#christian standard bible

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Israel Remains Faithful

The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the LORD to worship other gods!" — Joshua 24:16 | Christian Standard Bible (CSB) The Christian Standard Bible copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. Cross References: Joshua 24:15; Joshua 24:17

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Joshua 24:16 - Bible Verse Meaning and Commentary

[prove-it-or-lose-it]

@wayward-wren that other post was getting to be a chore to scroll through, so I hope you don't mind that I'm moving my responses to a new one. If I've missed something you'd really like a response to, just remind me about it and I'll do my best. I think I've pulled everything that I wanted to go over here.

> Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:22-23  "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles..." You're not alone in your skepticism, and that's why we have to rely on God.

I understand why you think that way, but my skepticism means that I can't rely on god. I can't appeal to something that hasn't met its burden of proof in order to explain other things that haven't met their burden of proof either. This just doesn't work, it's not a logical conclusion to make. In the absence of evidence for the claims, I must reject them until they can be shown to be true.

> Where does your morality come from? You can't claim God is evil without defining what evil is. Is evil hurting others? Then being a personal trainer would be evil, because exercise hurts.

This is hard to explain briefly. I mean, philosophers have been trying to nail down morality for about as long as all of written history. But what we see is that morality is an ever shifting social construct. There are things that we understand now to be morally bad which were seen as good or neutral in the past. And in the future I'm sure there are things we won't look upon favorably that are totally fine today.

Morality can't exist in a vacuum, so it needs a goal in order to sort of ground it. For me, it starts simply; the goal is to promote human flourishing and well-being while mitigating as much harm and suffering as possible. The evidence that this is a worthwhile goal is this: we, and even other mammalian species, have an awareness that individual suffering diminishes the chances of group survival, so in order to make sure we all flourish we ought to care for one another.

So I really don't believe in evil, though this might be a semantic point. With respect to my goal stated above, how can I see any moral value to a commandment that tells me that people should be used as property? This degrades and dehumanizes both subject and master, maybe even irreparably, and does nothing to promote human flourishing.

And this view is capable of accounting for nuance, whereas "don't look at someone and think they're sexy," is a harsh, black and white statement that amounts to thought crime, which is something that has no use other than to mentally dominate people and make them subservient. And for what? Thoughts like this cause no harm as long as the thought doesn't lead to any external, non-consensual action, and most of the time if not all, they're completely involuntary. It's control for the sake of control without even approaching being a moral value.

The nuance comes in as well with your personal trainer example, though I'd argue that the trainer is not harming directly but guiding a person through a process that will indeed cause some self harm, but with a positive goal. It's contractual and the recipient knows that the slight harm is to their benefit. Similarly, we consent to surgery which can be very risky harm, with the goal of becoming well. Absolute, black and white commands don't leave room for this and should ultimately be rejected in favor of a reasoned approach that takes all available information into account.

If god commands us not to lie, did he know that in 1930's Germany a great number of compassionate people, often devoted believers, would hide people in their homes who were taking refuge from a fascist regime? Did he expect those people who lied to the officers banging at their door, in order to protect innocent lives, to beg his forgiveness for misleading men with murder and torture in their minds? If my friend is in an abusive relationship and they've come to my place to call for help, and their enraged partner comes to me asking where my friend is, what forgiveness do I need for telling them that my friend isn't there? I've done no wrong, but this imperative given with no caveats or grey areas allowed brands me with the title of sinner and I object. Real life application of morality is rarely, if ever, as cut and dry as these ancient edicts would imply.

> If there is a God who created the world and is so much more powerful than the beings He created, why can't he make the rules?

I don't think that there is a god, or that the world was created, but to entertain the hypothetical; of course, I'd have no choice but to accept that those are the rules, but I'd also have no obligation to follow the rules if I have the free will you say I do. I don't necessarily believe in free will, but I would never follow an immoral command. If a god told me to go and do a genocide on the Canaanites or to keep slaves, for example, I would have all the information I needed to conclude that this god is a tyrant and undeserving of obedience or worship. I'd be damned, but my conscience would be clear.

> The thing with Christianity, is it's a story of God reaching to man. Every single other religion is man reaching to God. Every single other religion is a works based religion. Every single other religion is focused on how we can be Good Enough for God.

