Brian Edwards6 said:I have a much better time hanging out on alternative sites.👍
Yeah, just keep right on entertaining us.
I think we had a misunderstanding. My theory is that if you truly believe in Him, God will give you enough self-confidence to actually achieve whatever it is you're striving for. I should clarify—I mean believing in Him, not necessarily in the Mother Church. To me, fanaticism is just constantly invoking His name and pounding your chest, claiming you're right simply because you're a believer, acting like some martyr that nobody else can understand.
You aren't being clear.
In Roman Catholicism, just like in the Orthodox Mother Church, the Mother Church is essentially a family of believers.
Believers come to celebrate Holy Mass on Sundays, and also on other days during the week.
For those who are able, if they truly desire to be in God's proximity. To be nourished by the Body of Christ.
To live.
And all those theories you have about fanaticism, chest-thumping, and talking about martyrdom... that's just... well.
Let's move this to the miscellaneous section. I feel like you don't really grasp what you're talking about when you mention believing in God versus... well, something else.
Mother Church. What does it even mean to "believe in Him, rather than in the Mother Church"?
It’s not just about believing in God. What matters is actually living in His proximity. Otherwise, what's the point?
People really love to push these theories that someone is just a fanatic, all because they actually choose to follow God's commandments.
There's this tension between the Church, which actually teaches and follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, and then there's everything else.
The believers who act that way.
Look, if you're going to call me some kind of martyr, you've got it wrong. That's just not happening anywhere.
I didn't write that. Besides, dear Brian Edwards6, not many people truly understood Jesus either, so it’s the same story.
A fanatic to some, right? Look, I’m not Jesus, but I am one of His followers. So, yeah...
A student isn't greater than the Teacher.
If we both turn the other cheek, then the whole point of doing it just disappears. You can't both be humble at the same time. 🤷
Why doesn't it make sense? It absolutely does. It’s just that, in this situation, you're asking me to be a little too humble.
And you wouldn't even look at your own, would you? You know, that's just being a little condescending toward others. Because honestly, nowhere else... just nowhere.
I haven't called anyone out for being humble. Not even you. Honestly, if someone acts that way, it says enough about them on its own.
Humility... if we’re actually going to talk about it, it’s really just about being honest with ourselves before God. It's that realization of who I truly am in His eyes.
To truly grasp something like that, you first have to look inward. You need to analyze yourself—really sit down and examine your own actions throughout life—and then move accordingly.
Living in His presence while being present for the people around you... that's the goal. But I've learned that being humble doesn't mean you just let people walk all over you until you're completely exhausted.
That’s just being a sycophant, not actually being humble. All those other "stories" about humility? It's just hypocrisy, plain and simple.
Like I said before, we’re all going to end up exactly where we belong eventually. And you know how that old saying goes: "Paradise might be beautiful, but hell is where the real party's at!"
Life turns out exactly how you choose it. God respects freedom of choice and doesn't withhold it from anyone, so what you ultimately decide... well, that's on you.
All we really do in these threads is analyze one another. Or maybe there’s some deeper purpose to all this? I've gone head-to-head with the mods before, just like I am with you now. Either way, I was in the minority. Or the majority—honestly, I can't tell anymore.
Look, Brian Edwards6, personally, I have no need to analyze you, let alone pick a fight. You were the one who jumped into my posts with all this analysis. Everything else is just me responding to that. And kae, why should I care if you've had clashes with the moderators? I'm not a mod. And I'm in the minority here, right? It's just you and me, 1:1. I could probably hold my own against you in a spiritual
duel, haha, if you actually tried to challenge a believing woman. It's strange how you didn't feel the need to clash with others in the threads where American men, Christian believers, discuss the moderation style of certain mods on
the Religion sub. 😉 Why don't you call them out for fanaticism when we're essentially saying the same thing? They don't understand them either—are they martyrs too, according to your theory? Honestly, Brian Edwards6, it's easier to pick on a woman, isn't it? 😍
I didn't express myself clearly enough. It's probably not a higher power speaking through me. If you were Muslim, an atheist (or whatever), it wouldn't matter. A fanatic is a fanatic. It really has nothing to do with an individual faith. Besides, every religion/faith has its own Truth in opposition to others, but when you strip them down to the bone, they are incredibly similar. It's funny. And sad.
Of course you didn't. What's driving you is obvious from your posts.
The aggression was there right from the start. That's enough for me.
I didn't say I felt condescended to; I said that you condescend to others. There's a big difference. And didn't you say that analyzing a conversation partner was forbidden? Or have you lost your sense of integrity too?
You're being vague again. Go back and read your response in that post one more time.
The analysis is yours; my response is mine.
As for integrity and who has lost what, that's your business, Brian Edwards6, as they might say
down in the Deep South.
We aren't understanding each other at all. I've been working for many years, so that isn't an issue for me. It's not about "holiday depression" (though it's funny how every state of mind has a name and a corresponding pill. Medical, religious, or alternative, it doesn't matter). My issue is having to walk through beer halls all night for a religious holiday where American Catholics practice their faith. Because of blood and vomit (not mine), I had to change clothes the next day. So, I suppose I've lost my sense of integrity too.
Strange. I don't understand you, and Alex Barnes8 doesn't understand you either—so are you not a martyr? 🤣
Holiday depression is medically proven, and therefore medications exist if someone needs them.
It's necessary. I'm talking about mainstream medicine because it matters where you
turn when you need help. The alternatives aren't recognized by official medical institutions, thank
God. 😁 And regarding a spiritual cure, well, Brian Edwards6, every illness starts in the spirit,
which then manifests physically. So, the saying isn't without reason: "A healthy spirit
in a healthy body." You have to be careful about what you do with your spirit and how you "feed" it.
😉
I truly understand that it can't be easy walking through bars and experiencing and surviving
the horrors that happen in certain places. I really do understand, and I am grateful
as a citizen for the sacrifice and courage you put into your job,
which contributes to all of our safety. 🙂 However, it isn't right to say that
"Americans who are Catholic practice their faith" in bars. Because not all Americans "practice
their faith in bars," "don't vomit or spill blood in bars," etc. Every single person
has a conscience, and they live their lives according to that conscience. Now, would someone
who is an active believer—meaning they attend Holy Mass, go to confession regularly,
and nourish themselves with the Body of Christ (not once a year, or once every ten years, or
for long stretches, just passing through church on holidays)—would they come into a bar
after Holy Mass and vomit on a cop or spill blood and call that "practicing faith"? .......
I don't believe that happens, Brian Edwards6. Why? Because such a person is in
Jesus and with Jesus, already here on Earth; the Holy Spirit dwells within them. People like that
don't do those things. That’s why we need the Mother Church, that’s why we need faith in the teachings of the Church
and the receiving of the sacraments—it's precisely for that, and more. Jesus is peace,
and He gives His peace to those who receive Him with pure hearts (a person's inner self).
And Jesus says: "From an impure heart come out robbery, fighting, slander, shouting, sexual immorality,
divisions, thefts..." The heart (every person's conscience) is cleansed in confession.
That is what practicing faith means. If that isn't happening and people aren't coming to the Mother Church,
but instead they are just beating their chests and screaming whatever they want to scream, then you're just seeing what you experienced during the holidays.
Many people experience similar situations, though they aren't in a workplace like yours,
so maybe you can better understand their helplessness against those "power players." Those people up top, especially when
they start invoking the government. 🙄
Greetings to you too.
👋
