[ / / / / / / / / / / / / / ] [ dir / arepa / fascist / flutter / hkpol / hypno / litpat / vg / vichan ]

/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Email
Comment *
File
Password (Randomized for file and post deletion; you may also set your own.)
* = required field[▶ Show post options & limits]
Confused? See the FAQ.
Embed
(replaces files and can be used instead)
Options

Allowed file types:jpg, jpeg, gif, png, webm, mp4, pdf
Max filesize is 16 MB.
Max image dimensions are 15000 x 15000.
You may upload 5 per post.


The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

File: 7381dde8faf1790⋯.png (1.26 MB, 1440x810, 16:9, 738.png)

974598 No.665759

I come to you all after a bout of mental relapse that made me dawn on the worth, or lack thereof, of my life. I mostly play videogames, but halfway through a game, a thought dawned on me and I broke out in a cold sweat; I contribute nothing to this world in a meaningful way, and no one will mourn my passing. It may be due to me being solitary, or that I have nothing to work towards or look forward to, but I am not even past the third-decade mark and I believe to be having a mid-life crises. I know not if religion is my answer, but to be truthful, I was agnostic up until the moment of realization. I know not if I want to have a significant other or a child, either, but in this moment of clarity, I want to gain some sort of starting point to correct my path.

To clarify a few things: I took Sunday school, but only because I had to. As far as I can remember, I was an atheist and then an agnostic, because I realized that 'whether He exists or not does not depend on I believe or what others says.' That was a quote from New Vegas, and it really made me think deep about it. I think about life objectively, and since faith is purely belief, I could not see myself reconciling easily. I was baptized during that period, so whether it still holds I am not sure.

Finally, I have rarely gone to church or prayed, and I want to start again. I see a prayer thread, but I took a religious class once and came away from it with a different perspective that religion is more than faith, that it is based on helping other through specific guidelines. Because there were multiple books and multiple offshoots of Christianity though, I was not sure which one was the 'right' one and gave up thinking any more of it.

If you think me desperate, I am. I am at a loss for what to do with my life and want to find something to fill that void.

fc1c08 No.665772

Religion is always the answer, also it's not that much of a problem that you're solitary. Plenty of people in the past left society to dedicate their lives to being in contact with God and they achieved the one thing that really matters - eternal happiness and true purpose. If you want to know about the faith then just read the Bible, start with the New Testament it's a quick read so you have no excuse not to.


6ea813 No.665830

File: 18c9fe17fe8dfb5⋯.jpg (541.8 KB, 1725x1253, 1725:1253, The_Resurrection_of_Christ.jpg)

This >>665772 , read the NT.

Then you can read some Church history and Church Fathers. For now you need to focus on the basics.

God bless you OP.


4fb8cf No.665844

God exists, and you can prove it. Someone else will have the image if you want to see the simplified version of the proof.

God came to earth as a man, died, and rose from the dead to prove he was God. Eyewitnesses wrote down what they saw and heard from him. This is more certain in terms of existing historical evidence than anything else from ancient history.

All of the above is based only on pure human reason.

FAITH comes in ONLY after you have understood that it's true that God, having come to earth and directly conversed with men, actually taught us certain things that we couldn't have known on our own. Faith is the personal belief in what God has said, on the basis that (1) God wouldn't make a mistake, and (2) God wouldn't lie to us.

Faith, in other words, is entirely reasonable. It is a legitimate means of certain knowledge. The difference is that in the case of faith, our means of knowledge is PERSONAL TRUST in a totally trustworthy person, namely God.

The purpose of your life was given to you by God, who is your creator. That purpose is to love God forever with a perfect love. By doing that, you share in the nature of God, who is himself Love, and thereby like God become capable of living eternally in perfect happiness. This state of being perfectly loving, and therefore perfectly happy, is called heaven.

Why does God ask that you love God? Because love is infinite, and only God is also infinite. You can't love a finite object with an infinite love. God is the only possible object of an infinite love. And an infinite love is the only kind of love that could constitute a perfect happiness in heaven, which never ends. It's the only kind of love that allows you to share in God's nature, which is itself an infinite love.

In fact, the infinite love that you will obtain in heaven will be God Himself, living within you, allowing you to share in his nature, giving you eternal life, and constituting your perfect happiness.

To do everything necessary to obtain that goal, as I say, is your purpose in this life. It's only natural that, having been made for this goal by your creator and yet forsaking it for video games, you would begin to feel a void within.


4fb8cf No.665848

Also, baptism is for life. If you were baptized validly, no one and nothing can ever take that away from you.

