Hi everyone, I just would like to know this as I have had these thoughts before, and sadly today. I have no intention of committing suicide, even though occasionally thoughts like that will come to me. I know that suicide is wrong as the body is considered a temple, but I just would like to know if I can be forgiven.

Im having a hard time adjusting... i used to play video games anywhere from 6-12 hours a day for the last 10 years... but now they feel so empty and lacking in spirituality... i can only play an hour before i need to put the game down

Rip my world of warcraft guild lol

Hi everyone, I have a question to ask, and that is, can I play video games and still follow God and have a good relationship with him. I pray daily and read my Bible daily, and I’m trying to listen to worship music more when I play them as well, but sometimes end up playing up to three-four hours of video games. It is only ever sports games that I play with my brother, and to me the good thing is that it replaces the scrolling I would normally do on my phone, but do you think I can still play them and follow God or not.

What is the latter half of Ezekiel 37 talking about what are the 2 sticks? What is the stock of Joseph and Ephraim representing? Does it mean king David will actually be king over these people? Also in verse 26 where is this covenant fulfilled at or are we still waiting for it? Any insight is welcomed. Thank you for your responses. God Bless and Shalom

Ezekiel 37:16-19, 24, 26 [16] Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: [17] and join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. [18] And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? [19] Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. [24] And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. [26] Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

I was joking around with my family and said something around the lines of ‘I know everything, I’m omnipotent. ‘ If this is a sin this is forgivable right? I immediately said after that I was joking, and that was my intention the whole time.

This got me scratching my head, as I see more and more people highlight and 'aesthetify' their Bibles with colored tabs, drawing in it, highlighting it. It might just be me but I feel like that's a little disrespectful. Or am I just close minded?

For years of my life I have felt like I was here only to suffer because I was irredeemable and doomed to hell. For a while I even thought that God was the bad guy in the Bible, having not read it before. This year I started believing, but I have a hard time giving up this idea that I need to suffer. Whenever there's a chance that I could fix my suffering I get overwhelmed and stressed to the point of pushing away everybody with hour long meltdowns and hurting them, causing more pain than ever before. How do I fix this? This may sound more like a mental health question, but I think it's more about softening my heart. How do I open my heart enough to believe that I don't need to suffer for God to see me?

How did you receive it

Hello everyone!

To explain quickly where I'm coming from: I've been a life-long atheist, and the closest to any kind of non-atheism I've ever come was at the end of my teenage years, when my position shifted slightly towards deism. But after ~3 years, that shift reversed again.

I'm not here to point fingers or judge others, and I would ask you to do the same.

When it comes to my non-belief, there are several layers to it.

1. In terms of any kind of deity: The lack of evidence, as in over 2 decades of both searching actively myself as well as having arguments and "evidence" presented to me, I've never come across anything that would meet the same standard of evidence I use for anything else in my life. And while I remain open to find and/or be presented evidence, this question isn't about evidence.
2. In terms of the Christian god in particular: The Problem of Evil and to some extent also the idea of Free Will.

As people understand words differently, here's what I mean with those two.

• Free Will for me describes an alleged capability for us to come to a different decision than the one we actually made in the same exact circumstance. We can't test for that due to a lack of time-travel (and even then, it would only work in specific versions of time-travel).

From where I am standing, all I know for sure is that I did come to the decision to write this question here. While I understand that Christians believe I could've made a different choice, I have yet to find any sufficient reason to accept that proposition.
I am very much not deep enough into philosophy to figure out to what extend that makes me a determinist, but I'm surely one to some extend (same way I'm an atheist to some extend, but not to the extend that I would call myself a gnostic atheist, hard atheist or anti-theist).

• The Problem of Evil for me describes the issue that comes up when you compare the proposition of a deity that
  • has the knowledge to figure out a solution to any goal it has that doesn't require suffering to achieve (is omniscient).
  • has the knowledge that suffering is happening in reality (still, is omniscient).
  • has the power to implement alternative solutions that don't require suffering (is omnipotent)
  • has the will to avoid suffering (is omnibenevolent)
• to the reality that very much includes suffering.

