Christian bronies: meet, greet, and mingle!

[Sunwalker 981]

Does anypony besides me find that other religion thread to be disappointing and depressing at time? Just how numerous those that lack faith are? Not even lack, but also have active disdain for it? I wouldn't mind it so much if it wasn't so numerous and was a bit more even.

I have to agree here. Usually it makes me feel bad seeing people talking negative things about faith. From other places on the Internet, and by reading older posts here, it looks for me that the worst period of Internet's militant "New" Atheism (which is what you call anti-theism) was from 2008 to 2011. From that point it started decreasing, as far I can notice, though there are still some.

 

Being loud in as many places of possible is part of the New Atheism movement. My theory is that they need to do that because, unlike Christians, they don't have the Holy Spirit who unites them. This is more than just a physical thing, but rather a spiritual bond. Catholicism call this "communion of saints", it unites the faithful on Earth, Purgatory and Heaven. Notice how you can spread the Christian message even without talking much about it, the reason here is because there are more in action than just you. But atheists don't have such thing, so they have to create a illusion of solidity by being vocal about what they think, or at least this is my theory.

 

But what you said is also depressing in the sense that I feel that lack of faith is ultimately a shallow way to lead life. People are very flexible and can find meaning in many things, but the more I think about the meaning of material things the more shallow I think it is. In a strictly materialistic setting, anything you have or do in bound to be swallowed and erased by the bowels of time. Some people can find some meaning in this, but I think that this meaning is illusory (that is, no more than some chemicals reacting inside your brain). Spiritual things can have much more meaning than that.

 

Anyways, for people who know no bigger meaning, I think that little meaning is infinitely better than no meaning at all. I do think that atheists can be happy and moral, though, and I know many who are. But unbeknownst to them, the source of their own happiness and morals is God himself

 

 

Hey, Every heard Building 429's Single "Impossible"?

No I haven't, but I am quoting your question for signal boosting

 

I don't listen much to music, but when I do, I like Classical Music. I do enjoy some Jazz and Blues sometimes, too .

[Omar 692]

Man, this thread is definitely a bit different than when I last posted here.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

Man, this thread is definitely a bit different than when I last posted here.

 

How so? Good or bad?

 

Also is the "Omar" in reference to the Omar of Deus Ex?

[terrib86 21]

Hi, I am a christian but I do not attend church (being autistic I find social situations awkward unfortunately) not alot of people I find now a days have a faith or believe in God which I think is very sad!

[Steel Accord 6,658]

Hi, I am a christian but I do not attend church (being autistic I find social situations awkward unfortunately) not alot of people I find now a days have a faith or believe in God which I think is very sad!

 

Yeah I know what you mean, but I think there are more believers than it might seem. More people act in faith, than speak it.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Blue

[Omar 692]

How so? Good or bad?

 

Also is the "Omar" in reference to the Omar of Deus Ex?

Oh just seems like there's much more discussion in this thread. Nothing bad, just an observation. It is probably a good thing.

 

Nope, Omar is just a name that I use. I don't think I've ever heard of this Omar from Deus Ex (I'm not sure if I've ever heard of Deus Ex either).

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

Found an interesting thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkHfWezUAak

John Polkinghorne was both an Anglican Priest, a Theologian and a Quantum Theoretical Physicist in his heyday, and now writes books about the relationship between science and religion.

 

I'm not sure I agree with his view on providence, but it is an extremely interesting question.

 

It is an indeed an interesting question, and one for which we're necessarily circumscribed in answering due to our circumstances, as Polkinghorne points out.

 

I sense Polkinghorne is hedging on two points, however. First, the distinction between immanent and economic Trinity (that is, God working within and externally). When Polkinghorne describes God's knowledge -- or foreknowledge -- as hinging on the nature of or operations of the created world, there's subtle slippage of the economic Trinity back into the internal relations of the Triune God. Although Polkinghorne touches upon the self-condescension of God in the act of creation and then through the Incarnation of Christ, I fear he's placing creation in a position where it may limit who God is and how He freely chooses to act.

