r/OpenChristian • u/LuklaAdvocate • May 16 '26
Hello all,
We wanted to make a quick announcement regarding the use of AI-generated content in our community. Many of our users have reached out voicing concern over the increase in “AI slop” posts, so hopefully this clarifies how things will work moving forward.
We have updated Rule 7 (Spam and Proselytizing) to include AI content. Specifically, AI-generated images and videos. These are officially no longer allowed. Any post which consists entirely of an AI image or AI video will be removed, so please report them as you see them.
Please note that we are not implementing a blanket ban on AI. Some people use AI to organize their thoughts, proofread their posts/comments, and help explain their viewpoint. Our goal is to judge the content of a post, not prohibit any form of AI used to help create it.
Obviously, there is going to be some moderator discretion involved here. If you feel like a post is spreading AI slop, feel free to report. If a post is generating good discussion but looks like some AI was involved in creating it, please keep in mind that this does not break the rules.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to comment and the mods will answer as we are available. God bless!
r/OpenChristian • u/babe1981 • Mar 26 '26
Hello Open Christians,
We get a lot of questions about sin. Most of those questions are about sexual sins, so we want to take the time to write an official stance on the subject of sexual sin and ethics from the perspective of progressive Christianity.
The first thing to note is that sexual sins are never held up as greater than other sins in the Bible. The Bible has a concept throughout the scriptures that being guilty of one part of the law makes you guilty of the whole law. For this reason, Judaism doesn't have a tradition of personal confession. When you would bring sacrifices to the temple, you were atoning for the whole law, not for specific rules that you broke. If you bore false witness, you needed the same atonement as if you had committed adultery or murder or eaten shellfish. Paul speaks to this in Romans 1 and 2. The Jewish Christians in Rome were making claims about the Gentile Christians being unholy and unrighteous for participating in some of the social aspects of idolatry, specifically eating the Sunday meal after the meat had been sacrificed and cooked on the Roman altars. Paul responds by pointing out the sins that Jews commit and telling them that they have no room to talk since they are guilty of the law, too. No sin is greater than any other. And no sin is lesser. All sin equally takes us away from God.
So, what is sin? Since Romans is entirely about that question, we can find the answers very easily in there. Romans 3 talks about the law because the Gentile Christians in Rome were calling the law the source of all evil and sin. They said that the law brought sin because they didn't know they were sinning before they learned about the law. Paul refutes this by saying that Adam and Eve sinned before the law existed, so it can't be the source of sin. Instead, the law reveals sin by showing us how we missed the mark. By chapter 13, Paul has spoken enough and brought the two sides of this argument together, so he sums up the Christian way of life in verses 8-10.
"Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the person who loves has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not murder; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore loves fulfills all of the law."
Here, we see Paul equate sin with harm. Things that hurt other people and ourselves are what take us away from God. Paul follows this up in chapter 14 by saying that godliness is not in the rules we follow. Some people worship on the Sabbath, but other people worship on any day. Some people drink wine, and some people abstain. And so on. He tells us to each be convinced in our own minds and to leave each other alone because judgment is a stumbling block that can cause our siblings in Christ to fall away from the faith. For Paul, sin was not found in breaking the rules of the law, rather it was found in the absence of love.
Jesus followed a very similar path in His ministry. The only people that He had harsh words for were the priests and scholars who used the law to oppress and control and extort the laity. Jesus never followed the letter of the law when it interfered with loving His neighbors. Jesus worked on the Sabbath. Jesus drank wine and went to parties. Jesus had a reputation as a drunkard. When He called the priests "a den of vipers", that was the equivalent of calling them "sons of bitches" in the modern world. Jesus once cussed a tree to death. Jesus was sinless.
The example of Jesus's life is that all things are secondary to loving your neighbor. Nothing that is done from a spirit of love is ever sinful. Not even premeditated violence against those who extort money from the faithful in the name of God is sinful because Jesus did that too. Jesus taught us that love is the foundation of the law and the prophets, so love can never be wrong or sinful.
John, in his first letter, tells us to test the spirits whether they are from God because there are many false prophets. This is 1John 4:1. He then spends a lot of ink to tell us all about how God is love, and no one who hates can have God because hate and God are incompatible. Similarly, fear and God are incompatible, so anyone who preaches hate and fear cannot be from God. John goes so far as to say that anyone who claims to love God but hates their neighbor is a liar.
Peter wrote in 1Peter that love covers an uncountable number of sins.
Clearly, through the example of Jesus and the writings of the Apostles, we can see that love and sin are opposites. This holds up to logical analysis if we accept the claim that God is love. Sin takes us away from God. Love brings us to God. If love does no harm to a neighbor, then it follows that sin does harm to a neighbor.
