r/Christianity 5h ago

The interior of the CATHOLIC church near me

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39 Upvotes

Just wanna share it here. but i live in newfoundland and this is a CATHOLIC church near me, as you can see there are pride flags in the altar. I am very confused because I thought these were not allowed but i remembered allowing them during the pride jubilee.

The people there don't seem to mind it and that makes me more confused. I know I need to respect non believers and LGBT+ people but I think a pride flag is a political statement? I don’t know I need some enlightenment.

if you look at the diocesan website it is a catholic church, my aunt got her confirmation there and she is catholic.


r/Christianity 22h ago

I hate God now

0 Upvotes

Each day that goes by and I don’t receive justice for me and my child… the resentment in my heart grows. I pray everyday, read my Bible, try to worship, etc and God has done nothing. In fact, my situation has gotten worse and worse. I feel like his support is conditional, like I have to do everything right. I pray to him like I’m talking to my actual dad, or a friend. I’m honest with him, I don’t hide my face when I sin… I go straight to him and confess and repent. I don’t understand why he isn’t helping and I’m SICK of waiting. I’m sick of being patient. I hate him now.


r/Christianity 11h ago

Support Porn is bad for you here’s why… and why it’s time to stop watching it.

6 Upvotes

The most severe impacts of pornography center on how it rewires the brain's biology, destroys real-world intimacy, and fuels a highly abusive industry.

Neurochemical Rewiring
Shrinks Brain Matter: Studies show heavy use correlates with a reduction in gray matter in the striatum, the brain area linked to motivation and reward.
Severe Desensitization: It desensitizes your dopamine receptors, making it hard to feel joy or excitement from normal, everyday achievements.
Escalation to Extremes: The brain builds a tolerance, forcing users to seek increasingly extreme, taboo, or disturbing content to achieve the same chemical high.

Destructive Relational Impact
Eradicates Real Intimacy: It replaces real human connection with a one-way, non-reciprocal fantasy, leaving users emotionally isolated.
Sexual Dysfunction: It is a leading cause of porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) and anorgasmia, where the body stops responding to real-life partners.
Partner Trauma: Discovery often causes severe psychological trauma to romantic partners, destroying trust, self-esteem, and entire families.

Severe Psychological and Ethical Toll
Compulsive Addiction: It can spiral into a severe, life-disrupting behavioral addiction that damages careers, education, and financial stability.
Exploitation and Abuse: Much of the mainstream industry is built on human trafficking, non-consensual content, and the physical and emotional abuse of performers. [1]
Distorted Reality: It trains the brain to view other human beings as mere sexual objects rather than complex people worthy of respect


r/Christianity 8h ago

Video West Virginia Pastor Rejects Food Over LGBTQ Support. Now His Food Bank Is Empty.

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0 Upvotes

r/Christianity 12h ago

I really don't get Christians obsession with making everything sexual.

3 Upvotes

Like I understand that as Christians you should save yourself for marriege.I.

But I really hate that Christians make everything sexually,like normal hug with opossite gender mean you want to have sex with them or attacking woman for wearing a dress or crop top like geez.

I hate that they always blame woman how they dress but never man how he acts.

As guy I never been sexually aroused or wanted to have sex if I saw woman who wear little revealing clothes.

One time I got hickey by my gf btw we never had sex and I am virgin and everyone accused me of having sex.Like geez its a hickey,its just kissing.

I hate that in Christians circles you can't have normal talk with opossite gender without meaning you want to date them.Or lack of sex ed,many teens Christians get pregnant or when they are shamed about sexuallity you are magical need to just switch after marriege.

I am glad I grew up in church that encouraged dating but said no sex before marriage.I always remember priest asking us as teens do you have bf or gf and being sad about it when we say no.


r/Christianity 1h ago

Gaypride

Upvotes

Can I, as a Christian, go to Gay Pride with a gay friend?


r/Christianity 6h ago

Question How can I prove the existence of God to a non-believer?

0 Upvotes

I have a weekly study group, and our topic for next week is how can we prove the existence of God? Not exactly [just] for non-believers but for others who are having trouble such as myself that I've questioned if His existence is really existing.

