I see a passing phase of myself reflected in the person you're responding to in this piece and I hate it. I can still listen to old school Korn, static x, etc and not lose joy, infact i still enjoy all the chaotic and angry music of my youth when i exercise. I don't think I'm exactly rejecting contemporary secular culture, but I'm realizing it's not the way I want to live and it calls me back to prayer for the Lord's guidance and presence. I think the old me is almost done rotting away, and I'm trying to be prayerful about something good and new growing in it's space.
"Not the way to live" is a great motivation to start cutting ties. Over the years I've parted ways with all of my old friends and become more picky with what I watch or listen to. But I would again compare it to a diet. Some people do have allergies, which are personal to them. Sometimes these only develop later in life. Maybe you cut out sugar and carbs for four month, and this might greatly benefit you personally. But once you have the benefit, you don't need to demonize and reject it on moral grounds for the rest of your life, or act like others can't metabolize it, just because you struggle with it, you know? There are times when I have cut out a lot of things from my mental diet, and God knows that I hate 99% of media (not because it's evil, but just not interesting enough).
If you feel lured back into a secular mindset (as if to regress) then I think changing your culture and focusing on the godly is a great idea. Find the deepest and most interesting things you can in that world, because there are a tons of it. And as I said in the article, eventually you may be spiritually rugged enough to come back to things you used to identify with, and now see them as enjoyable again, but only in a more quaint and harmless way, rather than enticing.
Perhaps what you addressed here explains why Christianity Today speculated that Jesus wasn’t nailed to the cross but tied to it by ropes. Perhaps for some, how Jesus suffered before and during the crucifixion with its gory details is inappropriate in the Bible, so as the sound Christians feared, God gave the offended what they wanted.
‘Come and see the rope burns on His wrists’ - the end result of fleeing from the objective reality that God created
Am I crazy for feeling that censoring the brutality of Christ's death is more offensive to me than the crucifixion itself? Sanitizing the ugly parts of reality is worse than the ugly thing being sanitized. There is truth in ugliness, but sanitization is a lie.
I must admit I am more like you than I usual wouldn’t admit. I think like you say to be really free as a Christian needs maturity which should be fostered by the Church but is usually not. Probably people who are the most grateful for salvation are more likely to agree with you than someone who didn’t have it so bad before redemption. I just watched ‘the hiding place’ about Corre Ten boon and her family who was not afraid to get her hands dirty. I also think people can spot s Christian from a mile off and think they’re either stupid or an easy touch or both. I also think a pious Christian is mot approachable.
I’ve only skimmed through this once, and I need to get up and get on with my reality today… Mothers Day at the lake with family and friends, including my ex-homeless-lived-under-a-bridge-near-my-house, but still drug-addicted/lying/manipulative/unrepentant son, through whom demons have spoken to me and texted me several times (yes, I am sure), IF he’s not already high on acid or drunk when his sister stops by to pick him up.
Also attending will be my daughter-in-law’s sister-turned-brother who beelines me when she sees me to receive my always-given, loving, smiling hug. It’s incredibly disconcerting and somewhat stomach-churning to see a strange looking beard growing out of her jaw from the hormones she takes, but knowing that her gender confusion stems from being sexually abused by her grandfather, plus the evil push of media indoctrination/normalization of transgender, gives me more than enough loving compassion that I need to smile at her and hug her and engage in conversation all afternoon while trying not to stare at her very strange beard.
My son’s stripper friend will probably be stopping by too (I swear I’m not making this up 😂).
They don’t need my judgment; they need my love and prayers, and they need to repent of sin and turn towards God, just like I need to do every single day.
I am also aware that those three are certainly not the only sinners in the group. Their sins are just the most obvious. I repent from sin every day.
So there are a few more details of my personal story to back up my examples from where my opinions originate.
Therefore, since I have no more time to re-read today's article, forgive me if I missed it… Did you answer my first questions? “What is YOUR story? What prompted you to write this article? Which Christians in your life have been easily "offended"? Which Christians in your life have not been "realistic"? Who are you talking about? What did they say or do? Why did you write this?”
I’m still missing your personal connection, and your points are still falling very flat.
