#unrighteous

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Love Is…

4 Love is patient and is kind; love does not envy. Love does not brag, is not proud, 5 does not behave itself inappropriately, does not seek its own way, is not irritable, does not keep a record of wrongs; 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are tongues, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with. — 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 | New Heart English Bible (NHEB) The New Heart English Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Proverbs 10:12; Proverbs 17:9; Jeremiah 40:16; Matthew 18:13; Mark 9:23; Acts 7:9; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 8:2; 1 Corinthians 9:12; 1 Corinthians 10:24; 1 Corinthians 10:33; 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 John 1:4

[wiirocku]

1 Peter 3:18 (NIV) - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

What is a question Atheists cannot answer?

I don't think there is one.

I mean it.

It involves looking at the World a certain way, and if you look at the World in that way, there really is no way to dispute or argue your way out of it. That's why apologetics is so misguided. Nobody's talking to each other, and nobody's listening either.

***********************************************************************

When I was young, my Christian education teacher used the light switch on the wall to demonstrate God's trustworthiness.

Growing up as I did, I could think of any number of reasons why the light-switch might not work as expected. Faulty wiring, bad bulb, blown fuse, general community outage. A flashlight, in addition to the burnt out bulb, could have corroded contacts, rusted wires, or bad batteries. Light switches aren't a 100% certain way to light a random bulb.

I can look at all the natural scientific rules that we base our lives on and see God's hand at work.

We don't even consider the fact that we implicitly trust gravity as a certainty.

Science requires trust in that certainty, and in the certainty of everything else around us that gives us the science we use to manipulate the universe around us.

I see God in that certainty.

Atheists do not, they take it as a given - a "natural law" - and pose no further questions. They take it as it is. That simple certainty gives them peace.

I don't know that there's a way around that.

And, honestly, that's fine as long as we can tone down the rhetoric and just agree to disagree about this.

I explored Atheism. I'm beginning to realize that I was much the same kind of heretic then, as I am now as a Christian. I did not feel the need to scream at Christians to not pray for me - I accepted that for them it provided something of a psychological value, and I wished them well. If God didn't exist, then so what, at worst they were wasting their time. No skin off my nose.

I find the emotional need to validate oneself (Atheist or Christian) at the expense of another to be childish, emotional, unreasonable, irrational - and from a psychological point of view - rather unscientific in that it increases emotional disquiet at its most benign, and possibly emotional trauma at it's worst. When whole groups become involved, societal discord results. (I've trolled atheists by attributing this trigger to "demons", though as noted, Christians suffer from this too.)

One could argue that I'm doing what I claim to detest with this remark. However, my beef is not with anyone who has rejected God, but rather with Christians who claim to be followers, but who fail to live even remotely by the positive principles of their faith.

I personally believe that if most Christians offered a legitimate "Value Proposition" to use classical economic terms, atheists wouldn't exist - or if they did, they wouldn't do so in the form they do now.

Since most Atheists focus on Christian morality, I'll add this. Keep in mind, most of the moral tenants of Christianity also exist in some form under Stoicism, Epicureanism, even Buddhism, and in other philosophical precedents. In terms of morality, Christianity doesn't really deviate too much from these aspirational worldwide Philosophical tenants. For me, Christianity isn't necessarily about morality, its about looking at the universe in a better way. Sin is still a thing, but it's part of a much larger picture, and most "sins" keep in check certain societal pathologies.

But, having said all this, keep in mind, as a Heretic Christian, my opinion doesn't mean much in official circles.

Lord have mercy upon me, A sinner.

[tom4jc]

February 18, 2024 Verse Of The Day

[justana0kguy]

2023 MAY 14 Mother's Day Sunday

"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit."

~ 1 Peter 3:17-18

[dance-in-my-storm]

“We both know that this is going to end

Its only time and touch we spend

No chance we're going to make it

But baby can we fake it?

