/christian/ - christian

>>26646
Quit completely, delete every porn image off your devices and stop whacking it. If you can abstain for a day, then you can abstain for a week. If you can abstain for a week, then you can abstain for a month, and so on. Small steps, and if you fail, you pick yourself up, ask Christ for forgiveness and strength, and start over again. It's a journey and a hard one, but eventually it will be a distant memory and you won't even have to think about it anymore.

>>23460 (OP) 
The biggest thing was getting involved not just in a church, but also in a good Christian group of friends who love the Lord more than anything else. When you spend time around other people, you become more like them. It took special permission for particularly advanced souls before certain monks became hermits. You need good people in your life who will build you up and expect better of you.

>>26646
There's nothing wrong with quitting a part of yourself. Otherwise, we would never improve. You need to face your emotional insecurities and flaws before they destroy you. Try to find a good Christian therapist who can help you avoid hitting rock bottom in the process. And stop abusing yourself. You deserve better. Once you've crossed that bridge, you'll thank the Lord that he brought you there. Remember, you are more than your addictions and flaws.

>>23461
one day you will, by the will God.

>>26650
>If you can abstain for a day, then you can abstain for a week
Wrong, also your own imagination can make porn or porno situations
The best way is to distract yourself

I have not. And I probably never will. Notwithstanding the most success I have with quitting pornography by far is a proverbial cutting off of that which offends me, in removing myself from ownership over desktop PC's and laptops (I post this from someone else's computer.) Now I am "free" from pornography. "Free" because I do not practice the habit anymore, but I still have the habit. And I am sure if I went back to my old ways that I would quickly pick up from where I left off.

I still use a smartphone for computing tasks. But curiously smartphones do not have the same grip on me like PC's and laptops do. Perhaps the web browsing logistics do not mesh with me. Perhaps it is because it was PC's, and not smartphones, that had dominion over my impressionable adolescent years. Either way, thank God for me being enough of a no name wage slave that I do not need my own PC for my job. It makes the transition to a smartphone and staying away from computers easier.

>>26772 (OP) 
Based OP

>>26659 (OP) 
These miracles lead people to Christ and the church, which would be the opposite of what Satan would want.

>>26793
Do they? At what cost? Men and women of remarkable perseverance in discipleship are to be celebrated, especially the example of those who willingly suffered and died for Christ. This is proper veneration, without graven images. I have even known Catholics and Orthodox brothers who had a sober understanding of sainthood and veneration, but I fear they are an infinitesimal minority: most will simply run to the idol-mongers hoping to find magical recipes and amulets until Jesus has so small a place in their hearts that it doesn't make much difference. The OP brought the issue of miracles attributed to the saints or, more precisely, to the favour they were able to obtain from the Lord. Do most believers care about this precision, though? How many are not left with the impression that the saints, and not Christ, are performing those miracles?

>>26794
Funny you should mention that. Today I shared the gospel with a good aquaintance. I asked him if he goes to church (as I had a feeling from prior chats that if I asked him if he was Christian, he would say yes). It turns out he's Roman Catholic. I asked him if they ever told him how to be saved and go to Heaven. He responded uncertainly, saying: "yes, you know... be a good person". He showed me a little 4" statue of a saint, and some kind of tabletop locket (I don't know what it's called - it opens and has a photo of a bearded saint on one side, and words on the other). He started telling me about the miracles done by this saint. He never mentioned Jesus during our whole conversation.

I had a pocket New Testament and shared with him scriptures showing that it's Christ alone who saves us, and he did all of the work. Our part is simply to trust in him, and we go to Heaven. I shared the verses in Romans 3, which say there are no good people and we're all sinners. I shared the scriptures about the unnamed crucified thief, who was a criminal who did no good works, who simply changed his mind at the very end, recognized his own sinfulness (contrasted with who Jesus truly was and Jesus' sinlessness) and asked in faith for Jesus to remember him. Jesus promised him Heaven. I shared Romans 4:5 ("But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteou

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>Guadalupe
Of all Marian apparitions... fiery, spines, sparks... Holy smokes! It shows through 2d. What abominations wouldn't have amused themselves going by that name and losing souls!

