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Virgil

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Posts posted by Virgil

  1. Need more motivation for bible-reading.

     

    Can someone enlighten me?

    To Quote the hymn Amazing Grace, "the Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures"; or to put it in a rather blunt way... A Christian who does not read the Bible ( or pray much as well), is like the man who decides to go without food or water. If you think I'm being overzealous, the testimony of Scripture will tell you the same ( Psalm 1 for example), as well as experience of myself and others.

    And if that leaves you unconvinced, my Grandfather is on his death bed, and one of the main things that has kept me going through the vigils and utter turmoil; is the testimony of Scripture and being under the preaching of it.

    Simply put, if you don't crack open a Bible now, spending time learning about the Almighty revealed in Scripture; in the day of trial you will either abandon the faith entirely or the trial itself may well destroy you. And I speak with the utmost honesty here.

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  2. @@Steel Accord, Thank you very much for clarifying your position on that. I remember you mentioning in a post somewhere at some point that you identified yourself as... I think it was 'Gnostic Catholic' if I remember correctly. Which from a historical perspective don't really go together. So if I was remembering that right. I'm assuming you are using the term 'Gnostic' in different way than is typically used? (Otherwise you would have given Spoon and I very different answers.)

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  3. @@Steel Accord, You make me sound like I'm grading a paper. I do give you credit for talking about Christ's humanity ( I would disagree on the 'why' Jesus was afraid; e.g. the crucifixion in and of itself would be nothing compared to a just God's wrath upon Sin after all). But I'm simply asking for a clarification on your position. If someone were to ask me a detailed view of my position on such matters, I would readily provide a link to a statement of Faith or Confession (in my case the London Baptist Confession of 1689 to be precise). If we were discussing educational policies, would it be wrong of me to ask how you felt about private schools and if any assistance should be given to them?

     

    We are having a civil discussion after all, and sometimes major disagreements are inevitable. But such can only take place if one is willing to state ones position.

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  4. @@Steel Accord, If you don't mind me asking, you take different stances on things than I normally encounter ( but you've described yourself as 'Unorthodox' so maybe you'll forgive my curiosity); but what is your stance on Christ's becoming human while maintaining his deity ( the whole 100% God 100% Man topic of the Incarnation) and for what reason he died precisely in your view?

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  5. I like leaving things to those far wiser than myself; so I will leave the Westminster Shorter Catechism here with Scripture proofs and then some words from the Danish Gadfly:

     

    "Man's chief end is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), and to enjoy him for ever (Ps. 73:25-26)."

     

    “The matter is quite simple. The bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.” Soren Kierkegaard

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  6. I have an honest question.

     

    Is it wrong if a Christian is social and happy with everyone else, but ignores someone in depression? I'm just curious as to whether or not you guys think God likes that :(

    Well, my initial thinking would be that Christians are to be a comfort to those who mourn or are suffering, as much as one is able. And upon do a quick search of Holy Scripture, God says through the pen of the Apostle Paul:

     

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. ( 2 Corinthians 1:3-7  ESV italics mine)

     

    So based upon that right, which I found rather quickly; I would consider it part of what Christians are supposed to do, since God comforts us. This would seem to be the clear teaching expressed here.

     

    And as an aside; I must once again give thanks to Christ for dying on the cross for wretches like me, as I have discussed something I fail at quite regularly.

  7. Anypony else see the atheist thread pop up and have the word "atheist" all in caps?

     

    I'm obviously not going to partake. I have a rule, if you have no stake in the title, you have no stake in the thread. (e.g. I wouldn't post in a thread asking how females feel about an issue because I'm not one.)

     

    Does anypony else get the feeling the caps was meant to evoke shouting or anger? Maybe I'm just being paranoid, and would be happy if that's the case and it's just meant to grab attention. Still, the idea of fellow bronies being angry simply at the presence of this thread makes me sad. It's not a competition or anything after all.

    To be blunt, if the all caps thread is somehow out of anger because of this thread. That says two things: 1. An insecurity in one's own beliefs. 2. They should avoid the Internet in general. Personally, I probably disagree with 90% of the positions people have on this site alone, but like an adult I accept that fact, and move on. If one can't dialogue with people who will fundamentaly disagree with your belief system because they hurt your feelings by simply having certain views (if someone was being uncivil that's another matter), the public forum in general is not for you.

     

    If people can't have a meaningful dialogue about an issue, society will get nowhere. In fact it will decay, in my opinion.

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  8. @, For times as this when we are deeply suffering, God made the Lament Psalms:

    Psalm 42
                   1      As the deer pants for the water brooks,
             So my soul pants for You, O God.
                   2      My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
             When shall I come and appear before God?
                   3      My tears have been my food day and night,
             While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
                   4      These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
             For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,
             With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

                   5      Why are you in despair, O my soul?
             And why have you become disturbed within me?
             Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
             For the help of His presence.
                   6      O my God, my soul is in despair within me;
             Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
             And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
                   7      Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
             All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
                   8      The LORD will command His loving kindness in the daytime;
             And His song will be with me in the night,
             A prayer to the God of my life.

                   9      I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
             Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
                   10      As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
             While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
                   11      Why are you in despair, O my soul?
             And why have you become disturbed within me?
             Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
             The help of my countenance and my God.

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  9. They are Punkish as with the bands that are called 'Punk' bands today, and there first album could be described as such; but Punk 'Proper', really only existed in from 1977-1980 roughly. This is because it was a reaction against the excesses of 70's stadium rock, in much the same way Grunge was a reaction to the excesses of 80's hair metal ( I can count on my fingers the 80's bands I like; so thank Heaven for Grunge bands). Both are also quite Nihilistic in outlook. Punk in terms of musical style... the album title "Never Mind the Bollocks", is an apt description; songs should generally be no longer than 3 minutes, all you should have is one very distorted and furious guitar, bass, fast drums, and one very ticked off guy screaming at you as the vocalist.

    Also, the irony about why it was so different and the reason Punk didn't last long is that both in form and essence it is Anarchistic:

    ( Exhibit A )

    (It's in the title for that one :P ... moving on to exhibit B )

     

    Trouble is that that "play it fast, furious, and give everyone the finger" is not sustainable for very long, you either get bored and quit for a good while, or you get more consumerist friendly and pop sounding as the years drag on ( much like a Che Guevara T-Shirt ). And back to Green Day.... compare 'American Idiot' with songs like 'God Save The Queen' (That song got banned... that's Punk ) or 'London Calling', and I rest my case.

     

    Ironically this was brought to you by a major Heavy Metal fan.... if you don't see the irony, please consult the textbook on rock history by Jack Black Ph.D , published by Yale University :comeatus: .

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