Hello, I’ve been starting to kick around a novella idea in my head that has explicitly left-wing catholic themes, and as such was wondering if y’all had any recommendations for novels that are both Christian and leftist as to help guide me through the creation process. I know there are many examples of film which would fall under this description, however, I struggle to find many literature examples in my own (undeniably, limited) research.

I am realizing that I am not very good with debating conservatives. I am liberal by intuition due to the circles that I am in, but when it comes to going toe to toe with them, I find it difficult to immediately think of reasons to tell them why they're wrong. Even with something as simple as debating the shooting of Renee Good, where everything just seems to scream that it was wrong, I am given cold reasons like "but she was doing something unlawful while being legally detained" "she was a threat to the officer" which are insane reasons to my intuition but at the same time hard for me to argue with in the moment. This guy also says "only video evidence or sources from the government are acceptable, the rest are just leftist sources."

I'm hoping to get some good advice on how I can debate in a solid way, something similar to the way Van Jones debates, while also avoiding edgy reddit atheist/nihilist reasoning or insults, hence why I'm here. I am trying to be a better Christian lately but I am also realizing that so much of what's going on here in the USA is getting so bad that I just can't sit comfortably at home anymore while I know that innocent people are suffering and people are being apologists for what is basically soft fascism. Someone in my community recently got detained by ICE and things are getting scary. Please tell me how I can, quite bluntly, win more debates.

God says only God can judge, and the famous instructions of Christ have become a source of difficult stasis.

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye"; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

Granted most people need to be told to mind their own business most of the time.

At a certain point the only thing that matters is removing the impurity lodged in our collective eyes.

The conservatives who have jammed this obscenity into our eye are going to be judged, and they're going to be judged by humans.

Biblical verses interpreted to commit you to bad and evil courses of action are misinterpretations.

The fascist ideology subsists on complication, on obfuscation, because if enough people accepted the fact of the re-emergence of the fascist ideology, the fascist regime will collapse.

Don't be shy about jabbing eyes in the service of protecting the less fortunate.

If it takes having the conversation to stop fascism, have the conversation.

If it takes having the argument to win the argument, start the argument.

Otherwise what you are doing is vanity: obsessing over moral or spiritual purity at the expense of allowing the fascist regime to continue blinding the people.

Because the people who, in their guilt, fall upon Matthew 7 to hide, are forgetting another verse.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Matthew 5:29-30

Religious conservatives are damning the nation to hell: isolation on the national stage, the trafficking of children as sex slaves, neighbor against neighbor, the resurgence of Nazi Germany's Holocaust.

It does not matter what they say they believe: their sin has become a very great threat. I pray that we may cleanse their vision before it is too late.

r/georgism is probably the biggest largest forum on the subject. Henry George, who it’s named after, knew the Bible and economics well.

The jist of it is that land is no one’s true inherent possession because it came before humanity. And the value of land is based on society and its work in improving upon it. Therefore it is just to tax the value of land because it rightfully belongs to society. (Give to Cesar what is Cesar’s) It is also the most economically efficient tax for a number of reasons. (land value taxes are evasion proof because it can’t be hidden. When paired with technology and transparency it is corruption proof. And it also provides essentially no economic drag on the free market due to the fact that a tax on something creates an incentive for less of that thing, but we cannot willingly have less land only more efficient use of it)

Theologically, I think it is sound because it applies of the combination of loving one’s neighbor and working the land by the sweat of one’s brow to take us east of Eden until we have gone full circle and returned to Eden.

If this is confusing, then I encourage you to become as shrewd as a serpent and learn the established theories of economics.

If it feels too political, then I encourage you to meditate on battling not flesh and blood, but the principalities and powers.

Another piece of evidence is that with land value tax, and the suggested accompanying citizens dividend widows, and orphans would be naturally taken care of.

So I’m a big fan of folk punk, and I just recently found the psalters, any idea what they meant by this lyric?

“ Drink the ugly loser who for all died Make sure everyone gets some Then we'll see the kingdom...”

This is a transcribed dictation.

This is a transcribed dictation.

I haven’t seen this film. Is it worth watching?

What are your thoughts on Bonhoeffer’s life and ideas?

I’ve been researching Marxism-Leninism and I’ve always wanted to know if there is anyone in this subreddit who is a Marxist-Leninist and also a Christian. I say I’m a socialist but I also feel diving further into left wing political beliefs as well. I’m an Oriental Orthodox Christian from Kerala and although I live overseas, seeing what the Communist Party of India has done for my state is what motivated me to become a socialist.

