Christian theology thread for Christians - Deus homo factus est naturam erante, mundus renovatus est a Christo regnante

[pro drivor]

Do we know how early Christians reacted to and felt about old Greek or Roman mythology? I know there were conflicting beliefs regarding it and other pagan junk but is it known which was the most popular? And by extension of that is it fine for a Christian to just treat them as fictional recreation?

 

[marlimar]

Do we know how early Christians reacted to and felt about old Greek or Roman mythology? I know there were conflicting beliefs regarding it and other pagan junk but is it known which was the most popular? And by extension of that is it fine for a Christian to just treat them as fictional recreation?

Early Christians would presumably be familiar with Greek and Latin Gods as they either previously worshipped them as Gentiles in Rome or surrounding Macedonia OR they were Jews (most of his disciples besides Luke) who would have been aware of the second temple period literature where lesser gods and a divine council were topics. The ancient world seems to have had many different gods, one for each particular need, Judaism was unique in its monotheism, and is a reason why Jews object at Jesus being equal with The Father.

As far as how you want to treat them, I recommend Dr. Michael Heiser on YT, he has many videos discussing these sorts of topics, I would do further research and decide for yourself how you want to treat them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QM7anD5vSI

 

[JeanRob1]

And by extension of that is it fine for a Christian to just treat them as fictional recreation?

Well, most of those tales were written down for centuries in the Christian world by Christian scholars and monks. Unless reading Illiad and Odyssey make you pray for Poseidon or Athena, you will be fine.

 

[Squanto Airi]

Do we know how early Christians reacted to and felt about old Greek or Roman mythology? I know there were conflicting beliefs regarding it and other pagan junk but is it known which was the most popular? And by extension of that is it fine for a Christian to just treat them as fictional recreation?

St. Basil the Great gave us this quote:

Just as bees can take nectar from flowers, unlike other animals which limit themselves to enjoying their scent and colour, so also from these writings... one can draw some benefit for the spirit. We must use these books, following in all things the example of bees. They do not visit every flower without distinction, nor seek to remove all the nectar from the flowers on which they alight, but only draw from them what they need to make honey, and leave the rest. And if we are wise, we will take from those writings what is appropriate for us, and conform to the truth, ignoring the rest."

So I can only assume that the early Christians were able to see the values and the virtues from the pagan mythologies of Greek and Roman times.

Also may you all have a blessed Sunday, especially since it is the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee. Lent's right around the corner.

 

[marlimar]

Was the resurrected body that Thomas put his hands on the healed wounds on Jesus' glorified body, and he just ate to prove he wasn't a ghost to them? I'm wondering if my glorified body would bear the scars of this life... additionally do you think those that go to Hell will have the anti-glorified bodies suited for eternal torment?

 

[Venial Sneeds]

Was the resurrected body that Thomas put his hands on the healed wounds on Jesus' glorified body, and he just ate to prove he wasn't a ghost to them? I'm wondering if my glorified body would bear the scars of this life... additionally do you think those that go to Hell will have the anti-glorified bodies suited for eternal torment?

My understanding is everyone gets glorified bodies at the Final Judgment. In heaven that body is forever cherished and in Hell it is forever defiled,

 

[Dicksmash Turbofist]

A blessed feast of our Lord's presentation to the temple to all God-fearing Kiwis.

 

[Sooty Soot]

Preparing for Lent, decided my sacrifice for my first Lent will be all food and drink bar bread, fruit, and water. Funnily enough, Ramadan this year starts on the same day as Lent, Mohammed probably wanted a month of fasting but never understood the theological reason behind it and retroactively came up with the reason that all scriptures (Including the Torah and Gospel, lol at the latter) were revealed during Ramadan.

 

[Squanto Airi]

Blessed Candlemas

Reflection from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord

Joyous feast!

Today’s feast is a feast of liminality. For one, it stands on the threshold between Christmastide and Lent. Christ still appears to us as a newborn Child, just as he did at his Nativity, but the lingering joy of the holy birth is blended with tragic foreboding as Simeon, having pronounced his canticle of light and peace, follows it with prophecies of the Savior’s Passion.

This feast also stands at the threshold between the Old Covenant and the New: St. Joseph, bearing his two doves, fulfills the Old Covenant, even while Christ, presented in the temple as an offering to the Father, foreshadows the New Covenant that he will author on the Cross with his own precious Blood.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, presented in the temple and met by Simeon and Anna for our salvation, have mercy on us! Amen.