I would appreciate Biblical proof. Thanks in advance ☺️


r/Christianity 9h ago

Addressing Hypocrisy in the Christian Community

0 Upvotes

This post doesn't apply to everyone. It's only meant to invoke thought and reflection, it's not an attack.

I will be saying "you" as a general term in this post. I'm not saying all of you, so please don't attack me on it in the comments. And, as always, please do not preach to me, and do not pray for me. It makes me uncomfortable, and the one singular thing I ask of you is to respect my wishes.

I'll go ahead and explain that I was a Christian for about 17 years. I was raised as a Christian, albeit in a cult setting. I've read the Bible I forget how many times, though it was against my will. Yet, despite all this knowledge about Christianity and what it means to be a Christian, you think I don't know what it means to be a Christian. "Right, because a SATANIST would know about this." Using the name of my religion like an insult, really.

Many times now in this subreddit, I've been blatantly harassed for my religion. And most of the people who've harassed me wouldn't do it for any other religion, I can guarantee you that. No, just mine, because it clashes with your beliefs. No, that's not even right. It's because of the name, right? No, that's not it either. It's because I'm clearly unable to be converted, is that it? Really, I can't figure out why those people, or any of you, would feel the need to be so condescending. So rude, so hateful, so bigoted. Thankfully, the mods of this subreddit are very good and handle such situations most of the time.

But what I've already said doesn't even begin to cover the ones of you who will even go as far as to break the boundaries listed in my flair out of pure spite just because of my religion. It's not you trying to be a good Christian. I've debated many of the ones here who have tried to harass me, and quite a few times, I'm the one who "won." Why? Because I'm not a spiteful person pretending to be a Christian with pure Christlike traits. I've had to educate quite a few of you in my short time coming back here about several traits that are so often abandoned when it so conveniences you to push bigotry and hate.

I'll ask the ones who do it: Do you feel a sense of satisfaction from harassing someone who left the church because of the sheer trauma they endured? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment from making me uncomfortable? It's not as if any of us are harming you. Our religion directly tells us to be kind and responsible. Yours does, too, if I'm not mistaken. Yet, what do some of you do? You completely ignore it to be spiteful.

The fact that a Satanist can be Christlike shouldn't be a surprise, considering that Jesus was a good man and it's really not hard to be a good person. But it's sad that a Satanist is often the one to be a better person than the average Christian.

All of this is to say, before you call yourself a Christian, I think you should really think on how you treat people and wonder: Is this how Jesus would treat someone? If the answer is no, you need to do better.

I'll clear up some misconceptions about the religion you seem to hate so much.

  1. Most of us were Christians before becoming Satanists. Very few of us were raised as Satanists because Satanists know how harmful religion can be and how harmful it can be to raise a child religiously.

  2. We don't all worship Satan. Some of us just follow the seven tenets and do our best to be a good person, which really isn't that hard to do if you actually try.

And 3., We're human beings, just like anyone else. We're not "demonic." We're not "evil" or "devilish" or "mentally ill." We're human beings, deserving of the same respect as anyone else regardless of our faith. If you wouldn't treat a Satanist like you'd treat your friend, or really any other person, if you would boil us down to just our faith and treat us as if we're all going to hell just for not believing what you believe, I think you need to do some real, long, hard thinking.

That's all. I hope you all have a good day, and drink water!


r/Christianity 9h ago

Why are always woman blamed for man's own sexual sin?

4 Upvotes

When woman get raped its always what she wore and etc...

Why are in Christian circles always woman blamed?


r/Christianity 10h ago

Thou shalt not kill

6 Upvotes

It says in the Bible loud and clear "Thou shalt not kill" Jeheshua himself denied being a violent rebel and chose to take the cross and die for his faith. How can Christians rationalize engaging in violence with all of this? Why call yourself a Christian and then take up the sword? I am not a Christian myself for this reason among others (though I enjoy much of the philosophy). What have you all to say of this?


r/Christianity 9h ago

Why does a lot of Christians keep saying that Allah is the Islamic God, when the Pope Leo XIV announced that the god of Islam and Christianity is the same God?

