r/ChristianityAnswers

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

I have seen many try to dispute the legitimacy of Paul and thus place the Gospel over his writings and make his letters akin to secondary sources or apocrypha on the basis he was not an original apostle or his claim of contact with Jesus is dubious. I was taken in by this line of thinking until I did my own research and saw Paul was accepted by the other Apostles and his teachings were approved. Whenever I see arguments against Paul be brought up, I have never seen this fact be addressed, but I am wondering the following: What would be the argument against Paul despite him being fully accepted as an Apostle by the other disciples of Jesus (bar Judas obviously).

Sincerely,
An Inquiring Faithful of Christ.

I deleted the post before. But recently my friend told me she felt like the older brother in the prodigal son. And she essentially wasn’t happy with my recent turn to Christ. I just want to get this off my chest.

She and I had each other added on everything even Duolingo. She recently ghosted me I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt that she needed time like we all do.

I sent her a message letting her know I care for her and I’m there if she ever needs me and the friendship isn’t conditional. I left her alone for about two weeks then I see she’s blocked me on everything my number my ig my Duolingo my Pinterest!! And this all happens after I told her I didn’t want her to do this. Because she’s done it before vanished and ghosted me and then a year or so later we reconnect. And I realized after coming to God that having this closeness and nothing takes a toll on me. That a friendship like hers takes a huge negative toll me.

But I told her I’d rather not be friends than go through this again and she insisted we be friends and then did it again. So I guess I’m the fool and I refuse to return to my folly.

Idk if this is the Christian thing to do but I blocked her in return so when she does feel like reaching out she never can get through to me. I feel silly because she isn’t happy I’ve turned to Christ even though she herself claims to be Christian. She yelled at me for offering to help her workout (I have a home gym ) when she said she quit the gym and wanted to lose weight still. She said she would get mad at me for eating and she had ghosted me in the past. And before I would be sad or think I didn’t something wrong. But I feel now I didn’t I didn’t do a thing wrong and that she simply doesn’t like me. And that’s okay but I wish she accepted the breakup as friends instead of insisting otherwise and then ghosting me like a coward tbh.

I’m frustrated because she was my best friend but this isn’t a best friend. And I thank God for being comfortable enough in myself now and strong enough in him. To see that I can just be with him. I of course hope to have better friends but this makes space. My concern is maybe I’m not being a true Christian by not letting her back in my life. But I also don’t want to let someone back in my life who’s been known to consistently hurt me either.

Is it valid to get married in a courthouse before your actual wedding ceremony? We have been together almost four years and we are currently long distance, but depending on if I get a job I might end up moving sooner than later. But I want to be legally wed prior to moving in together. If the timeline of moving ends up being sooner than the actual wedding, is it possible to be legally wed in a courthouse and then have a public ceremony a few months later? I know it might defeat the purpose, but the logistics of living together legally make more sense than waiting months to plan a public ceremony and reception. Does anyone have thoughts? Is this a thing? I’m non-denominational if that matters

No matter how people would want to resist this idea, we have different practices that we believe help us to get closer to God. And at some point, we have to agree that the practices are religious in nature i.e. conducted habitually.

For instance, let us consider praise and worship sessions. Preceding the main ministry, which is the sermon, they help the congregation get into a position of intimacy with God; at least this is what a lot of Christians would say. And it is true – that there is a strong natural correlation between worship sounds and emotional vulnerability; and said vulnerability is a way of eventually letting God take control over our spirits.

However, there is no mention of such practice in the early church. I believe that back then, fellowship was inspired from Jewish synagogue practice, where the program confined to the reading and of scriptures from the scrolls and prayers. Of course the nature of prayer was transformed from a legalistic approach to a more personal level with our father, but as far as singing is concerned, there has not been a mention of such in such gatherings. Maybe they were reserved for special occasions, but that is as far as how we can speculate. I mean, a lot of people during the period of the old testament have been recorded singing praises to the Lord; and perhaps the closest association to the temple was the dedication of the new temple to the Lord.

In this regard, I would confer that singing as an act of praise and worship is a devotional practice that defines Christianity as a religion. While this is a major practice that supports this rhetoric, other devotional practices from the top of my head often involve altar calls for salvation and age-segregated ministry/catechisms. Meanwhile, some practices like the sacrament/communion, child/property dedication and baptism are in scripture, so their level of dogmatism could be left to personal interpretation.

