates us from being able to recognize when we too are weaponizing our faith or falling for oppressive rhetoric.

We must acknowledge that many who truly and genuinely believe in Christ have perpetuated great evil in His name or, at the very least, while being believers. This has been true for centuries, as colonizers, crusaders, conquistadors, and slaveholders have all professed their faith and yet caused immense suffering. Kings, emperors, bishops, and popes justified war and violence through the Bible. This is not new.

Today, we have politicians and pastors preaching for the end to social safety nets, the continuation and escalation of violence, the destruction of civil rights, the erasure of queer and trans people, and the decimation of our natural resources not despite but because of the way their politics interweaves with their religious convictions.

And so, we, as believers in Christ, must constantly reassess why and how we believe, what purpose belief serves, and the ways we live our beliefs. Are we too using our religion as a tool of our politics? Are we too imagining ourselves as morally superior because we “believe the right thing”? Is that bible verse a divine truth of our lives or just a “gotcha” moment in a debate?

Being a Christian doesn’t insulate us from being wrong and being wrong doesn’t immediately cancel out our Christianity.

sorry, but the conservative fundie christian voting for trump is a bigot AND a Christian. We as (in this context, usamerican) Christians cannot ‘no true scottsman’ our religion when it is actively being used to ruin lives. I know being lumped in with bigots hurts. I know it’s uncomfortable and painful to be associated with them. But you cannot strip them of our religion without denying the real problems of Christianity, and that kills people.

[pastorhogg]

The Illusion of Control

Life Lessons Learned There’s something deeply human about the desire to be in control. In Isaiah 44, the prophet pulls back the curtain on idolatry—not just in its ancient form but in its timeless spirit. His satire is biting yet revealing. The idol-maker takes a tree, cuts it down, uses part of it to cook his food, and with the remaining wood, carves a god. Then he bows to this lifeless block…

[pastordin]

Trusting in God's Perfect Plans for Your Life

Trusting in God’s Perfect Plans for Your Life | Pastor Aamir and Carissa Din Home | Media | Contact Trusting in God’s Perfect Plans for Your Life “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) Published on December 9, 2024 Dear Faithful Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Grace and…

[bvthomas]

                                                      GOD “Exploring the Divine: The Essence of God” Introduction: In the vast expanse of human history and thought, few questions have stirred as much contemplation, debate, and yearning as those concerning the Divine. What is God? Does God exist? And if so, what is the nature of this supreme being who eludes easy definition and comprehension?…

[dead-generations]

great post, really. two quibbles

1 there are definitely currents of cynical control in religion for basically as long as we can observe it having existed. you could probably back and forth over which is principle and which developed the other but you know. its a dialectic. But for the roman pagans the state and religion were more or less inextricable.

2 “people in the past generally believed their religions” well... since we are talking about Rome... and specifically prechristian rome... the form of roman belief was really quite... broad in manifestation. across time and across society itself. and this is much debated they were definitely motivated by orthopraxy not orthodoxy principally. so practice over belief. doesnt matter if you believe the emperor is a god but you gotta sacrifice to him in the proper way!

and there were definitely many skeptics on one hand - many people who explicitly upheld philosophy over theology. Some who believed at the very least that roman theology was flawed and held beliefs that more resembled something like the later Neoplatonist framework of emanations. People sometimes denied the Gods had the sort of agency and immanence that was the orthodoxy of roman religion, and some decried the myths as a lowly human corruption of true divine nature of the gods.

and on the other hand there were definitely many superstitious people motivated by magical practices and esotericism. magic existed for some but for others it was simple cultural symbology. for others still magic and superstitions were cultural ills to be stamped out and had no place either under philosophy or under theology! You can read roman pagans arguing against the practice of magic and belief in superstitions because they're basically the ramblings of yokels.

Back in the naughties, especially in New Atheist circles, you used to see the line a lot that the reason religious people invented the afterlife was because they were scared of dying and they needed a comforting lie to sleep better at night. Incidentally, that's not true; aside from the problem that people in the past generally believed in their religion, and this whole line of reasoning (along with "religion was invented solely to control the masses") assumes a level of cynicism by religious leaders that historically is actually quite rare, we have a pretty good cognitive framework for why human beings tend to come up with a belief in spirits, ghosts, and gods, and why that tends to lead to a belief in an immaterial spirit world and (quite naturally from there) an afterlife.

Research into the cognitive aspect of spiritual beliefs has explored human intuitions about the self include its partability and permeability, which I think I've mentioned here before; our intuitions about ascribing agency to phenomena in our environment, even when no agency is immediately evident (a sort of overly-cautious tripwire for evading predators) and our overactive tendency toward pattern-matching lend themselves naturally to belief in invisible, intelligent agents shaping the world around us. When you combine that natural tendency to believe in such agents, plus intuitions about a self that can include a separate immaterial component, and the ways in which (for example) the feeling of a familiar presence can be triggered by some stray bit of sensory input or a misinterpreted environmental cue, it is very common for societies to develop a belief that the dead continue to exist in some form and continue to act in the world, possibly from some invisible spirit realm, because that is something that people are just straightforwardly experiencing on a day-to-day basis. In that sense, belief in something like a soul and something like an afterlife is more like a belief in rainbows or solar eclipses--sure, people might get the underlying phenomenological explanation for what they're seeing wrong, but they're not speculating, they're doing their best to interpret the actual experience of feeling the presence of dead loved ones and their apparent agency in the world.

