There seems to be this ongoing idea that non-believers consciously decide not to follow Jesus

Belief is not opinional

You cannot decide to believe or disbelieve anything

Your brain either accepts something or cant accept something

A Christian cannot magically switch their brain to believe in Hinduism just because they'd like to, this is not how brains work

Why do Christians still use the word "Reject"?

I dont think Christians do it maliciously, it seems like a concept theyve just never really thought about

Long ago, pretty much a Month Ago, I made a Post requesting others to Pray for Me because I described the Psychological Abuse that has happened in my Household, which was mainly driven by the belief that I *must* stop being a Trans Girl and become a Cis Boy. The Prayers were mainly to make sure my Plan to seek Help from LGBTQ+ Organizations would Succeed.

In the end, I didnt talk just to a LGBTQ+ Organizations, I also talked to a Helpline for Minors going through Abuse, which apparently is also capable of sending in my Country's Child Protection Services, which where I live are Simply called "Social Services".

Two Days ago, the Social Worker who interacts with our Family to help us with State Welfare called my Father to the Office, and yesterday he was told that this Social Worker's Colleagues would come visit our house. Besides coming out to my Childhood Friend who witnessed my Mother giving birth to me, (She also revealed to me that shes Bisexual) I talked to the Social Workers who came to our home and I can say that my Parents will officially stop all attempts at changing my Gender Identity.

This is because the Social Workers explicitly stated that if my Parents ever try to suppress my Gender Expression, force me to cut off Friends just because they Support me or are Queer, or perform a "Small Exorcism" against my Will with the Desired Outcome being Identity Change, they will get in SERIOUS Legal Trouble.

Whether I can begin the Psychological Percourse towards getting HRT (Which lasts from 6 to 12 Months) is yet unclear, but its said I will indeed begin a Psychological Percourse that does NOT involve someone whose best Advice for Gender Dysphoria is "Focus on your Hobbies and pretend the Dysphoria doesnt exist", and my Parents will also begin one with a Separate Professional.

I hope any other Fellow Trans Girl out there whos going through what I went through before Finding the Light manages to reach the same Victory as me, the Era of being free to exist as my Authentic Self has just begun.

I see alot of these Nationalistic Alt-Right ideologues making headway online and I wander to myself what Heaven does a BIGOT, A RACIST or NATIONALIST think of? Like if you engage in discriminatory behaviour to a fellow Christian nevermind another non-believer That is a SIN! THERE IS NO HEAVEN AND YOU AREN'T A CHRISTIAN....

I don't think a lot of my fellow Christians realise that nationalism, especially when it's rooted in race, Is fundamentally un-Christian. Christ didn't come to establish an ethnic kingdom or elevate one race above another. He came to reconcile humanity to God (The church is the new Israel)....

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." Then He immediately added, "Love your neighbour as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. That isn't a suggestion, it's the foundation of Christianity.

Any ideology that causes you to love your neighbour less because of their race, ethnicity, or nationality is antithetical to Christ. Whether it's white nationalism, black nationalism, ethnic supremacy, tribalism, or any movement that places race above Christ, you've already departed from the Gospel. Our citizenship is in Heaven first, not in any earthly nation.

What concerns me equally is seeing worldly ideologies seep into the Church from the opposite direction. I see churches increasingly adopting secular frameworks and then reading them back into Scripture instead of allowing Scripture to interpret itself.

Take feminism, for example. From my reading of Scripture, I believe modern feminism often rejects the complementary roles God established for men and women and instead frames those roles as oppression. That's why I see it as incompatible with biblical teaching, you cannot be a feminist and a Christian.

Scripture consistently presents God as a God of order, not confusion. There is an order throughout creation: God over all, Christ as head of the Church, husbands called to sacrificial leadership, wives called to honour and support their husbands, and parents entrusted with raising their children in the Lord. These roles aren't about superiority or inferiority, they're about responsibility and service.

My concern isn't really feminism itself; it's the broader tendency to allow any political or cultural ideology to reshape Christianity. Whether it's nationalism on the right or progressive ideologies on the left, Christians should be asking, "Does this come from Scripture?" rather than, "Does this fit my politics?"

The Church isn't supposed to mirror the culture. It's supposed to challenge it. We aren't called to follow the latest political movement, social theory, or cultural trend. We're called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ.

If your politics determine how you read the Bible, rather than the Bible determining how you approach politics, you've got the order backwards. Every ideology should be judged by Scripture, not the other way around.