As a follow up to the reply that I left on one of your comments in the previous article I want to share this story as one of the people that he is talking about. It's about my experience as a Sunday School student (for 12 years) and Sunday School teacher (also 12 years). Throughout my time as a student I did not enjoy the experience despite wanting to know about God and Jesus. The problems came from being bullied by my classmates and becoming bored by the teachers who repeated the same story's over the years (which were mostly focused on old testament figures). Our teachers were all untrained volunteers who meant well but became overwhelmed. Ultimately I and all my classmates "graduated" with our teachers admitting that they failed to teach us anything but asked us to continue coming to church out of a sense of obligation. Some of us gave it a shot but most of the service was in a language that we didn't understand and we all stopped going soon after. A few years went by and I was saved by our Lord Jesus Christ and wanted to become a teacher of what I had learned to help save others. Not long after coming back as a teacher our church suffered a schism but not due to any scandal or doctrinal difference. Rather there had been many years of unaddressed issues surrounding church rules and standards that eventually boiled to a breaking point. Something that felt traumatic and unnecessary, given how trivial many of the issues were. However discussion of any discontent was uncomfortable and discouraged so there was no healthy outlet for it and we all tried to ignore the reality of the situation. Secret meetings began to be held which culminated in some of the ministerial confronting the top leadership and trying to force the conversation. This lead to much confusion, arguments and resentment among the members and resulted in the official schism. Again the topics were not anything as serious as pedophile Priests, torturous Inquisitions, genocidal Crusades or the selling of Salvation through Indulgences. It was over dress codes (women wearing pants), men (biological ones) having facial hair, using technology in church (cameras at weddings or overhead projectors to show hymn lyrics) and numerous other petty things that fell under the umbrella term of "Worldliness". Wordliness of course conflicts with "Godliness" and I suspect that this is part of the difference in opinion between yourself and the author. Ironically due to the severe effects of the schism over such minor things it reinforced the mind set of not having open dialogue and acknowledging the reality of modern issues, which in turn prevents the church from properly addressing them. This leaves leaders unprepared to discuss them with young/curious/new members who may have to deal with them in their lives, which is unfortunate because Christians and the church should be able to set the example for the rest of the world on how to navigate through this sinful world. My apologies for how long this is but I'm not a professional writer and just wanted to give some perspective on why I think he wanted to write the article. He can correct me if I'm wrong. I understand if you don't have time to read all this but I hope you stay strong in your walk with God and that your example might help lead your loved ones to salvation.
"... the severe effects of the schism over such minor things it reinforced the mind set of not having open dialogue and acknowledging the reality of modern issues, which in turn prevents the church from properly addressing them ..."
But we could see this from childhood, with family and school and everywhere! There is always a conspiracy of silence, a taboo, and a cowardice of not getting under the hood and looking at real problems. Yes, it does hit home when you see the fruit of the tree finally ripen into a crisis in a church, which is supposed to be comprised exclusively of people who share a faith and a fellowship, but it's everywhere. For some reason, every conversation I've ever had about deeper things with a fellow Christian (aside from a podcast) feels like it has been private whispers.
I'm glad I wrote this article for everyone but you (although I used your comment as a basis for expanding my thoughts). "Skimming" my article once just to look for my biography is what I expected you would do, which is why I left it out.
You lie and pretend you don't have time to read it properly, and yet you did have time to write your own eight paragraphs about your situation. Then you claim what I say "falls flat" without reading the article. That's yet more proof of your shallowness and ego, all about yourself. You are more interested in bragging about the colorful cast of characters you happen to be surrounded by, and letting the world know some gossip about your own life disguised as Christian tolerance. You love telling everyone you meet about the beard of your in-law, and your son's stripper friend, don't you? You just fling it around and remind people you're so compassionate for accepting it.
Do you suppose having a family with a bunch of problems makes you more interesting? I'll refrain from speculating on how your own influence might be related to why your family gravitates to things that are opposite of Christianity! But I can say that your attitude repulses somebody like me who doesn't skim a thoughtful response just to blab about myself. As for me, my opinions don't "originate" from anecdotes of my own life; my life is only one example, which is not much of a sample size. Having a sister addicted to meth or an in-law who killed themselves wouldn't make my opinion valuable, and if I did, I wouldn't advertise it to strangers in order to win Christianity points.
I've told my story too often on this blog already, and in many interviews. I also don't see many examples of the authors of the New Testament or great authors of the church using their own daily life as the basis for writing to their audience. What "prompts" me to write about the pretentiousness of Christianity are people like you.