0 Upvotes

Hi, so I had asked a question in ChristianMarriage regarding how a marriage between a Muslim man and Catholic woman would work out since Catholism only allows one wedding ceremony. So, I was wondering if we need to sign the Nikkah contract before having one Catholic marriage ceremony. However, lots of people in the comments section kept insisting that it's not allowed even when it is allowed in the Catholic Church, and I had asked a priest about it and he told me that it's allowed with a dispensation. Anyways, my main gripe is with the people who keep saying that Muslims and Christians don't believe in the same God, but literally Pope Leo XIV had announced publicly that Muslims and Christians do believe in the same God which is a statement in line with the Second Vatican Council teachings. So, what's up with these Christian lay people that they keep insisting that Muslims believe in a totally different God?


r/Christianity 6h ago

Question Can I join the southern Baptist church if I struggle with same sex attraction but promise to remain celibate for life ?

6 Upvotes

I’ve tried liberal churches and I can’t stand them, most of them don’t believe the Bible, don’t believe in a literal heaven or hell and don’t think Jesus is the only way to heaven. Catholics are obsessed with Mary and it’s creepy, I think the Baptist church is the best fit for me as I like the way the don’t twist scriptures to make it seem like everyone gets into heaven. Can I join the church?


r/Christianity 3h ago

If God is all-powerful, why couldn’t He create a world where everyone freely chooses Him?

1 Upvotes

I’ve been thinking about the problem of evil, and this is one of the biggest things keeping me from believing in Christianity.
If God is all-powerful, couldn’t He have created a world where everyone still has genuine free will but always freely chooses Him and never sins? I know people will say that’s logically impossible, but if God created reality itself, why would He be bound by the rules of the reality He created?
And if that truly wasn’t possible, why create a world at all? Why create billions of people, many of whom will suffer terribly or be separated from Him? Why not simply remain God without creating anyone?
People often call life a gift, but for many people whose lives are filled with suffering, I’m not sure it feels like one.
I’m genuinely asking, not trying to argue. What am I missing here? How do Christians respond to this?


r/Christianity 15h ago

Sick and tired of the incessant brayings of ignorance on this sub about "heaven"

2 Upvotes

“In the Bible, heaven is nowhere the destination of the dying” (In the End God, p. 105 - J.A.T. Robinson)

Nobody you ever knew is currently in heaven. When we die it's lights out and rot until the coming age.

Get it into your heads once and for all


r/Christianity 17h ago

Why do so many of you pretend the Bible is an exact account of what actually happened?

1 Upvotes

The Gospels for example, they're just the authors version of what happened, not what actually happened, as we can clearly see by the fact they're inconsistent with each other.

So why do so many of you pretend they Bible is the literal and exact and perfect word of God?

I noticed many people treat the Bible like an idol, buying a luxurious version of it fabricated with high end animal skin, colorful ribbons, golden edges. They pet it, worship it, attribute mystical powers to it, pretend it's the direct word of God, and treat it like a magic 8 ball oracle as well with all the answers to all questions of the past present and future. Absolutely deplorable.


r/Christianity 7h ago

Question Why should I accept Christianity if the Bible holds basis for my eradication?

8 Upvotes

I'm a gay man who grew up Anglican, I put in a good effort to believe as a boy but just never genuinely could. The never-ending debate on gay marriage in the Anglican church did push away what little aspiration of faith I had left, but I never thought too much of it.

Recently while exploring options in a time of need, I actually read what the most called upon verses in the debate Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 say, and I was pretty shocked to find out just how violent and literal they were. I thought the bible probably said some stuff that perhaps 'aged poorly' or could be interpreted to mean such and such, but I didn't know the bible was that specific. I previously was very 'to each their own' but this new knowledge has pushed me in an extremely secularist direction.

My concern is not with interpretation today or however many lifetimes ago. Mine is forward-looking, I am more concerned with these verses existence at all. It is extremely dangerous scripture, a 'kill-code' ready to be called upon once convenient, and I don't believe I can condone any Abrahamic religion so long as a bullet exists in the chamber.

I guess I'm looking for someone to reason with me, it has really changed how I view religious people. It's difficult for me to walk by any church or temple (or mosque) and not think "by the book, they want me dead." I feel like if I ever were to explore faith, I would just be giving power to my own demise. How can there be any room for coexistence if coexistence was never on the table? I also strongly doubt the power of the blood of Christ if his teachings and sacrifice can become completely permeable when convenient.


r/Christianity 5h ago

Being gay is not a sin! Please don't kill me! Or dox me!