Idolatry is such a disgraceful sin, a nail striking the soul, a rabid bark against the Lord... one finds it here once and there again, until it permeates every aspect of one's life. Isn't the slope a slippery one indeed? It tears our agency away as individuals and societies, it normalises degeneracy on every level, to the point of infanticide and ostensive human sacrifice to demons. Monetised snuff. ((( Zeitgeist ))). Lord please speak to the anon's friend, show him even a shimmer of Paul's favour, that by Your own voice he may come to straighten his ways and rejoice in Your mercy. Would you not possibly, Father, consider to also give me and my bros the strength to fear and love You alone? Please let us not remain slaves to sin, this whole pit of golden calves. Please, have mercy. In Jesus' name. Amen.

>>26797
As a Catholic I agree that your friend was definitely misguided

The traditional Catholic view is that salvation is through God by having faith in Jesus and following his commandments ("following his commandments" are what we consider works and sacraments).

With that being said, I don't think he was idolizing that Saint. To worship something means to treat it as God which he obviously did not do. The Catholic "idols" are usually akin to something like the nativity during Christmas time.

With that being said, thanks for helping your friend. God bless you.

bump

Hmm...

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i need a wife
it's no longer a matter of i want one, i NEED one. paul says that a life of chastity is not meant for everyone, and most men cannot stop themselves from fornicating, and therefore it is best that he find a wife as soon as possible. the problem is i have no idea where to find a worthwhile one. dating apps are useless. all the women at my church are either underage or already married. i truly don't know where to turn at this point.

Sometimes I wonder if I even want to be free... Please pray for me. Whenever you read this message, please spare a prayer.

I'm so sick of this crap and, at the same time, lack any kind of drive or motivation to change. "My grace is sufficient", and yet, I keep fugging it up.

>>26721
I pray that God answers your prayers, Anon.

I'll be praying for you.
We also have a thread on this if you'd like to talk more >>22229

>>26716 (OP) 
Fear nothing, anon; the Lord is with you. Trust him with everything, and he will give you more in the next life than you could ever imagine. But that won't happen if you kill yourself, for the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" applies to your own self as well. I hope and pray that your situation will improve, but in the meantime, hold tightly to Jesus and don't let go no matter what.

>>26716 (OP) 
Indeed, you have nothing to fear. Do not submit to panic, to anxiety. Instead, submit yourself to God. You don't have to deal with this alone. It may be tempting to hide yourself away, but bring it all to God and pray for strength and understanding. Even if you don't know what to say, pray and you will find peace. Because no matter how much pressure you feel, God is stronger than all of it. 

>"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)"

And even if have disdain for yourself right now, remember also that God loves you more than you can ever understand. So much so that he gave his only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins. 

Keep moving forward, keep praying, and always keep your eyes on Christ. With Him you can overcome anything; the machinations of the evil one are nothing. 

>"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)"

>“Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)"

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While it is an appealing position, or should be at any rate since we shouldn't be willing that any man perish, I think there are many verses they would need to reconcile this position with such as Matthew 7:13.

I believe the Catholic position is to hold the hope that people can be saved after death, but do not definitively state that it can happen since the Scriptures do not appear to either. Universalism is going a step beyond even in stating that everyone will be saved. Beyond the seeming lack of a guarantee for this in the Bible, I am also hesitant on this position because there are many people who seem proud or spiteful enough that they would not even repent after death if they had the option.

the lack of univesalism is just turning christianism into judaism, another reason why the protestant movement is the biggest heresy ever made.

>>26704
I would agree with his position, it makes the most sense to hope for universalism, but confident universalism seems like a step too far.

Matthew 7:13 usually isn't viewed as the number of people being saved, but a parable given by Jesus. It wouldn't make sense to think of it as a numerical calculation for who is saved (especially since other parables, such as the wheat and tares and 10 virgins would contradict the small number of saved.) Other verses, such as Rev 7:9, and Rom. 5:15-20 would contradict this.

Even if it was the number of people saved, universalists assert that people would be led to destruction, be purified, and then enter heaven.