I don't have much to say here, except this: do you know every single other religion that has ever existed? Have you studied the Vedas of Hinduism, or whatever texts are foundational to Shintoism? How about ancient religions of fallen civilizations lost to time? Is it not more than a little bit dishonest to make broad, sweeping claims about "every single other religion," especially when your own's adherents can hardly agree among one another on what the official doctrine demands? These things are complicated and we shouldn't make such generalizations given the vast amount of study one would have to go through in order to truly know what you're claiming to know here.

[ivaspinoza]

Is there any interaction with a stranger recently that sticks in your mind? Or if not, a stranger you saw that you still remember for some reason? Also do you think you could beat me in a fist fight?

I've had such cool asks lately, and I do want to answer them all, but time is not on my side. Patience! What can a modern human being do besides getting angry at the Industrial Revolution at this point? And listen to some delta blues, I mean...

Let's go to the ask of the day, made by my beloved friend. I have a story for you related to faith.

Firstly, I absolutely can not beat you or anyone in a fist fight. Maybe if I get angry enough I could? I used to think I could never be violent until I've been through some shit that showed me why some people get violent. Not advocating for it at all, just saying it's a possibility for every human. That would never happen with you, though, because you're an angel.

As for a stranger's story, I must say: not only my memory is bad, but I am distracted all the time, so I rarely remember these situations. However, the other day, I was sitting on a bench downtown when this homeless man walked into me, asking for money. It was a very fortunate timing, for I was about to ask for a car and, "for some reason", I just waited a little longer — just enough for him to pass by and talk to me.

Well, I've seen lots of things in the streets, some really dangerous, some really sad, but this guy was not about to cause any trouble. He told me his story while I went through my purse. Not a single coin! I asked if he smoked and offered to roll him a cigarette. He almost cried: "Would you do that for me?"

At some point, he just went: "I can't blame anyone, not even God, for my life. It's bad choices I made, and the only reason I'm living through this hell is... me."

So I told him about my awful choices as well. I told him about my God and what He did for me. About forgiveness, about His Son on the cross, and then alive. He cried, asking if someone like him could have a second chance. "Jesus walked among sinners like us for a reason", I told him. "We make the wrong choices, but he doesn't".

"I could never get inside a church", he said, "but I guess God took you down here to talk to me!" If he only knew that a church is not a building... But I had no time to explain that. We prayed, we cried, and told me he believed. In fact, the most important thing he said was: "I don't know what happened, I really don't, but I met you as one person, and I'm leaving you a totally different one."

Of course, it was not me. I truly think that guy was born again on the spot. I've seen it happen a few times by now and there is this distinguished atmosphere about it. Not only that, but also a unique smell and taste that I feel at the back of my mouth. It's not something easy to explain, as it is truly supernatural. Although I have had many experiences, this one was remarkable. I still remember his eyes, shining, so full of life.

I met a stranger, but he was my brother. I don't think I will forget that at any time soon.

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

There are certain chicks who just give off that "mean girl" vibe to me. "You hate girls like me because we know our worth" Nah, you are just a b*tch who thinks she's above everybody else just for existing.

[lost-onpurpose]

I find it kind of funny that the same people who stood outside of our local planned parenthood and called everyone entering the parking lot a murderer are the same ones supporting the slaughter of children in their homes and in the streets of their home country.

"Oh but Jasper doesn't the Bible say you're supposed to stand with the nation of Israel? So you're not being a very good Christian to say they're wrong for their actions."

"Hence, the Hebrew term for “nation” (pronounced something like “ahm”) is linguistically related to the preposition meaning “with,” and a verb form meaning “to be associated with,” “to belong to.” The Israelites understood themselves to have originated from a common set of ancestors: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 11-35)."

Definition from Bible Odyssey

Nations in the Bible were not the physical locations or governments in control of the land. The nations are the people. And governments are run by people and people are not perfect, far from it. People in power are easily swayed and pressured to perform in ways to showcase their power and control of everything and everyone around them. This often comes at the expense of innocent people.

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5:44 ESV

My heart and soul just want to see an end to the violence for everyone's sake. There are innocent people being injured and killed and families are being torn apart for no reason.

"Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword." Matthew 26:52 ESV

Anyone guilty of war crimes or crimes against humanity should be held accountable for their actions.