That said, in the case of Christianity, we also know historically the framework that motivated the development of specifically Christian doctrines about the afterlife, which emerges from the context of Second Temple Judaism at the turn of the era. Here, the motivation was not one of comfort stemming from fear of death, it was one of morality and the problem of evil. Earlier thinking in the sort of broader Levantine cultural sphere had mostly envisioned the problem of evil as being one related to divine favor and punishment; God or the gods rewarded the righteous and punished the wicked in this life (cf., for instance, all the narratives in the Old Testament where God sends this or that conqueror to punish the people for their sins). Increasing philosophical sophistication, literature grappling with the ways in which the world could be patently unjust (like the Book of Job), and political circumstances like the conquest of Judea by the Romans and the evident lack of divine retribution against these oppressors, all led to dissatisfication in some quarters with that earlier theodicy. IIRC the influence of Greek philosophy and Greek thinking about the afterlife also played a role here.

Transposing the balancing of the moral scales to the afterlife, as some Second Temple-era thinkers did, helped construct what felt like a more intuitively correct theodicy: the wicked still got their comeuppance, even if you didn't get to personally witness it, and the righteous still got their reward. The exact nature of that comeuppance was up for grabs for a long time--there are like three different competing visions of what damnation looks like in the New Testament, and it's not until later that "eternal conscious torment" wins out as the favored position among most Christians. The righteous were always guaranteed salvation; but we know this wasn't a sop to people who were frequently scared of death because the idea that martyrdom guaranteed salvation was so compelling you had Christians begging the Roman authorities to put them to death, and even groups like the Circumcellions who attacked armed soldiers with clubs in the hopes that they could provoke martyrdom-by-cop. And you could paint these guys as fanatical outliers, but again, people in the past generally believed their religions, and we have mountains of writing, art, poetry, and music by Christians over the course of two thousand years where people are worried about a lot of things related to death (did I live a good life? will I go to heaven?) but who do not seem to be philosophically troubled by the question of whether the afterlife actually exists.

And of course the conflict between reflective and intuitive cognition is relevant here; one might reflectively believe in the afterlife, but intuitively recoil from deadly harm. I do not want to suggest that religious belief can trivially overwhelm human instinct to survive. But "the afterlife was invented as a comforting lie" is overly dismissive and flattens a complex phenomenon. It is, in its own way, a comforting lie--the lie that people in the past were all stupid, superstitious rubes, that we are infinitely smarter and more sophisticated than them, that progress will ultimately consign all such supernatural thinking to the dustbin of history. That such thinking is quite deeply rooted in our cognition and we may never be able to dispense with it entirely is very much at odds with a lot of the 2000s era all-religion-is-indoctrination children-are-born-atheist triumphalist cliches.

[turiyatitta]

The Sacred Within the Flawed

A Paradox of Divine TextsIn an intricate dance between the divine and human, sacred texts from various religious and philosophical traditions find themselves at the nexus of reverence and scrutiny. These texts, while venerated as conduits of divine wisdom and moral guidance, are not immune to critique nor the acknowledgment of their inherent flaws.When we unravel the threads of any sacred text,…

[seekingtheosis]

Reflections on the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 14

Delve into the profound significance of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Orthodox Christianity. Explore its historical context, theological implications, and relevance in modern times.

In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen. But God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ On September 14 of every year, the Church as a whole celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.…

[astra-ravana]

The Anatomy Of Baphomet

Baphomet is one of the most complex and misunderstood figures in occult and esoteric history. Over centuries, it has evolved from a mysterious name whispered during the Crusades to a symbol deeply embedded in modern occultism, especially within Satanism, Thelema, and Left-Hand Path traditions.

History Of Baphomet

Origins in the Templar Trials (14th Century):

• The earliest known use of the name Baphomet was during the Inquisition of the Knights Templar in 1307.

• The Templars were accused of heresy and idolatry, including worship of an idol called "Baphomet". The exact nature of this idol remains unclear—some described it as a human head, a bearded man, or a demon.

• Most modern historians believe the name Baphomet may have been a corruption of Mahomet (an old form of Muhammad), reflecting the Crusaders' exposure to Islam.

19th Century Revival; Eliphas Lévi:

• In 1856, Éliphas Lévi, a French occultist, radically redefined Baphomet in his book Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie.

• Lévi depicted Baphomet as a winged hermaphroditic figure with the head of a goat, a torch between the horns, female breasts and androgynous features, one arm pointing up and one down, with the words Solve (dissolve) and Coagula (combine) on each forearm. This became the iconic image associated with Baphomet today and symbolized the unity of opposites: light and dark, male and female, human and beast, matter and spirit.