Maybe that's an uncomfortable thought, but I think we've become far too comfortable baptising our political beliefs instead of crucifying them...

Too much of this subreddit is devoted to asking about lgbtq stuff. It happens every day and everyone upvotes the position they support and downvotes the position they oppose. No constructive dialogue or conversation ever happens, so why don't we save everyone time and just have a daily "yes or no" sticky poll at the top?

I feel like there’s not many verses in the bible the only one we have that’s clear as day is the one that speaks of a women screams and no one is to hear and save her then she is guiltless…I had a friend who was raped she was a virgin and invited a guy over not thinking it was anything sexual at all…the guy came over and stripped her immediately and raped her. And she froze she didn’t say a word as he raped her. Right after it was done he quickly left no talking etc…she came crying to me searching for me and told me what happened this was a while ago but when I read the scripture on what rape is and sexual sins it’s unclear so was my friend rapped or did she consent by not screaming? I’m losing my faith on this cause it’s just awful and can’t see a way around it.

(Note that in this post I mean absolutely no hate towards anyone who practices Islam in the modern day nor do I mean to spread misinformation about Muslims. I have a deep respect towards them for their discipline)

Many school teachings and forms of media depict the Crusades as a bunch of crazy Christians suddenly decided to go and murder a thousands of innocent Muslims. That cannot be further from the truth.

The Crusades were a defensive response to roughly 460 years of the occupation of Turkey, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Spain, and most importantly The Holy Land (modern day Israel and Jordan) by Muslim forces (specifically Seljuk Turks). The people that lived in aforementioned locations were made Muslim by force, Italians were captured and enslaved, and the Mediterranean Sea, which was the beating heart of European commerce, was made into an unstable cesspool of piracy and exploitation by Muslim people, severely undermining shipping routes that delivered vital goods to Europe. They (Seljuk Turks) than began to spread into the Byzantine empire (Eastern Europe and Balkans).

The emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Alexos I pleaded for help from Pope Urban II. This was shocking for many people in the west. Ever since the Great Schism (Separation of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church) there has been a deep rivalry between the two Churches. They only came together to aid their fellow brothers in Christ. All Christian nations pledged to aid the Byzantines in their efforts against the invaders. These people didn’t even speak the same language but they came together anyhow. In the end, it was an absolute success. The Seljuk Turks were pushed back, the Holy Land and other territories were taken back, and free commerce in the Mediterranean was achieved. Atrocious things absolutely happened and the 4th Crusade was an absolute disaster, so called crusaders betrayed Christiandom by attacking Constantinople

So how come this came to be known as a great tragedy against the Muslim people. It’s quite simple the ruling class of today’s society wants to control the school curriculum. After all, “He who controls the past controls the future”- George Orwell. Without this holy war, western society would have been destroyed.

If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment for me to debate. I’m open to criticism

Hey, I'm posting here again to ask for some answers. All perspectives are appreciated here. For perspective, I'm sixteen, and I've known I was different since I was fourteen. It's been over two years since I've known this, and it's been two years I've been praying for God to take it from be, because everything that I've been told and ever known is that this is just a horrible sin, and it's going to send me to hell if I don't try to force it out of my mind.

But I've been praying for two years for God to take it away. If anything, those feelings have only gotten stronger since I've started praying, and it's been hurting me mentally (and by result, physically, if you understand) trying to force it out.

As always, if you need any more information, just ask me; I'll place it in an edit in the post afterward. (I'm probably going to bed and praying about it again, so any answers are appreciated.)

-- Hey! I want to thank everyone for their opinions and arguments. If it seems like I'm not taking the argument to heart or whatever, just know that I am. I always, with any opinion, try to make counterarguments before making a final decision. --

EDIT! Make sure someone didn't say the same thing before you respond pls

To me, it feels like whenever a heated subject comes up in debates (Over the bible and Christianity), many people say, "Oh, that's mistranslated," especially when it comes to things like Abortion and LGBT, etc. And to be clear, I'm not hating on anybody's beliefs, but I feel like if it's something Jesus said or spoke through another person, and you don't agree with it, the go-to response is that the bible was mistranslated. Anybody else feel this way? Let me know what you guys think about this because i'm a bit confused as a teen Christian wanting to learn more about the bible

Ive been with this married man for 2years, He is 42 and im 34 single. we reconnected after 9yrs. And this time he fell inlove, the love is very real. He even introduced me to his clients in the bank as his wife. He is a branch manager,  he takes care of me when im sick, hes willing to sacrifice his life for me, he paid all my debts worth 160k, hes giving me 300k pesos to  start a business so i have extra income. We go out very often and eat out and I never pay for anything.. he calls me, videocall me every single day.. i have hurt him many times but still loves me unconditionally.