Valid baptism is done with water, and uses the words "I BAPTIZE YOU IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT". "Holy Ghost" is also acceptable in English. If you were baptized in water with these words, it is almost certain that your baptism was valid.


27870f No.666133

>>665848

And to go further anyone may baptize as long as it was done in good faith and the trinity was said. The church understood you may not always have a priest on hand and since baptism was so important this was allowed.


974598 No.666282

>>665848

>>666133

Even if at that point I proclaimed myself an Atheist, God would accept the baptism as true? At the point in time, I was slightly rebellious, so I am not sure how much of it was me being foolish, but I know I proclaimed Atheism before.

And if I may ask another two, potentially foolish questions; is there a particular sect that is considered 'right' on this board? I know of the different sects, but in my daily life, I think with the hard logic of 'if-this-than-that,' meaning I followed a line of thinking that would not differentiate. I'm diagnosed mentally impaired in some ways, so whenever faith is involved I have a very hard time thinking about how to interpret what, and with both different bibles and different sects, I get overwhelmed very quickly.

Last question I have sounds childish, but I must ask for the sake of my hobby. I mostly play videogames, and while I strongly believe that videogames themselves are without sin, I can't help but wonder if certain games or, potentially, the amount of time I play could be considered problematic in how God would want me to act. What I mean to ask is, does the lord mind videogames, and if not, what would be considered a good time to stop and do something productive or worthy of God?

(Also, I'm going to make a leap of logic and assume /v/ is full of sin? I like /v/ for how chaotic it can be but I'm second guessing myself a lot lately.)


b6e80d No.666296

YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.

>>665759

>The Where Did the Bible Come From? Collection by Michael Voris, Dr Martin Brenner, David Legacy

>More than a carpenter by Josh Mcdowell, Sean Mcdowell

These 2 in order to understand that Jesus is real and not some kind of fairy tale or philosophy made to control the masses.

>It may be due to me being solitary

Get used to that feeling, the world is becoming more and more anti-Christian.

-Read the Bible

-Read what i recommended and also /christian/ books that you see interesting and that can help you improve yourself

-Watch good Christian youtubers: Church Militant, Vigilant Christian, Steven Bancarz, A Call For An Uprising,

-Stay close to /christian/

>link related, someone who found Jesus even if the odds were close to 0


6ea813 No.666423

File: e15a1c92bd01098⋯.png (9.22 MB, 3000x1501, 3000:1501, e15a1c92bd0109828a02ffdf25….png)

>>666282

>Even if at that point I proclaimed myself an Atheist, God would accept the baptism as true?

You should talk about it with your priest.

>is there a particular sect that is considered 'right' on this board?

Most people here are Catholic or Orthodox.

Remember that Christ has established one Church on this earth and he is one with it. These are the only Churches with apostolic succession that exist since the time of the apostles.

>I can't help but wonder if certain games or, potentially, the amount of time I play could be considered problematic in how God would want me to act.

A video game is a medium. As long the video game you're playing is not causing you to sin, I think you're good. Just don't sink many hours into it as there are better things to do.

>what would be considered a good time to stop and do something productive or worthy of God?

We should always set our focus on God, on our neighbors and lastly on ourselves. In that order.

>I'm going to make a leap of logic and assume /v/ is full of sin?

It's not a very christian place.


974598 No.666734

>>666423

>You should talk about it with your priest.

I was actually wrong, it was the sacraments that I was being childish about. My baptism went smooth as could be.

>Most people here are Catholic or Orthodox.

When I speak to some friends about religious matters, most in my area seem to be Baptist. I know not the differences regarding these religions, and I may study more, but my biggest fear is following the wrong sect of Christianity and thus not properly following His teachings.

>Remember that Christ has established one Church on this earth and he is one with it. These are the only Churches with apostolic succession that exist since the time of the apostles.

Pardon my ignorance, but I am not sure what you're trying to tell me or the significance of it. If I am to find the answers on my own I will do my best to, but I don't know off-hand what you mean.

>A video game is a medium. As long the video game you're playing is not causing you to sin, I think you're good. Just don't sink many hours into it as there are better things to do.

To be honest, most of the reason I play videogames is because I have no other hobbies to speak of. I like to write stories, but I am worried that God would object to the subject matter (not because it is treasonous necessarily, but because it does not portray Him or promote Him, similar to how the Chronicles of Narnia had Aslan the Lion as a representation of Jesus).

I would go to more local places, but I am scared of being even more outcast than I already am. I realize that prayer and worship can be done in solitude, but most of my fears stem from how my actions could reflect on my family, as I live in a small location where everyone knows one another for the most part.