Terry, you said at the end of your first Offended-Reality article, “Let me know if you agree or disagree. What is your story?”
Then, after I asked you questions because I disagreed, with some personal stories, you called me out in this second article about the stories I shared, belittling my shared experiences.
And now you’ve ripped me a new one in this comment section for sharing more personal details to explain my firsthand reality experiences that back up my opinions.
And you still have not told your own story to explain why you’ve brought up this subject in the first place.
Your two articles are a literary mess. They definitely still need to be fleshed out more.
Glad I could be a muse for you as you prove to “every one but me” that you are a mature Christian and a very smart boy.
Keep watching Hollywood’s “masterpieces of artwork and literary fiction”. It will mature you even more.
Now I understand why Vox Day bans gammas on sight.
Re: his personal connection - take a look at the last (similar, but much shorter) article he wrote, and especially the comments that followed. There was some intense personal exchange between the author and one of the commenters.
I believe this article here today is a more detailed explanation for the commenter of what he meant.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" Matthew 5:7
Yes there are some who are charlatans on the streets. There are many, many genuine cases. Often is the system that put them there - in at least two ways:
1. We see so called exposés in tabloid press of those pretending to be homeless but making more money from benefits (more so in UK, Canada, EU) than an ordinary worker's 8-10h shift. Part of the anti Christian psyop to make populations indifferent to the poor.
2. Genuinely made redundant by the system when the steel/car/ship building factory was exported abroad. Or they lost the plot (PTSD) after exposure to wars abroad in Iraq, Afghanistan.
I've met both. The latter many more times than the former. One lost his job, his home, his wife after a suicidal person jumped in front of his train.
The first case always best to ask what they want money for. If a coffee or a bus ticket I offer to get exactly that not cash. Usually exposes real need. Can lead to anger if they are fraudulent.
The second needs more help. Praying on the street can be a start. Better still trying to direct them to a genuine food bank/shelter/rehab Charity.
I see a passing phase of myself reflected in the person you're responding to in this piece and I hate it. I can still listen to old school Korn, static x, etc and not lose joy, infact i still enjoy all the chaotic and angry music of my youth when i exercise. I don't think I'm exactly rejecting contemporary secular culture, but I'm realizing it's not the way I want to live and it calls me back to prayer for the Lord's guidance and presence. I think the old me is almost done rotting away, and I'm trying to be prayerful about something good and new growing in it's space.
"Not the way to live" is a great motivation to start cutting ties. Over the years I've parted ways with all of my old friends and become more picky with what I watch or listen to. But I would again compare it to a diet. Some people do have allergies, which are personal to them. Sometimes these only develop later in life. Maybe you cut out sugar and carbs for four month, and this might greatly benefit you personally. But once you have the benefit, you don't need to demonize and reject it on moral grounds for the rest of your life, or act like others can't metabolize it, just because you struggle with it, you know? There are times when I have cut out a lot of things from my mental diet, and God knows that I hate 99% of media (not because it's evil, but just not interesting enough).
If you feel lured back into a secular mindset (as if to regress) then I think changing your culture and focusing on the godly is a great idea. Find the deepest and most interesting things you can in that world, because there are a tons of it. And as I said in the article, eventually you may be spiritually rugged enough to come back to things you used to identify with, and now see them as enjoyable again, but only in a more quaint and harmless way, rather than enticing.
Perhaps what you addressed here explains why Christianity Today speculated that Jesus wasn’t nailed to the cross but tied to it by ropes. Perhaps for some, how Jesus suffered before and during the crucifixion with its gory details is inappropriate in the Bible, so as the sound Christians feared, God gave the offended what they wanted.
‘Come and see the rope burns on His wrists’ - the end result of fleeing from the objective reality that God created
Am I crazy for feeling that censoring the brutality of Christ's death is more offensive to me than the crucifixion itself? Sanitizing the ugly parts of reality is worse than the ugly thing being sanitized. There is truth in ugliness, but sanitization is a lie.
yes.
I must admit I am more like you than I usual wouldn’t admit. I think like you say to be really free as a Christian needs maturity which should be fostered by the Church but is usually not. Probably people who are the most grateful for salvation are more likely to agree with you than someone who didn’t have it so bad before redemption. I just watched ‘the hiding place’ about Corre Ten boon and her family who was not afraid to get her hands dirty. I also think people can spot s Christian from a mile off and think they’re either stupid or an easy touch or both. I also think a pious Christian is mot approachable.
