Hi guys. Sorry that I haven't posted in a while; no excuses besides that of AP tests keeping me busy. For lack of a better topic, I'm going to do this post on what my youth group discussed Sunday. Remember, feel free to suggest or email me topic ideas or requests.
Does smoking weed/cigarettes make you less of a Christian?
First of all, I'm going to break this down into a two categories - cigarettes, and all other substances. This is pretty much because cigarettes are legal.
Common conceptions in our culture today is that Christians don't do stuff like swear, smoke, drink, etc. And indeed those go against the teachings of the Bible (well... not drinking but since this is a blog for TEENS and drinking is illegal for teens then...).
So why not? Well, the Bible says that we are supposed to treat our bodies as a temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 - "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. " And again in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."
These verses are saying (I think) that we need to treat our bodies as holy as possible. Now, by that interpretation, we also need to avoid junk food, excercise a lot, etc. I'm not saying that we need to be fanatics - just treat our bodies with respect and care. Substances like cigarettes, excessive drinking, pot, crack and the like isn't exactly the epitome of respecting our bodies.
Then there's that fact that all of these substances are illegal for teens (and the others - crack, weed, etc.- illegal for everyone outside of California lol). The Bible also tells us to respect the local law in Romans 13:1-2 and in 1 Peter 2:13-17.
And then, finally, there is the fact that these substances become addictions. The Bible tells us not to have idols before Him and an addiction is the very definition of an idol. It's inexcusable to put something like a drug (or anything) before our Lord.
So what does this mean for Christians? It means that yes, illegal substance abuse is a sin. The use of cigarettes and alcohol in excess is probably a sin too but, I mean, I'm not an expert on that. Does sinning make you not a Christian?
Of course not.
It's like any sin - heck, it's like what I said about homosexuality earlier. A sin is a sin is a sin - that is, all sins are equal in the eyes of God. However, if we accept God and ask for forgiveness and work against, our petty sins can never seperate us from him.
I'm going to be honest - I have friends who smoke. I have friends who smoke who call themselves Christian. I honestly don't care and I let them do whatever they want. I have never smoked, for a few reasons.
Go with God this week guys :) Good luck to everyone with your AP Tests! Sorry for taking so long.
Hey, those lines were in "The Lost Symbol"!
ReplyDeletehow should christians approach premarital sex?
ReplyDeleteHow? What was the original reason sex was deemed wrong, and how does the "cure" of premarital sex correct this?
ReplyDeleteAgain, please note I have nothing wrong with your views, it is simply for my understanding :)
I may have gotten wrong that sex was ever deemed wrong at all, not sure.
Also, after AP tests, I'm mostly not feeling like rekindling all the discussions on the other posts haha. Oh well.
Paul doesn't really make an argument was to why premarital sex is immoral.
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell me why premarital sex is bad.
Are contraceptions bad?
You or Bradley ought to write a post on this, however convenient it may be to spit Bible verses in response.
Here's how I view it: It's not about not having sex, it's about what comes as a result of engaging in it. When you have sex outside marriage, you indulge in other sins as well (lust, adultery, and many more I can't think of right now). It's near impossible to know what Gods specific reasoning behind telling us one thing versus another, but we do know that God wants the best for us (not necessarily the best in OUR opinion, rather what God views as the best). He desires for us to have a passionate relationship with Him and be wholly devoted to Him, and somewhere along the day, not having premarital sex helps us with that pursuit. Of course, there are probably other reasons why God said that too, but the bottom line is this: God said not to, and whether we know the specifics of his reasoning or not, we are called to obey Him.
ReplyDeleteOFF TOPIC--Do you guys believe Judgement Day is on Saturday, May 21, 2011? Explain please.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused about their calculations, and what objections and other interpretations fellow Christians share on the view.
Danke.
Anonymous -
ReplyDeleteI do not believe it. There's several reasons.
First, I have read a little about the whole Mayan/Hopi calendar thing. Many people just hear about it and don't understand the reality of it. The fact is that the Mayan calendar just signifies the transition of one age to another, not the end of the world. This has happened before in the Mayan calendar.
That's all interesting but not the primary reason that I don't believe it. I've read a lot of Revelations because it interests me and have come to a conclusion: interpreting or understanding the book of Revelations is IMPOSSIBLE. It's incredibly cryptic and symbolic. However, Revelations does prophesy certain things that will precede the end of the world - things that will take a period of time, years even. I beliebe that the process would have already had to have started.
