This would go down as one of the greatest tragedies in history, if Christians actually did this. It'd prove to the world how backward we are, and make the religion die in one flew. People like me would understand, and stand out of it... and just be like Noah or Abraham, one of only a few people in the world who know God... but this is not good lines of thinking. This is bordering on dangerous... and I just got to put my two cents in, as my goal is to see the religion flourish a long time from now. Let us be the victims, rather than the barbarians. As then we'll have the support we need. Like in Rome, we didn't fight Rome, we allowed ourselves to be victims, and that gained the ear of Constantine.
Category: Ministry
The Force and Knowledge
[W]hat corrupted [Anikin] was acting loose with the force. It’s like knowledge, you can corrupt yourself by finding perverted uses for it. Especially when you abandon what’s natural and pure for what’s artificial and coercive.
Like, knowing psychology and sociology you can use it to get what you want, or build up people. Knowing history, you can use it to undermine peace, or establish it. Knowing science you can build perverted pleasures, or use natural methods to foster cleanliness and peace—Also ties into The Lord of the Rings, is the main conflict is raw power and the waste of industry warring with peaceful authority.
That’s why I’m Christian, is Christ establishes peace, as His philosophy is pure.
Interestingly, the Northern King, the main antagonist in Daniel 11 and 12, worships a God of Forces, which may be prophesying that this king believes in the religion of Star Wars.
On Rome and Christianity
{}[T]he people accepted Christianity willingly. It didn't have to get forced, and when Julian the Apostate reinstated Paganism, the people didn't get swayed by it. So, indeed, it is that the people were tired of the Pagan religions, because it brought disorder. You can't force on people your will. People crave stability above all other things, and Christianity gives stability.
[Also], what placed man back 500 years wasn't Christianity, but the fact that Rome became very hedonistic, and people stopped caring about their work, which turned to a loss of skills, which meant they couldn't maintain their roads, aqueducts or armies, or their logistics, and couldn't maintain any discipline--as people loved pleasure--and they lost their resolve.
But, yes, people accepted Christianity willingly. You can't force a population to do anything. And Christians being killed, it grew in popularity, and overtook the government, and when people had the chance to be Pagan again, they didn't take it.
Which is the same thing happening today. Christianity was just a social force, that made their fellow citizen less dangerous. Because people were extremely dangerous, being so idle at that time. Christianity bolstered the population, with a good set of moral values, and set up a framework which would build the States we have today. Which, are collapsing for the same reasons Rome did.
Conversation With a Nietzscheite
[Sin] hurts people. Even when you don't think it does, it makes people selfish and self centered, and cruel, and less able to form healthy relationships. Makes them like Nietzsche, who I still claim is self evidently wrong about everything.
The fact is, people lose their connection with each other when they sin, and it makes people ultimately have a harder time in the society, and it makes people rude, narcissistic, obnoxious, seedy, greedy, malicious, malefactors, rebellious, thieves, liars, adulterers and that leads to suffering.
{}I just think Morals aren't subjective, God's not dead, and that we don't create our own morality, or will ourselves to any power. I also think cruelty and selfishness are not the road to happiness, but rather community, and God's law is. I also think there's concrete laws of nature, that can be observed objectively, and that reality can be described. Because saying otherwise is just foolish, and leads down a bad road. And I think pleasure is a good thing, and pain a bad thing, and beauty is proof of the good, so is love, peace and joy. At least true love, true peace, and true joy. And I think God's law attains the higher pleasures of life, by restricting the lower pleasures but also giving recourse to grace and it beholds people to an ultimate judgment which moderates their behaviors in this life, where as Nietzsche wants the baser pleasures and elements to rule over man, like it did the Greeks.
I'm positive, if pressed you'd believe in a science to Ethics, and that moral sages and philosophers like Mencius, Christ, Moses and many others have found it. Ethics are objective, they don't change. Observing societies that have bad ethics, does not prove ethics aren't universal. It just proves that societies can have bad ethics. In fact, all the moral sages and philosophers have been in agreement for all of human history on what morality is--of which Christ and the God of the Bible had gotten all of it, which is further proof He's the Son of God.
Yes, societies have had bad morals. That's even more reason to need God. Because many societies have been hell on earth, without the God of Righteousness to guide them. And the ones that had the most beneficial systems, all mirrored the Gospel and Christianity, as well as the Old Testament.
