r/Christians

i have tried to get all of the main series My Little pony comics however they are usually either really expensive as they seem to not be sold by the company anymore or not available at all. The company recently did like a re-release of the main series which i was looking for, however by that point i had already spent around $400 for most of them and only a day later they announce this, if i had known that and not have spent my money then i would have been able to buy all of them, however it is all or none, want only one book from the collection? Too bad! It's all or none. And get this it would be shipping in December! This went up back in like i think April or March and it's shipping in December?! That is actually insane and not in a good way. Now that the 30 day chance to buy it is over you just can't get it at all. Meaning i either have to spend probably around $600 just for one book which i need two of, or just pirate it. The company at this point isn't even seem to care that much i have posted a leaked pitch trailer for a new MLP series on my Twitter at the very least several months ago and they have done nothing, in fact it should still be up. They do not even care. Before anyone asks why I spent $400 on a collection of comics it's because people kept telling me that it was a sin to Pirate them no matter what. So i bought them legitimately and guess what? i still am not able to get them all without paying over $600. For two comics mind you. And i'm not even sure if those $600 listings are still up they might be gone by now which at that point i'm screwed, You could say i could wait to see if they release them again individually but they should have done that in the first place. i think I have actually waited around a year trying to read them, for a bit pirating them worked but then i felt guilty. Why? Probably because i'm afraid i'm sinning.

I am a female college student. While on campus, a girl approached me and asked if I would like to join her Bible study, and I said yes. Her first lesson was that we existed in heaven before earth, sinned against god, and we were put on earth as punishment. She kept flipping around the Bible and using unrelated verses to justify this, and it felt like she missed the context of each section. Page flipping was my first red flag. However, I was impressed by her knowledge of the Bible and how she remembered where every verse was.

The next lesson was about the Passover. She basically said you can only be saved by following it. I understand that our calendar and the biblical calendar are different so I asked about how they know which day is actually passover and what happens if you get it wrong. Does that mean you're not saved? I also told her I disagreed. Accepting the gift of Jesus dying for your sins is what saves you, not following a holiday. I felt that this lesson contradicted what I know about Christianity. It felt like she was adding conditions. I don't think you'd be sent to heck because you missed one day of Passover.

During this lesson, I had a gut feeling that what she was teaching me was wrong because I felt that it contradicted the message of the Bible. However, I appreciated being able to discuss Christianity with someone who seemed very knowledgeable. My thought process is that I should be open to what she has to say because it's important to listen to people you disagree with.

Her third lesson was the weirdest. She introduced the concept of a female mother god, and this is where I completely zoned out. I was literally thinking to myself, "Am I imagining this. Is she being serious?" She flipped through passages again to prove her point. She started saying god's creations mirror him, so having a father and a mother on earth means there's a father and mother in heaven. She used a passage talking about Hagar and Sarah, and then something about the city of Israel. I understood the logic, but completely disagreed.

I feel like she started with the least strange belief, then gradually pushed more and more outrageous stuff so I wouldn't immediately run away lol.

Every week, she would text me to invite me to Bible study and come to her church. Even after saying "Sorry, I'm busy this week," she would persistently ask each time. I didn't have a problem with this. I just felt bad for consistently saying no.

She invited me to her church, and before I visited, I saw a Reddit post about someone saying the church forced/pressured them to get baptized. (Not her specific church, but another WMSCOG location).

I visited her church, and everyone was so nice and well-dressed. However, someone got baptized, and everyone yelled "We love you" while doing hand motions. And I just sat there like what just happened, and it freaked me out because suddenly everyone in the room was chanting it like it was a normal occurance. I kept seeing the same korean lady in all the photos, so I asked her, and she said she was mother god and we'd talk about it later.

Then she showed me an intro video talking about all the community service they do and the awards they have. She could tell I felt aprehensive so she told me that the queen elizabeth gave them an award, but people implied there was something sketchy about their church, so Queen Elizabeth sent spies who confirmed there was nothing weird. If you have to defend your church by saying that, then I feel like there's definitely something wrong with it.

I've done a lot of research when it comes to Christian "cults." (Using the term liberally. I'm not trying to insult other religions/sects of Christianity. I'm using it to describe unwavering or unquestioned devotion to a leader or deity, and getting shamed by your community for disagreeing. Also, getting disowned/banished by your family or community for leaving the religion).