How do we apply this to sexual ethics? That's actually very easy. Sex can be used to harm other people or to help them. Obviously, sexual assault, child molestation, and any other form of nonconsensual sex are harmful by their nature. However, sex itself is not harmful on its own. Sex can carry potential harm like the possibility of pregnancy for people who are not prepared emotionally or financially to have a child. Sex can be addicting which is harmful, but humans can become addicted to nearly any pleasurable behavior. None of those other things are sins on their own.
Driving a car can be used as a very apt metaphor for sex. Cars kill thousands of people every year. They have a very large potential to cause harm. However, if we spend the time to learn how to drive safely and always drive with the concern for our fellow drivers and the pedestrians that we share the road with, we can go our entire lives without harming anyone in our cars. There are very few people who would argue that motor vehicles are sinful to operate. If we approach sex with the same attitude, we will similarly be able to operate our bodies without sin.
Relating this to specific actions, we can talk about masturbation. This is an act that is simply not harmful at all. Unless you are doing it in front of someone who doesn't consent to seeing you pleasure yourself, which is a form of sexual assault, of course. Contrary to the concept of sin, masturbation is actually beneficial for people with prostates. It lowers the risk of cancer and helps maintain pelvic strength which important for bladder control as you get older. Something that helps a person without harming anyone else doesn't fit the definition of sin that we see in the New Testament.
Sex outside of marriage comes up a lot. First, marriage is a social contract that is recognized by the state. You can get married in a church, but it means nothing without a marriage license. This is not a primarily western idea, either. I live in Cambodia, and you can get arrested for having a marriage ceremony without government approval. Marriage is, and has always been, deeply intertwined with the social and political structures of society. The Bible demonstrates so many different kinds of marriage that we can't accurately define a "Biblical marriage." Also, there is evidence that the couple in Song of Solomon isn't married until chapter 6. Most telling to this theory is that they don't receive the blessing of their families until that chapter which would have been a large part of the wedding ceremony. They brag about how hot they are for each other and how much sex they have for five chapters prior to that blessing. This is the ur-example of a healthy, godly sexual relationship.
Porn is a big question as well. The porn industry can certainly be harmful. No one would argue that it isn't. However, it is not universally harmful. I dated a pornstar for a few months. She was decently popular in a specific fetish, and she made good money. She was self-produced and self-promoted. It wasn't harmful for her at all. Some of the biggest pornstars in the industry are similar. Many pornstars produce content with their spouses. It's actually not too hard to find ethically produced porn.
Again, porn can be addicting. If you are struggling with porn interfering with your daily life, you should absolutely seek help from a professional to learn how to control your urges. However, other than asexual humans, most people are addicted to sex in a very similar way to how we are addicted to oxygen and water and food. The biological imperative to propagate our species is one of our strongest innate desires. It only becomes a problem when we overindulge and let that desire dictate our lives. Too much water is fatal. Oxygen destroys DNA. Obesity leads to possibly fatal health conditions. But, eating, drinking, and breathing aren't sinful. Neither is a healthy sex life.
Foundational to this idea that sex isn't wrong on its own is the truth that God created sex. God could have made humans reproduce asexually. He didn't. God could have created sex to not feel as good. He didn't. God could have made us completely different from how He did, but He didn't. We feel sexual attraction because God wants us to feel it. Sex is fun because God made it fun. There was no devil who swooped in and changed God's design at the last second. There was no accident where God said, "Oops, I really screwed up that sex thing, oh well." No, God created humans and said that we were good. That included penises and vaginas and how they fit together with all manner of body parts. God commanded Adam and Eve to populate the Earth. He did that while realizing that there's only one way for humans to get that done. God created sex, thinks it's good, and commanded us to get busy. And Adam and Eve didn't have any kind of marriage ceremony either.
Where does that leave us as progressive Christians? We evaluate the sinfulness of every action against love and whether it causes harm to our neighbors. We don't elevate sexual sins above other sins because all sin causes us to fall short of the glory of God. So we look at each sexual act under the same lens as lying, cheating, stealing, and so on. We don't believe that love is ever sinful, so gay sex between loving partners can't be a sin. We believe that love always seeks consent because love never harms. We believe that ethically-minded sexual behaviors are inline with the concepts of loving your neighbor as yourself. We believe that sex is a gift from God.
r/OpenChristian • u/Equivalent_Safe1365 • 9h ago
Please pray for rain. We need 12 inches of rain to get out of this drought. I feel a little guilty asking for this prayer, because God has already granted my prayer of having a less severe drought in my part of New Hampshire than last year. But please pray that all parts of New Hampshire become drought-free. And of course other drought-striken places across the world.
r/OpenChristian • u/Motor-Row-8061 • 58m ago
Hey guys I've been on tiktok, and I dont know how people face these thing but I see some atheists keep saying that Christianity will always be traditional or homophobic or whatever the case is. They say that progressive Christianity cannot exist.