Nietzsche's beliefs are inherently cruel and selfish. It's just the fact of what they are, if he elevates the Greek Ethic above the Christian one, that's selfish and cruel. Just about all of Nietzsche's work are about cruelty and selfishness, and abomination, of willing to power, and trying to set yourself up in power dynamics.
The proof of Christianity is the last 500 years, where people actually believed in it, and created stable societies like no other in history. And then the backslide we're taking without it. Sure, there could be a reversal of that, and some weird Theonomy gets created, but the ethics of Christianity are a science, and universal across all cultures. You can't argue with Jesus. Simply put, His morals would be the highest pleasure and lowest pain. Which is the objective standard, as there's pleasures that far exceed fleshly kinds, such as peace, love and joy, which the LORD Fosters in His law, and that Law is self evident by the effects it produces in people's hearts.
Nuanced in this, is Christ rebelled against the religious authorities for being too rigid in their dogma, too. You have to confront Christ, not Christendom. That will radically change your ability to navigate it.
And science isn't proving God doesn't exist, but quite the opposite, all science is pointing in the direction of the God of the Bible.
I mean, take the Canaanites. Why would a loving God command people to kill them? There's your answer, that maybe they were just too far gone? You understand? They were not innocent at all, and had they lived, we'd be living in hell already.
[I]t's good that God holds the sword, and ultimately holds you and I accountable. The Canaanites were rapists, pedophiles, child murderers, plain murderers, practiced all forms of sodomy... God was just i[n] holding them accountable through the Jews.
Yes, I do deserve to die, but Christ forgave me. As He'll forgive you, but those laws toward the Canaanites apply to both of us, that if we do not repent, He'll return with a sword one day. As He says, "I came not to bring peace, but the sword."
But ultimately, Nietzsche was very cruel. And I see his philosophy over you, that I understand him enough to know what he's saying. He wants a competing moral system, one derived from adventure and prowess, and doing what's needed in the moment.
But generally, I think you don't care to understand what I'm saying. I'm well aware of what Nietzsche is saying--even your quotation about nature hints at it, which is the dominion of the strong--but generally, there's something sociopathic about Nietzsche's philosophy, that Christianity is superior to, and has proven itself time and time again.
People who ultimately confront Nietzsche, come away with a set of false values--of which you demonstrated, by saying ethics aren't universal--when in fact they certainly are. And Muslims have good laws... don't get me wrong, I highly respect Islam as a moral framework, as I do Hinduism or Confucianism, but Christianity is far superior. I'd much rather prefer living under a Muslim world, than a Nietzschean world. As you critiqued the Stoics, but not the Greek religion, which Nietzsche certainly elevated, primarily for its Theseus like qualities. As I'd think Theseus would be a model of Nietzsche's ethics, would he not?
And frankly, scripture gives us Joseph, not Theseus, not Hercules, but rather compassionate characters who are in a sense not world grabbers, just noble herdsman, as the Slave Morality is actually more prosperous than the Master Morality.
As the Roman virtue of power isn't a very noble one. And even in the historians, and the poets, you see the effect of piety on the people. Which has its purely accidental forms that create prosperity no matter who does it. But, you add to that the power of God, and yes the Sword too--you need God to discern when to use it--then you understand the fact that Jesus is superior.
And also don't make veiled threats agaInst me, friend. I recognize I'm not perfect, but I'm not a canaanite. We can disagree, but you don't need to hate me. I'm not hurting you, by having this discussion, but you should use me as a metric that you can be forgiven too. I did everything as a youth, and nothing in adulthood, and even if I did, there deserves to be a second chance. But hasn't been any of those Canaanites for millennia. Like a society of Ted Bundy or Charles Manson would be the Canaanites. You don't understand it, obviously, because you've never read up on history, how awful people can become. You do sometimes need the sword to bring justice, and cause righteousness to flourish, but it's on God's discretion when that happens, and not man's.
Like, "Only have eyes for their social equals," like that's kind of wrong, and prideful. Do you have eyes for me? That I'm your social equal? Because my equal is the homeless man on the street corner, emaciated and begging for a dollar bill, and a car passes by and throws a twenty out the window, just to watch him crawl for it in traffic. Or it's the untouchable whose smell gets in my car for ten minutes, because she hasn't had a bath for months. My equal is the man lowered down by a basket, when a whole town was seeking to kill him. Certainly, I'm not your equal, but your inferior in everything. So, according to Nietzsche, you shouldn't even be humoring me. Yet you do, so why?
