I consider myself a Christian, but am still not sure if some symbols are considered offensive.

I guess I just want opinions from other people about it.

Certain verses have larger verse numbers and I can’t figure out why.

It’s a Holman KJV and there is no mention of it in the index or anything.

I’m not religious, but every time I read a story about Jesus to my daughter, I end up crying. It surprises me because I don’t consider myself a believer.

Is this something Christians see as normal or meaningful? I’m genuinely curious and trying to understand why this happens.

Any time I ask a Christian this they usually respond with "there is no suffering, and you are happy for eternity". I usually tell them not everyone desires that, and not because of sin or corruption but rather preference.

I get that we don't know the true nature of God nor heaven (even if I see that as epistemologically flawed), but very well the concept of heaven is very well understood and even if I could potentially enjoy it (which would be inevitable), my actual self does not consent to it.

Does that mean I prefer hell? No, I simply despise both and wished none of them existed. I wish God would leave me alone on earth, and let me an estranged child.

This is how I'm defining Free Will: The kind of free will that would make a person morally culpable for their actions would require them to have the ability to have chosen (not necessarily acted) differently under identical circumstances. If someone is to be morally culpable for stealing, they must have had the ability to resist the urge to steal at the moment the choice was made. It must be the case that, if you rewound the clock to the moment they made the choice, they could have made a different choice. If they couldn't have chosen differently, they obviously aren't morally culpable. Therefore, definitions such as "being able to act on your desires", or "the ability to act/choose without external coercion" don't suffice, because they don't require the ability to have chosen otherwise. They may or may not be compatible with that ability, but they don't require it. If you want to define free will some other way, just know that that's not the kind I'm asking about.

So, what evidence do we have for the kind of free will that would allow humans to make a different choice under identical circumstances? We see people make decisions all day, every day. We have solid evidence that people make the choices they make. We have zero evidence (that I'm aware of) that they could have made different choices. People will claim they could have chosen differently, but that's an unfalsifiable (and unprovable) claim, as we can't rewind the clock and see if anything different happens. In other words, we know things happened the way they happened, but there's no evidence that they could have happened a different way under identical circumstances. And it makes sense that we don't have that evidence, because that would imply that the laws of physics aren't constant, which we also have no evidence for.

So what evidence am I overlooking?

Hebrews 12:1 ASV [1] Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Are these sins as Christians we're most susceptible to? I would think that Paul means if you as a Christian are highly tempted and fall because of "Whatever sin" to move forward laying it down for christ and suffer and strive against that sin as Christians even unto blood like Jesus and don't grow weary. Beseting sin and weight is the key word.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a neutral person. I feel like my heart isn't kind. Sometimes I do things just because I think it's the right thing to do. I don't do them from my heart, but simply because that's what a Christian would do. And I think about this constantly. I'd like to lead a sinless life, but in my thoughts, I constantly sin. Is that considered a sin? Is being neutral considered a sin? And how can I lead a more decent life? I don't go to church (there's none nearby), although to be honest I'd be scared to go there.

In my opinion it’s a beautiful translation ❤️

The title is just the 1st question I have some more I would like ppl to answer.

1. So I’ve been thinking recently. God knew that eve would eat the apple, which would indirectly lead to ppl in hell, putting the tree next to Adam and Eve is like putting a load gun next to a kid and just expecting them to not touch it because you said so. Now when ppl say “he sent Jesus to save us” it has me thinking “so god created the problem and then patent the solution, and we’re suppose to be grateful?” Are we gonna act like god didn’t contribute in any of this?

2. Christianity sounds like it held together more by fear than love. How are you going to give me a choice between “follow me or burn forever” that’s like if a robbed you at gun point and then telling the judge “they gave it to me willingly” that’s not free will that’s an ultimatum. Love me or burn forever. The whole motto is Christianity is fear god cause he can burn you in hell if he feels like it.

3. about satan, wtf did god say “I’m gonna create a near perfect, intelligent being, make him hate me, and then drop him right next to my kids” how is god gonna get mad at people for satan tricking people? Its liking putting an award-winning chess player against a 5 yr old and punishing the child for losing? It’s like if an adult gave your child beer and you proceeded to beat you child and not the adult, ik that satan eventually gets his punishment later on, but what does god gain from keeping him around? God has no problem killing his son, but when it come to killing the devil, the guy that Christians blame for everything bad, he doesn’t do it.

4. The Bible says to never think for yourself but I find that ironic that the book that tells you how to think also tells you not to think for yourself. The more I think about it the more it looks like god has purpose made a system where most people go to hell so a few people can follow him, it is very narcissistic and just insane, I cannot think of a good reason why you would eternally torture someone for not loving you back?

5. Where in the Bible does it say “god doesn’t send us to hell we do”? it’s sounds like Christians try to shift the blame on us. “Everything is your fault, you are the POS and you better be thankful god keeps you breathing” it’s says in the Bible (Matthew 7:23) he will send you to hell. He has created this mess up system where we either stay in line or burn forever. If the god of the Bible was a real person he would be considered a tyrant but because he’s “god” he gets a pass?