'Cause even though I know you're not the one

This has really been a lot of fun, mmm”

[i-only-ever-asked-questions]

Aziraphale's bibles

Have you ever noticed how many bibles Aziraphale has just lying about? So. Many. Bibles. Oodles of bibles! In S1 we only saw two, one on top of the desk that he used for checking the number of the beast in Revelations; and the other one on the desk surface, right behind his angel mug when he sat to read The Book (not that book, the other book, the one with the true prophecies).

In S2, we see no less than five bibles on his desk alone and more around the bookshop.

The first one is on the left, right under the little "For the Young: Hymns for Church and Home, with Forms of Services" book, which incidentally opens to: "So shall no wicked thing draw near, To do us harm or cause us fear." (This angel has no shame).

Then there are three more in the desk's middle compartments. One, with a green cover, is on the left slot, right above the tray with pens (this one is a New Testament only). The other two, both with black covers, are right behind the mug, where the RadioTimes watermark is. They look identical but they could be two volumes of the same edition or two different editions. We can probably assume one of these is supposed to be the one from S1. The desk in S1 didn't have compartments, it had drawers so there were no books in that area.

The last one is the on on top of the desk, on the right. This would be the same he used in S1 (although the bible itself is different)

On his right side, sometimes he has an easel where he displays a large book. This is not a bible itself, but an illustrated book of biblical motifs. Sometimes it is closed and sometimes it is open. He normally has it on the Adam and Eve page (cheeky!) but in Ep 2 he opened it to the Book of Job page instead.

There is yet another one in the shelf that Gabriel Jim is organizing

And there is one more in the first backroom (the one with the computer where he talks with Gabriel and Sandalphon). It is on a little table by the door of the private backroom (the one where he confers with Crowley in)

But there is a set of bibles that are even more important to him than any of the other ones. Although the show never mentioned it, the book tells us that in addition to his passion for prophecy books, he also loves and collects misprinted bibles*:

"And he had a complete set of the Infamous Bibles, individually named from errors in typesetting. These Bibles included the Unrighteous Bible, so called from a printer’s error which caused it to proclaim, in I Corinthians, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the Kingdom of God?”; and the Wicked Bible, printed by Barker and Lucas in 1632, in which the word not was omitted from the seventh commandment, making it “Thou shalt commit Adultery.” There were the Discharge Bible, the Treacle Bible, the Standing Fishes Bible, the Charing Cross Bible and the rest. Aziraphale had them all. Even the very rarest, a Bible published in 1651 by the London publishing firm of Bilton and Scaggs."

This collection of bibles is hiding in plain sight and readily on hand. Just ask Jim!

The rest are right there on Aziraphale's desk. The tags are hard to read but I found, from right to left, The Treacle Bible, The Discharge Bible, The Unrighteous Bible, then three that I couldn't decipher, the Standing Fishes Bible and The Charing Cross Bible. One of those three is supposed to be the Buggre All This Bible, but none of the tags seemed to fit.

*All the bibles mentioned are real except for the Charing Cross Bible and the Buggre Alle This Bible which in the GO world was printed by Bilton and Scaggs, the publishing company that also printed The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. I have a whole post about Bilton and Scaggs if interested. Now, looking back to S1, as part of his restoring the world, Adam replaced Aziraphale's misprinted bibles with Just William books. Let that sink in... Adam moved Aziraphale's bibles from their righteous place. No wonder Crowley realized it right away. These are Aziraphale's bibles for Go- for Sat- for Somebody's sake!

Fortunately by S2 everything was back to normal.

[forcedhesitation]

crazy how he just ignores everyone else and speaks directly to wyll. it's like wyll is like one of the most important characters in this game, or something.

[pollenallergie]

Hey, do you think- *takes a minute to catch my breath after running all the way over to your place and barging inside* Do you think Eddie calls his dick “pretty guy?” Like, he gets home after a long day, immediately settles into his desk chair, and finally whips his cock out - which has been half hard and begging for attention all damn day. And, like, he blissfully sighs once he’s finally wrapped his hand around it and gruffly says, “Don’t think I forgot about you, pretty guy,” as he begins to languidly stroke the length of it. Do you think he does that???

