January 20, 2012

Keeping Your Marriage Strong

Most people know that to cheat on your husband and wife is considered a sin from the theological viewpoint. However, it really goes a lot deeper than that. According to Jesus, infidelity starts long before any physical act, and is not just limited to the physical act. Moreover, his standards on fidelity set the bar a lot higher than just not cheating on your husband or wife.

I’ll explain. During his time on earth, Jesus went to great effort to convince people that being a true Christian was more than just following a set of rules. This is evident in almost everything he said, but I’ll use as an example these excerpts from his famous Sermon on the Mount:

“You heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘you must not murder; but whoever commits a murder will be accountable to the court of justice.’ However I say to you that everyone who continues wrathful with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice…” (Matt 5:21-22)

The principle here is that Christians need to condition their hearts before any event potentially leading to sin ever comes along- they must work on shedding any anger or hatred that they harbor and develop peace and love within their hearts. This way, at times of trial, they will avoid sin because their deeply held beliefs have changed them from the inside out- not because they’ve successfully followed the “rules” by suppressing the murderous impulses in their heart.

Likewise, in verse 27:  Read more...

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January 10, 2012

Supporting Your Loved Ones Through Financial Difficulty

Money is a difficult topic for many people. Those who have it can become consumed by making sure they hang on to it, while those who don’t can easily become bitter or despairing because of the difficulties that often come hand in hand with financial strain. For others again it can become a dirty word, something they will resent and resist all their lives because of their upbringing, and possibly, misguided financial beliefs.

It is often said that “money is the root of all evil.” Many Christians will recognize this phrase as a bible quote. However, like a bit of sensationalist celebrity journalism it has been taken completely out of context. What 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says is: the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” In other words, a useful and necessary thing can become a force for evil in a person’s life if they allow it to take an inappropriate place in their minds and hearts.

Wanting a life free of debt and financial stress is not evil. Wanting a decent car and a safe, pleasant home is not evil. Wanting these things so much that you allow a desire for money to take over your heart, overriding more important things like love, faith, and moral values? That could certainly become a toxic force in anyone’s life- an evil, as it were. As Timothy said, to “wander from the faith” and “pierce yourself over with many griefs”  is just not worth it.  Read more...

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October 2, 2012

Site Has “Piercing” Arguments In The Making

According to some sources, a controvercial site called Religion Reviewed will be one interesting piece of reading to keep an eye on as it develops into the future. I heard about this from a forum, where it was said that the owner of the site intends to debunk various doctrines associated with a number of religions that are common today, while at the same time examining religious and holy texts to determine their validity.

I have a feeling they will be generally critical of the bible though, since that seems to be a focal point, which if it turns out to be the case would mean the information would need to be taken with a grain of salt. Interestingly though, the author doesn’t seem to use the term ‘atheist’ to describe him/herself so far. I might take a look through the arguments presented by them at a later date, and consider posting a response here to any noteworthy or controvercial points I find.

Stay tuned for a likely controvercial discussion or two on that front!

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