Preparing for Lent, decided my sacrifice for my first Lent will be all food and drink bar bread, fruit, and water. Funnily enough, Ramadan this year starts on the same day as Lent, Mohammed probably wanted a month of fasting but never understood the theological reason behind it and retroactively came up with the reason that all scriptures (Including the Torah and Gospel, lol at the latter) were revealed during Ramadan.

Are you sure you want to go that far? That may be a bit too extreme a fast. If you can do it, great! Just remember that fast was made for man, not man being made for the fast.

As for the Ramadan fasting, I find it extremely gay that Moslems brag about it and talk about not eating all day, only to eat their normal diet just at night.

 

[Sooty Soot]

Are you sure you want to go that far? That may be a bit too extreme a fast. If you can do it, great! Just remember that fast was made for man, not man being made for the fast.

I'm a teetotaler, so no alcohol to give up, and if I'm going to give up meat I might as well go the whole way, temperance is a virtue after all.

 

[Preacher ✝]

Preparing for Lent, decided my sacrifice for my first Lent will be all food and drink bar bread, fruit, and water.

if I'm going to give up meat I might as well go the whole way, temperance is a virtue after all.

Might I suggest allowing yourself to eat fish?

Protein is important so going a whole lent without it is unwise, and traditionally fish is not considered meat anyway.

 

[Squanto Airi]

I'm a teetotaler, so no alcohol to give up, and if I'm going to give up meat I might as well go the whole way, temperance is a virtue after all.

I get that. I just don't want it to fall into prelest that's all. I'd also probably recommend some vegetables.

I'm just doing the usual Orthodox fast (nothing with a spine, no dairy, no eggs, no olive oil, no alcohol). It does allow shrimp and crustaceans since exoskeleton, so shrimp and grits is nice as a treat.

 

[Slap47]

Next time you're at the steak house, ask yourself "What would Jesus eat?"

A simple working means meal.

Shawarma.

 

[Smashed & Slamed]

Were Judas and romans in the wrong?
They killed Jesus... but that was part of prophecy, right? Even if they didn't do it, someone else would have to.

The Romans as part of the crucifixion are not portrayed in a remotely dark light. They were just the executioners. Modern day people might have a tinged view of executioners as responsible but for most of history the people doing the killing as a job were not seen as murderers. They had social stigmas depending on the place but that's about it. There are even apocrypha and myths about them like the man who speared him being Longinus which just means lance in old Greek and him being a saint or blind and healed by the Blood of Christ, so on and so forth.

 

[Hecate]

I became a Christian not that long ago and started going to a Presbyterian mission every Sunday study ( the Westminster Confession). I've hit the point now where I don't think I can stand behind the theology of Calvinism. I'm interested in joining a Catholic church after reading about what they actually believe, instead of what some key Protestants say they believe, but I'm not really sure where to start? If I'm being honest it is a bit intimidating. Do I just start going to Mass and talk to the Father there? My local church doesn't start their next round of OCIA until Fall, but would that be a good place to start?

 

[Squanto Airi]

I'd say just go to Mass and talk with the priest there.

 

[Dicksmash Turbofist]

I became a Christian not that long ago and started going to a Presbyterian mission every Sunday study ( the Westminster Confession). I've hit the point now where I don't think I can stand behind the theology of Calvinism. I'm interested in joining a Catholic church after reading about what they actually believe, instead of what some key Protestants say they believe, but I'm not really sure where to start? If I'm being honest it is a bit intimidating. Do I just start going to Mass and talk to the Father there? My local church doesn't start their next round of OCIA until Fall, but would that be a good place to start?

I would urge you to attend both a Mass and a Divine Liturgy (even an ethnic parish is fine) before making a decision. In an Orthodox Church you can just talk to the priest about becoming a catechumen, so I imagine its not dissimilar in the Catholic Church.

 

[Neverender]

This is a section of an audio drama depicting the Judgment of The Great White Throne, featuring Jim Cummings as a guardian angel and Jonathan Rhys-Davies as God. I thought I'd put it here in case anyone was interested or wanted to talk about it. I watched it alone, right before prayer and bed. This was a mistake, at least for me, because I can generously be described as having a powerful imagination.