But I'm just another human, and none of us really know for sure. I guess we'll just find out :)
I agree as well. The Bible says He'll come like a thief in the night, so there's really no way to know when exactly He will come. Always be prepared! :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - So if you have morals and don't believe in a god or some higher intelligence that is worth living for, then what is the point of having morals at all? If you're just going to die, why does it matter at all what you do here on earth? (I'm not trying to be mean, I'm actually curious.)
ReplyDelete@Mya Kubik
ReplyDeleteAlthough to you it may seem like without some God that is worth living for we enter some nihilistic state of existence, this certainly is not the case. It's simple, our existence in itself is worth living for. And during our existence, we should seek the greatest value of our actions here. To do that, moral systems are needed. In plainer terms, we should make the best of the time we have here. We should do good things for the redundant fact that they are just good things to do. Would you only do good deeds if you were judged for them? And in the whole grand scheme of things, you're right. It doesn't matter. There's no higher purpose we are serving. We are just specks of dust in the universe, an arrangement of elements. And this may lead again lead you to believe that absent a God nihilism results, but that's because you will have failed to have asked the meta-level questions of, "Why does it have to matter what we do here on Earth?", "Why must the universe revolve around us?".
We should make the world we have at our hands as much like the heaven that you preach about. That is why we should have morals.
@Josh Surver
"Basically if it makes you happy and there's no down side to it, go right ahead and do it."
Uh yeah. Does that not make sense to you?
"So if you find satisfaction in premarital sex and doing drugs, then that's moral to you. I see how it is."
Um, it's no that simple. If those actions do not result in a net negative societal utility, then they are OK things to do. Responsible premarital sex? OK under utilitarianism. Drugs? Probably not.
Do you really see how it is Josh? I don't think so, you've only shown that you are capable of convoluting everything I say.
Anonymous- Actually, I do believe that without God the world would be completely disastrous. God is the source of all things that are good, and without Him, there would be no good. Therefore, all of the good things that people do (christian and non christian) are things that God has given them the desire to do. Once the rapture happens, all of the genuine Christians will be gone- along with the Holy Spirit who lives inside them. When that happens, the world will become complete chaos and there will be nothing to hold back the evil of the world. Satan will wholly rule and control the earth, therefore there will be nothing good. Utilitarianism isn't going to work to produce good things when there's nothing good left in the world to spur it on.
ReplyDeleteSo if the law conflicts with the Bible, which do we follow?
ReplyDelete"If a man still prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall say to him, "You shall not live, because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord." When he prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall thrust him through. (Zechariah 13:3 NAB)"
" 1) If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him. Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you. You shall stone him to death, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. And all Israel, hearing of this, shall fear and never do such evil as this in your midst." (Deuteronomy 13:7-12 NAB)
I'm not telling you what I believe -- I'm saying scientists say that it's natural. Personally, I believe that the only "makers" are the people whose sperm and egg come together, so I don't believe "God made them that way".
And utilitarianism is somewhat based on the view of the individual, but also based on society as a whole. I'm not very informed about utilitarianism -- ask Anonymous about that (as you may or may not have noticed, I'm not the same person)
Dear Anonymous with all of the ridiculously hard questions: I’ve numbered each of your questions so that it’s better organized, and I’ve also taken the liberty of making a few minor spelling changes. (ps: Puppeteering is not a word according to my computer.)
ReplyDelete“You've left me dumbfounded.”
1. “So the good deeds that I do, I do because God is puppeteering me to do (since he is the one who gave me the desire to do so)?” Yes. God created everyone and everything everyplace. God is good. We humans are created in the image and likeness of God, therefore we also will be good regardless of whether we follow God’s law and teachings or not. The way we were created has good programmed into it, so all of the good things in this world come from God.
2. “And after the rapture...I will be incapable of doing good deeds? Will I be forced to submit to Satan?” Here’s how it was taught to me: Right now, the Holy Spirit is holding back all the evil things that Satan wants to do. Anything and everything that he (Satan) wants to strike the world with has to go through God first because God is all powerful and controls everything. He sort of limits the power that Satan has on this world. With that in mind, once the rapture happens, Satan is given complete control of the earth and he can then do whatever he pleases. You can still do good deeds because the good in you has not been removed, but it will be much more difficult to do them because the evil in the world will seem much more appealing. You will not be forced to submit to Satan, because some people will understand that they’ve already missed the rapture, and that something needs to change so that they can be saved and go to heaven after death. People can still pray to God and communicate with Him, but the Holy Spirit will be absent from the world (as far as I have been taught). However, some will become even angrier with God and continue to despise and disobey Him.