Lastly, I am not sure what games I play could be considered sinful, in regards to context. Are you saying if I myself commit a sin, or if a character representing me commits a sin? For example, if I were to play a game like (as an example, not a game I would normally play) Mortal Kombat, it can be very violent, but I myself am doing no harm to a living soul. I could also play Lord of the Rings Online, or Dungeons & Dragons Online (I'm not really sure if D&D is considered demonic or not, in all honesty) where there is combat, sometimes against human foes, but it is mostly fighting monsters and exploration and interacting with a community. However, if I were to play a game that would cause me to physically commit a sin, that would obviously go against His teachings. I know I am splitting hairs, but videogames are my passion, and I am honestly scared of giving it up.

>We should always set our focus on God, on our neighbors and lastly on ourselves. In that order.

Now this will sound annoying, but I feel I must ask as I am someone who has to go by some sort of guidelines or I may go off the rails, so to speak. When God comes first, I understand what that means; place ones personal interest last, set God first, and your neighbors come before you. However, how do I put focus on God? Is it through prayer, is it through mass, or is it through simply reading a passage of the bible? I am the type of person that will beat my head against the wall until I or the wall gives up, and I don't know what would satisfy Him and what would leave me awake at night wondering if I did enough.

>It's not a very christian place.

I will be honest with you, I think they are decent people, in the same position as me before I came here. I am lucky, as I can support myself without some third party (or I will be able to soon), but some of them gave up entirely on life and /v/ is their sole comfort. I wish not to partake in their sin, but if the discussion is purely videogames and light banter, I'd like to be able to participate, if only to observe and not to post or respond.

I want to thank all of you for responding. It means a lot to me, as I have religious family members who may have fallen out of going to church because of my reliance on them, and I hope to re-dedicate myself.


e09e35 No.666737

>>666734

>my biggest fear is following the wrong sect of Christianity and thus not properly following His teachings

God's word is perfect and preserved for us to read, follow the Bible alone for your doctrine. Make the word of God your final authority, not the traditions of man.


80dfb0 No.667404

>>666734

>My baptism went smooth as could be.

Great, you probably wouldn't get baptized again.

>When I speak to some friends about religious matters, most in my area seem to be Baptist.

You're American, right? The majority of America is protestant as far as I know, and baptists fall in that category. (some of them will meme and say their church was founded by Christ, it's a joke)

>I know not the differences regarding these religions, and I may study more, but my biggest fear is following the wrong sect of Christianity and thus not properly following His teachings.

Don't be afraid, first of all. God loves you no matter what. Even if you would be led astray from his flock (i.e. his Church) he will still love you. But that doesn't mean you should abuse it. Remember that God knows your heart.

Now, what I recommend you to do is to read the Bible, first and foremost. You probably don't need to read it from cover to cover on your first time. Start with the NT, then you can jump back and read the important books of the OT.

After you're (generally) done with reading the Bible, you should do some research on early church history. Read some Church Fathers too.

It's also important to constantly keep on praying. My advise is to set a prayer rule for yourself. Especially morning and evening.

I want to point out another thing, you're going to hear many people like this >>666737 (especially if you live among baptists).

You need to be careful. Do your own reasearch on the heresy of sola scriptura (the scriptures themselves contradict it).

Of course it's not their only heresy but it's the main thing they brag about.

>Pardon my ignorance, but I am not sure what you're trying to tell me or the significance of it.

I'm trying to say that Christ has found a Church, and he is one with it. The Church is the body of Christ. Christ and his Church are like a groom and a bride. They are one, which means that there can be only ONE true Church.

>If I am to find the answers on my own I will do my best to, but I don't know off-hand what you mean.

Just read the Bible for now. It's all scripture.

>To be honest, most of the reason I play videogames is because I have no other hobbies to speak of.

It's fine. You can keep enjoying this hobby, just make sure it's not the center of your life.

>I would go to more local places, but I am scared of being even more outcast than I already am.

You really shouldn't be.

>I realize that prayer and worship can be done in solitude

Correct (except when you go to church)

>but most of my fears stem from how my actions could reflect on my family, as I live in a small location where everyone knows one another for the most part.

I don't know how to help you with this one, sorry anon.

1/2


80dfb0 No.667405

File: cb74be1ed4565c3⋯.jpg (406 KB, 508x756, 127:189, Tanguirea-lui-Iisus.jpg)

>>666734

>Lastly, I am not sure what games I play could be considered sinful, in regards to context.

I think you're making a big deal out of it. Unless a video game you're playing is causing you to sin (e.g. there is some sexual content and it feeds on your lust) then it's fine. Role playing is fine too as long as it's stays fantasy.

>However, if I were to play a game that would cause me to physically commit a sin, that would obviously go against His teachings.