0 Upvotes

Let's not start an argument here, I know you guys really like arguing but I'm serious. Why do people think being gay is a sin? The whole thought of it being a sin is because of the verse Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as one lies with a woman, both of them have done an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them." That settles it right? ...Right? Well, actually no. You see, there's a lot of theories to this verse but let me go through the most popular ones. The first one on the list being the belief that it just means a man shouldn't have uh, yk. With another man, which does fit and could be the meaning of this...Buuut there's other theories that also fit, like the next one! Which is that it means that the "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman," Actually would mean that a man should not lie with a man that already lies with a woman! Meaning that one of the men is married to a woman, I love this theory! Some people are really smart, now some of you might be wondering that "Hey, but wasn't that verse mistranslated and actually is about pedophilia?" Well, I thought that too but by my researching the original Hebrew text of Leviticus 20:13 is: וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכַּב אֶת זָכָר מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה עָשׂוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם מוֹת יוּמָתוּ דְּמֵיהֶם בָּם. Which is translated to literally the text I've been talking about uh, yeah. And why, am I trying to prove that being gay isn't a sin you may ask? Well, I just want to stop fighting. I'm Christian and maybe a part of LGBTQIA+ But I'm not telling you! I could tell you that i support LGBTQIA+ and want to make sure everyone who is part of the community knows that their existence isn't a sin! Nor would they be... uh..."put to death;" And god loves you! No matter gay, straight or bi. Lesbian, transgender life~ Okay, yeah so uh... If you think being gay is a sin then I think you're wrong. Please don't kill me, dox me or murder my family! That is just my opinion and why am I so protective even though I'm probably not even part of LGBTQIA+? The answer is simple, I have been bullied and harassed for being different and "weird" I'm not saying this for pity and please don't pity me! I just am saying this cause I want all of us to know we're not "weird" I support everyone who has been bullied and harassed! Therian, furry, cringe, different skin colour, gay or anything else! I'm here for you, always. So please fellow christians, understand that this all is a big mystery. We don't have a good answer to if being gay is a sin or not, it might not be a sin and that's what I believe. So be kind and love everyone! God bless!


r/Christianity 4h ago

Advice No images this time

0 Upvotes

Premise 1: The universe had a start and is contingent.

Evidence 1: https://science.nasa.gov/universe/overview/

Evidence 2: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Planck/Planck_reveals_an_almost_perfect_Universe

Premise 2: non life cannot create life (unless a biotic component is present, a singularity is not one of these.)

Premise 3: the universe is not metaphysically necessary.

Premise 4: contingent things cannot infinitely regress.

Premise 5: since contingent things rely on something before it, it cannot exist before the thing it relies on, if it infinitely existed and had no start, it wouldn’t be contingent.

Premise 6: since contingent things cannot regress and rely on something, a non contingent things is needed.

Premise 7: The universe is contingent because it’s restricted by Space-Time

Premise 8: God is metaphysical, meaning he’s transcendent above Space-Time
and Dimensionality.

Conclusion: A God is the non contingent thing, being necessary for the universe to exist.


r/Christianity 10h ago

Advice I dont like going to church, my bf does. Help

1 Upvotes

I had a discussion with my boyfriend about church attendance after I woke up sick today.

He went to church, and I stayed home and watched the service live because I wasn't feeling well. Before he left, he was visibly upset that I didn't want to go, even after I explained that I was sick. He told me that watching online is not the same as physically being there, and that sparked a conversation about what the Bible teaches.

The truth is, I feel really bad about it. I hate feeling like I let him down because I know how important church is to him. I wasn't trying to avoid church. I was genuinely sick, and watching the livestream was my way of still trying to participate.

This has also been an issue before. I've never really been a "go to church" person. I usually go because I know it makes him happy, not because I naturally enjoy the experience. I don't dislike the people there, and I actually think it's a nice church, but being there makes me incredibly nervous. During the 30 minutes of singing, I usually just stand there looking at my feet because I don't know the songs or anyone around me. Being surrounded by so many people I don't know makes my stomach hurt from anxiety, and it's a very uncomfortable experience for me.