All this considered, it doesn’t make sense to denounce the religiosity of Christianity. While this statement is often meant with the intention of stripping this identity from the legalistic nature of worship, it often throws the baby with the bathwater, removing from it practices that break us into a position that God can mould us for His goodness. Relationships and religions are not mutually exclusive categories.

I keep hearing this saying "men are in love women are in business" (from a biblical perspective is this true?)

In my frustrating dating experience it does often feel like this. I always grew up idealistic believing that god would provide me a woman who loves me for me and would even be there for me if I wasn't in the best place or lost a job or whatever. I thought its a team.

I am hearing that if you lose your job, most likely women will flee you. Men are prone to falling in love (I am guilty of this stupid mistake), and women don't really fall in love like men, they are just in love with the fact they can get something out of you like money.

I am confused.

Hello I am 16 M and I don’t believe in any form of Christianity or any religion ,I just recently told my parents I don’t believe in god.Lately I’ve been doing good financially wise which is allowing me to spoil my 4 sisters and my mom allowing other family members to see I’m well of at least for someone my age.
Now to get to my question all of my family believe in god and they have been telling me “thank god” and “it’s all because of god”
And it got me thinking why? I don’t believe in him as stated what about all the other gods out there what if they actually helped me or what about all the other successful people who believe in other religions or maybe the work I had to put in not god or anyone else. Can anyone answer this please and I don’t mean to offend anyone or their beliefs.
Sorry if this is a long text I didn’t now how to explain myself
I have posted this else where and the answer were lack luster or just ignored my question completely.

Hi all I’m 31 male virgin (in the terms of vaginal sex). I want to wait for marriage but it’s a struggle in the dating world as it seems no one wants to wait.

For the very few willing to wait, they want to have children. I do not want any children of my own and already had a vasectomy. I feel like the odd ball and cannot fit with anyone’s lifestyle leaving me all alone. Do I just keep waiting and hoping a miracle happens?

I am thinking of rejoining celebrate recovery. It is hard to discusss my mental health issues to people i do not know

God is all knowing all powerful. He can do anything. He knows everything. Why did he create a world with such evil and pain. I understand the whole “free will” thing and he “didnt create evil” but he knows everything and is all powerful why would he create this out of anything.

Been extremely depressed since the age of 9 but really developed into hardcore suicidal thoughts starting at the age 11. Why? Why create a world where people are so sad they kill themselves for no aparent reason other then just being born a certain way?

Edit: also according to the bible MILLIONS and BILLIONS of people are going to go to hell forever. Like who tf does that. Says there is a “choice” when its either accept god or burn in hell forever. Thats so horrible. Even if someone is a bad person torture FOREVER? Like what?!?! How can choices in a persons 15-70 year life constitute BURNING FOREVERRRRR. That literally doesnt make sense and sounds almost evil. Why know that create everything will lead to millions burning forever? Why create us? So he has someone to “love” him? Thats horrible.

There is a topic I am very frustrated about. I am a 40 year old neurodivergent person who grew up a christian and tried doing things the right and legal way as far as searching for a woman as a mate and I only got rejected thousands and thousands of times, trying the bar scene, dating aps, meetup groups, singles events. Keep in mind I tried this when I was in my late 20's at the prime of my dating life and now I'm 40 and only getting older, and the women reject me worse and worse the older I get. I concluded there is just no way I am going to find a woman that will like me, its just a different era we are living in now. Most women can easily go on a dating app and get hundreds of messages or men throwing money at them. I am cooked if the dating scene is this competitive and getting worse, that it just feels rigged against me.

I have spoke to this to my therapist and one therapist angered me when he told me I should go to vegas to lose my virginity legally with a sex worker there so that I don't appear desperate anymore and he thinks that will improve my dating chances.

I am so upset. I avoided going to sex workers my whole life because not only did the bible speak against it, it was illegal, and not only that dangerous to catch diseases.

I am pissed now that as a christian who fought so hard to do things the right way I am being told this is my only option now.