3. “Why do bad things happen?” Sin is the source of all evil and all bad things.
4. “Why didn't God put the desire to do good things in the people who do bad things?” There is the desire to do good things in the way that they were created, however sin can sometimes cover it and make it appear invisible. I believe there is good in every person, it’s just a matter of whether they act upon it or not.
5. “What is good?” Anything that isn’t displeasing and disobedient to God. However, this is a very difficult question to answer because simply being apathetic about your faith when you are a Christian is just as bad as disobeying it completely. So, I would like to argue that anything that is pleasing to God is a better answer. I’d encourage you to pray about this and let God answer it- He can do a much better job than I can.
6. “What do you mean by "nothing good in the world anymore"? Is that because the Christians are gone and everyone who is not a Christian is evil?” I’ve answered this question in number 2.
7. “Will Satan come and make me evil?” Only if you choose to follow Him.
8. “Am I already evil?” Everyone is sinful, and God hates sin. So yes, everyone is evil, but we obtain righteousness through accepting Jesus Christ as our savior.
9. “Do I have free will?” Some would argue that people do not, but I think that they do.
ReplyDelete10. “Does Christianity work if humans don't have free will?” No. I don’t believe that God preordained people to be saved, and if He had, that would go against the gospel message and the fact that God loves all people equally.
11. “And lastly, how does your post prove utilitarianism is a bad moral system? All you've really said is that good things won't happen if everyone is evil.” Utilitarianism is intended to do the best things, the good things, for society. I think I was wrong in saying that utilitarianism will not work after the rapture. However, it is much less likely to work because people will be very selfish (especially Satan who will be the ruler) so most people will not be thinking of what could be good for others. As to your question specifically, I think that any system or means of measuring morality that isn’t founded on God is a “bad moral system.” I’m still confused as to how you claim that utilitarianism defines the moral boundaries.
12. “Have you forgotten that utilitarianism does not produce good or bad things, that it only defines them?” How does it define them?
13. “Evil people will use utilitarian logic to do evil things...because under utilitarianism, THEY ARE EVIL. (I'm EXTREMELY curious to see your answers to my questions).” Exactly my point from number 11. It most likely will not work after the rapture has occurred.
There is a fundamental problem with "utilitarianism". It revolves around the idea that we, as individuals, know what is best.
ReplyDeleteHuman beings, as a rule, do not always have the best judgement. They do not always make the right decisions. And human ideas of "right and wrong" are so flexible and subject to change.
The Nazi regime genuinely believed that they were right when they killed the Jews. The Southern plantation owners were genuinely convinced that African Americans were lesser people. Pharoah was genuinely convinced that he was Horus, a living God.
My point is that humans can't decide for themselves what is "right" and what is "wrong". God and only God knows that. He provides a set of higher rules that all humans were meant to follow.
Anonymous: First of all, I'm really not trying to attack utilitarianism. That's not my purpose at all. Your questions are never ending, and I will do my best to continue answering them, but please keep in mind that I really don't know all the answers. The best source to find Truth from is God, and I'd really encourage you to try looking for them yourself. There's tons of Christian websites out there that you can find information on. As for now:
ReplyDelete1. By image, I mean similar qualities personality-wise, as in being good. There is not “proof” that God created the Earth, you are right. However, almost all the scientific facts show that there could not be a random chance + eternal matter + energy = Life. And no, I am not going to have a debate with you about this at the moment.
2. The Holy Spirit did not get “zapped by the ghostbusters.” And if you live after the rapture, I think that you will agree that He is doing a very good job now.
3. First off, sin was born into the world as a result of human deviation from God. God created humans with free will, and as a result, He allowed us to sin, but He did not cause it. God gave us a second chance by sending Jesus to pay for all our sin, so that we may obtain righteousness and be seen as clean in His eyes
5. By reading the Bible and asking God to help us interpret it, we can know how to please God. In my opinion, the Bible makes it pretty clear that being gay is a sin, and according to Romans, we are not to condone or support this (or any) sin. I’m also not going to debate this, because it’s been pretty well summed up on Bradley’s homosexuality posts.
8. No. God is not evil in any way, shape, or form. Although He permits bad and evil things to come upon this world, He does not create them. Sin is evil. Evil comes from sin. The two pretty much go hand in hand. All suffering, misfortune, and wrongdoing in this world have come as a result of sin. When humans first sinned, they CHOSE to bring suffering upon the world for all the generations to follow.