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

[Dan of Steel]

SDAs to me are walking on the thinnest ice possible. They're as close to being heretical cults as it gets. There's a SDA youtuber (although she considers herself non-denominational/not following a religion) who I listen to every once in a while because she covers some topics that others either ignore or don't talk much about, but the rest of the content is ... really close to typical cult/paranoid mentality where everyone and their mom is a witch, all high church is inherently occult, dinosaurs did go extinct just a few thousand years ago, Earth is actually flat, and so on. If I were to rank denominations based on whether or not they're true Christians and not a weird cult, I'll put SDAs even lower than Amish and Mennonites, even though the latter technically are more cultish.

Do you remember the name of the YouTube channel? Would be interested in checking that out. As someone who enjoys videos/channels that talk about fringe/esoteric topics, a lot of it can get into rampant speculation, or using like one book as a source and not deviating from that, and there's a lot of new age slop in that area too. And as someone who has a great interest in western esoteric traditions, I hate new ageism.

7DA's I'm not too familiar with but I'm very skeptical of anyone that claims Christ's return is on a specific date, or that you can see signs of it, or you need to give me money, or your wife, etc. to know when the Big JC is coming back. Also from what I understand they believe in resurrection of the dead, and I'm unclear on if that's like some weird spiritualism or in the final days of judgement, all souls will be brought back to Earth. Not really something I'm interested in. And speculating on the end times is retarded anyways because 1. it takes away any agency we have in this life and is incredibly fatalistic, and 2. “No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know when it will be. Only the Father knows.".

 

[BIG SHOT Autos]

Do you remember the name of the YouTube channel?

Sure, here it is. Her last videos just scream "everything is a conspiracy" to me. Older videos are much better and go a lot into every day experience based stuff that is biblically supported (especially regarding things that mostly women struggle with) general warnings regarding false prophets and deliverance ministries (who are ironically very common among Pentecostals and SDAs specifically). What I also like is that she doesn't sugar coat things including her own downfalls. I remember she called people pleasers "spiritual whores" and something finally clicked in my head when I heard it worded that way. It's a very blunt, crude, but accurate way to describe lukewarmness.

That said, her other videos seem... well. Weird. Too much conspiracy. She also started to put clearly AI generated sources, which is weird considering she has a video about calling it out and warning against it. Cringy.

 

[Squanto Airi]

Sure, here it is

Oh sweet, a schizophrenic black woman. My favorite type of conspiracybro.

 

[Soycast II]

the problem with JWs and mormons.
JW are at best theistic, since they believe Christ was created, thus subordinating him to God the Father. Mormons are tritheistic, meaning they believe in 3 gods, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, since they say that these persons have a different substance.

I’d present the argument that Mormons aren’t theistic at all. And I’ve actually seen videos about this too. “Are Mormons atheists”. With JW’s they still believe in an eternal, omniscient God which they believe to be God The Father. Mormons believe The Father and The Son are humans that became gods. The Holy Spirit is a bit more confusing because they say you need a body to become a god and yet somehow The Holy Spirit doesn’t have a body and yet is a god in their theology but whatever. Anyway, it’s the same argument that can be made against paganism because all you have to say is “well what about a higher power than that?” But I guess you can’t argue for Christianity being the higher power because well, they believe themselves to be Christian’s so it’s kinda tricky.

 

[Venial Sneeds]

I’d present the argument that Mormons aren’t theistic at all.

The term would be Henotheistic, where they acknowledge a number of gods but worship only one. Mormons would tell you their doctrines suggest either an infinite regress or an anonymous supreme entity, but with the revelations available they stick to their respective node's god.

 

[Soycast II]

The term would be Henotheistic, where they acknowledge a number of gods but worship only one. Mormons would tell you their doctrines suggest either an infinite regress or an anonymous supreme entity, but with the revelations available they stick to their respective node's god.

It does make me think, if there is a supreme unknown God, why not just worship that one? The more I think about it, it just starts sounding like pseudo-Gnosticism.

 

[Stunner900]

Ok church bros a question from a friend of mine, why do we have Pastors/Priests?

 

[Squanto Airi]

Ok church bros a question from a friend of mine, why do we have Pastors/Priests?

https://stjosephorthodox.org/2019/10/why-priests/

TL;DR despite all being called to spread the word of God, we need a priest for the sacrifice (that being the eucharist) and other sacraments.

 

[Soycast II]

Ok church bros a question from a friend of mine, why do we have Pastors/Priests?

Basically as said above. To add, the apostles were the priests at the time and so they ordained priests, and others got ordained down the line, and it goes on and on. And today there’s a long, unbroken line going all the way back to Jesus. This line is also only found in Catholic, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, and Assyrian churches. I think even the Anglican Church had ordained priests for a short while before King Henry messed up the holy orders. The holy orders are key for the sacraments. No priests, no sacraments.

