Disgruntled former SS teacher

[Just_me_Mike]

Whatever it is or why it happens, it is fascinating to me. Their nature tries to be/mimic the God, but their minds subdue that, and still follow the God.

I think I get what you are saying, and it is interesting.
What makes me scratch my head is since "God" is infinite and eternal, can he not interact with the billions that have existed in each a unique way, so that each experience is only for them. Thus when we try to explain our experience it never matches another, but may be very similar or very different.
That is one of the riddles to infinite in my opinion.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

Really?
You need a better imagination.

Here`s an example.

If I get home from work today and my wife is balling the pool boy in our bed I`m gonna get a bit jealous to say the least.
I`d say in that situation my jealousy is "rational" and in fact will help me in dealing with my wife`s lying deceiving BS during the fall out.

However..

If my wife gets home 20 minutes late from work and I read her the riot act accusing her of sleeping with her coworkers with absolutely no shred of evidence to support such an accusation that would be Irrational" jealousy.

That`s not so tough to understand huh?

If you disapproved of your wife is balling the pool boy I'd say your emotion would most likely be offense to her deceit and anger.
I wouldn't get jealous or angry, I'd kick her to the curb.

 

[Kathryn]

If you disapproved of your wife is balling the pool boy I'd say your emotion would most likely be offense to her deceit and anger.
I wouldn't get jealous or angry, I'd kick her to the curb.

If you think you wouldn't get angry or jealous, I think you're just in denial about your own emotions. Either that or you truly don't give a rat's *** about your wife to begin with. If that's the case, I don't blame her for balling the pool boy.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

As a semi-professional pool boy, I have to ask - "Do I need to bring my own dip net?"

 

[linwood]

As a semi-professional pool boy, I have to ask - "Do I need to bring my own dip net?"

Sorry, no minor league applicants considered.

I don`t even have a pool.
That should have been my first clue.

:cover:

 

[Super Universe]

God is "good", but don't confuse that to mean that God is all about you. It's not about you, it never was, it never will be.

The Old Testament represents ignorant man's attempt to understand God. Ancient man was very ignorant of science, everything caused by an unknown mechanism (disease, birth defects, extreme weather, earthquakes, meteors, eclipses...) was attributed to a vengeful god. People were afraid of comets. Even today these things are still called "Acts of God" when they are just necessary for a living planet.

Once men (scientists) began to explain the causes of these "Acts of God" it took power away from the religious leaders. The religious leaders wrote passages of temple policy that became books that were included in a compilation of books that we call the Old Testament. Some of the more obvious temple policies are the restrictions on women and the most laughable of all is the idea that God wants you to "pay a ransom on the census". I always wondered how the Priests got the money to God.

Much of the Old Testament is NOT divine revelation but simply man trying to force his simple, ignorant, opinion of God, or how God should be, on everyone.
God created the universe, there is nothing in it that He is jealous of.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

If you think you wouldn't get angry or jealous, I think you're just in denial about your own emotions. Either that or you truly don't give a rat's *** about your wife to begin with. If that's the case, I don't blame her for balling the pool boy.

Jealousy and anger are both gateways to sin. I've dealt with a situation like that in my own life years ago, and I dealt with it with anger and jealousy. Neither proved to be positive in resolving the situation. So, no, anger and jealousy do not help. In fact, it could have easily landed me in jail for years. I did love her deeply and treated her like no other woman existed, so your assumption is totally incorrect. She however, had a kink that she had to fulfill- it was doing the sin at the risk of being caught, and had nothing to do with me, except my bearing the brunt of her sinful desires. Anger and jealousy do nothing to resolve infidelity. One sin does not correct another.

 

[Kathryn]

Jealousy and anger are both gateways to sin. I've dealt with a situation like that in my own life years ago, and I dealt with it with anger and jealousy. Neither proved to be positive in resolving the situation. So, no, anger and jealousy do not help. In fact, it could have easily landed me in jail for years. I did love her deeply and treated her like no other woman existed, so your assumption is totally incorrect. She however, had a kink that she had to fulfill- it was doing the sin at the risk of being caught, and had nothing to do with me, except my bearing the brunt of her sinful desires. Anger and jealousy do nothing to resolve infidelity. One sin does not correct another.

Emotions aren't sinful or wrong - it's what we DO with those emotions that matters. Even the bible tells us that Jesus felt anger and that God is a jealous God.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

"Emotions aren't sinful or wrong"? Then I guess "lust" isn't wrong? Yes, emotions can be sinful and wrong. Lust is a longing, a desire, therefore it is an emotion. Isn't "lusting"- an desire which hasn't been acted upon, a sin? I believe it is, because the Bible says that one who lusts after another in their heart has already committed adultery.

 

[Kathryn]

"Emotions aren't sinful or wrong"? Then I guess "lust" isn't wrong? Yes, emotions can be sinful and wrong. Lust is a longing, a desire, therefore it is an emotion. Isn't "lusting"- an desire which hasn't been acted upon, a sin? I believe it is, because the Bible says that one who lusts after another in their heart has already committed adultery.

Desire is an emotion. Lust is what you do with desire - you dwell on it.