Years ago, I dated a Mormon and considered joining, so I researched Joseph Smith. I don't like churches that have a council who decide what millions of members should believe and make excuses for their racist history, so seeing that WSMCOG had a similar structure freaked me out (I'm talking about the Mormon church not acknowledging past racism towards African Americans by not allowing them to hold the priesthood for the longest time. I'm not implying WMSCOG is racist). Christianity is about your relationship with god and interpretation of the Bible, not what some "higher authority" tells you to believe.

I've also heard WMSCOG steals your time, makes you pay tithing, and pulls you away from your support system to manipulate you (past members have said this in YouTube videos and Reddit posts). The only one I want to worship is Jesus, not a lady who claims to be god.

Is it worth continuing a friendship with her? Shes a great person, I have a lot of respect for her and her determination, and how she's open to criticism. However, I don't want to be gradually pushed to get baptized or join something I don't believe in. I feel like her main goal is to convert me slowly rather than building a true friendship. I also see her teaching others on campus, and I heard that converting people is part of what they have to do. I'm grateful to have someone who challenges my ability to defend my truth.

Tell me your thoughts and experiences with the World Mission Society Church of God. Just to clarify, I'm not making fun of her church or trying to spread hate. I just want to know about people's experiences or if I should be cautious. Feel free to disagree with me. All opinions are appreciated!!! Thankyou!!

i feel like at that point they will just be abusing their power, what could their reason possibly be? It makes men weak? at That point they are just saying because you are a man you can only enjoy manly things. It just enforces harmful stereotypes that are not true. Besides this is a show that actually made me want to be a Better Person, so clearly the show can benefit older people greatly, the fact it made me want to be a better person might be a reason why i love it so much. If people have high amounts of power they WILL abuse it. Why should i give up Something that is Clearly a Gift From God?

It might be a bit harsh, but more than half of the people concerned with Palestine would not care if Palestine was not Muslim and instead was Buddhist or Atheist. They care specifically because it is a Muslim against non-Muslim conflict with Arabs and a global narrative. How many Islamic groups cared about the Vietnam War? Almost none.

So do you believe having a sort of globally connected brotherhood through faith might be useful to believers of Christ? Especially when atrocities begin?

Especially in this secular era where most people don't see faith as anything other than a personal conviction.

When I eat outside of the diet I'm supposed to be on (due to an autoimmune disorder), I feel very weak physically and experience fatigue the day after. Because of this, my doctor has ordered lab work to see if any other disorders are also happening as well. But sometimes, it's just hard to keep up with the diet due to the reasons I've mentioned. Please pray. Please also pray for possible total healing from this disorder. Thank you.

Hi, I am a 20yr woman, who honestly still feels like a teen. I am re-starting community college in August, living in student apartments, with a boyfriend in basically the same position. He's a little farther along in school, and he has two jobs, but it's not enough to support a whole BABY. I'm so scared. My parents will be disappointed, and I will be nothing more than a baby mama, which is not what I wanted. Is there any advice that anyone would be willing to give? I haven't taken a pregnancy test yet but I'm just so nervous I don't want to know. I don't want to abort. I asked for advice elsewhere but everyone just said abort. Any advice helps.

I'm asking these questions only to Christians who speak in tongues. I am not looking for a theological debate or discussion. Please, if this is not you, let it fly. (I've read through many posts here and on a few other forums and they always end up reducing to arguments and proof-texting with the Bible. Please don't do that to this post).

I'm a pastor seeking to understand the experiences of those who've experienced the gift of tongues.

So, if you speak in tongues, would you mind sharing with me five things:

1. How did you receive the gift?

2. Did you begin by speaking words/noises/utterances, expecting the Holy Spirit to take over your voice? (Sometimes, people call this "releasing your prayer language," "activating the gift," or using "the language of surrender."

3. Do you speak outwardly for a congregation / prayer gathering, and if so, have others interpreted for you?

4. If you pray in tongues, how has that shaped you?

5. Finally, have you spoken in tongues to someone who doesn't speak your native language and they understood what you were saying? In other words, did they hear you talking in their language but you thought you were speaking in English (or whatever your language is)?

Thank you. I look forward to your responses.

My faith has seen ups and downs in it’s relatively few years. I’m a passionate Christian who not too long ago was an atheist. But my passion isn’t the same as many, I’m not filled with constant joy or surrounded by many friends.

My work costs me a lot and it’s a toll that destroys a part of me - but it’s necessary and in a way, it’s holy.

I smoke now and then, and I’m passionate about beer.