My favourite James Lindsay quote:
“Reality always vetoes Lysenkoism.”
I’m sure you’d love listening to his thoughts on it, HERE
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4PAaGVaFyew7orOFlVBch9?si=XWvaCsd6S_qIsbrMa5Rw1Q
I’ve only skimmed through this once, and I need to get up and get on with my reality today… Mothers Day at the lake with family and friends, including my ex-homeless-lived-under-a-bridge-near-my-house, but still drug-addicted/lying/manipulative/unrepentant son, through whom demons have spoken to me and texted me several times (yes, I am sure), IF he’s not already high on acid or drunk when his sister stops by to pick him up.
Also attending will be my daughter-in-law’s sister-turned-brother who beelines me when she sees me to receive my always-given, loving, smiling hug. It’s incredibly disconcerting and somewhat stomach-churning to see a strange looking beard growing out of her jaw from the hormones she takes, but knowing that her gender confusion stems from being sexually abused by her grandfather, plus the evil push of media indoctrination/normalization of transgender, gives me more than enough loving compassion that I need to smile at her and hug her and engage in conversation all afternoon while trying not to stare at her very strange beard.
My son’s stripper friend will probably be stopping by too (I swear I’m not making this up 😂).
They don’t need my judgment; they need my love and prayers, and they need to repent of sin and turn towards God, just like I need to do every single day.
I am also aware that those three are certainly not the only sinners in the group. Their sins are just the most obvious. I repent from sin every day.
So there are a few more details of my personal story to back up my examples from where my opinions originate.
Therefore, since I have no more time to re-read today's article, forgive me if I missed it… Did you answer my first questions? “What is YOUR story? What prompted you to write this article? Which Christians in your life have been easily "offended"? Which Christians in your life have not been "realistic"? Who are you talking about? What did they say or do? Why did you write this?”
I’m still missing your personal connection, and your points are still falling very flat.
As a follow up to the reply that I left on one of your comments in the previous article I want to share this story as one of the people that he is talking about. It's about my experience as a Sunday School student (for 12 years) and Sunday School teacher (also 12 years). Throughout my time as a student I did not enjoy the experience despite wanting to know about God and Jesus. The problems came from being bullied by my classmates and becoming bored by the teachers who repeated the same story's over the years (which were mostly focused on old testament figures). Our teachers were all untrained volunteers who meant well but became overwhelmed. Ultimately I and all my classmates "graduated" with our teachers admitting that they failed to teach us anything but asked us to continue coming to church out of a sense of obligation. Some of us gave it a shot but most of the service was in a language that we didn't understand and we all stopped going soon after. A few years went by and I was saved by our Lord Jesus Christ and wanted to become a teacher of what I had learned to help save others. Not long after coming back as a teacher our church suffered a schism but not due to any scandal or doctrinal difference. Rather there had been many years of unaddressed issues surrounding church rules and standards that eventually boiled to a breaking point. Something that felt traumatic and unnecessary, given how trivial many of the issues were. However discussion of any discontent was uncomfortable and discouraged so there was no healthy outlet for it and we all tried to ignore the reality of the situation. Secret meetings began to be held which culminated in some of the ministerial confronting the top leadership and trying to force the conversation. This lead to much confusion, arguments and resentment among the members and resulted in the official schism. Again the topics were not anything as serious as pedophile Priests, torturous Inquisitions, genocidal Crusades or the selling of Salvation through Indulgences. It was over dress codes (women wearing pants), men (biological ones) having facial hair, using technology in church (cameras at weddings or overhead projectors to show hymn lyrics) and numerous other petty things that fell under the umbrella term of "Worldliness". Wordliness of course conflicts with "Godliness" and I suspect that this is part of the difference in opinion between yourself and the author. Ironically due to the severe effects of the schism over such minor things it reinforced the mind set of not having open dialogue and acknowledging the reality of modern issues, which in turn prevents the church from properly addressing them. This leaves leaders unprepared to discuss them with young/curious/new members who may have to deal with them in their lives, which is unfortunate because Christians and the church should be able to set the example for the rest of the world on how to navigate through this sinful world. My apologies for how long this is but I'm not a professional writer and just wanted to give some perspective on why I think he wanted to write the article. He can correct me if I'm wrong. I understand if you don't have time to read all this but I hope you stay strong in your walk with God and that your example might help lead your loved ones to salvation.
