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  1. G

    Why Is It Standard Practice for Religious Widows and Widowers to Remarry Later?

    That's nonsensical. That marriage dissolves at death in no way implies a denial of the afterlife. All it means is that you don't take your marriage with you.
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    Way over the top

    The notion that ritual and pageantry are antithetical to Christianity is puritanical nonsense in my view.
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    Way over the top

    The pope is a monarch. As such I would go so far as to say that it is an obligation that he dress and conduct himself as appropriate to his station. I am not calling for the reintroduction papal tiara but Benedict's attempt to bring back just a little bit of the pageantry of the papal office is...
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    GoldenEye is Back! Coming to Switch and X-Box on January 27th.

    Well, I've got tomorrow evening suddenly planned. :D
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    Am I the antichrist....or am I the 2nd to last pope...?

    If you do manage to become pope, I'll PM you a list of people I want excommunicated.
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    The Didache, a few notes or concerns

    The take home seems obvious to me. Christians have an obligation to respect legitimate authority and those in authority have an obligation to act justly. It goes without saying that respect for authority is not absolute. You have no duty to obey a sinful order as obedience to God trumps...
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    The Didache, a few notes or concerns

    Christianity was never a call for a classless utopia but a promise of a salvific relationship with God. Further the Didache is a late first century text so it should be of neither surprise or scandal that it takes slavery as an institution for granted. Christianity insisted that God's promise of...
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    Effect of drugs, alcohol, casual sex on Spirituality

    Sin darkens the intellect and weakens the will. The first effect of sin (the darkening of the intellect) means that the more you act against the moral law the less you are able to perceive the truth. You begin to rationalize your sins until you lose your sense of sin. The second effect (the...
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    A Pang of Conscience

    I would prefer that this thread not become a platform to denigrate Benedict. This is a journal post about my intention to be more thoughtful with what I post rather than about Benedict himself. The slander against him (from the predictable quarters) being simply what triggered my own examination...
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    A Pang of Conscience

    With the recent passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI it seems everyone has something to say about the man. Predictably those with an anti-religious axe to grind have wasted little time to denigrate the late pontiff. Noting the sheer venom of many of these commentators I was reminded of a set of...
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    I've Been Thinking About Predestination Again

    There are schools of thought which claim that. The elect are those who God foresees will cooperate with grace. But other schools of thought emphasize the gratuity of grace. That God elects not on his foreknowledge but on his sovereign will alone. No. The debate was never whether predestination...
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    I've Been Thinking About Predestination Again

    That's the thing. If predestination is true then we don't really have free will in any way that matters. Christian teaching holds that the unaided human will is incapable of salvific faith. God chooses us, we ourselves cannot choose God. I know what Kafkaesque means although I have yet to read...
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    I've Been Thinking About Predestination Again

    The question of predestination remains one of the most serious stumbling blocks for me in regards to the coherence of Christianity. To say that faith is open to all while maintaining that faith is given only to some creates a serious contradiction in my view. It is a contradiction because if...
  14. G

    Christians and Jews

    As an altar server this hit home.
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    Proper Use of the Archaic Second Person Singular (Thou)

    I think grammar is the wrong word. All language has structure. All languages without exception will follow predictable patterns of syntax and phonology. What those patterns are differ from language to language and within a language are subject to change over time. But you cannot have a language...
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    Proper Use of the Archaic Second Person Singular (Thou)

    Actually, all language is governed by rules even if those rules are not consciously understood by the speakers. Without grammar complex communication would be impossible. The details of correct usage do change over time and eventually these changes cumulate until the language becomes something...
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    Is Catholicism true and...

    It's not about "blind imitation". It's just the simple truth that people will generally believe what those around them believe. That's just your own bias speaking. No, the fundamental human experience is the same as it has always been. As to whether or not secularism and progressivism are...
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    Judgment from Yahweh during Chr-stmas Day?

    I'm being facetious. I haven't actually converted to Puritanism. I love Christmas. It's my favorite time of the liturgical year.
  19. G

    Proper Use of the Archaic Second Person Singular (Thou)

    Yes, and in the Christian case you could see it as also emphasizing the unity of the Trinity.
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    Proper Use of the Archaic Second Person Singular (Thou)

    Another way to get the feel for it is to just read a lot of Early Modern English. You'll learn to simply feel what is correct and incorrect. There's a reason most people don't confuse he and she with him and her. They've intuited the rules by exposure.
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