[justalowlyservant]

My Thoughts on: Leviticus

Okay, finished with Leviticus, so here are my thoughts on the book overall.

Leviticus is a book primarily about setting up the laws and customs for God's people, the Hebrews, to follow going forwards. As far as I can see, all of these laws and customs can be sorted into three broad categories: How to Honor the Lord and Atone for Sin, Ritual Cleanliness and Health, and Moral/Cultural Laws.

For the first category, we naturally have things like the various kinds of offerings to be given to the Lord at various points of time, as a way of atoning for sin, or simply to honor God by sacrificing something of value. We also have the various festivals that God has set up for His people to keep when they enter the Promised Land. It is primarily through these laws that the Hebrews are able to have a relationship with God, to appease Him and make up for their sinfulness.

The next category, Ritual Cleanliness and Health, has to do with exactly what it sounds like. It handles situations like bodily discharges, skin diseases, mold in houses, but also things like touching dead animals, menstruation, not eating certain things, and all of that. Some of these laws are specifically to ensure the continued healthiness of God's people, while others seem to be about setting up a standard to set the Hebrews apart from others, giving them an aura of sacredness. The way you behave on a daily basis can absolutely impact your mental state and the way you think, and I believe that's what God was going for with a lot of the laws in Leviticus. Helping the Hebrews to see themselves as God's Chosen People, as something different from the pagan cultures around them. And of course, a part of that is making sure they aren't dying of all kinds of diseases.

Finally, we have the Moral/Cultural laws. They deal with issues of unnatural sexual relations, fairness in judgement, property rights, and so on and so forth. I find that this is where most of the modern controversy with Leviticus come from. I think it's important to consider that the laws laid out here are not God's perfect moral standard, merely a way to set the Hebrews on the right track for what he would later have planned for them. While there are verses about proper treatment and handling of slaves, we shouldn't take that to mean that God approves of slavery. Merely that he was making a compromise with the culture of the time in order to set them onto a path that would one day lead to abolition of such an institution. Even in these laws, we see the beginnings of what Jesus Christ and then Jesus through Paul would later elaborate on thousands of years later: the importance of loving your neighbor, not engaging in sexual immorality or treating foreigners in your land as one of your own. There's still a lot of important things to consider in Leviticus in our modern Christian lives, even if some of them may be uncomfortable to think about in the current cultural/political climate.

Alright, that's about it for now, though maybe I'll think of more to talk about later. Next up, of course, is the Book of Numbers. That'll probably take a few weeks to get through. I hope you found something in this post interesting!

[quotesfromscripture]

The state of the earth

"Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, 'We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace.' Then the angel of the LORD said, 'O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?' Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me." (Zechariah 1:11-13 NRSVA)

Study questions:

(1) Zechariah mentioned a man "riding a red horse" and "standing among the myrtle trees" (v 8). When they answer "We have patrolled..." who is speaking? Who is the "we"?

(2) Even though Zechariah is the one who is asking questions about the vision, the speakers give their answer to the angel. Why didn't they respond directly to Zechariah?

(3) Why would they report that "the whole earth remains at peace"? Was this an era of peace? The Jewish people were likely captives of Darius. What are the speakers referring to?

[pussyistheforbiddenfruit]

Oh boyyy here another one, ex-lesbians Christians I always wondered why people think lesbians could be "turned" straight but look another problem beside sneakdickers, ex-lesbians prove them ""right"" too.

People would rather listen to ANYTHING else about lesbians instead of you know..actually lesbians.

Lesbians have been complaining since the dawn of time that they aren't attracted to men, some even force themselves to be in relationships with men, hating it, But nah fuck them Imma listen to "insert anything that isn't a lesbian*

Some are clearly bi, but I notice others are actually homosexual forcing themselves to be in heterosexual marriage, it breaks my heart they are smiling but their eyes looks so sad and/or empty. They are clearly looking for love and acceptance.

These women who would sacrifice their happiness and dignity to be "with God" obviously weak minded women and no self respect,Its not just lesbians I see a lot of gay men too.

This video was 9 months ago with 888k view so it's VERY recent. it's so sad that this is still going on even today.

