Did Christ Carry a sword? Should We? Obviously, these are controversial questions. For the purpose of this article, let’s see what the Bible actually says about the subject of weapons, and self-defense. For those that have not studied it, a sword is a weapon of war, strong’s G6132. The only reason people carried swords was because guns had not yet been invented, they are the exact same thing in function. Let’s also examine the arguments used to say that Christians cannot or should not bear arms. A lot of these arguments are compelling, many cite scripture, but I think you will find they are lacking in foundation. I would imagine that I of all people, will be considered to have a bias, and that’s understandable; however, there is a reason for my position. After all, you don’t have to agree with me, my goal, in all my writing is for YOU to ask and answer the question yourself. Let’s start by establishing some of the arguments Against a Christian bearing arms. 1. Christ said to Pe...
Is Someone Trying to Control You? Manipulation and Gaslighting are common terms that describe a situation where one person is trying to gain control over another person. Though the most common use of these concepts is in the field of social relationships, the concepts are just as widely used in business, industry and extremely often in Religion. It is no secret that the Obedient, Docile and Believing nature of Religious people make them a target to the type of people that desire Power and Control. So you should occasionally ask yourself, “what of MY church?”. How to spot religious manipulation. Do the messages always differ slightly from the Bible? Are you made to feel guilty for not understanding why the messages differ from the Bible? Are you threatened or chastised for asking questions? Do people that ask a lot of questions in your church often disappear? Is the answer you receive from your preacher about a non-biblical statement always "that's not what I meant...
I started thinking about faith again today while talking to a friend who is still, like a great many of my old friends, unknowingly deep in the muck of institutionalized religion. Earlier this week I was contact by another person who was concerned about my salvation in light of my not keeping the Levitical Holy Days. Together these two conversations really did a number to my mood. I'm 98th percentile Neurotic according to the 'big 5' personality test system, and these kinds of conversations really bring me down. In the majority of these types of conversations I find myself in a corner, not a corner with no answer to questions of faith mind you, but a corner with no chance of explaining myself. In talking to someone who is unknowingly trapped in darkness there is no way to 'explain' what light looks like. Faith came to mind because in most cases, at least in most of the times I have heard it preached, faith is seen as the method by which you continue to do what yo...
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