The Christian Discussion thread IX: Pelagius Rising.

[Tarsonis]

Assuming you mean the comfort thing, but (to be blunt) just telling people about your life/problems can be comforting, even if you don't necessarily get a response, at least to me

But then why do you not talk to friends or something? Why pray?

Why one or the other? Porque no los dos?

[The Eaters of Yttrium]

Assuming you mean the comfort thing, but (to be blunt) just telling people about your life/problems can be comforting, even if you don't necessarily get a response, at least to me

But then why do you not talk to friends or something? Why pray?

Friends are great, and God encourages us to have them. However, they are human. They can sometimes support us, but they do not have solutions for many things, and you should not expect them to. God is perfect, and He will be able to help us with everything. It is great to have friends to talk to, but God will be there when they can not.

[The Alexanderians]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

How do you believe one must pray, according to Christianity?

You must pray without ceasing.

[Geneviev]

But then why do you not talk to friends or something? Why pray?

Friends are great, and God encourages us to have them. However, they are human. They can sometimes support us, but they do not have solutions for many things, and you should not expect them to. God is perfect, and He will be able to help us with everything. It is great to have friends to talk to, but God will be there when they can not.

God doesn't always solve everything either.

[Geneviev]

But then why do you not talk to friends or something? Why pray?

Why one or the other? Porque no los dos?

You can have both. If God is a friend substitute, that's what I thought it was.

[Geneviev]

How do you believe one must pray, according to Christianity?

You must pray without ceasing.

Why? How?

[The Alexanderians]

You must pray without ceasing.

Why? How?

A Russian pilgrim asked that very same question long ago.

[Geneviev]

Why? How?

A Russian pilgrim asked that very same question long ago.

And the answer is...?

[The Alexanderians]

A Russian pilgrim asked that very same question long ago.

And the answer is...?

I can't tell you that! That's a spoiler!

Honestly though I haven't finished reading it yet. But thus far I get the impression it's not going to be a simple short answer, I'm expecting nuance.

[Geneviev]

And the answer is...?

I can't tell you that! That's a spoiler!

Sorry, that was out of my control. I had to.

[Tarsonis]

A Russian pilgrim asked that very same question long ago.

And the answer is...?

1 thess 5: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

[Geneviev]

And the answer is...?

1 thess 5: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Okay, God wants you to never stop praying and be happy all the time. Is He aware that it's not possible? How does He expect you to do it?

[The Alexanderians]

And the answer is...?

1 thess 5: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

That's the prompt not the answer.

I think she like the pilgrim I made a reference too wanted more to the answer than merely that. The book chronicling it is The Way of the Pilgrim.

[Geneviev]

The book chronicling it is The Way of the Pilgrim.

Should I read it, do you think?

[Tarsonis]

1 thess 5: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Okay, God wants you to never stop praying and be happy all the time. Is He aware that it's not possible? How does He expect you to do it?

Other translations say "constantly" instead of without ceasing if you prefer that. It's poetic language, don't take it too literally.

[Geneviev]

Okay, God wants you to never stop praying and be happy all the time. Is He aware that it's not possible? How does He expect you to do it?

Other translations say "constantly" instead of without ceasing if you prefer that. It's poetic language, don't take it too literally.

That still doesn't change the main issue. How?

[Tarsonis]

Other translations say "constantly" instead of without ceasing if you prefer that. It's poetic language, don't take it too literally.

That still doesn't change the main issue. How?

I'm afraid I still don't understand the query.

[Lower Nubia]

1 thess 5: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Okay, God wants you to never stop praying and be happy all the time. Is He aware that it's not possible? How does He expect you to do it?

How is it not possible? Men spend their whole lives day dreaming about a better life. What? Can the mind not be focused into more important matters? We have ticks and observances even when working, can they not be turned into Christian observances, thanking God, a small prayer? Of course we have to realise the hyperbole involved but the effect is the same, it is a command to saturate the believers life with God.

Isn’t one of the charges of prayer that we give thanks in everything? How are we somehow unable to be appreciative of our good fortune? How much spare time is usually taken in leisure? Why not more of that for Godly activities?

One of the components of being a great Christian, not just a Christian, is the ability to maximise the time we have for God. That in and of itself is not easy which is why there are few great Christians.