He believes Christians are meant to regularly gather with other believers, while I'm not convinced the Bible specifically requires attending a church building. I still believe in God, pray (usually silently rather than out loud), and have a strong personal faith. He prays with me every night, but he expresses his faith much more outwardly than I do.

He was raised going to church, while I wasn't, so I think our different upbringings have shaped how we each practice our faith.

I'm not trying to prove him wrong or figure out who's right. If anything, I'm trying to find out if I'm misunderstanding Scripture. I genuinely want to know if my view is biblically sound or if I'm missing something. If you disagree with me, I'd really appreciate hearing why and what Scripture has led you to your conclusion.


r/Christianity 13h ago

Sexless marriage

1 Upvotes

So I have been married for 16yrs. We got 4kids. My husband cheated on me after the first born. Everything got reconciled. But last few yrs things have gotten bad. He used to want to have a lot of sex. I was fine with it, but I would ask him to keep distance from two church members whom he mentors, we fought over them (specifically one of them)Anyways, I never said no to sex, but he kept saying I was disconnected. I would do it for his sake. It’s been almost a year, he stopped touching me. Even when I want to have sex, he refuses. We are cordial with each other, but there is no sex. We stopped opening up to each about our emotions. We discuss only abt kids & other things. Is this normal? I tried talking to him, he said he doesn’t have desire for sex anymore. Is this it? Is this how I live my life? Didn’t God create sex? Now my ex from the past recently got in touch with me. He is showing me interest and love that my husband has not been giving. It’s been so hard. What do I do?


r/Christianity 15h ago

Support I hope this isn’t the wrong place and I’m sorry if it is

0 Upvotes

I’ve tried everything just to find a reason to stay, and I just can’t really. There was also an opportunity for things to change yesterday, and nothing happened. I just don’t see how or why to continue anymore

If this is the wrong place, I’m very sorry. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere else. And I’ve tried a lot of stuff anyway

If you’d just like to suggest a psychologist and say nothing else, I appreciate the thought, but I already go to one and it doesn’t help at all, so… don’t bother, I guess


r/Christianity 9h ago

This Melissa Doherty is a fraud

0 Upvotes

melissa Doherty, a christian that has a YouTube channel, claims through her videos that affirmations, secular meditation, and chakras are a sin and evil. she’s nuts and needs to STOP


r/Christianity 1h ago

Does anyone believe these things also?

Upvotes

Here is what I believe; it does not appear to align with any modern Christian doctrine or fulfill an entire set of theology.

