u/NestorianXtian

This is just my observation but I feel like prison ministry doesn't get talked about much. I think it's because we have a habit of stigmatizing criminals no matter how much they've reformed themselves. Don't get me wrong, some crimes are serious and the people who commit them should be incarcerated if found guilty. But I feel like, when it comes to chaplaincy, we hear a lot about military, University, and hospital chaplaincy but we also need to remember that convicts also have spiritual needs. That said, for those of you in prison chaplaincy, what has your experience been like with ministering to convicts? Did you ever minister to inmates on death row and witness executions? Has that shaped your views on the death penalty and other criminal justice issues?

Hi everyone! While I have not moved abroad yet, it is something that I have been considering for a long time. I first briefly entertained the idea of living abroad when I was a teenager but I didn't quite have the words to describe what I was thinking. After a trip to Canada in 2016, I realized that I felt more at home there. I've always had a soft spot for Canada because it was the first place outside the US I visited (I'll never forget Niagara-on-the-Lake). I'm currently working on a master's degree in a field that's in demand in much of the Anglosphere and once I've gotten some experience and money saved up, I plan to move out of the US. Canada is my top destination (the Niagara Region or New Brunswick) because I want the ability to visit family without needing to wait in an airport and fly. I've got nothing against air travel and have done it before. The irony is that I know my parents are mostly supportive of my decision and I would want to visit them without having to deal with airfare and airports. If they weren't supportive I'd be more inclined to look further away than Ontario or New Brunswick (I live Maryland currently by the way).

While I'm not the black sheep of my family, I've heard from other Americans who live abroad that they feel like that. I've heard about American emigrants having the full support of their families, some whose families tolerated their decision, and others whose families became hostile and even broke off communication. I sometimes feel that even having the thought of emigrating from the US makes me the black sheep of Americans because I've noticed that even well meaning Americans haven't exactly broken free from American exceptionalist propaganda. I'm curious to know if leaving the US made you the black sheep of your family or friend group.

So I recently watched the documentary about Henry Lee Lucas on Netflix called "The Confession Killer." I was vaguely familiar with this case before watching the documentary but it provided a lot of detail about misconduct in the Texas Rangers at the time along with Lucas' habit of making false confessions. My understanding is that Henry Lee Lucas had three confirmed murders, his mother, Becky Powell, & Kate Rich. He was convicted of 11 murders, including one that got him the death penalty until that was commuted. Lucas and his friend/accomplice Ottis Toole confessed to hundreds of murders (Toole is generally believed to have murdered Adam Walsh in 1981). Many of their confessions were determined to be false.

I think it's safe to say that while many of his confessions were false, I do think that Henry Lee Lucas probably has more victims than confirmed. Same with Ottis Toole. What makes this case so strange and frustrating is that law enforcement used Henry Lee Lucas to close unsolved murder cases, but when those confessions turned out to be bogus, the actual killer got away with murder. I'm curious what you all think about this.

Hello Everyone!

I last posted here under the name NoFeedback_3340. I said that I was going to leave reddit because I found it toxic, depressing, and counterproductive (this forum of course does not fit either of those categories). There were many forums that I missed so I decided to come back under a different name, but I still got a reprieve.

That said, I've been thinking about my theological leanings and I've started to find myself embracing Nestorianism. I don't know if Nestorianism is permitted on this forum or if even that's too far, but to me it makes a lot of sense. Based on my understanding, Nestorian Christianity asserts a distinct separation between the divine and human natures of Jesus. I feel like this can provide a great explanation for Jesus being both human and divine, such as speaking like a human and referring to God in third person but also forgiving sins and speaking like God. The only denomination I know of that still follows Nestorianism is the Assyrian Church of the East, which I am not a member of. I'm curious to know if there are any other Nestorians on here or if I'm the black sheep.