Remember that we can sin in thought.

>but I feel I must ask as I am someone who has to go by some sort of guidelines or I may go off the rails, so to speak.

That's one of the reason the Church exist, and one of the reasons we need a spiritual father.

>When God comes first, I understand what that means; place ones personal interest last, set God first, and your neighbors come before you.

>However, how do I put focus on God?

God should be the center of your life. Everything you do, you do it according to his will.

There's a lot to say regarding this, I think you will understand alone.

>Is it through prayer, is it through mass, or is it through simply reading a passage of the bible?

Yes! But, like I've said, God should be the center of your life. Even when you don't do these things you should always think about him.

>I am the type of person that will beat my head against the wall until I or the wall gives up, and I don't know what would satisfy Him and what would leave me awake at night wondering if I did enough.

Don't. This isn't Judaism, God isn't bureaucratic.

He loves you no matter what. We should all strive to do his will out of love (and not out of fear or self-interest).

>I will be honest with you, I think they are decent people, in the same position as me before I came here.

I'm sure some of them are nice.

>I am lucky, as I can support myself without some third party (or I will be able to soon), but some of them gave up entirely on life and /v/ is their sole comfort.

That's why I said it's not very christian.

>I wish not to partake in their sin, but if the discussion is purely videogames and light banter, I'd like to be able to participate, if only to observe and not to post or respond.

Again, if it's not causing you to sin, it's ok. Just avoid lewd stuff, blasphemy and such.

>I want to thank all of you for responding.

Glory to God for all things!

I wish you the best in your journey to find Christ.

2/2


974598 No.667437

YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.

>>667404

>Great, you probably wouldn't get baptized again.

And what of the sacraments? I had received those as well, though that was in my phase of atheism/agnosticism and I am worried that I had tainted it.

>After you're (generally) done with reading the Bible, you should do some research on early church history. Read some Church Fathers too.

I took a few religion classes outside of Sunday school. I cannot confess to remember it all, but I am aware of at least part of the history.

>I'm trying to say that Christ has found a Church, and he is one with it. The Church is the body of Christ. Christ and his Church are like a groom and a bride. They are one, which means that there can be only ONE true Church.

By church, I am assuming you mean either sect or belief, correct? As in believing only in Roman Catholicism, and not specifically the Vatican the Pope resides in.

>>667405

>Remember that we can sin in thought.

So how would you recommend I keep my thoughts from becoming sinful? I stopped masturbating almost a week ago, but I constantly think of things that make me want to go back to it. I do not act on the urges, but they linger and I cannot seem to shake it.

>Yes! But, like I've said, God should be the center of your life. Even when you don't do these things you should always think about him.

I realize that you mean that God should be the center of many (if not all) things, but when I intensely concentrate on something, such as a task at hand, I put my entire mental capacity into it. Do I still need to put God at the center of that, or must I focus on Him regardless?

>Don't. This isn't Judaism, God isn't bureaucratic.

That leads me to a somewhat self-centered question, and I realize this thought may be sinful but I feel I must ask: Would God want me to donate to Church, if I had the money to do so? I always think of this scene from the Simpsons when I go to church and they move the basket around for donations. I'm not sure what would be considered an acceptable amount.

>He loves you no matter what. We should all strive to do his will out of love (and not out of fear or self-interest).

Is it not self-interest to want to go to Heaven?

I did have two additional questions I had today from speaking with close friends, regarding Christianity. I read a verse today that described how God looks at your Spirit, not at your flesh. It led me to think about how he flood the Earth and that I thought he had done something horrific. I asked my friend that if I disagree with God with my emotions as Flesh, that would be hard for me to change. If I disagree with him in Spirit, that would be impossible to change. If I disagree with the actions of God in cases like this, I fear that will automatically deny me entrance into His kingdom.

My second question is such; if God did not write the bible, but we follow the teachings of Christ, how can we be so certain what is in the bible is truly what God wants? A good friend of mine, who claims he is Roman Catholic, said that although he believes in God and in Jesus, he does not believe that churches that ask for donations are necessarily doing what Christ or God would want, as Christ lived in poverty and God has no need for material things.

I ask this out of frustration of my life and an intense desire to find meaning or purpose. I am sorry if I seem to be asking to dissuade anyone, but I have not felt so worthless in a long time.


75af1e No.667898

>>665759

>begome




[Return][Go to top][Catalog][Nerve Center][Cancer][Post a Reply]
Delete Post [ ]
[]
[ / / / / / / / / / / / / / ] [ dir / arepa / fascist / flutter / hkpol / hypno / litpat / vg / vichan ]