Well, you'd have to read a lot of history. It alters the psychological state of the social organism, and causes a lot of corruption. The 13th Century Collapse into the Dark Ages, was preceded and probably caused by it and infidelity. So was the Roman Hedonism and the culture developed there.
There's been lots of stable societies that accepted LGBT, but none of them were necessarily just societies. They didn't promote human flourishing, but rather just the opposite. Because, again, it is aberrant human behavior. Unlike the animals, people understand right from wrong. And usually, what causes a lot of social unrest, frustration--which is the cause of mass movements and war--is usually rooted in the first principles of the Libido, and it is caused by frustrating the libidinal output. That's just how human psychology works.
To simplify that, humans usually become Homosexual when there's increased frustration, usually due to unfulfilled desires and the society being unable to fulfill them for whatever reason. And that leads to more frustration, which catalyzes a culture into rampant corruption, and it also leads---kind of miraculously at that--to disease. And it also causes war.
That's just history. From Japan, to China, to the Americas---you can study the American tribes, and how awful they were---it's just not good for people. That's also why Christianity is so persuasive because it aligns with the human moral nature better than any other religion.
Also, in a very Confucian way of thinking, it leads to silly conversations, which proceed to bad governance, as it's doubtful whether humans are naturally disposed to do that, any more than they are cannibalism or incest. As animals do both of those things. So, generally, there is a moral absolute people naturally are disposed to, given that we're genetically hardwired to know right from wrong--that's been described by thousands of sages--that behavior being one of the things that causes a disturbance in the human social organism. It can last a long time, but typically the governments get so corrupt and horrible that they're literally legalizing every crime imaginable, and no one can have any peace.
Category: Ministry
On Familiar Spirits
[A[ familiar spirit [is when you commune with the dead], and there is something wrong with that. But, sometimes it comes from faith, when it's an angel. But, you're not to communicate with the dead. That's a big no no. It's a form of idolatry. Most likely, because if the person is not in hell, you're communicating with an angel, and they can do nothing for you, save God will it. So, it's not something you should do. Though, angels do speak to the living---they call that a conscience. But that's holy guidance, and should be superseded by the Spirit. But so do demons; those are called intrusive thoughts or temptations. As Elijah had to be still, and hear the still small voice.
The Evolution of Faith
The Jews weren’t wrong, until they rejected Christ. They had the true religion, just like Abraham’s faith was true, before there were the Jews. And the Torah was not established until 1300BC, so before that, another religion—the religion of the Patriarchs—was correct. Just like when Christ shed His blood, the atonement switched from the Lamb to the Lamb of God Who is Christ.
The faith evolves, with more and more revelation of Who God is. In the time of Job, when Behemoth walked the Earth, there wasn’t much knowledge, but the faith was handed down by the Patriarchs. Then Abraham found God, and worshipped only Him, and established law in Mesopotamia. And His seed bore the Covenant, and the Jews were given the Law, so that only one people knew the God of all, but they transgressed, so Christ came and fulfilled it unto death and resurrected so the whole world could have true life.
Why Hell?
Well think about it this way, the only way you could have eternal life, is if you had Christ’s mind and righteousness. So, inherently, how are you going to receive that? Unless you choose to have it? Because human minds are fallible, and full of sin and doubt, and also nasty thoughts. Just think about all the nasty thoughts you have, and your anxieties on a daily basis. You don’t want that in heaven? So, you’re basically asking Christ to give you His body and His mind, with your Soul, and His Spirit, so you cannot sin, and therefore, will have everlasting peace.
Without it, even if you lived on Earth for eternity, it’d pretty much be hell. Because life without God’s peace is hell. So the more you drift away from Christ, the more like hell your life becomes. It’s not that “God doesn’t love sinners”, it’s that you have to choose God and His mercy, to avoid the wrath, by saying “I’m not good enough to be in heaven.” Because you’re not. You need Christ’s righteousness to live eternally, and be able to fully have pleasure and not sin. You also have to recognize you’re not perfect, and accept Christ’s Lordship in your life, as that’s the only way to receive mercy, is to accept God’s grace, and live with full understanding that you’re not worthy. As only that will produce the kinds of fruits necessary to gain access to the Kingdom.
On Eternal Life in This World in This Body, Even with Eternal Youth
[T]his world would get so boring, and it's already hellish enough. Imagine never dying, and having to witness war after war, siege after siege, disease after disease, see people grow corrupt, destroy an entire civilization, and then rebuild it, and once it got things just right, it gets corrupt again and falls apart. Or then someone gets the idea to put you into prison, because you're in the wrong country at the wrong time. I mean, even if the woman you loved were immortal too---and you two had the most passionate romance ever---it'd grow dim. Unless we ourselves were empowered by Christ's Holy Mind, we'd never be able to accomplish it. Which is another reason we need Christ to go to heaven. As eternity in our flesh minds and living in this world would be the utmost worst possible thing we could ever have done to us. It'd be even worse than Hell.