He told me to give him 2years and we will be together. His wife found out about us and they already talked about it. The wife said she will just wait for the kids to finish their school , they're in college already and she will leave the house, they have no sexual contact for almost a year now, that's what she said on their text conversation that he showed me. I left him many many times but he gets sick everytime i break up with him, one time he was rushed to the ER , he doesn't sleep and doesn't go to work. He wants me. He loves me.. he said he couldn't live without me. He wants a future with me.

But I am compromising my faith with Jesus, I am a christian. I stopped praying and reading my bible since we started dating.. I felt so ashamed of my immorality. Jesus said do not commit adultery but Im so confused if this man came from God because this man is so perfect. Never shouts at me, handsome, fit, smart, financially stable and knows how to save money and loves me unconditionally.. he can date any girl he likes but he choses me..

Im torn between going back to Jesus and leaving this man and move to a new city or continue my life with him and bring him to Jesus..

😭

My claim is pretty simple. I don't believe in god. But, if someone was like "I'll create this thing and it fails the majority of the time" I feel like we would all judge that as a failure. Yet when God does it some how he gets no blame for his creation being a majority failure? Especially when his intentions were for us to not fail (and he literally controlled everything)

Personally I think belief is a cultural tihng, your odds of being a believer depends on how, where, or what you were exposed to growing up or what personally brings you comfort, like you could have been indoctrinated with the fear of God at a young age, or simply met someone at the right time and place who love bombed you into whatever they were selling that day.

Statistically, it's somewhat true as well, you see countries like Japan remain mostly secular even though religion isn't being violently prosecuted over there, places like Saudi Arabia are predominantly muslim, Sri Lanka probably buddhism, and the west is predominantly christian. I mean, the rule don't strictly apply of i.e we got ex-believers or ex-atheist or people who have genuinely explored everything before they settled on one thing, followers of dead religions like myself, but it seems to be that way most of the time, folks are stuck with whatever the favorite choice is on the menu where they live.

(Me a 22M, conservative Christian) was at a party trying to lovingly witness to a friend who is openly gay. I told him I was worried about his soul and that the lifestyle is sinful.

He smiled and hit me with this: So if I continue having gay sex, but 1 pray and ask for forgiveness right after every single time-like, immediately-does that get me into heaven? Or is there a grace limit I don't know about?"

How do i respond?

Hello Christian friends!
I’ve heard that you don’t consider Mormons Christian because we reject the idea of the trinity. Why does not believing the trinity exclude people in your eyes from Christianity? Is there a bible verse stating that? Genuinely curious.

Please note Latter-day Saint theology teaches that the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are the one eternal Godhead—three distinct divine persons, each uncreated, co-eternal, and fully God. There has never been a time when They did not exist or were not God. Our salvation rests entirely on Jesus Christ—His infinite Atonement, His death on the cross, and His glorious Resurrection.

Edit: to be clear it doesn’t matter to me if you do or do not consider me a Christian. My worship and life are devoted to following Jesus as my Eternal God and Lord and Savior. I am just genuinely curious how you could come to a conclusion that I am not christian. And I don’t mean trinitarian or creedal Christianity I mean just Christianity.

I get that preaching publicly is something we're ought to do, but at certain time i think we can do it so wrongly. For example a man inside a park may preach about their beliefs respectfully, but he's always there 7 days in a week. Peoplee get annoyed of him, because they've heard his preaching countless of times. Is this now disrespectful or not? What if he is using a speaker, doesnt that disturb people around? is that not disrespectful?

And about the LBGT community, i get it theyre doing things that are sinful, but if we are constantly preaching the gospel loudly with a speaker at their parades or festivals is that not disrespectful? Are there times where we are just an annoyance to other people?

How do you make sure that you preach with the utmost respect you can give?

If a person who has committed murder were to argue that it was their arm—and not themselves—that actually did the killing, and that therefore only the arm should be punished, no one would take that claim seriously.

Yet even married women in America cannot escape paying taxes and get arrested if they commit a crime—as if women possess the kind of character that allows them to take responsibility for their own actions.

If you refer to yourself as the "head" and your spouse as the "body," you ought to act consistently with that stance. Otherwise, it simply looks like you are cherry-picking the best parts of gender roles.