 

However, as per Augustine and Aquinas, there are certain things God cannot do which do not undermine His omnipotence or omniscience, such as committing evil or violating covenant. And those are reflective of God's perfect state rather than weaknesses as we would term them. I'm not of the mind, though, that Polkinghorne was following the trail of that particular argument.

 

Second point is eschatology. Frankly speaking, most Christians pay lip service to the end of the world because the hour has not yet come. But eschatology is a reminder that among other things God has set a time for the restoration of creation. Polkinghorne moves in that direction by referring to creation as "becoming" -- but the end of time and renewal of creation will not be finished by our efforts. Nevertheless, God has called us to make covenant with Him through Christ. So God is certainly inviting us to action rather than to watch idly as spectators!

 

All told, I do still think Polkinghorne is engaging in fruitful commentary. We're prone to think of God's view of time as infinitely linear or highly detached. The answer probably rests always a step or two beyond our awareness of time and its progression.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Blue

[Steel Accord 6,658]

Oh just seems like there's much more discussion in this thread. Nothing bad, just an observation. It is probably a good thing.

 

Nope, Omar is just a name that I use. I don't think I've ever heard of this Omar from Deus Ex (I'm not sure if I've ever heard of Deus Ex either).

 

WHAT?! It's one of the best video game series of all time! You've got to check out at least one of them! Superb Gibson-esque sci-fi. F.Y.I. the Omar is not a singular character . . . except it is. It's complicated.

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

I immediately came to like Dr. Polkinghorne when I read a quip by him that said "How the Universe works is more like a cloud than a clock". 

 

I'm inclined to agree with him! So much more coherent than the mechanistic Newtonian view of the universe.

 

 

WHAT?! It's one of the best video game series of all time! You've got to check out at least one of them! Superb Gibson-esque sci-fi. F.Y.I. the Omar is not a singular character . . . except it is. It's complicated.

 

Aren't the Omar from Invisible War? The first Deus Ex and Human Revolution are definitely better.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

 

 

Aren't the Omar from Invisible War? The first Deus Ex and Human Revolution are definitely better.

 

They are but I don't think Invisible War is unworthy of the title. It still continues with many of the transhumanist and singularitarian themes the first game built it just wasn't the ground breaker that the first game was in that department. I agree, but with the qualifier that I thought IW was still good.

[Sudo Krenton 243]

 

 

Found an interesting thing.

 

I really enjoyed this, as it made me think hehe. I'm not quite sure how I feel about his saying God limited himself, but it would make sense in a way. It definitely would support the predestination argument in some ways. I dunno, there a lot to think about.

 

I actually watched this a few weeks ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EWrd01ENWE

 

And now to turn the news sour (again, yeah >.>)... my Taiwanese roommate who was going to be in the ROC Air Force, lost a friend to a training exercise. While not in the US, they both went to the Academy over there.

 

Random thing: My teacher is letting me borrow a Arduino board to mess with. Yays x)

[Spark Thunderbass 1,409]

Me and my family are christian, and we'll always be that way till the end of time.

[DarkHaert 277]

Me and my family are christian, and we'll always be that way till the end of time.

Eeyup. That's me all the way.

[RDBestPony 271]

You know, i never realized how many Christian bronies there are, i knew a few, but not this many. I'm Christian myself and so is my family. 

Edited September 30, 2015 by RDBestPony

[StormLantern the 1st 427]

You know, i never realized how many Christian bronies there are, i knew a few, but not this many. I'm Christian myself and so is my family. 

Eeyup. The second brony I ever met IRL was a christian.

 

Me and my family are christian, and we'll always be that way till the end of time.

God willing, mine too.

[Finia 260]

I was thinking about something. Is masturbation itself a sin? Or is it more about thoughtful adultery when you already have a wife. I mean sexual immorality i can understand, because psychologically it can hurt you that way.

 

I mean i get the idea that life itself is better when you refrain from it hurting yourself. But its the old saying, what comes in must come out. Thats the idea of masturbation, if it was normal to not do it, it would be easier to refrain from it. But its like a biological effect that exists on your body no matter what in a way.

