ER's 10,000th Post Thoughts

[100% pro-life no matter what]

As this is my 10,000th post, I wanted to take a second to think back over the seven years I have been posting here.

The first thing I want to say is that I don't like my username, but I recognize how reflective it was of the version of me from 2015.  When I first started posting here, I was not a Christian, and I put my ultimate identity and trust in the Republican Party.  I never referred to faith for the first couple years I was posting here.  I accepted Christ as my Savior in 2017 and really grew in my faith after graduating college in 2018.  While I'm still certainly a conservative Republican, it isn't my primary identity.  While I'm not perfect and sometimes have to check my heart on it, I try to make sure that my faith flows to my politics, rather than the other way around.  I now have disagreements with my party; some of those might be perceived as the Biblical position being so "beyond the pale" in American politics, but sometimes I'm led to less conservative and certainly less nationalist stances.

The other thing I want to hit on is why I post here.  In many ways, I'm out of place on this forum, as a strong evangelical Christian on a left-leaning political forum.  It's not that I need the social interaction either, as I am actually blessed with a really robust social life with a large circle of (like-minded evangelical) friends.  It's not that I need a place to say things I wouldn't feel comfortable saying in real life either; in fact, sometimes I'll even go further when talking in my evangelical bubble.  Plus, I've stated my real name on here before, so you could find who I am pretty easily if you wanted to.

Rather, I feel strongly that it is important for Christians to engage with the culture and with the issues of our day, while keeping ourselves rooted in the knowledge that we will spend eternity in our true Home.  God has given me a passion for relating Biblical Truth to Earthly issues, especially as it relates to speaking up for the unborn.  I know that, with a few exceptions, most people on this forum, even most blue avatars, don't share the same worldview that I have- based on the inerrancy of the Bible-, so I feel that it is important to be a voice for God's Truth here.  Maybe there will come a day when God tells me to move on from here, but, for as long as I am on Atlas, I want to be a voice for my faith.

While I know I disagree sharply with many posters here, and, while I recognize that I cannot fully affirm some aspects of some posters' lives, I know that everyone here is fearfully and wonderfully made in the Image of God.  It can occasionally be hard to remember that a "Party-State avatar" is a real person, but I do feel that it's important to treat everyone hear with Christ-like love.

God Bless y'all, and feel free to ask me any questions- particularly around my faith and how I try to maintain a Biblical worldview- and I'm an imperfect sinner forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Are abortion and homosexuality the same or is one worse?

[Joseph Cao]

I'm glad you post here, ER. The forum is closer to its natural function with posters like you, especially so when they recognize and try to hold the sentiments you mentioned in your post.

Happy early Easter!

[Conservatopia]

Do you celebrate any of the supposedly Christian holidays or do you recognise that the Bible doesn't call for Christians to partake in all this "Easter" and "Christmas" nonsense?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Do you get the sense that mainstream society is secularizing where you live in Tennessee?

[Pink Panther]

-What would be your reaction if Trump, DeSantis, Noem, Youngkin, Pence, and Franklin Graham announced they're Pro-choice tomorrow, hypothetically?
-Who's your least favorite President in your lifetime?
-Would you ever want to become a Lawyer?

[Dr. MB]

I'm sure you've probably posted about this somewhere else but what's your opinion on "degrees" of Christianity? Like in your opinion can a Catholic be as true of a Christian as someone who's a member of your evangelical church? What about a Mormon? Or maybe someone like BRTD who attends a hipster/progressive church?

Are you familiar at all with the Book of Enoch?

Also - seconding PiT's post. I'm pretty curious since I know you live in a fairly well-off part of Tennessee that has shifted ever so slightly to the Democrats recently. Do you go into Nashville much? Or do you interact much with people outside your social circle who aren't members of your church or similar churches or share Republican politics? I guess what I'm trying to say is like, are you afraid that eventually your sort of religion and ideological preferences will become a lot more taboo in the area you live in, and if that happens would you consider moving somewhere more friendly?

[It’s so Joever]

Do you celebrate any of the supposedly Christian holidays or do you recognise that the Bible doesn't call for Christians to partake in all this "Easter" and "Christmas" nonsense?

There is literally nothing wrong with celebrating these holidays. Although it isn’t biblical, it’s still a tradition that can help build community and get you closer with family, both of which are biblical values. This isn’t the gotcha you think it is.

[°Leprechaun]

Since this post is all about Christianity, ER, why did you post it here rather than on the religion and philosophy board? In my opinion that is where it belongs.

(edit: btw this does not appear to be an AMA thread, so I am not going to expect ER to necessarily answer anyone's questions unless the "spirit" moves him to do so)

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Are abortion and homosexuality the same or is one worse?

All sin separates us from God and is equivalent in that sense.  Abortion is worse in Earthly terms because it directly kills a human life.

Do you celebrate any of the supposedly Christian holidays or do you recognise that the Bible doesn't call for Christians to partake in all this "Easter" and "Christmas" nonsense?

That's actually an interesting question.  I believe that it's possible for people to put too much emphasis on these particular two days, because our Savior is always born and He is always risen!  With that said, I don't see anything wrong with reminding ourselves of that and recognize the missionary potential of those two days, when people who might not normally step foot in church are more open to hearing about Jesus.

     Do you get the sense that mainstream society is secularizing where you live in Tennessee?