On Making an End to Lust
Just ask Jesus to take it out of you. And keep asking until He does. If you need to, what helped me was blocking my access to my phone's internet. But then don't establish patterns on your computer, otherwise you'll have to get rid of that, too. Just cry out to Him to purify you. It'll work.
Also, don't feel guilty about whatever dreams will come your way. All the saints go through that. Lewis, Augustine, Bunyan... if you built up patterns of lust, it'll come out in your dreamspace. It's unpleasant, but it's how it has to be. Don't be worried about stuff like "Succubi" or whatever. Literally, all the Saints had nightmares as that was the only place Satan could get to them. Just get up, wash, and stay out of battle until nightfall. Peace.
Contrast Between Buddhism and Christianity
Buddhism is about removing desire, and causing yourself to not cause yourself or others suffering. It’s about “Empathy”. It’s about how your mind is not capable of understanding the outside world, and therefore, you are “Fire” as the famous sermon by Siddhartha goes. Everything is “Fire”, all things are rooted in your perception of them, including pain, relationships, joys. All things are tied back to your own perception and mental processes. It also has no belief about the afterlife, but rather views life as a cycle of reincarnations.
Christianity is about fulfilling your desire through seeking the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s about understanding the world’s suffering is arbitrary, and uncontrollable. That being good, you almost will have to suffer, but then you’re to find strength in God’s power and mercy, and joy in His Holy Covenant. It’s about accepting the outside world, and using faith to move “Mountains”, as in, accept reality for what it is, and shape your place in it by having the faith to endure and rely on God’s provision for your joy. It believes in reality… where Buddhism is focused on the interior world, Christianity is solely focused on the exterior world and your place in it. Its moral philosophy is strict, and prudent, and not about “Empathy” only, but also about repentance and turning away from sin; so Christianity is about discipline, so one has the tools to later find joy, and enter into the kingdom and not have sorrows. And of course Christianity centers around Heaven, and entering into the Kingdom.
On He Gets Us
He Gets Us is actually a very good ministry. It's not proclaiming Universalism, but mercy. If you see a Transgender with gauges six inches wide, a septum piercing, and spiked hair, your first inclination shouldn't be disgust. You should have mercy on such an individual. True, it's a sin... but remember the Gospel went to Prostitutes and Tax Collectors, so it also goes out to Transgenders and Feminists. As the LORD said in the Psalms, "I desired mercy, not sacrifice." Surely, when you get them into the church, they need to know right standard, and follow sound doctrine. But, even then, you have to guide them with patience, and not with a rod.
Pastors are way too judgmental, or they are way too accepting. Christ walked the narrow road, and was gentle with sinners, but was strict with Pharisees and Sadducees {Evangelicals and Progressives today}. I also think Christ wasn't a prude, in that He drank wine, did cuss once, and wasn't someone limited by a schedule and a heavy work load. So, you have to wrestle with the true Christ, but I'm going to say He Gets Us is true, and that's why it's so lacking with actual support from anywhere. Just like Christ, it was hated by everyone in the contemporary world.
On Frustration
[R]esolve to know Christ. Don't be indifferent to Christ. Pray all day, every day, meditate on His Word and commune with Him. No matter what, when you feel depressed, take a walk through a forest or desert--wherever, just like Jesus--and pray. You'll be invigorated. Tell God you're angry with Him, but don't let your heart be bitter, and ask Him for peace and love and to not be angry. Prepare to die for the love of your brother, and hope for his wellbeing and satisfaction more than your own. God will provide what's necessary for your fruit. As He wants love and peace, not style and cunning, developed in your personality. Every anxiety, go to the LORD. No matter how hard, go to Him, make known your true thoughts, and develop the fruits of righteousness. God cares more about that than your success. He'll give you whatever you need for righteousness, but prepare to suffer long for the hope of good and ripe fruit.
Do not worry. Ask God for heavenly treasures. And you will soon be freed from this world's burdens. You won't long for death, nor will you despair, but you'll have hope which is commanded.
Understanding the Language of the Ancients
People didn't really read back then like they do now. Like, everything wasn't precise, but rather worked through contextualized rather than denotative meaning and structure. Like, there'd be no people telling one another to define what a word means, and then sticking to that definition. People understood things through their relation.
A good example is Socrates talking to Euthyphro. Like, a lot of people misinterpret it, saying that Socrates is looking for a precise definition, when in fact, Socrates is not questioning his definition, but the ethical dilemma of testifying against your father, and thinking such a thing is Pious. The fact is, Piety is already understood by the audience--just like the notion of Good in Phaedo--and it's not what's being defined, but rather the impiety of thinking you have to destroy your father for nothing.
Socrates was not a Nihilist, and we tend to actually ascribe the methods of the Sophists when trying to understand the Greeks. And so with everything else. A lexicon in these days would be so rare, and it would only be understood in the most loose ways. Not something defined so precisely it becomes useless.
This is found in all strains of Philosophical understanding, from Lao Tsu and Confucius, to the Founding Fathers, to even men like Christ and Plato. The issue was always an assumption of "The Way" not baseless skepticism into it, through rigid empiricism, which is something new.