PHC - Questions Answered

At the Second Church of Odyssey you'll find different ways of expressing your beliefs, finding prayer support or being encouraged through regular devotionals.
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bookworm
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Post by bookworm »

odysseyfan1 wrote:I don't know though. In our denomination, some people "just wanted the wedding band." And now they've let down on a lot of their convictions and look just like a sinner in the world.
I would say that’s a problem of weak conviction on their part in the first place, not evidence that wedding bands lead to sin. For me the difference is completely clear, so if I was one to be against jewelry I could still wear a wedding ring and not have it lead to anything else.
odysseyfan1 wrote:Also, guns are nessecary to kill animals to eat. :yes:
Right, but killing animals to eat is no longer necessary.
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Sherlock
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Post by Sherlock »

I would argue that a wedding band is about as likely to make you sin as standing in a garage is likely to turn you into a car.

We, as flawed human creatures, look for excuses for our sinfulness. The answer, however, should be absurdly obvious: we choose to sin. The wedding ring didn't make us sin, the angry person yelling at us didn't make us sin, the low-cut top that someone wore didn't make us sin, we chose to sin. Moreover, different things present different temptations to people: some people may be tempted to rage by engaging in arguments, others may be tempted to lust by certain clothing, etc but to make blanket rules and say that this morally neutral *thing* is objectively a potential temptation for everyone misses the point. This is why you get certain groups, which - with all due respect to OF1 and his denomination - take things to the extreme by ascribing sinful characteristics to a morally neutral object (wedding ring).

And while it is certainly good to eliminate those temptations in our life that may make it harder for us to resist sinfulness, we should never try to attribute the sinfulness to the behavior or the object when it is only ourselves that we have to blame for our final choices. Life will never be free of the occasion of sin, and perhaps our time is better spent taking responsibility for our actions, praying and resolving to resist temptation than trying to eliminate the potential for it in extremely obscure areas. :)
Last edited by Sherlock on Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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SoccerLOTR
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Post by SoccerLOTR »

Well said, Sherlock.
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It was good knowing you StrongNChrist; you taught me a lot. I'll meet you someday for real in God's presence.

Which Jesus do you follow? If Ephesians says to imitate Christ, why do you look so much like the world?~Todd Agnew

Do not be anxious about anything...~Phil 4:6-7

If more of us valued food, cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.~Tolkien

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.~J Adams

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.~B Franklin

I died and became a Roman Soldier--It was rather distracting.~Rory (Dr.Who)
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Aeva
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Post by Aeva »

Out of curiosity, bookworm, would you consider a class ring to be arbitrary jewelry? I'm just curious, because I still wear my class ring (even though I graduated over a year ago), but I definitely do not wear it to prostitute myself to anyone. ;)
But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue. --Hamlet.
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bookworm
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Post by bookworm »

Aeva wrote:Out of curiosity, bookworm, would you consider a class ring to be arbitrary jewelry?
To me personally it wouldn’t be, because it has a meaning.
But in context of the current conversation it would be, because the meaning, although not bad, is not necessarily God pleasing.
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Termite
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Post by Termite »

odysseyfan1 wrote: and look just like a sinner in the world.
Hon, you have no idea.... What's she wearing, tube tops and minis? :P
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Love you always, SnC
"A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?" -Albert Einstein
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SoccerLOTR
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Post by SoccerLOTR »

odysseyfan1 wrote:Also, guns are nessecary to kill animals to eat. :yes:
So am I wrong when I go to the range and shoot a handgun for fun? Since I'm not hunting?
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It was good knowing you StrongNChrist; you taught me a lot. I'll meet you someday for real in God's presence.

Which Jesus do you follow? If Ephesians says to imitate Christ, why do you look so much like the world?~Todd Agnew

Do not be anxious about anything...~Phil 4:6-7

If more of us valued food, cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.~Tolkien

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.~J Adams

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.~B Franklin

I died and became a Roman Soldier--It was rather distracting.~Rory (Dr.Who)
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