[idalenn]

My brainworms, they crave another 10 picture Lillian gpose

[aposteat]

Did it irk anyone else that we were just meant to be eagerly molding our life according to the ideas of old men who were just so excited to kill 98+% of the population? Like the way you hear them talk about it they are so excited to be personally riding down w Jesus to commit atrocities.

Like why would I want to mold my values according to someone who thinks like that???????????

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Bildad: Man Cannot Be Righteous

1 Then Bildad (the) Shuhite answered, and said,

2 Power and dread is with him, that is, God, which maketh according in his high things. (Power and reverence is with God/Power and fear is with God, who maketh peace in all his high places.)

3 Whether there is number of his knights? (Can his host be counted?) and upon whom shineth not his light?

4 Whether a man comparisoned to God may be justified, either a man born of a woman may appear clean? (Can a man be justified when compared to God, or can a man born of a woman ever be pure, or innocent?)

5 Lo! also the moon shineth not, and [the] stars be not clean in his sight; (Lo! to his eyes, the moon shineth not, and the stars be not pure;)

6 how much more man, that is rot, and the son of a man, that is a worm, is unclean, (and vile,) in comparison to God. (and so how much more a man, who is but rot, and the son of a man, who is but a worm, be unclean, and vile, when compared to God.) — Job 25 | Wycliffe Bible (WYC) The Wycliffe Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Job 2:11; Job 4:17; Job 7:17; Job 9:2; Job 9:4; Job 15:15; Job 16:13; Job 16:19; Job 17:14; Job 24:25; Job 31:26; Isaiah 41:14

[wiirocku]

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

"What do you, as a Christian, want for atheists?"

I recently watched a video where the question was raised,

"What do you, as a Christian, want for atheists?"

This is an extremely important question that I don't think Christians think about much. I think I read or heard an Orthodox Christian once say that we should want for non-Christians to have their best lives here, since we don't know what their future might hold.

That was an important answer to me. As this was confirmation to an idea that I had held close to my heart for a long time without speaking out. This can be a difficult thing to say in a lot of Christian circles, but I think it marks the heart of a true Christian.

There is a companion point to be made here too. That is, when I was growing up there was a song that we sung, ad nauseum in gatherings (it wasn't really a personal favorite, but what are you going to do in a communal setting)?

That song had the lines -

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love…."

Christians are called to love the world, just as God the Father, The Holy Spirit, and God the Son do. It is our calling as Christians to love our neighbor - even the Samaritan, or the Homosexual neighbor next door.

We don't have to approve of a lot of stuff that goes on around us that some of these people do, but we are called to love them.

Here's where I hear the "Tough Love" proponents speak up from the back of the room… "We cannot allow ourselves to coddle immoral and deviant behavior within our midst! We must call out sin, and we must exercise extreme prejudice in bringing these lost souls back into the fold! And if that's not possible, they need to understand just how deplorable they really are…."

To you -

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. -- John 3:16

and -

If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. -- Romans 12:18-20

Which reminds me of the Sunday of the Last Judgment in the Orthodox Church -

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” -- Matthew 25:31-46

Lastly I will conclude with this -

So then, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. -- Matthew 7:20-21

God is not a God of "Tough Love".

If you are a proponent of "Tough Love", then you need to examine your judgments upon other people. You need to root out your pride, your self-superiority; your narcissism. While we were yet HIS enemies, Christ DIED for OUR sake. (Romans 5:8, Philippians 2:6-8)

You need to see yourself as The Trinity sees you -

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. -- Romans 3:23

And -

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. -- Matthew 7:1-2

It is not "Christians" that will be saved, but the righteous. If you call yourself a Christian but remain unrighteous, fail to "feed widows and orphans in their distress" (James 1:27); Then you are an impostor.

If you speak out in a Pharisaical way towards others, dare I say, then you could be an accuser doing Satan's work.

Do not be deceived by the words you use to spin your own web of self delusion.

As a deeply heretical Christian though, my opinion doesn't mean much in official circles.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy upon me, A Sinner.

[nofatclips]

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by The Unrighteous Brothers b/w Unchained Melody