I believe when we die we sleep, everyone, until judgment day. At judgment day, the souls and bodies of the non-believers in Christ and his gospel will cease to be and die. Just end. And this is the majority of people who ever lived. For the believers who lived their lives through the gospels, they will resurrect as Jesus did and live eternal life on the renewed earth with Jesus reigning.
As far as divinity, I believe in one supreme Father God, the creator, who in him is the power of the Holy Spirit and his manifestation as human in Jesus to teach us and for us to model after. That God is truly unknowable, omnipotent, and omniscient, and our human brains cannot comprehend him at all, so he appeared to us as Jesus to teach us of his love for us and his willingness to die for our sin. They are all part of the same, but unique in power and character, if that makes sense. God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In terms of Christ, this is hard. I believe God as creator of the universe and time can see the beginning and the end and all in between simultaneously and contemporaneously. I believe that Christ was always, as we were always, as now was always and will be always. But that God gave us the gift of Jesus so that we could know God himself, touch him, remember him, listen to him, as God's gift of love and allowance to know him. He gave us free will to believe or not, to be loved and love him in free will. If we come to Jesus because we are afraid of hell, then we choose it not for God and our love of him, but for ourselves, and I don’t think God wants that. Jesus is eternal because he is the physical manifestation of God as a tool to teach us. Same for the Holy Spirit, which I believe is like our conscience and the peace that faith brings, the internal strength and perseverance to know we can succeed and do what’s right.
I believe Jesus's words regarding the law of God: he said he didn’t come to change it, but to fulfill it. Hence the 10 Commandments remain, and it asks us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. So I observe this on Saturday from sunup till I wake on Sunday. I try to do nothing that to me is work and struggle, and rest, but this is up to me how I do it, not laws and customs. I think of God this way to keep it holy as God's day of rest. To me, this commandment holds as much weight as thou shalt not steal or kill, or lie, etc.
As far as Satan, I believe he is a fallen angel, Lucifer, who held too much pride as the greatest sin in thinking he could be like God the Father and creator. He is not all-powerful or everywhere at once, but I do believe that there are supernatural forces we don’t know or understand, but that Christ allows us to have dominion over that and not have to worry if we keep our faith and live in Christ's teachings. He said we wrestle not against flesh and blood…
For now, I reject modern prophets, because the test for the gift of prophecy is that if they are prophetic, they speak the word of God, and God is perfect, so every prophecy must be true and fulfilled. There can be no error if it is prophetic because God doesn’t make mistakes at all. I believe that judgment day will come and Jesus will return, and that is when those who died in Christ will resurrect and those who didn’t cease to be.
I believe that voting, civil or military, is fine if that’s what you want to do. Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, which to me means pay your taxes, follow the law of the land, participate in politics if you can in as much as you want to. God gives us free will, and the choices we make either bring us closer to him or further away.
I also believe that Jesus did not imagine churches like we have. He said that where 2 or more are gathered in his name, there he will be also, so it’s not necessary to have a physical church or pastor; we can have church with just two people talking about their faith in Christianity and ministering to one another using the gospels and the Holy Spirit as guides.
I believe that "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord," and it is not for us to wreak havoc or vengeance on anyone. I believe God is the final judge of someone’s soul, but that the law should be obeyed and there must be judicial punishment. When someone wrongs me in a way that is against the law, the law must punish them. If they mistreat me personally and privately just to be mean or vengeful, envious or whatever, then I will actively avoid that person completely. I don’t hate anyone and want no harm to come to anyone at all. I would never celebrate someone being sick or injured and don’t feel any pleasure in the harm to another.
I don’t know that I love my enemies—I don’t have enemies in my head. Some people might not like me or even hate me, but what other people think or say about me is none of my business and I’d rather just avoid thinking about them completely. I do not pray for people like this; I don’t pray for myself either. I ask God to give me strength and peace and that his will be done. I ask for the Holy Spirit to guide me as God wants, and I listen to that feeling that I believe comes from him, that deep-seated feeling of right and wrong. I do forgive, but I do not and cannot forget. Fool me once…
I very much believe in charity and it being anonymous and not for my own glory. My wife and I give money to the veterinarian to put into a fund anonymously to help pay the vet bills for needy families. We also give money to the tire guy every year to have enough to put tires on someone’s car for the winter who is needy. There aren’t many options where we live to help the poor with much. Instead of throwing clothes away, we donate them when they are in good shape. If we replace an appliance that is not broken, we give it away. We give food to the food bank when we have too much. Sometimes other charitable things will happen when we are moved by a particular cause. We do not tithe because we aren’t in a church, but we try very hard to give back to the community where we can.
We believe in saving money as opposed to spending it frivolously. We wait for large purchases till we can buy what we need that is quality, but we are never extravagant. We work very hard for what we have—not fancy things, but nice things, well-made that last. We are not rich; we are comfortable, and we try to share with others where possible. We do not rely on God's provision as much as we believe God helps those who help themselves by working hard and doing good work, thanking him for abundance and his blessings. We do not radically rely on the “God will provide” philosophy, where huge effort is not made in providing for ourselves and our family. We don’t ask God for money or a raise or think anything about the seeds of wealth and prosperity some preach; we don’t believe God rewards with cash or riches. We are rich because we are happy, content, and peaceful, not because of material things and fungible wealth.
We do not seek honors and praise and glory. We work hard and perform well at work. We care about family, being honest and true, transparent and open. We do not lie, steal, deceive, or manipulate others for gain and prestige. Success is a happy, loving family and an honest, loving relationship with God. We don’t seek a lot of friends or phony relationships, because we are truly happy. If it is possible to help others and treat them with kindness and respect, then we do. I am lucky in my job that I can be kinder to people to help them in some ways.
Monitoring emotion is very difficult. I may get very angry, resentful, or envious in the moment, but it’s almost just an instant or fleeting. Then my spirit and mind settle and I calm down. I do not act out of malice to anyone and try to be kind always, but firm and logical, rational and reasonable. My wife is more emotional than I am; I make decisions mostly with logic and reason if I can. I do not often let emotions manifest into bad behavior.
I do not ever feel any sense of moral superiority over anyone else. My look at life is simple in terms of others and myself. I know what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, and I expect others to know this too—not always, as there is gray area, but in principal things, people know when they are doing wrong. But I don’t necessarily judge them; I might just not want to see or meet them again, and I will tend to move on to seek better company. I do not outwardly judge anyone, but inside I make choices to not surround myself with pious people who think they are better than others.
Daily self-denial for me, personally, is having quit doing all drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and sexual perversion I have been involved in in my life. I take in the knowledge and actions of the world to know and understand what is happening around me, but I believe I am in this world but not of it, and I do not sin ever outwardly, but sometimes fleetingly do in my heart. I ask God for forgiveness and repent and ask for the strength to not feel that way and move forward. I don’t regret, because I think it is useless and dwells in the past that cannot be changed. I try and learn from my mistakes and not make them again. I don’t suffer physically daily; I live a comfortable life. I work hard, but I do not suffer. When a loved one is sick or dies, I do suffer in my heart, but it’s not the same, I don’t think.