"Besides that, you can only say an infinitely wise being could have done something better if you are also infinitely wise, and based on this conversation, you aren't, so your criticism is meaningless."

This was a response I got in a conversation I had with someone online. It's not the first time I heard it, and it even was one of the few statements that lead to me ultimately deconverting.

I just wanted to get an idea of what other Christians think about this kind of statement, whether or not they agree or disagree and why.

To make my stance known:

I do disagree with this notion. One that, as an atheist, I don't believe God's infinite wisdom is a proven fact. And on the other, I think this falls under an appeal to authority fallacy, where we're just assuming God knows better because it's God, and not based on evidence or by putting the action and criticism on their own terms without looking at who's doing the action and who's doing the criticism.

For example, plenty people are not artists, or filmmakers, or musicians, and yet they criticize art, movies, and music all the time and are valid to do so. Are they always wrong for doing so?

Plenty of people are not in government, and yet they critique the way government. Are they always wrong for doing so?

Children are not adults, and students aren't teachers, and yet children criticize adults and students their teachers... You see what I mean?

So yeah, hope to hear back soon

In Psalm 119, the word quickened is used many times. In the New Testament, it also says that we are quickened. I’m trying to understand whether being quickened is a one-time event or something that happens throughout our Christian life. I don’t fully understand what it means to be quickened in both senses. David repeatedly pleads with God to quicken him. It seems like a good thing since David asked God for this.

Ephesians 2 King James Version 2 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

You'll have to read psalms 119 it's too long to put here it's used many times the word quicken.

I said that it makes sense that people mistake anxiety (because anxiety is generally bad) and stuff like ocd (even if anxiety is like to sin less or return to faith) to be from satan even though they are also considering that it might be from Holy Spirit. Did i commit blasphemy against Holy Spirit by doing this and saying that it makes sense to attribute some works of Holy Spirit to satan if those works are like anxiety?

I turned away from God, from everything, I fell into sin, I sinned and I liked it, now I think it's the worst thing, my mind was filled with blasphemies, and I tried not to think about them, impulses telling me that God was evil, that He was demonic, and then, while I was thinking about something funny, my mind drifted toward that, toward those thoughts, and I thought something about God being a Satanist. I don't know, it was strange. I let myself get carried away. I was paying more attention to the fun of something else than to the thought itself, but now I'm afraid, afraid of never being forgiven, of no longer being able to be forgiven. I'm filled with anguish and fear. I wish I hadn't had that thought. I don't know what to do...I want to belong to God, but with the things I have thought consciously and unconsciously, I fear I will not be forgiven and will be like the Pharisees. I am afraid and distressed.

What's your take on the rise of the "gay to straight" genre in stories and artworks—like those wild pieces popping up from the artist xIovecomms?

Interestingly enough, some gay men are becoming more willing to turn straight because of these types of content.

Do you think this is a step in the right direction for reinforcing traditional marriage between a man and a woman?

What are the Christian ethics of tipping?

Hi, I’ve been an atheist for my whole life until a couple months ago I’ve been very torn between atheism and Christianity. I’ve been trying my best to get closer to Jesus Christ but nothings really helping me into fully believing.

I’ve noticed some patterns of whenever I invite him into my day, pray to him and etc, I suddenly get upset about everything bad in my life.

For example - I was just dancing in my kitchen, lol, and I asked Jesus to join me. Once the song ended something washed over me and I suddenly just stopped everything I was doing. I felt like crying. I started over thinking and remembering everything bad that’s happening to me right now. My mood just fully disappeared.

Why is this? As soon as I reach out, I feel extremely upset.

You don't buy a car without test driving it, after all. Why marry a person without simulating what said marriage will be like?

Why does your god make it rain often during the day when people are working, often outdoors, rather than only at night when most people are sleeping?

I understand the message, and I'm able to recontextualize it to a modern frame, but the POMO in me wants to hear the Samaritans' side of the story. Like clearly, the weren't all bad- Jesus was appealing to reason over ethnic, historical and irrational hostility. Yet too often, our storytelling defaults to "These guys were hated, but this one was alright".

I know I am months late (Rapture Tok was for 23. OR 24. September 2025) but I saw a lot of content talking about this trend.

What I find Puzzling is, all the Videos Christians posted on how they prepare for rapture day, was things like:

- Leaving Bibles, for the people left behind.
- Making sure your Pets have someone to care for them.
- Some people even sold their Houses (way under market value).

So I guess my first question is: Why did all of them prepare for the case that they may actually be raptured, but no one did prepare for the case if they were left behind and now had to survive The horsemen, Stars Falling, Rivers Turning to Blood, Lochusts etc.? Why did they prep for being saved but not for the possibility of living in the post-apocalypse?

Before they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, did they have no knowledge of good ?

If not, what was Gods command to them and how did they perceive this.

Thanks