If I go to a sex worker will I be punished by god? No exceptions for this? I am 40 and getting uglier everyday and have too many disabilities. no woman wants me. the bible says sexual immorality is a sin!

This made me want to end my life many times. Even my own father doesn't believe I will be able to have kids because all women have rejected me so much. My family name will go extinct.

I’m 15 and have been “Christian” as long as I can remember. I feel especially as of now, we are getting closer and closer to the end times, as a matter of fact I think we ARE in the end times, and that concerns me, because when i’m judged, I don’t feel as if I have anything to show for. I’m not treating Jesus as JUST my ticket to heaven, but I want to see him as a teacher and father that I feel like i’m seeing less and less of. I see the people in my youth group, they have questions, they understand, they retain knowledge, they seem like good people and THROW themselves into religion, which for some reason I feel like I can’t just do. People sing during worship services, however I stand and remain quiet, no one in my youth group talks to me, I feel as if I’m an outcast and I see the leaders faces and they have pity for me.

I think the reason no one talks to me in my youth group is because of my ex. I won’t get in to it, but I got the courage and brought her to church, she made friends, she then cheated on me and made allegations. Now it feels like i’m an outcast.
Taking all this into consideration, I feel like I didn’t have any help to cope with this other than worldly things and desires, doing bad things with my friends, staying on the game all day, etc. My whole family is against therapy and is the traditional maga conservative stereotype. If I talk to anyone about this in my family, they will call me fake or tell me to do things I simply can’t do.

I struggle immensely with repentance, I say one thing and forget two hours later. I tell myself I’ll read my Bible, but I don’t because I don’t like reading. I feel like I don’t have a role, I don’t want to be the Christian that goes to church on sundays and commits every sin in the book 6 of the other days.

(Sorry i’m going really back and forth between topics.)
I’m told to interact with the other kids in my group, and as good as I said they were, we have nothing in common. They like to do things with each other all day and have all known each other for years, and I’m just the quiet one who came into the church late and the one who never shows up to events. I never show up to events because of the damage my ex did to my reputation in that classroom. It gets awkward when I talk because I never have anything good or new to tell them. I can’t tell this to my grandfather (the one who takes me to church) because he loves that place and I don’t want him rethinking going to that church. Sometimes it feels like i’m forced to go, if I ask to stay home one day, suddenly i’m guilt tripped into going and if I don’t it’s a massive problem.

(I know I said I wasn’t gonna get into it but I feel like this is important)
One of my old (ex) friends in there goes to the same school as my ex so naturally they became close. So when the time came she cheated, I lashed out on her, I went to my socials with everyone she knows added on it telling them what she did, and instead of talking to me herself, she sent him to talk to me. I lashed out on him for taking her side because God only knows what she said to defend herself. I cursed him out, called him fake, tried getting him to turn on her and understand what really happened and what’s really going on, but none of it worked. Half of my ruined reputation is my fault, yes.

How does all this tie in? Honestly I wrote so much I lost track. I feel like I didn’t have any help, I felt as if I was alone through all of it, I almost failed the school year. I’ve heard it all, “God works in mysterious ways,” but I feel like when I pray I’m talking to myself and it never goes anywhere. Maybe the miracle was getting through it, but what about all my unanswered questions on how to be a better christian? I’m sorry if this is too much or doesn’t make any sense, but I’m lost and feel I’m fading faster and faster each week gone by.

Like is there one that has the historical context and explains authorial intent and stuff like that

First of all, this isn’t about shaming or condemning any of my brothers or sisters in Christ. All are forgiven and new creations in the Lord. But sometimes the consequences past life experiences can have an impact upon our lives after becoming Christians. Can a person who has had multiple sexual experiences or relationships in their past be a faithful and devoted husband or wife and not compare their spouses to past partners or desire past partners?

You know you want to say it so go ahead and do it

When I was younger, my pastor in church prophesied to me saying that God has heard my cries and that I shouldn’t worry because I will be great in the future. At that point in my life everything felt meaningless and sucked. I was getting bullied and struggling with feelings of worthlessness and felt like God was honestly a bystander in my life and I just had to accept it, so hearing those words honestly shocked me. Years later, things have only gotten worse and I don’t want to be here anymore and I just don’t understand why God would lie to me, what did he mean and why did he give me false hope?