20th Century and Beyond (Satanism and the Occult):

• The Church of Satan, founded by Anton LaVey in 1966, adopted Baphomet as a symbol of Satanic philosophy—not as a literal being, but as a representation of rebellion, knowledge, and liberation from religious dogma.

• The Sigil of Baphomet—a goat’s head within an inverted pentagram surrounded by Hebrew letters spelling “Leviathan”—became the official insignia of the Church.

Symbolism Of Baphomet

Baphomet represents balance and integration of opposites. It is a philosophical and alchemical emblem rather than a deity to be worshipped.

Key Symbolic Elements:

• Goat Head- Instinct, primal nature, and untamed energy (possibly derived from the god Pan).

• Torch Between Horns- Divine illumination; the light of intellect and truth.

• Androgyny (Breasts and Caduceus Phallus)- Union of male and female, symbolizing wholeness.

• Wings and Hooves- Duality of spiritual ascent and earthly grounding.

• Arms Pointing Up and Down- The Hermetic axiom “As above, so below”, expressing the correspondence between planes.

• Solve et Coagula- Alchemical principle of breaking down and reforming—transformation and enlightenment.

Baphomet In Magick And Occult Practice

Baphomet is not commonly invoked as a deity but is used as a symbol of occult mastery, personal transformation, and spiritual rebellion.

In Thelema (Aleister Crowley’s System):

• Crowley saw Baphomet as a mystical androgen, a symbol of spiritual initiation and the reconciler of opposites.

• He took the name “Baphomet” as a magical name when he became head of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis), aligning it with sexual magick and Gnostic symbolism.

In Satanism (LaVeyan, Theological, Etc.):

• Baphomet is used as a symbol of rational self-interest, rejection of traditional religious authority, and the embrace of carnal existence.

• The Sigil of Baphomet is used in rituals, meditations, and symbolic expressions of personal empowerment.

In Witchcraft and Modern Paganism:

Some non-theistic witches or Left-Hand Path practitioners view Baphomet as:

• An archetype of sacred balance

• A symbol of hidden knowledge

• A guardian of the threshold—facing and integrating one’s shadow

Magickal Uses Of Baphomet

Rituals and Practices:

• Invocation or Meditation- To balance opposing forces within oneself—gender, emotion and reason, higher and lower self.

• Shadow Work- Baphomet can be invoked as a symbol during introspective work, especially when dealing with repressed desires or fears.

• Alchemy and Transformation- In rituals seeking internal transformation, Baphomet represents the alchemical process of spiritual rebirth.

• Sigil Magick- The Sigil of Baphomet is used for protection, empowerment, and banishing fear or dogma.

Altars and Tools:

• Practitioners may use statues, medallions, or artwork of Baphomet to create a liminal sacred space, serve as a focal point for meditation, and represent the divine within and without—a mirror for the seeker.

The Nature Of Baphomet

Baphomet is not a devil, not a god, and not a literal being—it is a metaphysical symbol. Its purpose is to challenge, to enlighten, and to reveal the wholeness hidden in duality. Baphomet asks the seeker to transcend dogma, embrace the totality of existence, and find spiritual freedom through inner synthesis.

[cedarofgod]

I think that American Evangelicals often find it challenging to understand and empathise with Christians in the Middle East due to the stark contrasts between their cultural contexts and theological foundations, which are closely intertwined. Evangelicalism places a strong emphasis on individualism, particularly a personal relationship with Jesus, focusing heavily on privatised salvation and direct access to God through prayer and scripture. This privatisation of religious life contrasts sharply with the communal and sacramental expressions of Christianity prevalent in the Middle East. There, faith is practised within a collective framework that emphasises communal worship, shared rituals, and long-standing traditions that have transcended centuries. For many Christians in the Middle East, the Church is not merely a place for personal worship but an important institution that preserves traditions, cultural heritage, and social cohesion, especially in regions where Christians, as a minority, face persecution or marginalisation.

The sacraments, which are largely absent from Evangelical practice, play a central role in fostering communalism and spiritual life for Middle Eastern Christians. The sacraments are not merely symbolic acts of individual faith but deeply communal experiences that bind believers together. Among them, the Eucharist holds a place of profound significance, serving as the central act of worship in many Christian traditions. The Eucharist is not simply a memorial of Christ's sacrifice; it is a shared ritual that embodies the unity of the Church, transcending time and space, and connecting believers with fellow Christians across the world and throughout history. This communal aspect of Christian life, particularly evident in Middle Eastern Christian communities, reflects the vision Christ had for His Church— a community of believers bound by love, shared faith, and common worship. These communities are not just descendants of the first Christians in a geographical sense; they are the living embodiment of the traditions and practices that have defined the Church from its earliest days.

[nathan-r-dooley]

🧩 The Gift That Begins Again

Riddle I am not measured by time,But by truth.I begin in death,Yet lead to life.I am given—not taken,Known—not owned. What am I? Scripture John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into…