The common responses that I've come across can be paraphrased as:

• Free Will meaning humans *can choose* to create suffering by their actions.

• Suffering is necessary for growth, meaning for us to "become" the person/soul that we "should be" for eternity requires us to go through suffering to grow into that person.

• Greater Good, meaning the suffering that exists is required for a greater good to be achieved, similar to the previous point but as a bigger picture.

• Punishment as a consequence of Sin/The Fall

• "God's ways cannot be understood." Aka something entirely else meaning suffering isn't actually bad, but we cannot understand why it isn't.

To me, none of these work.

Free Will first and foremost begs the question of that even being "a thing" that exists (see what I said before about it). But even if I accept it for "the sake of argument," it still doesn't make sense to me:
Either God is omniscience and knows everything that can happen (including what will actually happen) or he doesn't.
If I program a function in software that includes a random element (as a stand-in for Free Will), yet were every possible outcome is known to me, then whatever that function will eventually do when called is my responsibility. I wrote the function in such a way that the result that became the actual result is one of the possible results. I cannot honestly say that I did not want that result to happen, because if that would've been the case, I would've written the function in such a way that results I do not want to happen, don't.

Suffering being necessary for growth only works if God's knowledge is limited. And in some cases even more limited than the imagination of his alleged creation.
A truly omniscient being would naturally know alternative solutions to achieve the same growth without suffering.

Greater Good as an argument seems to just be the prior, but on a different scale. If God wants to achieve some Greater Good, surely he'd know a way to achieve that without suffering?

Punishment for Sin/The Fall goes back to the issue with Free Will and his foreknowledge of what happened. From my understanding (that surely will be flawed from a Christian's perspective, but I've yet to hear an explanation/refutation that is convincing), God allegedly created everything. With foreknowledge of what would happen. Which means everything was created to play out the specific way it did. Which means he would be punishing his creation for doing what he set it out to do. Not really omnibenevolent in my understanding.

"God's ways cannot be understood." in the end isn't an explanation or solution.

What would your answers be?
Not just as a "that's how I see it", but in an attempt to convince me or make me understand.

Because as it is, while I'm unconvinced that any deity exists, I'm actually convinced that the Christian god doesn't exist as he is described.

Either he doesn't exist at all, or not with the characteristics he's described with.
They seem self-refuting.

But I'm genuinely curious to see what y'all will respond :)

And don’t hit me with “blah blah blah free will”, that doesn’t answer my question. If god knows before creating someone that they will make choices that will land them in hell, why even make them in the first place? Wouldn’t a loving god just not make that person at all?

Edit: here’s an example to illustrate my point. Imagine you have the ability to make ants. And you know ahead of making them that 80% will go off the path into a lake of fire. Because they’re ants. They’re stupid in comparison to you. But despite knowing what will happen, you make the ants anyway because you “care about their free will”, and lo and behold many of the ants burn just like you knew they would before you made them. Who’s in the wrong? The ant or you, a being much more powerful and intelligent than an ant? Obviously you. Creating them knowing the end result is sadistic.

I just went on character ai, and found a bunch of bots that were either priests or literally Jesus Christ, or God.

...that's a little...like disrespectful and rather creepy, isn't it? I just feel like we're not supposed to make ai bots of these, am I wrong?

That's a weird question, I recognize that. But I saw a lamp that was made to look like mother Mary praying, and I also know there are stuff like Jesus Christ shaped lighters (yes those exist) So would it be okay if I made a statuette/figurine of Jesus out of clay?

I figured out i make this post because i think jesus is comming today but.. Since i figured our glorifed would be made nigh omnipotent can we be like goku... or.. gojo.. or like superman and fly enemys through buldings plow them through floors with a sngle roundhouse kicks or throwing ki blast and stuff or like being like spiderman and stuuf and i wanna know if god will let us to everything we desire without sin.. or i hope we can regain our memorys and live in other universes, And stuff and i wonder if we can make our own fantasys and making stars and heavenly bodies and stuff.. and can we become just like jesus?