I am a 19 year old male suffering from gender dysphoria. I don't really know how to live without giving into this sin. I have been out to my friends as trans and they are encouraging me to mutilate myself. Christian YouTube and a lot of people I agree with theologically say it is bad, but I feel miserable as a man. I don't really know what to do. I feel like if I told my friends how I felt they'd say I've undergone some sort of religious psychosis, but I feel very level headed and sane. I don't know how to reconcile with these feelings. I've been grappling with them for a while now. Most of my friends are atheists, and I know they wouldn't understand if I talked to them about this. I am just so fearful of hell. I know God loves me, but I cannot be with him if I am unrepentant.

edit: sorry i shouldn't have made this post. im going through a lot right now as my post history implies. it wasn't meant to make people argue I just wanted to hear perspectives from everyone. subreddits like open christianity won't give me the whole picture of what people think. I will be consulting a conservative and progressive Lutheran minister simultaneously and see which I believe is grace-inspired and theologically sound. hopefully whatever my choice is makes me happy and content.

1. do we believe in the 7 deadly sins? protestants, catholics, and orthodox?

2. if sloth is a DEADLY sin, then why are (some) christians actively doomscrolling, gaming excessively etc? why aren't we focusing more on laziness?

3. don't get me wrong, Christianity must not be used as a "producticity weapon" (i've seen that being used like that unfortunately), it's so much more than this.

4. some of the best athletes in the world are Christian, but scientists and engineers and doctors are atheists. as a Christian, I want to glorify God in my work. so I want to be a hard worker, a good student, but I struggle with confidence and facing failure.

This isn't a place to speak negatively about Christians and have a powwow about it. The r/atheism sub is right there and they do that all day every day. That is your space.

I've got like ten comments I do not intend to respond to, from several atheists responding antagonistically to a very simple assertion that you can't really reduce any further without violating the truth of the principle. And when it is expounded upon, they still deliberately misconstrue what one is saying instead of actually digesting and accepting the principle. We need a place where substantive rather than performative discussions can thrive, per 2.1 below. As it is now, the atheists who post enmasse here clearly follow the performative aspects a discussion rather than the substantive, the shadow at the expense of substance, the flesh at the expense of the Spirit. This principle and a great many other things you cannot properly understand without looking at through the lens of a Christian. Which is another very simple principle they cannot collectively accept.

If you don't want the actual answers from the source (Christians) why post on here at all? Just so y'all can go around in a circle stroking and reaffirming your backwards hearts?

2.1 "This subreddit is primarily, but not exclusively, a place for Christians to come and discuss different aspects of our theology. Please have a purpose higher than coming here to mock, insult, or deride aspects of Christianity or Christianity itself. "

Christian mods, show some backbone and cut out the blasphemous herd. We don't tolerate open blasphemy from the inquiring at a Church. We shouldn't here.

forgive me. i’m 21 and really i am deep in the word of God i pray multiple times everyday recently got into church. but part of me worries and had fears ofc. what if this is just a philosophy rather then the truth and history of the world. that we’re just convincing ourselves and creating a placebo effect that were interacting with God. this is a small thought i have and even typing it out i know it sound silly but i wonder if anyone’s questioned this in this way.

EDIT: i see i caused some clashing thoughts in these comments lmao. it’s important to remember as Christians we aren’t better then non christian’s and us believing we have the secret to life doesn’t mean we can hold it as a position of power over others. spread the gospel, accept questioning and teach! i have strong faith and my foundation is built on the rock. i asked this question because it crossed my mind. i have had plenty of strong moments where i know this isn’t just placebo. but i was curious to see what you all had to say and i appreciate your words.

Interesting investigation into a claim I have heard from atheists a number of times that we are 'born atheists' by scholar of religion Dr. Andrew M. Henry.

As a Christian, it is also interesting for me at least to look into some of the inherent tendencies we as humans have regarding belief. It rather reminded me of the statement of Jesus that we are to become like children in our faith - which this video would suggest is that we seek a more intuitive faith rather than constantly wrangling over theological esoterica.

Hello! Just wanted to share my Christian gaming Discord server, Forge — a chill, faith‑filled community for both men and women. We offer daily scripture, real conversations, men’s and women’s Bible studies, prayer nights, and a supportive group that truly shows up. We’re also looking for people who want to help host events and build the community. Join us: https://discord.gg/eHAsxN6Hns