 

Just kinda wondering what you think? I just interpret it to mean concrete lust, in terms of wanting more and more, and that you basically have an impure way of life to not wish to settle with a person you want to be with forever and have that person in your heart, in terms of relationship. Atleast if one looks at "Matthew 5:28"

Edited October 4, 2015 by Finia

[Steel Accord 6,658]

@@Finia,

 

I lean more toward your interpretation. It's not immoral in of itself, especially if it occurs around puberty because that's when your reproductive instincts start kicking in, it's when it controls you, when it becomes about your own satisfaction to the point of self-destruction. That's when it becomes a quantifiable sin, lust.

[One-Punch Man 316]

I am a Christian! I am currently attending an Assemblies of God church...and I play a small role with all of the youth there. I also take part in leading worship sometimes on Sunday and Saturday. If i am not doing that on Sunday, i am helping run the computers for worship. God is good!c:

[Sunwalker 981]

@@Finia: Sexuality is supposed to be lived between two, a man and a woman, so masturbation is a selfish use of it. People have the inclination of doing many things they should not, this is called concupiscence, and it is the reason we should stay alert against sin.

 

Being normal or not does not change whether it is wrong or not. This is probably the most common excuse for sin, but Christian life is not easy, it demands sacrifices. But in the end the results are better than anything this world can provide.

 

I will leave a quote of C. S. Lewis, who can explain the subject better than me:

 

“For me the real evil of masturbation would be that it takes an appetite which, in lawful use, leads the individual out of himself to complete (and correct) his own personality in that of another (and finally in children and even grandchildren) and turns it back; sends the man back into the prison of himself, there to keep a harem of imaginary brides.

 

"And this harem, once admitted, works against his ever getting out and really uniting with a real woman.

 

"For the harem is always accessible, always subservient, calls for no sacrifices or adjustments, and can be endowed with erotic and psychological attractions which no woman can rival.

 

"Among those shadowy brides he is always adored, always the perfect lover; no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever imposed on his vanity.

 

"In the end, they become merely the medium through which he increasingly adores himself. . . . After all, almost the main work of life is to come out of our selves, out of the little dark prison we are all born in. Masturbation is to be avoided as all things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger is that of coming to love the prison.”

 

- Personal Letter From Lewis to Keith Masson (found in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3)

---

 

@@Steel Accord: In order for something to be considered a sin it is needed both knowledge that it is a sinful matter and a consent of one's will. In other words, you must know that it is wrong and even them you still want to do it. Not having much control of your will can attenuate the guilty, or even eliminate it if there is no control at all. However, saying "I can do it because it is normal and there are nothing I can do about it" counts as a consent, so it is still a sin.

 

It is not a sin when you make everything within your reach to prevent it, but fails. If you purposely let your lustful feelings flow and do nothing about it, then it is a sin. Regardless of some action being a sin or not, it is not going to change whether it is harmful or not. So even if a specific case is not considered a sin, it still may cause harm and should be combated if they do so.

[Finia 260]

@@Finia: Sexuality is supposed to be lived between two, a man and a woman, so masturbation is a selfish use of it. People have the inclination of doing many things they should not, this is called concupiscence, and it is the reason we should stay alert against sin.

 

Being normal or not does not change whether it is wrong or not. This is probably the most common excuse for sin, but Christian life is not easy, it demands sacrifices. But in the end the results are better than anything this world can provide.

 

I will leave a quote of C. S. Lewis, who can explain the subject better than me:

 

“For me the real evil of masturbation would be that it takes an appetite which, in lawful use, leads the individual out of himself to complete (and correct) his own personality in that of another (and finally in children and even grandchildren) and turns it back; sends the man back into the prison of himself, there to keep a harem of imaginary brides.

 

"And this harem, once admitted, works against his ever getting out and really uniting with a real woman.

 

"For the harem is always accessible, always subservient, calls for no sacrifices or adjustments, and can be endowed with erotic and psychological attractions which no woman can rival.