From what I know, some deity’s (ex. Horus, Krishna, Asclepius) have similar stories/lives to that of Jesus who predate Jesus himself with a lot of striking similarities (ex. Walked on water, crucification, having 12 apostles birthed to a virgin, born on January 25th). Just curious on how the Bible can answer that

Why doesn’t God just eradicate sin? If he hates evil and sin so much why doesn’t he just get rid of it?

I know mankind and free will is why it exists but if he hates it so bad he should just get rid of it. I don’t understand why if you’re all-powerful, why’re you allowing yourself to witness something you can’t stand for centuries.

Probably most of you don't, but for any who think that atheism and WOKE are joined at the hip, then please know that we're not. I know many atheists, but none of them are WOKE.

I've got a few books about angels. Or more to the point about experiences with angels. And I believe in the bible, including what it says about angels.

However I feel like a lot of resources about angels are almost like an occult book. Just doesn't seem like it's from God and the authority they say they have about one angle or another seem closer to naming Greek or Roman gods then it is about either modern or historical experiences, or biblical understanding of angels.

Aside from the mix of feelings, both belief that angels are real and some skepticism of what's said of them, there is one other thing to note. I have no experiences relating to angels.

With that in mind I wanted to ask anyone else out there. Any of my brothers or sisters in faith. What do you think about angels?

Something I've been asking myself lately that I want to ask fellow believers is about an interpretation of genesis. I don't care what denomination you are, I'd like to hear your take.

We know that with sin Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil as opposed to the tree of life.

My question is whether the knowledge of good and evil is the only good thing gained by sin and all else is negative or that everything to do with sin including this knowledge is negative?

My understanding right now is that if this knowledge is only gained by sinning and separation from God that all to do with it and its consequences are a net negative.

I was an agnostic atheist 7 years ago but since then I have changed my mind through new found understanding but I still like to find more reason to believe passages other than simply taking them literally. I respect those who believe without seeing regardless since I usually find my reason to reconcile a passage I once didn't eventually. All answers are respected. Thanks in advance!

As an atheist, I have Christians tell me things about my morality all of the time:

• that I have no basis for it

• that I’m not able to call anything right or wrong

• that I can’t condemn things like the Holocaust

They often claim that these issues are unresolvable because my morality is subjective. However, I don’t see Christian morality as objective either. I think they have a similar or even worse problem. It seems to me that if god dictactes morality, that makes it very subjective. Eg, god decreed that murder is wrong (as seen when god punishes Cain for killing Abel), then commanded Abraham to kill Isaac. Most Christians would say that it would have been perfectly moral for Abraham to kill his son because god commanded him to do so. Christians tend to get very riled up and defensive when I ask them if god told them tomorrow that rape was moral, would that make it so? However, I see this as a very real problem for Christians, because many people claim god tells them to do things that most people would consider immoral all of the time.

How do you answer this question, and in a larger sense, how do you handle the Euthyphro dilemma?

The Prophet Ezekiel promises a restoration of the land of Israel that will turn it from desolation to abundance similar to the Garden of Eden (v. 35). From barren hills and depopulated cities it will once again be tilled by throngs of people. The towns shall be resettled, the ruined sites rebuilt (v. 11). Israel will be more prosperous than it first was (v. 12). God will take Israel from among the nations and bring them back to their land (v. 24). God will summon the grain and make it abundant, so too the fruit trees and crops. God will multiply the people of Israel like sheep.

To my mind, this sounds like a description of the State of Israel. The agricultural achievements are well known. Regarding the Jewish population of the Holy Land, an Ottoman census in the late 19th century numbered Jews at 20,000. Today the Jewish population is 7,200,000. To me, this sounds like a fulfillment of prophecy.

