The Christianity Thread

[Paul Smeenus]

^ lulz

[Zhanteimi]

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[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by rostasi

Damn it, I was literally going to post this exact thing.

[Neapolitan]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Much is revealed in The Mystical City of God, though the revelations therein are not required belief. They are higher mysteries, for those with eyes to see.

Have you read that?

[Lisnaholic]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

A creature can be physical or spiritual or both. One doesn't preclude the other. Creature merely "created entity".

^ TBH, my dictionary suggests otherwise, mordwyr:
Creature (n) 1. living animal: dumb creatures = animals
2. living person (various examples follow)... creature comforts = material needs such as food and drink.

Satan is real, despite what Jenkins might say.

So do you think Satan " is playing with [Bishop Jenkins] like a toy" as Archbishop Milango warns ?

"Back in the infamous days"....you wrote. But exorcisms still occur today. They are not a thing of the past, merely a thing of the past in your sphere.

^ Yes, I know exorcism is still practiced. I guess the point I was making is that it used to be far more widespread in the past, and today it is a relative rarity, as if the attitude of the church had moved from certainty to ambivalence on the issue, though I don't have statistics to back that up.

The Church on Exorcism:

Rather than fighting Satan, in Germany they are fighting a regard action against public opinion:

The Catholic Church in Germany made the exorcism ritual very difficult to obtain after the 1973 death of exorcism victim Anneliese Michel, a 23-year-old who had her first psychiatric episode at the age of 16. She apparently suffered from depression, epileptic seizures, and various hallucinations. Her zealous Catholic family believed she was possessed by Satan and recruited two priests who performed the exorcism ritual 67 times on the mentally ill woman. At the time of her death Anneliese weighed about 69 pounds (31kg). The priests and her parents received suspended jail sentences, but the Church began requiring priests to obtain permits to perform exorcisms, and the permits are not easy to get. German Catholics now go to Switzerland and Poland for their exorcism

In the USA, instead of chasing the Devil, they are chasing Hollywood:-

A program on exorcists, featured evangelicals Tom Brown and Bob Larson.
The exorcists' only prop is a Bible, which is held in one hand while they talk down the devil in very dramatic episodes worthy of Jerry Springer or Jenny Jones. All the participants shown being exorcized seem to have seen the movie "The Exorcist" or one of the sequels. They all fell into the role of husky-voiced Satan speaking from the depths, who was featured in the film. The similarities in speech and behavior among the "possessed" has led some psychologists such as Nicholas Spanos to conclude that both "exorcist" and "possessed" are engaged in learned role-playing.

Not surprising that the staid old Church of Scotland concluded in 1976, that "such a ceremonial as exorcism does more harm than good by its existence within the practice of the church."

[Zhanteimi]

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[Zhanteimi]

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[Key]

Originally Posted by rostasi

If this isn't evidence, I don't know what is.

[Neapolitan]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Yes. We read it out loud every night over the course of nine months.

That sounds interesting. Who did the reading, family or church? I think the book was written nun who had the visions, Sister Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, 1602-1666. I am not quite sure what to make of books from visions. I'm not knocking it, I just like reads that are more historical, more philosophical in nature.

What we gleam from understanding God should be food for thought, a guide post, a positive influence in our life. Those attributes of God (being Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnibenevolent) are qualities that should influence us. If God is benevolent, shouldn't we act benevolent? If God is Merciful, shouldn't we not be merciful too? If God is omniscient, shouldn't we learn as much as possible and use our knowledge for good?

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;
watch your words, they become actions;
watch your actions, they become habits;
watch your habits, they become character;
watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Frank Outlaw

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

[Zhanteimi]

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