Again, I'm not a universalist, I think that it is possible but not a given.

>>26705
No denomination (Western Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Various sects of Protestantism) has universalism as an actual doctrine. To be fair, Eastern Orthodoxy comes a lot closer, since hell is considered a mystery and thus their are more Apokatastasis believers.

If Protestantism didn't exist, universalism still wouldn't be the prevailing doctrine.

Obviously, you can believe whatever you want and I'm not here to debate you on Protestantism (It's not the main point of this thread anyway), just thought this was an interesting comment, since Protestants did not invent the doctrine of hell by any means..

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>>26626
>Ergo Proxy
I think I'm long overdue for a rewatch of that one. It was one of my favorites when I got into anime while I was still in high school.

The theme of Madoka Magica reminds me of Matthew 16:23. But is such anime ok? Is it respectful enough? I worry that it isn’t.

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>>26632
I think it's soulful and doesn't promote evil with its themes.
This scene made me think of the love Christ has for us always, even when we mistakenly can't see it or feel it.

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Did you watch any good shows this season, /christian/? Were there any gems, hidden or otherwise? Did you check out "studio apartment, good lighting, angel included," which, as far as I can tell, is a slice of life/romance show with an angel as a heroine? Maybe this place isn't the right audience for it.

>>26691
Haven't seen much of anything lately anon, been revisiting old stuff seeing if they still hold up, that new deer anime though looks goofy and maybe worth a watch

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>>24554 (OP) 
I haven't read the latter prophets from Amos onward, besides the often cited verses like Zechariah 12:10. I'm gonna read them, then enjoy the Gospels again

I'm happy /christian/ is still around, it took some time to find it again. Have a good day Christanons

>>26665
You too, friend.

I haven't really read the Bible seriously in years, front to back. The last time I did, I made it just about to the Psalms before burning out. I've picked up and read the Gospels a few times, although it's somewhat hazy to me. 
Recently I had to go to the psych ward. It wasn't fun, but they at least let me bring my Bible into the holding room. I didn't know what the future held for me, whether I would remain sane enough to be a Christian by the end of the week, but I took great comfort in reading the Psalms. I made it through about half of them as I waited to meet the psychiatrist, as well as all of Paul's Letter to the Romans. Reading Psalms 6 and 30 put me at peace for the first time in a while.

Psychosis is strong, but the Lord is stronger still. I should pick up where I left off.

>>26674
God bless you, brother. The Lord is stronger still. Thanks for reminding of Psalm 30.

>>26674
Good on you, hope you're feeling better. You may want to take a look at a Daily Walk Bible, or find an outline online for reading it over the course of a year, it helped me tremendously.

>>23615
It also lends itself to the possibility of subordinationism and Arianism that the filioque is designed to exclude.

>>23616
>Grab a pen and paper and draw it.
It's just a matter of perspective. The Father begets the Son and the Spirit proceeds from the two as if a single principle. So if you didn't draw the relations as a triangle, but rather were looking at the situation head on, the Son being the very image of the Father, it would appear that the Spirit is proceeding from a single source. Our God is three-dimensional.

>>23618
>from the two as if a single principle.
And we know from Florence, Latin principle = Greek cause.
Therefore
>from the two as a single cause
>From the [Father and the Son] as a cause. 
Therefore, the son IS a cause of the Holy Spirit. 

Which s EXACTLY what the Orthodox reject. They believe the father is the only cause. 
There is no way around it now. 2=/=1. 
Catholics would have to backtrack the declarative statement of a council ratified by the Pope 600 years ago. Which they cannot and will not do. 
If it were so simple as saying "from the Father through the son" we would've reunited it by now.

>>23618
>looking at the situation head on, the Son being the very image of the Father, it would appear that the Spirit is proceeding from a single source.
Rev 22:1
Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

>>23619
>They believe the father is the only cause. 
But do they actually, since they seem to believe in a variety of things so long as they disagree with what the scummy Latins believe.

>>23586 (OP) 
My intuition tells be the most humble answer would be something along the lines of: "God was vauge in the scriptures, we don't know how all of this works for certain.".