You must log in or # to comment.
Some people love their country like a child loves their parent. “My dad is strong and perfect and can beat up your dad.” It’s simple and mythological.
Some people love their country like an adult loves their peer. They see their flaws, but also their aspirations and intentions.
Many conservatives are like children.
Id say its more like a brother that I know could be doing better for himself but is instead repeatedly screwing up.
Its because if you really love your country you want it to be the best it can be. which means improving itself rather than devolving. christians who are patriots should have signs saying america be worthy of gods blessing rather than god bless america.
There’s nothing you can do to earn God’s blessing. It’s a gift.
There’s literally a list of 10 commandments you have to follow or be cursed to hell forever. Also the unwritten 11th commandment “don’t be gay”
Protestantism’s central argument is that grace is gifted by faith alone. If someone says otherwise, they are not a protestant.
And before someone tries to bring up the myriad of ‘baptist’ churches which don’t think so, please note that a central tenet of Baptist belief is sola fide.
That’s just sola fide. There’s also sola scriptura, to which GP is referring.
You don’t understand basic theology.
I really don’t, it doesn’t make any sense at all, per my previous comment.
I don’t understand it so it doesn’t make sense.
They’re saying the opposite; that it doesn’t make sense so they don’t understand it.
What happens if you break the 10 commandments and live a life of unrepentant sin? If it’s anything other than spending eternity in heaven with God then guess what…his blessing is conditional
Half right, God doesn’t exist so there really isn’t anything you can do to earn his blessing.
Regardless, the Bible does offer rather detailed instructions on how to earn God’s favor, and Christians in America do exactly the opposite and then declare themselves vessels of God’s word.
Just religion being exactly what it’s always been: a tool of the ruling class to control minds.
God doesn’t exist
Based on your post I can tell you’ve thought really hard about this.
the Bible does offer rather detailed instructions on how to earn God’s favor
Oh yeah? Can you point me to those because I’d rather do something quick to earn God’s favor than commit daily to living a penitent Christian life. It doesn’t let me do my favorite sins.
and Christians in America do exactly the opposite and then declare themselves vessels of God.
All [X] do [Y]. 🤪
So which is it? Is there “nothing you can do to earn God’s blessing. It’s a gift” or is it “I’d rather do something quick to earn God’s favor than commit daily to living a penitent Christian life”
Because if it’s really a gift, what’s all this effort you’re putting in to “earn God’s favor”?
Because if it’s really a gift, what’s all this effort you’re putting in to “earn God’s favor”?
The life of a Christian is two-fold…
- Trying (and failing) to live up to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect human life to sanctify our nature and model how we should live our lives.
- Believing in the trinity and the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Living in accordance with the teachings of Christ is a requirement for salvation but not a guarantee. There’s nothing we can do to earn God’s blessing on Earth or in Heaven. The only thing we can guarantee for ourselves is damnation by rejecting Christ and the biblical revelation.
If I earnestly strive to live like Christ and believe him to be God. I will live a life that involves prayer, fasting and almsgiving. A generous life that helps others to the Glory of God. It is only after that life that I will be judged. God has perfect judgement and judges each person according to their means, understanding etc My hope is that God will examine my heart and grant me entrance to the Kingdom of God even though I am most unworthy.
Sounds like a lot of “requirements” and work to do for something that is supposed to be a gift according to you. He can keep his gift and all the strings he’s attached to it. I’ll just live a good life because I’m not a shit person. If that guarantees me eternal damnation because I don’t kiss the ring then I don’t think I would’ve had much fun by his side for eternity anyway. He sounds like a dick.
You realize you’re up against the tried and true no true Scotsman defense, right? You can point out the fallacy. You can present facts and logical arguments. Nothing penetrates the “you’re talking about a few bad apples” argument.
The part I always enjoy is to put any two Christians in a room together and watch them argue until the end of time which of them is the true Christian with the correct interpretation of the infallible word of God from their book. Even as a child I thought an omnipotent God should’ve provided a much clearer instruction manual. But of course, that gets the “he works in mysterious ways” defense.
Being told you’ll never measure up to God’s expectations all your life but he loves you if you try really hard is basically the same as being in an emotionally abusive relationship.
Thank you Sigmund Freud.