Spoiler: Slightly Delirious Sperging

This unironically fucked me up through last night and today. Spent the night coming in and out of sleep begging God for forgiveness and praying to Him. Visceral, awful horror, feeling as if I were there and watching it unfold, dread growing with every name called as I drew closer to the Throne. A very potent mental image of kneeling at the rail and begging for God's forgiveness, only for the most all-consuming fear to overcome me every time he told the angels to cast the damned into the fire.

As a child I considered the fear of God to be evidence of divine tyranny. Now I know better. It's right to fear the One who has the power to destroy the soul. But more than that, I think Godly fear is what I'm feeling for the state of my friends and relatives and myself. I'm shaken, imagining any one of them or myself being condemned to the outer dark, coming before the Lord and finding any name missing. What greater woe can there be? I can't even run away from it in denial anymore, like I did when I was still a dumb atheist kid. The Spirit won't let me turn away, All I can do is pray to God to help everyone, everywhere see the truth before it's too late, and to have mercy on me. I'm nothing before this power. I feel terribly weak and afraid. I fear I could never do enough or get it right.

 

[CornBogFitz]

Confession: I’m a 31yo man. when I’m in the car driving my long ass commute to and from work. I cry. A lot. I’m thinking about my best friend. Who isn’t saved by Jesus. He’s been my best friend since forever. I cry for the peace he does not know, and the fear he will die not knowing it.

Before I was Christian and I was depressed in college. I made a pros and cons list of killing myself. And the pros outweighed the cons. But I’d didn’t matter because the Con was leaving best friend alone. You see we’re not just best friends. We’ve been best friends since first grade. And for most of our lives we were socially awkward to a degree that hindered us making other friends. Weve since corrected it it was just prolonged angst of growing pains.. but if it weren’t for this friend I wouldn’t have made it long enough to even get saved by Christ. I told him this and he told me he wouldn’t have made it this far with me, because he made a similar list at one point.

My friend is an amazing man. His mom is fucking insane (literally) and his dad never wanted anything to do with him and so though his own will power and effort he not only became successful enough to buy his own house at 27 and also put himself through college! he struggled with obesity his whole life but then locked in and dropped it all in YEAR! Bro looks like Kratos now! All of this and he assent even touched a drop of beer or anything! Any father should be proud to have a son half as good as my friend!

This success, it’s not because his parents gave him a dime. Kicked him out at 18 ffs. his parents never taught him anything. or because he had an education. It was HIM. Me, I am wretched. My parents stayed together. They had more money than a lot of people. They payed for my college. I did all the drugs, Jesus saved me. But my best friend who has had nothing but heartbreak from those meant to love him most and my loser ass.

It breaks my heart because my friend is so strong through his own strength. He’s the kind of man that refused to cry for so long that now he wishes he knew how to. He still feels he has a lot to prove. I’ve brought him to church before. He understands it as an importance of ritualistic spiritual discipline. I’ve gone to church with him. He shows up 15 minutes late so he doesn’t have to sing. Sits in the back so no one sees him. And by his posture you can tell in his pockets he has white knuckles.

God bless my friend. To have faced such hardship and have come out unscathed at the end. The price for Jesus to save him will him confessing he is too weak. And his life is filled with evidence to the contrary . It’s the one thing he won’t do. Lord whatever riches You have lade aside in for me in Your Kingdom I gladly trade it all should you Intercede and help him choose You. Amen

 

[Venial Sneeds]

I became a Christian not that long ago and started going to a Presbyterian mission every Sunday study ( the Westminster Confession). I've hit the point now where I don't think I can stand behind the theology of Calvinism. I'm interested in joining a Catholic church after reading about what they actually believe, instead of what some key Protestants say they believe, but I'm not really sure where to start? If I'm being honest it is a bit intimidating. Do I just start going to Mass and talk to the Father there? My local church doesn't start their next round of OCIA until Fall, but would that be a good place to start?

Most Catholic churches will let you set up an appointment with the priests. You could introduce yourself after mass, but maybe arrange the appointment afterwards.
Maybe it'd help writing down where you're at:
- Why you became a Christian in the first place
- Why you started with the Presbyterians and your problems with Calvinism
- Why you are interested in Catholicism
And maybe cap that off with concise questions you want the guy to answer.