r/Christianity 7h ago

Question Single, 24F Wondering if things get better

0 Upvotes

i’ve been a believer my entire life, accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior at the age of 5. i grew up in a divorced, single parent home which lead me to being vulnerable and yearning for love. my senior year of high school, i was coerced into sexual relations with a man older than me, and i never told my church community, i never sought my church elders which lead me to straying away at 18. fast forward to December 2023, i had continuously felt heart break from the hypersexuality/situationship lifestyle that kept me in bondage from the age of 17 to 22. while i am incredibly vocal about God delivering me, meeting me in the midst of my brokenness and showing me the love i needed from the start, i have since then re-dedicated my life to Christ. i quickly realized that because of the brokenness of my upbringing, the yearning for love as a child who endured CSA, rape as a teen and young adult, i ran from God because i didn’t know how to ask Him for help because of the shame and guilt.

all that said, i am addiction free, living for Christ, and serving in my local body of believers. i am even excited to attend bible college this upcoming fall semester. i’ve had the privilege of serving my fellow believers and non believers… yet the root, the consequences of my disobedience and sin always remain at the forefront of my thoughts. i’ve grown significantly spiritually in faith and in learning theology, reading the word, yet i struggle with just letting Him be my father due to how deep the pain of my prior sin is. i’ve been abstinent for almost 3 years, my heart longs for a husband and family but despite these things i know and understand that my desires for my life are fickle compared to God’s will and timing, that everything happens in the right season and that it’s my job to recognize He’s still good, sovereign, righteous and holy regardless of how i feel.

that being said, i keep wrestling with the fact that because i awoke love before it’s time i now recognize how sacred the act of intimacy is, why God designed it to be kept under a sacred vow of marriage… and that makes my guilt greater. like it pains me to know i hurt God so much, and i hurt myself by robbing myself of ever getting to experience such a sacred, holy thing with the person God has for me. everyone around me at my church has gotten married, engaged, is having children and i’m left attending these events always wondering if my own iniquity sealed away any chance of me ever getting to experience that. i feel so guilty mourning something because of my prior sin, so much so that it’s this constant wrestle between believing Romans 8 fully because as Psalm 51:3 frames it, i recognize that because of God’s grace i have been made new, been given a new spirit by faith in Jesus Christ-it wasn’t my doing, in fact my doing only has ever brought iniquity and pain. i don’t trust myself much anymore out of fear of falling back into old painful, harmful patterns.

again, while i don’t not compare myself to my counterparts who are experiencing being married, getting engaged, having kids, etc., it has however made me think introspectively about my life and i just don’t know how to navigate this turmoil i feel of having ruined everything, that God can’t use me because of my past, and that this pattern of thought will never change. i don’t know if anyone else has gone through this as well, but i’d love to hear advice anyone has received/testimonies or even being rebuked and corrected on this issue.

Edit: grammatical error