The only issue is that obeying God is literally the best thing you can do for yourself emotionally or otherwise. It will give meaning, purpose and structure to your life, provide an instant community and, while we rarely shirk sin entirely, a Christian life can break how beholden we are to the sin and idols in our life. Drugs/alcohol, promiscuity, pornography etc All these things are abused in our culture and you can see how it affects us by looking at the state of things outside your window. Moral and cultural decay caused by pursuit of self instead of God.
Returning to church and committing daily to Christ is by far the best thing that’s ever happened to me. God loves us.
Trying (and failing) to live up to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect human life to sanctify our nature and model how we should live our lives.
I don’t think you’re supposed to fail on purpose.
I don’t have to try. I fail without even thinking about it lol.
Oh yeah? Can you point me to those because I’d rather do something quick to earn God’s favor than commit daily to living a penitent Christian life. It doesn’t let me do my favorite sins.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew 19:16-30&version=NLT
17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep[b] the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” the man asked.
And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c]”
20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Also, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke 10:25-37&version=NIV
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Now, many people make up many justifications about how they don’t need to get rid of their possessions, or they don’t need to really help that guy. But the text is pretty clear to me. If you see a homeless person on the street, per the text, you should help them get shelter. Most people don’t do that.
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are pillars of the Christian life. The two scriptures you quoted are great examples of why this is the case.
To the original point though if I gave all my possessions away or helped my neighbor and “kept score” like a Pharisee it’s all for naught. Works won’t get you to heaven yet faith without works is dead.
Away down south, in the land of traitors
Rattlesnakes and Alligators Right Away!
| We’ll all go down to Dixie away away
| Each dixie boy must understand they must mind their uncle sam
Nothing unpatriotic about hating what’s wrong about this place while thinking the potenital of what it could be and the times we get even close to those aspirations are beautiful and enough to make any good hearted American swell with pride.
My deep disdain for this land and her leaders comes not from a hatred of it’s meaning but from the truest form of patriotism. As a child raised on the lofty ideals of our founders, I stand as America’s greatest failure. For the propaganda failed to inspire loyalty in my heart and served only to highlight how much better our nations could be.
My deep disdain for this land and her leaders comes not from a hatred of it’s meaning but from the truest form of patriotism. As a child raised on the lofty ideals of our founders, I stand as America’s greatest failure.
The exact opposite. You’re a rare success story. This nation is nothing without its ideals, and as long as it fails to live up to those ideals, we must agitate for it to change, regardless of who it upsets.
Are we kin cause I went through the same thing. I read the thoughts of the founders, of settlers, of those victimized by this country, and those uplifted by it. I saw its flaws and success read the works of the men who started it and found them lacking, but with a solid base. I wish to see this shithole of a country become something truly great. Be it through reform or blood it matters not to me. But I will ensure those who are fools those who are like children whos love is hollow platitudes with no true meaning are forced to live in a better country, even as they curse my actions I wish them to sleep with a full belly and a comfortable life. And those who are trully malicious, their bloody will water the tree of libery just as mine will.
Take that one right over to [email protected]
Heh, don’t worry - I posted it there first!
With the spelling mistake?
Yeah, I generally don’t edit the memes I find because it’s too much like work. I’m just a vector, sneezing on the Fediverse.
*its
Don’t bring alligators and rattlesnakes into this, they did nothing wrong.
One might argue it’s people’s fault for being in a situation where the animal, following it’s natural behaviours and instincts, reacted the way it predictably would.
Hell, the founding fathers wanted to change this place too.
All the Founding Fathers: “Okay, so this is just a basic compromise position we’ve put down during a long political struggle with a lot of unpleasant concessions, we’re just trying to make sure that the nation can choose its own path instead of-”
Certain People™ now: “CONSTITUTION SACRED WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA”
For fucking real bro, just ask them if they’ve actually read the Bible or constitution in it’s entirety.
Crickets, every fucking time.
I miss when the US was renowned for its peace corps, building wells and hospitals, helping communities which weren’t relevant to our income, but were helped for the sake of helping.
I can only mind my small corner, though we all work on our own little projects which may have positive effects in a larger sense.
I grew up here and want to share our wealth with all who strive to benefit both team human, and mother nature. We must quest for good, both locally and globally, or die trying.