Yet a Christian commentary on Ezekiel 36:15 says the prophecy cannot be fulfilled because the Jews rejected the Christian messiah:

It cannot, therefore, look forward to any literal, but still future, accomplishment....Whatever, therefore, is to be literally understood in the prophecy must have been long ago fulfilled. And this was much. Israel was restored to its land, and there greatly multiplied, so that the country became for ages one of the most fertile and prosperous in Asia. At the same time, the sinfulness of the people, as of old, hindered the fulness of blessing that was within their reach. But a small part of them availed themselves of the opportunity to return to their land; and...when the crowning blessing of the ages was fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah, the mass of the nation rejected...Him. The blessings promised were fulfilled literally as far as the sinfulness of the people allowed; but inasmuch as these prevented anything like the full realisation of the terms of the prophecy, and as no future realisation of these is possible, on account of the total change of conditions and circumstances, it is plain that under these earthly terms the prophet...sets forth the glories of the spiritual future, and uses earthly blessings as the types of those better ones which are heavenly. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ezekiel/36-15.htm

So per this interpretation, a literal realization of the prophecy is or was rendered impossible by "a total change of conditions and circumstances" that cannot be reversed because the Jews rejected the Christian messiah. Doesn't the existence of the State of Israel render this interpretation null and void?

I don't believe in demons, not quite. But I said "In Jesus name I pray that you, demons or whatever you call yourself, leave me alone, I pray to you- I pray for you. In Jesus Christ's name, leave me alone" Did I say something really wrong? It feels like I did. I don't even know what to flair this.

I read about going to heaven because I always have doubted that I will ever go there. And the sites keep saying after a long explanation and Bible verses that I need to pray like:"God I know I deserve punishment, for I have sinned and I am sin, but I believe Jesus took the punishment I deserve. Through faith in him I know I get forgiveness. Thank you for your sacrifice and your kindness. In Jesus's name, amen"

But is that really enough? I know we can be saved only through faith, because by nature we sin so our doings don't really have any value. So, is that really all you have to do?

I ask because, as a single father to a teenage daughter, I sometimes feel like everything has happened so fast. There are moments when I don’t know if I’m doing things right or how to navigate this role, even though I deeply want to be a great dad. It’s a lot to figure out, and honestly, it can feel really overwhelming at times. Anyone else feel this way?

((Because I want to watch a anime with NO GORE, NO WITCHCRAFT, NO SEXUAL SCENES, NO SWEARING, AND MOST OF ALL NO MORE THINGS THAT ARE AGAINST GODS RULES Just only a PG or G-Rated friendly Anime, that is Relaxing, Enjoyable, and Entertaining to watch for a Christian pls))

I go to a Bible study on Wednesday nights

a lot of the people who go come from different backgrounds and have different personalities me for example I'm from the Central Coast California and grew up going to public school and a lot of my friends who go were homeschooled and grew up in the Midwest

often times I find myself unintentionally challenging someone's worldview with the things that I say when exploring a topic or an idea, just curious if anyone has any tips or tricks on how to share thoughts or ideas without offending anybody by calling their thoughts or ideas into question just by having a different opinion

I know this might be a little bit more of a sociological question rather than a Christian question but any advice is appreciated 🕊️

How can you have absolute certainty that the authors of the Bible told the truth and nothing but the truth? Also, how can you trust the Bible, knowing that some books have unknown authors? And how can you trust the translations? Additionally, how can you be sure that nothing was edited or altered throughout history? It seems like Christians are placing just as much faith in human beings as they do in God, this is a serious mistake. People, by nature, are deceitful manipulators—so how can you trust that the Bible has remained untainted by humans?

Sorry if this is too much, this has been running through my mind lately, I appreciate any answer. Thank you!

It might seem a bit excessive what I’m about to say but I’m wanting to get closer to god and get a better understanding of what his son had to go through, a passing thought but if I was to do the march of crucifixion carrying a cross, lashings, thrown stones etc would this be considered imitation and wrong?

Ive seen some Christian creators put this in their videos. But im not sure if i can listen to it as an Christian, can someone tell me if i can or cannot?