And I've read just enough of Nietzsche and dealt with his disciples enough, to know I want nothing to do with him. He's deeply depraved, and doesn't know what he's talking about. Just about every word he makes is a false statement, riddled with abusive narcissism and veiled egoism. I personally despise the man's philosophy, and see why it inspired a holocaust. The Bible, the wars it inspired were just. It's just good versus evil at a point, and Nietzsche even knows he's evil, by calling himself the antichrist. It's fitting, because that philosophy has nothing kind or right about it. It's good for a sociopath, and making yourself a villain. Not much more. I've also met enough true Christians to know who I prefer the company of, and would trust.
On Martin Luther
I personally see a man afflicted by parental disappointment, who grew sociopathic under the stress of a conscience worn down by grief. The Gospel does say we are saved by faith--for our own righteousness cannot suffice--but Luther and all protestantism with him abandoned the holy command of love. Which love makes a covering for sin.
My Faith
"Everyone that is of truth, listens to Me." - Jesus.
My mom has no faith, and my dad has a very lackadaisical faith. God is my Father. Mom and Dad are good people, but my faith comes directly from a desire to be righteous, and only Christ teaches it.
I'd say my dad first ministered the Gospel to me, but he's not very knowledgeable of Christ's teachings. I remember him teaching Revelation to my Sunday School class, he did his best, but he never was a Bible Scholar. Nobody in that church was, which is why I made so many mistakes and was such a fool at a young age. Like my Pastor wasn't even that knowledgeable, and thought the faith derived from Zoroastrianism--that as the good pastor, the other was a feminist, and my one Sunday School teacher tried to teach me how to save the world, and ignore the Bible. I don't need to save the world. Christ already did: I should have learned Paul instead of Al Gore.
My Conversion Story
Well, it all started when I was young. I believed in Santa Claus really hard—not being sardonic, this will go somewhere, so stick with it—and I got into a fight with another student at school because I believed in him. And my mom wasn’t very religious, so I guess I was brought up in American Paganism—I believed in Tooth Fairies, Easter Bunnies, Leprechauns, George Washington and the Cherry Tree, Abraham Lincoln Never Told a Lie, Santa Claus and Unquestioning Patriotism. Well, they had to tell me that Santa wasn’t real, and I really believed in it. It gave me such an optimistic view on life, how there was magic and all this other stuff. I lived in such a magical world until about eight years old. And that was a heart break, when I was sitting on the stoop of my stairs and listening to my dad tell me these things weren’t real. But, then I asked, “Is God real?” And my dad said, “Yes, and if you don’t believe in Him, you won’t go to heaven.” And my dad told me about Jesus. He told me that I had to love God above all other things, and that conflicted with my values, because my mom told me that you could love your family more than God. So, I was quite conflicted there. I had the Sunday School and all that other stuff, and learned “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” And I also had an illustrated children’s Bible, which I read. It was called “The Beginner’s Bible: TImeless Children’s Classics.” And I also learned about tall tales and legends.
So, I didn’t really believe, and I kind of was a warped little brat. I did a lot of messed up things between the ages of 8 and 15, and so the next step was Vacation Bible School and Sunday School lessons, where they taught me Jesus’ Parables, and the Sermon on the Mount. And I knew I liked Jesus. That much was certain, Jesus was the best story teller, and had the best morals, so I liked Him a lot. I think that’s generally why I’m a Christian to this day, is Jesus and His Sermon on the Mount. They reinforced in Church, “Build your foundation upon the rock.” So I did. I think that’s what saved me, more than anything else, was walking with Jesus at that time, and listening to Him above all others. And really laying the groundwork for the true principles of the faith. I was still a bratty, snot nosed little kid… but I liked Jesus.
Then I went to Youth Group, around 15 or 16, and had a really positive experience. We played, it gave me a good friend’s group, which taught me how to socialize. My older cousin was the leader of the group, and was an excellent organizer. And I went to the beach, and had a BLAST. And someone did that Ray Comfort thing with me, and so I believed a little more, but not quite.