I’ve never understood love. I’ve been rejected, cheated on, ghosted… by women who claim to be Christians but treated me like trash.

I pray everyday, mostly asking God for forgiveness.

I try to read the Bible.

To study apologetics.

But lately I don’t want to read the Bible.

I don’t want to find God there.

I just want to feel. I want to feel him. I want to feel his love. I know he loves me. But I don’t feel it. I can’t comprehend it. I can’t grasp it. I don’t know real love. Maybe a little from my brotherhood but I know rejection and the feeling of being discarded more.

I want Jesus to come down and give me a hug.

That’s all.

Is this wrong?

Am I right to say that I don’t want to read the Bible, the book I’ve come to know well and love, because I want to experience Jesus face to face.

To receive his love.

I can’t just read words anymore. I tried. I just want him. I try to enjoy his presence, but even then I feel alone. I want to feel him. I want to just bury my face in his arms. I’ve never experienced such a thing in my life.

I can’t feel much and what I do feel is hate and anger, depression and deep sadness. I feel afraid and lost. So I pray. I do read the Bible a little.

But what I want so badly is for him to come and give me a hug. I just want to feel loved by God.

Hello everyone, I just want to share what I’m going through. Perhaps others can learn from my mistakes, or others going through the same thing as me can be encouraged to repent.

I’m a male in my late 20s.

I saw porn for the first time at age 7-8, and became addicted to it at age 14-15.

I started smoking weed at age 19 which slowly developed to near every day use.

I started to drink alcohol nearly every day around age 24 after a big breakup.

I began vaping nicotine at age 20.

I’ve managed to quit each one individually for a month or so before falling back again.

I have a job as a caretaker which I am grateful for, but my passion is in computer science, and my own decision to pursue lust has greatly slowed down my progress with my degree, only half finished.

I am grateful God hasn’t smited me down for my habitual sin and am still alive.

I’m back in school now, and am a week free from alcohol, weed, and pornography. I am still using nicotine but I am planning to ween off that too.

I am exercising, eating healthier, reading scripture, and have already noticed that I have more energy. I am refusing to sleep with my phone in my bed which is when and where I am tempted the most.

If I have dreams, usually they have been nightmarish. But last night I had a dream that I fell in love with a woman who also fell in love with me, and we kissed. I woke up initially sad, but then my senses came over me and I realized it is possible if I let God continue to work in me.

I don’t want to fall again by rushing into a relationship when I’m not ready (which I definitely am not ready).

By next year I’m hoping to have a job in any technical field, be in the best shape of my life, and still be sober from porn, weed, and alcohol (hopefully nicotine too), and praise Jesus Christ for it. I wouldn’t have even made it this week without Him.

It is the abusive husband bringing flowers after destroying his wife emotionally, as if the flowers somehow erase the cruelty. Technically “doing the relationship things,” but missing the heart entirely.

It is the religious leaders and spiritual guides being extremely religious, careful about rituals, fasting, holidays, purity, Sabbath rules, and public appearances, while having no mercy, understanding or compassion for the broken people right in front of them.

And it is the modern hypocrite who sends Bible verses to a suffering person but never lifts a finger to help him. No meal. No call. No shelter. No patience. No love. Just holy-looking words thrown over a bleeding wound.

That is why God says:

“I hate, I reject your festivals,

Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.”

Amos 5:21

God is not impressed by religious performance that hides lovelessness.

A sacrifice without mercy is theater.

A Bible verse without love can become a stone.

A prayer without obedience can become noise.

Jesus did not rebuke broken sinners the hardest. He rebuked the religious people who used holiness as a mask for pride, cruelty, and self-protection, personal gain, and status.

If your faith makes you colder, prouder, harsher, and less willing to love inconvenient people, something is deeply wrong.

Not with God.

With you.

I have a prayer request. I took the bone density medication Fosamax for several years but stopped because it has some dangerous side effects. Instead I now take vitamin K2 everyday. My bone density has improved only slightly since taking K2 (for two years). However, I was recently told, by the surgeon who replaced my right knee, that my bones are really bad. He said I need to get on a strong bone density medication.

There isn’t a single osteoporosis medication that doesn’t have side effects; some of which, like stroke and heart attack, are extremely scary. Please pray for me by asking God to heal my bones. I really don’t want to start taking any of these bone medications.

My second knee replacement surgery is tentatively scheduled for June 16th. I’m praying for my surgeon to witness a miracle, and for him to tell me I don’t need to get on bone medication after all.