"... the severe effects of the schism over such minor things it reinforced the mind set of not having open dialogue and acknowledging the reality of modern issues, which in turn prevents the church from properly addressing them ..."
But we could see this from childhood, with family and school and everywhere! There is always a conspiracy of silence, a taboo, and a cowardice of not getting under the hood and looking at real problems. Yes, it does hit home when you see the fruit of the tree finally ripen into a crisis in a church, which is supposed to be comprised exclusively of people who share a faith and a fellowship, but it's everywhere. For some reason, every conversation I've ever had about deeper things with a fellow Christian (aside from a podcast) feels like it has been private whispers.
I'm glad I wrote this article for everyone but you (although I used your comment as a basis for expanding my thoughts). "Skimming" my article once just to look for my biography is what I expected you would do, which is why I left it out.
You lie and pretend you don't have time to read it properly, and yet you did have time to write your own eight paragraphs about your situation. Then you claim what I say "falls flat" without reading the article. That's yet more proof of your shallowness and ego, all about yourself. You are more interested in bragging about the colorful cast of characters you happen to be surrounded by, and letting the world know some gossip about your own life disguised as Christian tolerance. You love telling everyone you meet about the beard of your in-law, and your son's stripper friend, don't you? You just fling it around and remind people you're so compassionate for accepting it.
Do you suppose having a family with a bunch of problems makes you more interesting? I'll refrain from speculating on how your own influence might be related to why your family gravitates to things that are opposite of Christianity! But I can say that your attitude repulses somebody like me who doesn't skim a thoughtful response just to blab about myself. As for me, my opinions don't "originate" from anecdotes of my own life; my life is only one example, which is not much of a sample size. Having a sister addicted to meth or an in-law who killed themselves wouldn't make my opinion valuable, and if I did, I wouldn't advertise it to strangers in order to win Christianity points.
I've told my story too often on this blog already, and in many interviews. I also don't see many examples of the authors of the New Testament or great authors of the church using their own daily life as the basis for writing to their audience. What "prompts" me to write about the pretentiousness of Christianity are people like you.
Terry, you said at the end of your first Offended-Reality article, “Let me know if you agree or disagree. What is your story?”
Then, after I asked you questions because I disagreed, with some personal stories, you called me out in this second article about the stories I shared, belittling my shared experiences.
And now you’ve ripped me a new one in this comment section for sharing more personal details to explain my firsthand reality experiences that back up my opinions.
And you still have not told your own story to explain why you’ve brought up this subject in the first place.
Your two articles are a literary mess. They definitely still need to be fleshed out more.
Glad I could be a muse for you as you prove to “every one but me” that you are a mature Christian and a very smart boy.
Keep watching Hollywood’s “masterpieces of artwork and literary fiction”. It will mature you even more.
Now I understand why Vox Day bans gammas on sight.
Good luck to you.
Your comment falls very flat.
Re: his personal connection - take a look at the last (similar, but much shorter) article he wrote, and especially the comments that followed. There was some intense personal exchange between the author and one of the commenters.
I believe this article here today is a more detailed explanation for the commenter of what he meant.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" Matthew 5:7
Yes there are some who are charlatans on the streets. There are many, many genuine cases. Often is the system that put them there - in at least two ways:
1. We see so called exposés in tabloid press of those pretending to be homeless but making more money from benefits (more so in UK, Canada, EU) than an ordinary worker's 8-10h shift. Part of the anti Christian psyop to make populations indifferent to the poor.
2. Genuinely made redundant by the system when the steel/car/ship building factory was exported abroad. Or they lost the plot (PTSD) after exposure to wars abroad in Iraq, Afghanistan.
I've met both. The latter many more times than the former. One lost his job, his home, his wife after a suicidal person jumped in front of his train.
The first case always best to ask what they want money for. If a coffee or a bus ticket I offer to get exactly that not cash. Usually exposes real need. Can lead to anger if they are fraudulent.
The second needs more help. Praying on the street can be a start. Better still trying to direct them to a genuine food bank/shelter/rehab Charity.
Have worked in latter during 90s recession.
Ask the LORD for wisdom in every case.