Then around 17 or 18 I was messing around with my ex girlfriend, but was hungry for a better morality, as backtrack, I knew a lot of Atheists—more than Christian—and even my adult sunday school teachers weren’t really Christian, but were kind of looking for a social club. And backtrack a little more, I was at catechism, and they had to bring in a older Pastor to do my Catechism, because I wanted the true faith, not the “God is Santa Claus” thing that most churches were doing. And so, backtrack a little more, I actually prayed to God to get Saturday Morning detention if I skipped class—which was not the usual punishment—and I got Saturday Morning Detention… God’s disciplined me my whole life, and I’m thankful for that, but that gets to a little further down the line. But around 17 and 18 I was getting tired of my licentious ways, and was craving for a better way. My Ex’s family were kind of a little cold, and so was she, and I craved for the love of Jesus. And my friends also were kind of cold, and a little backward in their thinking, and I grew up my whole life hearing the other philosophy—the Atheist philosophy—and I just didn’t like it. I didn’t like the idea that truth is subjective, or morals are a choice, or the fact that love was disposable and kind of like nitre, just something chemical that when it ran out, so did you.
And then I did something very bad, and I was confronted with my need for a Savior, and then confronted again at a little older age, and realized even more I needed a savior. Like in the Bathtub I was crying out to the LORD to save me. I recognized I was a sinner. So, I stopped Masterbating, Watching Porn, Cussing, Blaspheming, and I actually shut off my phone from being able to look at the internet. And on that time, I kind of swung into a Hebrew Roots movement, and followed the Torah’s law—which was a huge mistake, I just went from licentiousness to Judaizing—and I went to jail for confessing crimes I committed at 14, and while there the Chaplain told me to read Galatians. So I did, and I realized I didn’t have to follow the Torah anymore—although I hadn’t been following it for a while, it was more like a fast.
Before that, I went to about 7 churches, and heard a lot of sermons on the Radio, and studied the evidence for scripture, read the major Evangelists, had good sunday school at a Baptist church, and a grounded teaching in the Old Testament. And I searched out the evidence for the Bible, and I found it all true. At least I’m satisfied that it’s true.
But, generally, the reason I’m a Christian, and what converted me, was the Lawlessness of friends who thought there was no right or wrong, and just being around them I saw something ugly, and it was transforming me and I didn’t like it. So, I wanted Jesus to make me a better person than what I was, so I asked Him to transform me, and I’ve searched for Him and found Him faithful in all things.
Song of Songs
Song of Songs. Yes, dating is biblical. There's no boundary on true love. In fact, Solomon, taking the woman into his harem, is kind of made to be the bad guy, stealing from the shepherd his true love, which the Shepherd has to win back like a stag jousting for his doe. The Shepherd and Shulamite even go out into the fields to make love, as she escapes the harem at night. Pretty sultry stuff... and romantic.
The point being, when it's real you know, and nothing's going to stop you from being with that person, even a whole king and his court.
Which is also why the Psalmist says, "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready!" because the passion is hot, and if it's stirred for the wrong person, can be heartbreaking. So guard yourself, too, from falling in love, unless absolutely right.
Solomon loves her for her body, but the Shepherd for her soul. That's important, too. That's why the Shepherd fights, and beats him. As if there were no passion stirred, a man cannot fight for his suitor, because A: she doesn't want him and B: he doesn't love her.
The Book of Enoch
Enoch is not Scripture. It's not even Apocrypha. It seems kind of cultish, actually, like a Book of Mormon and Koran. I hope nobody {}lays it as [a] foundation, as it's not pure, but rather empty and kind of evil. I've known many people ruined by it. It's not good teaching, but is a cult text. If you want other books to study, try the Apostolic Fathers or the Old Testament Apocrypha. Or Martyr's Mirror by Thielman Van Braght. None of that is scripture, but it's better teaching than Enoch, which is completely void.
The White Rider
He came with God's perfect law
And left the whole world stunned.
He came, and dazzled, and grew to all
A man who was God's bastard son.
Beelzebub, a Satyr red,
In hoofed haunches stormed
He, like Emperor of Rome, it seemed
Made play like he was stormed.
Their two armies did collide
And piles were the bodies made.
One man with an old, old story
Was wise to them, and was a saint.
He saw the White Rider with his reel
Take his hordes through the country gate---
Two great bastions of that Roman World
Would do battle, and many men's a mortal fate.
For neither to the left or right
Is what Christ had told us that day.
Do not fall from the narrow road
And enter through the wicket gate.