I guess it’s worth asking since I’m new here, but are there any CoSo accounts focused on Christian theology, doctrine, or related topics? Theology is a special interest of mine and I’m struggling to find a community for discussion that isn’t yelling and cat fighting like is so common on FB and Twitter.
No yelling & cat fighting on CoSo. Regardless of the topic. If you encounter it, report & block the offender.
That’s what the little flag is for.
@LnzyHou I guess I’m in the minority of Christians; can’t stand most of the politics coming from the left or the right. So most mainstream social media feels…unsafe to me lol, especially as a young woman. CoSo is the first social media site I’ve felt comfortable on. 🙂
@chevalier26 As an anarcho-collectivist queer pagan priestess who does my best to provide pastoral counseling to queer christians in a way that helps them feel safe and comfortable in their relationship with Christ... I feel you. Religion on social media is such a minefield. I'm new here and hoping it's as chill as everyone says.
@chevalier26 Yes! Obviously Christian theology and history isn't my primary focus, but it's a topic of interest and it's something I like to be at least conversational in so that I can meet people where they are. Though @NiveusLepus does in fact have a degree in the subject.
@DoveWithScales Another thing that makes me so incredibly sad is how singleness is viewed by many conservatives in the church. As someone who has no desire for marriage and children, that attitude comes off as hostile and ultimately shuns singles away from church life. Celibacy is so undervalued in the modern church, even though both Jesus and Paul state that it’s better than marriage and just as honoring to God.
@DoveWithScales But no, you apparently “must have children and be a homemaker” to honor God as a woman 🙄😂
@DoveWithScales It bothers me so much that politics has infiltrated the church and made people feel like their relationship with Christ has to be “left” or “right”, when in reality our goal should be to glorify God with what we do. I grew up in a Moravian area, and their motto resonates with me: “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity”.
@chevalier26 That's a fantastic motto! See I don't even think the folks who make it politically divisive should be called Christians. They're not following the teachings of Christ. They're following the teachings of people like Paul, or Martin Luther, or John Calvin. Christ was an anti-authoritarian collectivist whose only non-negotiable rule was radical unconditional kindness. "Love thy neighbor as thy self." Looking across the aisle and seeing an enemy isn't Christ-like.
@DoveWithScales The thing that really gets me is that the people using Paul’s epistles for political gain don’t realize that Paul would rebuke everything they’re using his words for lol. Paul’s epistles were Spirit-breathed, but should be taken with historical context and compared with the rest of Scripture to get their full meaning (something a lot of Christians fail to do). Context is king!
@DoveWithScales Paul said “imitate me as I imitate Christ”. Paul was a fallen, sinful human like the rest of us. Only Jesus was fully divine and fully human.
@chevalier26 He was right on that. I just think where people go wrong, in any religion, not just Christianity, is when they start trying to imitate mortal leaders __instead of__ imitating the divine.
@DoveWithScales Yes! See it all too often at my college (I go to Liberty University if that’s worth anything). Plenty of the Protestant equivalents of Trad-Caths and Orthobros there. Drives me nuts. Little bit of a love-hate relationship with Liberty, wouldn’t find more loving and caring professors/friends at any other university, but some of the people there are just icky. It’s hit or miss half the time. And that’s a popular consensus!
@chevalier26 That's gotta be really frustrating. But it's reassuring to know there's at least somebody coming out of there who's open minded and maybe can help open some other minds by example. What are you studying?
@DoveWithScales Did government/politics & policy in undergrad, now getting my master’s in history. Really enjoying it!
@chevalier26 I did a stint in politics myself. It was a lot of work. I wish you luck.
@DoveWithScales Also, totally random, but is your profile photo a NightWing from Wings of Fire? I loved that series growing up lol
@chevalier26 It's a portrait of me that was a gift from a friend.
@DoveWithScales Super cool!
@DoveWithScales Not sure if you are familiar with the WoF series but the NightWings are incredibly cool. The main character of book 6, Moonwatcher, is a NightWing with telepathy. I resonated with dragons and WoF specifically growing up because I felt like an alien pretending to be human, which now makes more sense knowing what I know about autism lol.
@chevalier26 I know the feeling well. Turns out I'm just a dragon.
@DoveWithScales So far everything is definitely more chill. I love studying the early church fathers, reformed theology, Catholicism, and similar things, and it’s like you can’t even ask questions anymore without being shut down. Nuance is essentially dead. Glad to find it again here.