[Gim]

Okay, God wants you to never stop praying and be happy all the time. Is He aware that it's not possible? How does He expect you to do it?

How is it not possible? Men spend their whole lives day dreaming about a better life. What? Can the mind not be focused into more important matters? We have ticks and observances even when working, can they not be turned into Christian observances, thanking God, a small prayer? Of course we have to realise the hyperbole involved but the effect is the same, it is a command to saturate the believers life with God.

Isn’t one of the charges of prayer that we give thanks in everything? How are we somehow unable to be appreciative of our good fortune? How much spare time is usually taken in leisure? Why not more of that for Godly activities?

One of the components of being a great Christian, not just a Christian, is the ability to maximise the time we have for God. That in and of itself is not easy which is why there are few great Christians.

Jesus died for us to have freedom with our lives, while keeping the Commandments.

[Reikoku]

What do you think about the possibility of intelligent life existing on other planets, and what it would mean for the Christian faith?

[Lower Nubia]

How is it not possible? Men spend their whole lives day dreaming about a better life. What? Can the mind not be focused into more important matters? We have ticks and observances even when working, can they not be turned into Christian observances, thanking God, a small prayer? Of course we have to realise the hyperbole involved but the effect is the same, it is a command to saturate the believers life with God.

Isn’t one of the charges of prayer that we give thanks in everything? How are we somehow unable to be appreciative of our good fortune? How much spare time is usually taken in leisure? Why not more of that for Godly activities?

One of the components of being a great Christian, not just a Christian, is the ability to maximise the time we have for God. That in and of itself is not easy which is why there are few great Christians.

Jesus died for us to have freedom with our lives, while keeping the Commandments.

Jesus died to save man from sin, not to give liberty in time keeping. The Christian life is precisely that a living, therefore it takes up our lives.

[Lower Nubia]

What do you think about the possibility of intelligent life existing on other planets, and what it would mean for the Christian faith?

It doesn't and if it did the Christian faith would die.

[Reikoku]

What do you think about the possibility of intelligent life existing on other planets, and what it would mean for the Christian faith?

It doesn't and if it did the Christian faith would die.

Why would that make it die? I don't remember anywhere in the Bible it being stated that God only created life on this planet.

[Painisia]

Doesn`t the Bible advocate corporatism for society? I remember there was a line that said: Society is like a bunch of organs, something like that.

[Lower Nubia]

It doesn't and if it did the Christian faith would die.

Why would that make it die? I don't remember anywhere in the Bible it being stated that God only created life on this planet.

It is more to do with the logical ramification. Intelligent life can sin, there is no reason to assume that the Klaxl of Centauri being sapient would not also sin. Yet Christ's atonement has efficacy for man because he is mans unparalleled offering, the kinsman redeemer, but that wouldn't redeem the Klaxl, that would go against 2,000 years of thought on how Christ's atonement works - why would innocent human blood redeem alien blood? Who, even, might sin completely different to how we do. Therefore either other sapient species have the Logos clothed in their flesh at differing points throughout the universe and multiverse, which would be incredibly odd. More preferably the one I like: they simply don't exist, we have placed our eyes and ears to heaven and not seen nor heard anything. I think I'll stick to their non existence. Now of course, in 800 years time when we go to centauri and find an adorable jellyfish, that isn't a concern it is just a continuing marvel of God's creative hand across the universe, but not sapient life, it's just too strained.

The reason it will kill the logical aspect of the faith, not that Christianity will die; there are too many fools on the planet to see the obvious, is because it would be untenable for the characteristics of God to be stretched needlessly across the cosmos, indeed, all permissible realities, in such an untidy fashion. It is also one of the main reasons that the multiverse is also untenable. If aliens can't exist here, they can't exist in other dimensions and that would mean every other dimension would be a barren universe made purely of rock and gas, a needless waste of space, and again, hardly fitting.

Fortunately we have neither evidence of a multiverse or aliens so I suppose Christianity is 2 for 2. I think it has become quite an argument for the divine ordination of man in relation to the universe, we have not heard a single iota of anything out their that may even be conceived as intelligent. Indeed by 2030 we will have checked and identified half of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy for planets and whether those planets have life, and for now we're the only ones. So far.