Was Jesus angry with the money changers? Is God a jealous God? Those are the two emotions we're discussing specifically.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

No. Desire is not a sin. You can desire without sinning, but you cannot lust after anything without sinning. Lust for money is greed. Lust for a married person is adultery of the heart. Yes, you can be angry or jealous without acting on those and sinning, but it is specifically stated in the Bible that to lust after another- just the mere dwelling on the subject, is sin.
Was Jesus angry with the money changers? Yes. Did He sin in His anger? No. He did make a whip out of ropes and use it on them though, and it's amazing that didn't land Him in jail.
Is God a jealous God? We disagree on this, so we're beating a dead horse. I can find no good in jealousy. It is a childish reaction. No good ever comes from jealousy any more than carrying anger in your heart, which is bad for you psychologically.
As I've stated, I was once angry and jealous when I found out my wife was cheating on me. What did it benefit me to be angry and jealous? NOTHING! Had I held onto that anger and jealousy it would have destroyed my life. Jealousy and anger eat at you like a cancer. I CHOSE to kick her to the curb, because both I, and my children who she abandoned, deserved better.
There are mistakes in the scriptures- things added that are inaccurate, like it or not. When I study the Bible and find something confusing, I compare it to the nature of the God that I serve. His nature is love. If what is written does not align with love, then it is a scripture or word that has been added by man, and it should not be there.
If you'd like, I can give you an example of a biblical mistake.

 

[ChristineES]

Some things are bugging me. Maybe I've learned too much to be comfortable teaching the standard "Christian" beliefs. I'll ask one question at a time.

Question-
If God is "Good", then how can He be called a "Jealous" God in the Hebrew Bible? I would consider being jealous to be a bad trait.

My mother always told me that the word was probably supposed to be "possessive" and not "jealous". When people translate, that kind of thing can happen. (I am not saying that it is true or anything, just a thought).

 

[Viker]

Okay. I fully admit that I saw the title of the thread, it caught my attention seeing "SS teacher" and I thought something else. I realize now it was short for Sunday School teacher.

I always wrestled with the "jealous" God thing. I think it was either a mistranslation or the word itself meant different things than now. It may have meant indignant. Such as God provides and we shun not the provisions but that provider. And not only shun but profane and abuse the provider with going after other gods for our own self serving desires. Something like that maybe. I don't really know. If God is in fact a jealous God like the kind of jealousy a guy would feel if another guy got the girl of his dreams, God would be immature then

 

[Kathryn]

Look, let's not get sidetracked.

My point was that emotions in and of themselves are not sinful - it's what we DO with them that is sinful.

There's a big difference between feeling anger or jealousy, and dwelling on anger and jealousy or allowing those emotions to eat away at you - or justifying unwise or wrong actions based on those feelings.

I never said we should DWELL on those emotions. We should conquer them instead. Sammich Man, you yourself said that you FELT anger and jealousy, and then you chose not to dwell on them. And then you chose to kick your wife to the curb because you and your kids deserve better.

I can't judge how you felt as you proceeded with a divorce. My point though is that initially you did feel anger and jealousy because of your wife's unfaithfulness - and I do not believe those initial emotions were wrong or improper or sinful.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

Kathryn,
It all occurred years ago. Yes, I felt those emotions, and I believe that it was immature for me to do so. The whole series of events tested my faith because after doing all that I knew to do, I turned it over to God, and yet He seemed unwilling to move on the issue. Were it to occur today, I would be highly disappointed, but not angry or jealous. I do not wish ill towards anyone, although the temptation is there, I control it. It is easy to hate, it is difficult to forgive. I choose the more difficult, but correct path. Man is born into sin as surely as sparks fly upwards, and no one is without a sin nature. However marital infidelity is a unique sin because when a man and woman are joined, the two become one, and nothing can hurt more than being betrayed by someone who is a part of you. As noted with the example of a prostitute in the Bible- all other sins (except sexual) are outside a man's body.

 

[cablescavenger]

Some things are bugging me. Maybe I've learned too much to be comfortable teaching the standard "Christian" beliefs. I'll ask one question at a time.

Question-
If God is "Good", then how can He be called a "Jealous" God in the Hebrew Bible? I would consider being jealous to be a bad trait.

Could it be that man never fleshed out the character properly and failed to think through the sub plots?

 

[Kathryn]

Kathryn,
It all occurred years ago. Yes, I felt those emotions, and I believe that it was immature for me to do so. The whole series of events tested my faith because after doing all that I knew to do, I turned it over to God, and yet He seemed unwilling to move on the issue. Were it to occur today, I would be highly disappointed, but not angry or jealous. I do not wish ill towards anyone, although the temptation is there, I control it. It is easy to hate, it is difficult to forgive. I choose the more difficult, but correct path. Man is born into sin as surely as sparks fly upwards, and no one is without a sin nature. However marital infidelity is a unique sin because when a man and woman are joined, the two become one, and nothing can hurt more than being betrayed by someone who is a part of you. As noted with the example of a prostitute in the Bible- all other sins (except sexual) are outside a man's body.

Apparently you're just not paying attention to my statements regarding feeling an emotion and dwelling on an emotion and allowing it to impact your actions.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

No, I understand it well, but the time involved in dwelling on this can be from years down to microseconds, therefore I consider it irrelevant. Some take years to sin; some sin almost immediately. Consider the husband who is licensed to carry a gun, who unexpectedly comes home, and upon finding his wife in their bed with another lover, kills them both as quickly as he can pull the gun out. The time involved cultivating the sin (murder) does not matter.

 

[MaterSammichMan]

If, as you believe Kathryn (and I do not wish to debase you for your feelings), you would get angry and jealous if you found out that your spouse was being unfaithful, to what end would that anger and jealousy arrive? Would you divorce your mate, or would you forgive them?

 

[Kathryn]

If, as you believe Kathryn (and I do not wish to debase you for your feelings), you would get angry and jealous if you found out that your spouse was being unfaithful, to what end would that anger and jealousy arrive? Would you divorce your mate, or would you forgive them?

I divorced my unfaithful husband. It was not sinful for me to do so, and I hold no anger toward him - in fact, both the anger and the jealousy had dissipated even before the divorce was final.

We were actually both laughing and cutting up together at the divorce proceedings. I don't know about him, but I was certainly improving my lot in life by divorcing him. I was quite exhilarated in fact.