Comments | jasonx10: good stuff

jasonx10

good stuff

Jan 04, 2006 08:56

I'm probably the last person on the face of the planet to read it (or rather, audio-book it, as I needed something to listen to while driving), but I really like screwtape letters. It made me feel like im being incredibly lazy about ....pretty much everything faith related. I wish modern Christian writers would do more books like this. Christian ( Read more... )

Comments 35

ralphsink January 4 2006, 14:44:56 UTC

I'm held in a way when I go to Confession. :P

ralphsink January 4 2006, 15:03:58 UTC

Hahahahah I meant "held accountable" but that's funny

jasonx10 January 4 2006, 21:14:37 UTC

hah. Sounds like a very charismatic confession.

I was talking more about teaching/preaching. I just think seeker-sensative churches are getting really slack in this area.

On a side note though, I happen to think organized confession is a good thing. I can't say I've gone to Catholic confession before, so I dont know how it goes, but I suppose as long as you A. Confess your sins, and B. Get some suggestions/encouragement/whatever you need to help suppress and eventually eliminate them, it can be very useful in helping you to push away from that struggle. So long as it's not a mechanical action carried out by the confessor and the priest, I see great use in it. My only concern would be creating a false sense of 'feeling cleansed' by means of carrying out so many hail marys or whatever in order to somehow second-pay for your misdeeds. To be honest, I guess I dont fully understand why some Catholics do hail marys (if you want, an explanation would be appreciated). From what I do know, I havent found any kind of biblical mandate ( ... )

ralphsink January 4 2006, 21:15:41 UTC

dern that /! < i > jason is stupid < /i >

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triggertantrums January 4 2006, 21:28:25 UTC

the Holy Spirit let's me know when i'm wrong.

jasonx10 January 5 2006, 13:55:41 UTC

I think the holy spirit can let someone know when they're doing something wrong. I do think however that most of society (myself included) have a much more difficult time then we realize hearing or distinguishing the holy spirit from A. ourselves and B. demonic opposition. I can't speak for anyone else, but I guess my take on it has always been that it is better to doubt myself and hold anything i interpret as the holy spirit up to biblical scrutiny than to just assume that because I feel like its ok or not ok, that it is or isnt ok.

ralphsink January 5 2006, 18:44:31 UTC

I agree. And anyway, just knowing that something is wrong doesn't put the entire issue to rest. Sacramental issues aside, it is still helpful to have accountability from people. I'd say its critical sometimes. It keeps you from two extremes. On one end, people can be lazy and tolerate sin in themselves - the right kind of accountibility from other Christians can help. At the other end, people often end up scrupulous or even despairing... they are too hard on themselves and they begin to doubt God's forgiveness. (Which can lead to giving up and sinning even more). We can help each other avoid this too.

triggertantrums January 6 2006, 00:37:14 UTC

so if you can't rely on the Holy Spirit, what is your solution ( ... )

ralphsink January 6 2006, 05:56:15 UTC

Modern Christian authors can misintrepret God, but each of us can misintrepret the Bible. So just reading the Bible is not a foolproof way of knowing what you are talking about.

Ok, so lying is a concern. Nobody said accountability is a cure-all.

We are all to be as much like Jesus as possible, in that way God wants the same thing for all of us. We may have different stratigies for getting there but the goal is the same. Nobody is saying accountibility can replace God's grace (though I think sacramental confession is a method God uses to impart grace). But it is a useful tool that often goes unused. Besides, whether you believe it a sacrament or not, the Bible tells us to confess our sins to each other. (James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.)

triggertantrums January 6 2006, 22:10:32 UTC

"Modern Christian authors can misintrepret God, but each of us can misintrepret the Bible. So just reading the Bible is not a foolproof way of knowing what you are talking about."
it's definitely not fool-proof (that's what disscussions such as these are made for), but i would rather go straight to the source.
and again i'm not saying that christian literature is bad, just that there is an order of importance.
all things must be compared to the bible to be sure they are not false, i'm sure if i read it more, the bible has a verse that i could use here, but, well, i kind of need to heed my own advice.

jasonx10 January 6 2006, 14:17:05 UTC

Yep, I know authors can misinterpret the bible. If you read Screwtape letters however, you'll find that the book is an artistic chastisement of humanity's reluctance to acknowledge demonic opposition to man/God and how it undermines God's will for humanity. The vast majority of what is written can be held up to biblical scrutiny and uses biblical principles to convey the same warnings against sins discussed in the bible, merely in a different light, an artistic one that's a little more applicable to our culture. The book certainly is not the bible. I just think it makes some really great strong points. Most people (myself included) just don't do a good job of acknowledging a spiritual battle to the point that it affects their every-day living habits ( ... )

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