There is still some degree of a "church is what you do on Sundays" culture here that might not be present in other parts of the country, but there definitely has been some degree of a shift everywhere in the US.  However, here, there is still a certain familiarity with Christianity that is shared by many people who are not in church.  A drawback is that there are undoubtedly people in church who aren't Saved- especially from the older generations, when church was something everyone did.  Whereas, in (for example) Seattle, if you are in church, it's generally not because it was the easy thing to do.

-What would be your reaction if Trump, DeSantis, Noem, Youngkin, Pence, and Franklin Graham announced they're Pro-choice tomorrow, hypothetically?
-Who's your least favorite President in your lifetime?
-Would you ever want to become a Lawyer?

1. I'd be disappointed for sure, but it wouldn't change my outlook on the issue.  Ever since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, we can count on man to be lost, and we should never put our faith in people instead of God.

2. Biden has probably been the worst so far.

3. Honestly, I don't think so.  My dad practiced law for much of my life, and he said he wouldn't recommend it.  I saw what the stresses of it did to my dad and other family members, much of which manifested as addiction.

I'm sure you've probably posted about this somewhere else but what's your opinion on "degrees" of Christianity? Like in your opinion can a Catholic be as true of a Christian as someone who's a member of your evangelical church? What about a Mormon? Or maybe someone like BRTD who attends a hipster/progressive church?

Are you familiar at all with the Book of Enoch?

Also - seconding PiT's post. I'm pretty curious since I know you live in a fairly well-off part of Tennessee that has shifted ever so slightly to the Democrats recently. Do you go into Nashville much? Or do you interact much with people outside your social circle who aren't members of your church or similar churches or share Republican politics? I guess what I'm trying to say is like, are you afraid that eventually your sort of religion and ideological preferences will become a lot more taboo in the area you live in, and if that happens would you consider moving somewhere more friendly?

1. I don't believe there are formal degrees of Christianity, beyond the initial decision to accept Jesus as your Savior.  I believe that some Christians are walking closer with the Lord and that some churches do a better job of encouraging the need for the personal relationship that the Bible says we need.  Likewise, some people have incorrect theology, but there is no requirement to have perfect theology to get into Heaven.  Now, if they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, then they aren't truly Christian yet.

2. I've heard of it, but I have never read it.  Enoch (as depicted in Genesis) was one of the most righteous men to ever live, however.

3. I do admit that I live in very much an evangelical bubble.  The most "progressive" views that I would typically hear are along the lines of David French's.  That's even less common at my current church than it was at my old church (my estimate would be that my old church was 80-15 for Trump, while my current church was probably more like 90-5).  I actually do sometimes feel like a relative political moderate around my friends.  An example of that is that I'm one of the only ones of my close friends who is vaccinated.

As for Nashville, I go into Nashville occasionally, but the nature of my trips into Nashville isn't likely to put me in political discussions with more progressive people.  If I'm going to Nashville, it's usually to go to a game, out to eat, to an event at some church there, or an occasional political event.

As I've started recently going into the office (which is in Franklin) about once a week, I do see people who aren't necessarily Saved more than I have for the last couple years.  I'm very open about my faith at work, but I haven't really had people want to push back on it at all.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Are there people at your church who are liberal on economic issues, a la John Bel Edwards, or is everyone who regularly attends very GOP (I'd assume the 5% Biden support are not from frequent attendees).

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Are there people at your church who are liberal on economic issues, a la John Bel Edwards, or is everyone who regularly attends very GOP (I'd assume the 5% Biden support are not from frequent attendees).

Sure, there are a few.  The only person at my church who I know for certain voted for Biden is pro-life and thinks homosexuality is wrong, but is more progressive on some other issues.

The more notable difference is in how invested people are in politics.  The vast majority of us agree on the vast majority of political issues, but there are definitely some people who pay it much closer attention than others.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Are there people at your church who are liberal on economic issues, a la John Bel Edwards, or is everyone who regularly attends very GOP (I'd assume the 5% Biden support are not from frequent attendees).

Sure, there are a few.  The only person at my church who I know for certain voted for Biden is pro-life and thinks homosexuality is wrong, but is more progressive on some other issues.

The more notable difference is in how invested people are in politics.  The vast majority of us agree on the vast majority of political issues, but there are definitely some people who pay it much closer attention than others.

I assume you are on the far end of that spectrum?

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Are there people at your church who are liberal on economic issues, a la John Bel Edwards, or is everyone who regularly attends very GOP (I'd assume the 5% Biden support are not from frequent attendees).

Sure, there are a few.  The only person at my church who I know for certain voted for Biden is pro-life and thinks homosexuality is wrong, but is more progressive on some other issues.

The more notable difference is in how invested people are in politics.  The vast majority of us agree on the vast majority of political issues, but there are definitely some people who pay it much closer attention than others.

I assume you are on the far end of that spectrum?

In terms of following elections, yes, but there are certainly times where others follow certain debates (for example CRT) a lot more closely than I do.  Apart from my hobby of sorts of following elections, there are only a handful of issues that I'm really passionate about (abortion being the most obvious example).

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Suppose you knew that overturning Obergefell v Hodges was doable, but would cause a backlash against Republicans for doing so at the ballot box if done. How big would this hypothetical backlash have to be for you to feel that doing it is not worth it.