[arcenciel-par-une-larme]

Someone please explain to me why Americans seemingly consider it "basic Biblical teaching" and "God's plan for your money" that the church to which you belong is automatically entitled to 10% or more of your GROSS income -- even up to the point that, according to some, failing to give this contribution should render you subject to church discipline and excommunication.

[yeslordmyking]

Do What God Says is Right, Not What You Think is Right

Deuteronomy 12:8

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

So much of the world is determining their own standards of right and wrong - even those who follow God but misinterpret His laws- and for that so much of the world is going to end up in Hell for disobeying the Lord. If it's not completely and wholely God's biblical definition of right, it's completely and wholely wrong.

[oh-dear-so-queer]

As the monumental RSV stuff-up in 1946 demonstrates, the fault for a lot of negative Christian response to homosexuality lies with those who translate, interpret and preach the Scriptures.

"In/Out: A Scandalous Story of Falling Into Love and Out of the Church" - Steph Lentz

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

God Our King

For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry. 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth. 3 He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. 4 He chooses for us our inheritance— the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.Selah

5 God ascends among shouts of joy, the Lord, with the sound of a ram’s horn. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise! 7 Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of the whole earth.

8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham. For the leaders of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted. — Psalm 47 | Christian Standard Bible (CSB) The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. Cross References: Deuteronomy 7:21; 1 Chronicles 16:31; Nehemiah 1:5; Psalm 18:38; Psalm 18:47; Psalm 46:11; Psalm 68:4; Psalm 68:18; Psalm 68:25; Psalm 72:11; Psalm 98:6; Psalm 98:9; Amos 6:8; Obadiah 1:21; Romans 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 14:15; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 4:9-10

[battleforgodstruth]

Leaning On the Everlasting Arms, Pastor Hines Piano Music - Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 1-8

Leaning On the Everlasting Arms, Pastor Hines Piano Music – Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 1-8 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms is a hymn published in 1887 with music by Anthony J. Showalter and lyrics by Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter said that he received letters from two of his former pupils saying that their wives had died. When writing letters of consolation, Showalter was…

[cookinguptales]

So I’ve been enjoying the Disney vs. DeSantis memes as much as anyone, but like. I do feel like a lot of people who had normal childhoods are missing some context to all this.

I was raised in the Bible Belt in a fairly fundie environment. My parents were reasonably cool about some things, compared to the rest of my family, but they certainly had their issues. But they did let me watch Disney movies, which turned out to be a point of major contention between them and my other relatives.

See, I think some people think this weird fight between Disney and fundies is new. It is very not new. I know that Disney’s attempts at inclusion in their media have been the source of a lot of mockery, but what a lot of people don’t understand is that as far as actual company policy goes, Disney has actually been an industry leader for queer rights. They’ve had policies assuring equal healthcare and partner benefits for queer employees since the early 90s.

I’m not sure how many people reading this right now remember the early 90s, but that was very much not industry standard. It was a big deal when Disney announced that non-married queer partners would be getting the same benefits as the married heterosexual ones.

Like — it went further than just saying that any unmarried partners would be eligible for spousal benefits. It straight-up said that non-same-sex partners would still need to be married to receive spousal benefits, but because same-sex partners couldn’t do that, proof that they lived together as an established couple would be enough.

In other words, it put long-term same-sex partners on a higher level than opposite-sex partners who just weren’t married yet. It put them on the exact same level as heterosexual married partners.

They weren’t the first company ever to do this, but they were super early. And they were certainly the first mainstream “family-friendly” company to do it.

Conservatives lost their damn minds.

Protests, boycotts, sermons, the whole nine yards. I can’t tell you how many books about the evils of Disney my grandmother tried to get my parents to read when I was a kid.

When we later moved to Florida, I realized just how many queer people work at Disney — because historically speaking, it’s been a company that has guaranteed them safety, non-discrimination, and equal rights. That’s when I became aware of their unofficial “Gay Days” and how Christians would show up from all over the country to protest them every year. Apparently my grandmother had been upset about these days for years, but my parents had just kind of ignored her.

Out of curiosity, I ended up reading one of the books my grandmother kept leaving at our house. And friends — it’s amazing how similar that (terrible, poorly written) rhetoric was to what people are saying these days. Disney hires gay pedophiles who want to abuse your children. Disney is trying to normalize Satanism in our beautiful, Christian America. 