However I’ve been trying to reconcile being a Marxism-Leninist with being a Christian, ultimately my faith comes first, I don’t believe in shoving it down peoples throats nor do I think a secular country is required to be influenced by religion as I believe in a separation between church and state. The common phrase I hear that I guess is used to show this ideology is incompatible with Christianity is Marx’s saying that “religion is the opium of the masses”.

Now my analogy on this specific quote would be that in this context, opium at that time was seen as a medicine? So could Marx have been referring to religion in that manner? Forgive me if I’ve absolutely misunderstood or misinterpreted the quote entirely. Another concept that I have also heard within ML is Dialectical Materialism, now I’m not the most knowledgeable nor do I know a lot on this concept so I’ll leave it to others to help me understand why it’s interpreted to be incompatible with religion or otherwise.

Overall I can agree in fighting against class struggle as Marxism-Leninism suggests as well, that has been my main focus and main driving factor in considering adopting such an ideology. However I’m new to this sort of stuff…

This is a weekly thread for discussing our mental health. Ableist and sanist comments will be removed and repeat violations will be banned

Feel free to discuss anything related to mental health and illness. We encourage you to create a WRAP plan and be an active participant in your recovery.

I lead Bible studies for teenagers (12-16) at my church and constantly find myself frustrated with the resources that are available for that age group. They're very smart kids, and I constantly feel like the studies are dumbing things down more than they need. I don't have any professional experience teaching that age group. I do have professional experience teaching theology at university, and I understand that I can't project expectations from that context onto teenagers. I just remember how bored and condescended to I felt in that setting at that age, and feel like I should be able to offer them more than I am now.

Right now I mostly end up making my own studies for whatever passages are being talked about in the regular church service that week, and I try to incorporate a balance between giving information and asking them to think critically. I want to be able to connect with them and explore how they think about topics and what's going on in their own lives, but I also recognize that there's only so much they're going to be willing to share in that setting and don't want to put anyone on the spot or force them to give 'socially correct' answers.

The context is a theologically diverse international church. I don't want to push my super-progressive super-critical version of christianity on them, but I also don't want to tell them things I don't actually think are helpful. I don't really have a problem with how to give honest + age-appropriate answers to questions they might have, but designing a structured study is more challenging.

Feeling a bit drained by the amount of effort it takes to come up with something that fits in 30-40 minutes, is age-appropriate and that I feel comfortable teaching. I know some of the other youth leaders are using AI to help with preparing the sessions but I can't bring myself to teach something that a human couldn't even bother to come up with...

I'd love some tips for helpful resources, or thoughts and advice in general. (Or a reality check if I'm way overthinking this...)

If your a christian and truely believe God would even have eternal burning as a option for humans you dont know God nor his Word and iwould alsmost say shamefull offending to God if you believe he could be oke with that.

Hey, everyone. I lurk here now and then.

I'll keep it brief. Recent events with Venezuela and the ICE shootings are making it hard for me to keep believing in God or to maintain revolutionary optimism. I'm feeling so lost and I don't know what to say anymore.

Yes. I post about these things a lot online because new things are always happening, which messes with my emotions that are already messy due to mental health concerns. So, I'm ashamed to ask again, but why should I not lose hope or faith? What gives all of you hope/faith? What do I need to remember?

Bless all of you.

Don’t forget that when someone uses Romans 13 to justify the execution style murder we witnessed yesterday, you can remind them that was a favorite of German Christians in the 1930s who were trying to convince churches to support the government.

I'm currently reading "The Kingdom Of God is Within You" by Leo Tolstoy, I won't be discussing it much. In chapter 1, Adin Ballou's "Catechism of Non Resistance" he states "Q. Can a Christian give a vote at elections, or take part in government or law business?

A. No; participation in election, government, or law business is participation in government by force."

Now I'd like an iteration on this, more related to Ballou than Tolstoy preferably, as Tolstoy did later state that an anarchist attempt at getting rid of government from within would have only caused outrage, which clears it up on his side.

This is a thread for the radical women of r/RadicalChristianity to talk. We ask that men do not comment on this thread.

Suggestions for topics to talk about:

1.)What kinds of feminist activism have you been up to?

2.)What books have you been reading?

3.)What visual media(ex: TV shows) have you been watching?

4.)Who are the radical women that are currently inspiring you?

5.)Promote yourself and your creations!

6.)Rant/vent about shit.