 

[Preacher ✝]

 

[Squanto Airi]

Even uses leavened bread, beautiful.

Also a friendly reminder:

 

[Venial Sneeds]

Ok church bros a question from a friend of mine, why do we have Pastors/Priests?

God could manage us individually, but the records show He favors choosing to work through intermediaries. Why? Maybe because the arrangement humbles both the priest and the layman in a way, maybe because it's a human-level metaphor for how things are up in Heaven. We're pretty confident on the How, but you'll have to settle the Why once you get to talk to the Boss yourself.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

SDAs are not like Mormons and JWs because they are actually Christians (and, as a result, Protestants). The now-classic Kingdom of the Cults covers this well.

That has fuck all to do with them being Restorationists vs Protestants.

 

[2 Faces 2 Colours]

Ok church bros a question from a friend of mine, why do we have Pastors/Priests?

To put in simple terms: most laymen are not very educated in scripture, and it's good for the Church to have a structure where a knowledgeable man of God leads worship on behalf of his congregation.
Also, high church denominations such as the Catholics would argue that a Church structure is necessary to carry out liturgy and Church traditions in general.

 

[24nagging]

Ok church bros a question from a friend of mine, why do we have Pastors/Priests?

The Christian law also has necessarily its priesthood to carry out the Divine service, the principal act of which is the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the figure and renewal of that of Calvary. This priesthood has two degrees: the first, total and complete, the second an incomplete participation of the first. The first belongs to the bishop. The bishop is truly a priest (sacerdos), and even a high-priest; he has chief control of the Divine worship (sacrorum antistes), is the president of liturgical meetings; he has the fullness of the priesthood, and administers all the sacraments. The second degree belongs to the priest (presbyter), who is also a sacerdos, but of the second rank ("secundi sacerdotes" Innocent I ad Eugub.); by his priestly ordination he receives the power to offer sacrifice (i.e. to celebrate the Eucharist), to forgive sins, to bless, to preach, to sanctify, and in a word to fulfil the non-reserved liturgical duties or priestly functions. In the exercise of these functions, however, he is subject to the authority of the bishop to whom he has promised canonical obedience; in certain cases even he requires not only authorization, but real jurisdiction, particularly to forgive sins and to take care of souls. Moreover, certain acts of the sacerdotal power, affecting the society of which the bishop is the head, are reserved to the latter — e.g. confirmation, the final rite of Christian initiation, ordination, by which the ranks of the clergy are recruited, and the solemn consecration of new temples to God. Sacerdotal powers are conferred on priests by priestly ordination, and it is this ordination which puts them in the highest rank of the hierarchy after the bishop. (Catholic Encyclopedia)​

this is the why as to the Priesthood

they are actually Christians

they make so many extra theological claims that are not part of the traditional protestant framework that putting them in the same box as protestant is not helpful. Ellen G White was a crazy woman
protestant to me seems to be the theological tradition that arose out of the protestant reformation (anglicans, lutherans, calvinists, baptists, etc). Once you start making a whole different tradition, that's when you get something different

 

[oh no its pipkun]

TIL i learned a lolcow named chud the builder was an ortho catechumen.

https://x.com/AngloVarangian/status/2052686426479730957

feels like 2014 again with the neo nazis trying to join antioch.

 

[Soycast II]

TIL i learned a lolcow named chud the builder was an ortho catechumen.

https://x.com/AngloVarangian/status/2052686426479730957

feels like 2014 again with the neo nazis trying to join antioch.

Pretty disgusting individual. Harassing families that fled from Muslim countries too. How heckin “based”, or I guess fake Christian’s on the internet would think so. I hope he makes a genuine conversion at one point.

 

[Squanto Airi]

Pretty disgusting individual. Harassing families that fled from Muslim countries too. How heckin “based”, or I guess fake Christian’s on the internet would think so. I hope he makes a genuine conversion at one point.

"B-b-but he said the nigger word to niggers. That means he's clearly based and not at all a grifter trying to garner attention no matter if it's good or bad, and we need to band together around him because whites need to stick together, despite him not doing anything positive for other whites" -a lot of people in that thread for some reason

 

[Soycast II]

"B-b-but he said the nigger word to niggers. That means he's clearly based and not at all a grifter trying to garner attention no matter if it's good or bad, and we need to band together around him because whites need to stick together, despite him not doing anything positive for other whites" -a lot of people in that thread for some reason

His thread shouldn’t have gotten featured. It’s a lolcow thread, but now every larper in a 50 mile radius feels the need to defend him because he says nigger.

 

[Squanto Airi]

His thread shouldn’t have gotten featured. It’s a lolcow thread, but now every larper in a 50 mile radius feels the need to defend him because he says nigger.

Even prior to it getting featured and it was merely in PG a lot of people were defending him.