Just tons of conspiracy theories in there that ranged from “a few bad things happened that weren’t actually Disney’s fault, but they did happen” to “Pocahontas is an evil movie, not because it distorts history and misrepresents indigenous life, but because it might teach children respect for nature. Which, as we all know, would cause them all to become Wiccans who believe in climate change.”

Like — please, take it from someone who knows. This weird fight between fundies and Disney is not new. This is not Disney’s first (gay) rodeo. These people have always believed that Disney is full of evil gays who are trying to groom and sexually abuse children.

The main difference now is that these beliefs are becoming mainstream. It’s not just conservative pastors who are talking about this. It’s not just church groups showing up to boycott Gay Day. Disney is starting to (reluctantly) say the quiet part out loud, and so are the Republicans. Disney is publicly supporting queer rights and announcing company-supported queer events and the Republican Party is publicly calling them pedophiles and enacting politically driven revenge.

This is important, because while this fight has always been important in the history of queer rights, it is now being magnified. The precedent that a fight like this could set is staggering. For better or for worse, we live in a corporation-driven country. I don’t like it any more than you do, and I’m not about to defend most of Disney’s business practices. But we do live in a nation where rights are largely tied to corporate approval, and the fact that we might be entering an age where even the most powerful corporations in the country are being banned from speaking out in favor of rights for marginalized people… that’s genuinely scary.

Like… I’ll just ask you this. Where do you think we’d be now, in 2023, if Disney had been prevented from promising its employees equal benefits in 1994? That was almost thirty years ago, and look how far things have come. When I looked up news articles for this post from that era, even then journalists, activists, and fundie church leaders were all talking about how a company of Disney’s prominence throwing their weight behind this movement could lead to the normalization of equal protections in this country.

The idea of it scared and thrilled people in equal parts even then. It still scares and thrills them now.

I keep seeing people say “I need them both to lose!” and I get it, I do. Disney has for sure done a lot of shit over the years. But I am begging you as a queer exvangelical to understand that no. You need Disney to win. You need Disney to wipe the fucking floor with these people.

Right now, this isn’t just a fight between a giant corporation and Ron DeSantis. This is a fight about the right of corporations to support marginalized groups. It’s a fight that ensures that companies like Disney still can offer benefits that a discriminatory government does not provide. It ensures that businesses much smaller than Disney can support activism.

Hell, it ensures that you can support activism.

The fight between weird Christian conspiracy theorists and Disney is not new, because the fight to prevent any tiny victory for marginalized groups is not new. The fight against the normalization of othered groups is not new.

That’s what they’re most afraid of. That each incremental victory will start to make marginalized groups feel safer, that each incremental victory will start to turn the tide of public opinion, that each incremental victory will eventually lead to sweeping law reform.

They’re afraid that they won’t be able to legally discriminate against us anymore.

So guys! Please. This fight, while hilarious, is also so fucking important. I am begging you to understand how old this fight is. These people always play the long game. They did it with Roe and they’re doing it with Disney.

We have! To keep! Pushing back!

[quotesfromscripture]

The horses appear

"In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, 'What are these, my lord?' The angel who talked with me said to me, 'I will show you what they are.' So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, 'They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.' " (Zechariah 1:8-10 NRSVA)

Study questions:

(1) This takes place "in the second year of Darius" (v 7). What is the significance of that era? Why would that be a time of prophecy and vision?

(2) What might be the symbolism of the myrtle trees?

(3) This is the first mention of an angel in Zechariah. Why does he speak as if we're already familiar with this angel?

(4) First there is a man "riding on a red horse" and then he is "standing among the myrtle trees". Is this the same man, or are there two men; one riding and one standing?

(5) The phrase "patrol the earth" literally means "to walk the earth". It also shows up in Psa 56:13 and Zechariah 6:7. This is also what the Satan says in Job 1:7 and Job 2:2. What might they be doing? Are they looking for something?

[christianity-crucible]

Hoping to find an article I had but lost track of talking about how messed up the evangelical-favored English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible is, especially compared to the version it was cribbed from, the Revised Standard Version (RSV), which at least according to one telling tried to make it translation as accurate as possible. By contrast, the changes made in the English Standard Version were very political and were LESS linguistically accurate, though more political convenient for evangelicalism.

If I can find that article again, I'll post a link here.