I’m going to hold off asking my primary care physician to prescribe osteoporosis medication until after my second knee replacement surgery, in the hope I won’t need it.

That is not the Gospel.

We are not saved by rituals, religious performance, food laws, ceremonies, or trying to prove we are good enough. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

Freedom from the Law does not mean freedom to sin. It means freedom from trying to earn righteousness before God. Jesus fulfilled what we could not fulfill. He lived a perfectly good life and yet He bore the punishment we deserve. He gives us righteousness and eternal life as a gift.

So no, Christians do not obey God to become saved.

We obey because Christ has saved us, changed us, and made us alive.

We are not slaves to laws and manmade rules.

This is no longer slavery.

That is grace.

So since I can't send images I have to type out the caption of what the video said :

"Yes the Catholic church is the only way to heaven. Partake in the sacraments instituted by Christ 🇻🇦☦️❤️‍🔥"

Pray for the church in the UK.

What has the church in the UK done? Millions of Muslims arrive but only a handful of Christians decide to go out and preach the gospel. Imagine if the church welcomed them, and reached out to them. Feeding those who were hungry, clothing the naked, showing them Christ.

But no. Most did nothing. The false Christians who are nationalists want nothing to do with them except to deport them all. I agree dangerous immigrants who want to bring their sharia laws or terrible practices with them - they don’t belong. But Christ died for them too.

I wish so badly that the church hadn’t gone sour. Affirming LGBTQ marriage. That’s what they did. Preach the gospel? No.

So now Christianity falters and Islam is sweeping through the UK.

Christians are busy being unbothered, stuck in traditions, and unwilling to obey Christ. Others are lukewarm for Christ but fiery for their nationalistic pride. They will be spit out in the way Christ said it. Their love is for the color of their skin and ways.

Seek first the Kingdom has long been lost. Only a few remain faithful.

Perhaps it’s for the best that the UK one day becomes a Muslim majority nation. Maybe when the persecution really begins the fake believers will fall away and those who truly believe will stand strong in Christ first

So please join me I prayer. That Christ would raise up believers who worship in truth and spirit. Not nationalists. Not people who want to mix with the world. But those who love Christ, their neighbors, enemies, and immigrants to the point of preaching unashamedly.

The trip has been so fun but a bit grueling. Please pray the hours would go fast.

Something I’ve noticed is that a lot of modern Western people talk about the Bible with this weird superiority complex.

They’ll read about ancient Israelite laws, customs, sacrifices, purity practices, family structures, warfare, or social rules and immediately go, “Wow, this is so primitive and stupid.”

But imagine flying to another country today, seeing cultural practices you don’t understand, and saying that to the locals.

“Your customs are primitive.” “Your traditions are stupid.” “Your way of life is backwards.”

Everyone would instantly recognize that as arrogant, ignorant, and culturally chauvinistic. You’d be called narrow-minded at best and racist at worst.

But when it comes to the Bible, suddenly that same attitude gets treated as intellectual maturity.

I’m not saying every ancient practice should be copied today. We are not living in old covenant Israel today. Obviously not. Christians themselves believe Scripture unfolds through covenants, context, and fulfillment in Christ. But there’s a huge difference between saying, “I need to understand this in its historical and theological context,” and saying, “Ancient people were dumb and I, modern enlightened person, am obviously better.”

A lot of what people call “primitive” is actually them refusing to do basic cultural interpretation.

The Bible was written in real historical cultures, with real social structures, legal systems, symbols, rituals, assumptions, and problems. You can disagree with something, wrestle with it, or critique it, but mocking it before understanding it is not wisdom.

Modern Western culture is not the default setting of humanity. It’s one culture among many. And it has its own blind spots, hypocrisies, and barbarities too.

So maybe before calling the Bible primitive, people should ask:

“Do I actually understand what this meant in that world?”

Because if not, the problem might not be ancient ignorance.

It might be modern arrogance.

Do you sin?

I feel useless and lazy. I’ll go a week where I hardly do anything and I’ll feel so insanely guilty because I know laziness is a sin. The thing is, I AM still getting everything done that needs to be done, but I still manage to spend majority of the day on my phone or laying in bed. And then when I finally spend a day entirely out of my bed, I feel like garbage and I’m reminded as to WHY I spend so much time in bed. I’m constantly tired and drained. I don’t know where all my energy is gone. I don’t usually scroll on my phone. Like when I’m on my phone I’m usually watching something educational, reading, or doing something that I would deem “productive”.