 

"Among those shadowy brides he is always adored, always the perfect lover; no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever imposed on his vanity.

 

"In the end, they become merely the medium through which he increasingly adores himself. . . . After all, almost the main work of life is to come out of our selves, out of the little dark prison we are all born in. Masturbation is to be avoided as all things are to be avoided which retard this process. The danger is that of coming to love the prison.”

 

- Personal Letter From Lewis to Keith Masson (found in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3)

---

 

@@Steel Accord: In order for something to be considered a sin it is needed both knowledge that it is a sinful matter and a consent of one's will. In other words, you must know that it is wrong and even them you still want to do it. Not having much control of your will can attenuate the guilty, or even eliminate it if there is no control at all. However, saying "I can do it because it is normal and there are nothing I can do about it" counts as a consent, so it is still a sin.

 

It is not a sin when you make everything within your reach to prevent it, but fails. If you purposely let your lustful feelings flow and do nothing about it, then it is a sin. Regardless of some action being a sin or not, it is not going to change whether it is harmful or not. So even if a specific case is not considered a sin, it still may cause harm and should be combated if they do so.

 

Well i liked the analogy of the prison. I mean addiction itself is awful. But what i mean is... think of it like eating. If you don't eat for a certain amount of time you will eventually die. Now, this is not the same with this. But eventually, if you dont do it from time to time it will come out by itself (Talking due to experience)

 

Or well if one is very zealous about it, then Frollo is what comes to my mind. Although i really did like your analogy though, to not let it hurt yourself in terms of that.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Finia

[Shadow Dash DJ Rod 696]

random topic...

 

so everyone in my connection group through collage is going to a 3 day retreat, except me, and their all trying to get me to go. I want to go, but i dont want to go, if you get my meaning. i could stay home and do homework and keep up with school, or i could go to the retreat and fall behind on homework. so im like what should i do. spirituality is very important, and i havent gone to a church thing in a long time (I almost feel like im falling away from god), but engineering school very important as well.

 

What yall think?

[Sunwalker 981]

random topic...

 

so everyone in my connection group through collage is going to a 3 day retreat, except me, and their all trying to get me to go. I want to go, but i dont want to go, if you get my meaning. i could stay home and do homework and keep up with school, or i could go to the retreat and fall behind on homework. so im like what should i do. spirituality is very important, and i havent gone to a church thing in a long time (I almost feel like im falling away from god), but engineering school very important as well.

 

What yall think?

 

I think that maybe it is possible to do both? Like you go to the retreat, but double your efforts with the homework. The soul needs spiritual things in order to remain healthy, in a similar way than the body needs food and water. Going to the retreat might gives you the energy and motivation you need to do your tasks.

 

This is just my opinion, but I think that those thoughts of not going might just be temptation, as the Enemy knows that it would be good for you going there. Back in 2010, at the time that I was starting to get much more serious with church, I went to a retreat too. But right before going, I was assaulted by all kinds of thoughts, almost leading to a panic attack. In the end, it turned out to be a great experience

 

I didn't took pictures of this retreat in 2010. But there were another opportunity in 2011 in which I took some photos and they were very beautiful : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.344408432254832.93164.100000570342071&type=1&l=07faf94652

[Shadow Dash DJ Rod 696]

I think that maybe it is possible to do both? Like you go to the retreat, but double your efforts with the homework. The soul needs spiritual things in order to remain healthy, in a similar way than the body needs food and water. Going to the retreat might gives you the energy and motivation you need to do your tasks.

 

This is just my opinion, but I think that those thoughts of not going might just be temptation, as the Enemy knows that it would be good for you going there. Back in 2010, at the time that I was starting to get much more serious with church, I went to a retreat too. But right before going, I was assaulted by all kinds of thoughts, almost leading to a panic attack. In the end, it turned out to be a great experience

 

I didn't took pictures of this retreat in 2010. But there were another opportunity in 2011 in which I took some photos and they were very beautiful : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.344408432254832.93164.100000570342071&type=1&l=07faf94652

ya, maby i can do both if i put my mind to it, thanks for the input.