Plus if I’m up and about too much, I get horrible headaches and start to feel nauseous and stressed and just ugh. I’m 18 and I don’t have a job, I don’t have my license, and I don’t have my passport which I need for summer plans. I really want to make YouTube and I know that’s what God wants me to do too, but then I feel like there’s no point in even trying because I don’t think I can do it or go anywhere with my channel. I still make videos but they aren’t anywhere close to as good as I want them to be. And they are so so random. Like none of my videos correlate with each other which is not ideal for growing a channel.

I know that I’m hard on myself, but I have every right to be when I’m absolutely terrible at being a functioning person. I just feel so much pressure to be something and I’m nothing. And I know I need to lean on God more, but I just feel guilty.

Sorry for the long rant, if you have any advice please share it. I don’t get offended so be honest.

i have this friend, and recently its felt extremely one sided, like shes talks about herself a lot and all of her amazing achievements and while im happy for them it feels almost like shes trying to prove a point, like it almost feels like shes bragging but she doesnt mean to. i may just be a terrible person whos jealous, but nonetheless these feelings have made this friendship hard to work with. i feel that she only hangs with me for the attention i give her, i constantly compliment her, show her affection, etc. i worry she doesnt actually enjoy being with me, and also i feel that my problems get overlooked, or like they arent that big of a deal, and while i know its selfish to assume that they SHOULD matter to others, idk, it throws me off a bit, like she knows i struggle with negative thoughts and stuff but she will just briefly ask about them as if theyre normal. im probably overthinking, but its how ive been worrying recently. this friendship means the world to me but its started to not feel so genuine. its hard for me to enjoy my time when i find myself feeling criticized or less worthy when im with her, even though im sure that isnt her intention. i find myself constantly comparing myself to her now. idk im prolly overthinking and just a jealous friend. and theres also been times where she hangs with the wrong people, people who are mean, and ill tell her that, and she will tell me that theyre different now and brush it off, but every time shes done that she will find out that they arent different and ARE still mean and come back to me and it just feels so disingenuous, like im default when things go wrong. i feel disgusting and terrible for feeling this way but i just dont know what to do.

First the two rules of judgment:

Do not be a hypocrite (Matthew 7:5).
Do not throw pearls before pigs (Matthew 7:6)

The whole passage there begins with “Judge not…”
Christians tend to stop there, and non believers point to that when they say it’s not good to judge.

Is Jesus condemning judgment? No. He’s condemning the wrong heart posture and the wrong audience.

Verses 1-5 are about judgment that is hypocritical. “Judge not” or you will be judged in the same measure, because “why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye…. When there is a log in your own eye”.

Christ is condemning the way people judged each other with hypocrisy. It takes a certain kind of unkindness, pride and ignorance to judge in that way.

And then he says something short in verse 6.

He’s going back to the saying from Proverbs 9:7. There it says that “Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.”

These are the “swine” or “pigs” he’s talking to. If your judgment is without hypocrisy they are like pearls, precious. But do not give them to those who will scoff and to those who are wicked. They are the wrong audience.

A pastor once explained to me that such people are usually unbelievers. “Why judge them for the path they have chosen with the free will God has given them?”

Rather Christians, in kindness and truth, ought to pass “pearls” to each other without hypocrisy.

Today I judged a fellow Christian in my heart for his sexual sin. I then realized that I sinned because I’ve been struggling with pornography too.

But if I saw my brother in Christ choosing his sexual sin without remorse, or without repentance, it’s my obligation to judge him. I must say in love, “brother, you cannot be a Christian and choose to fornicate perpetually without remorse. You, like myself, must turn our sin around”.

And that’s why confession it’s important. My struggle with porn, and the work Christ is doing in me shouldn’t be kept from my Christian friend. If I judge him for his un repentance I haven’t committed hypocrisy, and he’s been given a “pearl” that could bring him back.

That’s why we ought to judge. With hearts that aren’t prideful. But with hearts that are humble. And like today, we’ll all fail. But let’s try.

Calling out a person who claims to be a Christian yet lives intentionally as if they are an unbeliever, refusing the words of Christ, that is a person we must judge and call out. Not with hate, nor with a “plank”, but with love.

“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?”
— 1 Corinthians 5:12

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
— Galatians 6:1

“Take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.”
— 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15

“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”
— Titus 3:10

“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting.”
— 2 John 1:10