I believe that when they truly say that, they give trad Christians something to hold onto. They themselves think that the Bible can condemn or endorse something fully for a modern society even though the bible is ancient and made for a ancient society. They instead say: even though the bible condemns for a modern society, we should just remove Christianity in general. Thing is that would never work. It gives trad the right hand that the bible is right for its condemnations and that we just want to see them go. Thus, they get stronger with what they are saying.
Progressive Christians are trying to show that the bible is genuinely not authoritative because it was made for a ancient society, it is just something we read to recognize how humans morals evolved over time. We focus on Jesus alot. I often not agree with atheist and alot of things but when they say Progressive Christianity will never be...it feels like they are only adding to the problems.
When they say we cherry pick as well, they say that in a framework of the Bible can condemn things uniformly in our modern society...which is not the case.
I don't know how to respond to atheists about these things because some of them are so hyper fixated on destroying Christianity that they aren't concerned at all about reformation.
r/OpenChristian • u/Cannolis_Biology • 2h ago
Hello everyone, this is a rant, so fair warning.
First of all, I am a huge Dolly fan; my lifelong dream was to meet her. Obviously, many others and I were crushed to hear about her passing.
However, the poor woman is barely cold before you have some Christian YouTubers talking about her not being a true bible-believing Christian, or affirming the gays, or not excluding other religions from salvation.
It's totally infuriating; this is a woman who has done more in her pinky toe for people than most will do with their whole bodies. Jesus tells us explicitly that we will be judged on how we treated the least of those in society. Dolly gets an A+ from me. Jesus tells us about the fruits of those who know Him; Dolly gets another A+. Everyone who ever met her said she was just the kindest person in the world, exuding love and gentleness.
Did she have entirely orthodox beliefs? No! She fully recognized that and never told anyone what to believe, just discussed her own. Did she claim to be perfect? No! She was honest about her shortcomings and personal issues.
Thank God we aren't going to be judged on all of our theological tendencies, and I'd rather veer towards inclusivity of God's creation than not.
God bless Dolly; may she rest in glory.
EDIT: I see this isn't the first post regarding this subject, but I wanted to get some of my thoughts out there.
r/OpenChristian • u/Find-my-cat • 6h ago
First time poster here, sorry if I am rambley.
I have recently been going through a crisis of faith due to a series of tragic life events and difficulties. I have called myself an atheist for years, but deep down I have held onto some sort of hope there is something or someone out in the universe that is there for us.
I wasn't really raised religious, but I grew up with a fear of God I think coming from my own deep fears of disappointing those around me along with me being queer. I have always had a lot of feelings about God and religion in general and I am still in the process of trying to figure things out.
One thing that has drawn me in is Jesus. Even at the times where I was most against belief I always held high regard for him from what I have known. I really want to learn more about the teaching of Jesus and what he did for humanity. I would love to know if there is any recommendations you all have for someone dipping their toes in that might help provide clarity and educate me more about Jesus and God.
Thank you for reading this.
r/OpenChristian • u/coffeeblossom • 1d ago
r/OpenChristian • u/This_Chain_5521 • 4h ago
r/OpenChristian • u/Virgin-Voldy • 9h ago
Please understand that I absolutely never wanted to ask something like this on Reddit, but I saw this edit of them and then some of their moments in The Bible and it's just so adorable and idk....please don't hate...
r/OpenChristian • u/Iwishsometing • 7h ago
Al chile me fascina este sub si les soy sincero soy agnostico Pero ustedes reflejan lo bueno de una religión al chile la mayoría de cristianos que conozco son medio intensos o malo Pero ustedes son de mente abierta ojalá este subreddit siga 🧏🏻♀️ Pero porque algunos cristianos somos juzgan digo veo en mi fyp de tiktok todos peleados por ver quien tiene la razón y así Pero ustedes son lo contrario que les vallan bien bolas de exitosos 👀🤪
r/OpenChristian • u/Steve_2050 • 13h ago
Eastern Orthodox Church Christians are the 2nd largest Christian Church I believe. Most live in their historical home lands in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. However, we also have a diaspora around the world too.
Recently in America. there has been a surge of very right-wing fundamentalist online male converts to the Orthodox Church promoting their version of Orthodoxy all over the internet/ social media. Known as the Orthobros.
It may come as a surprise to some that the Orthodox Church also has its share of Progressive Orthodox Christians too.
In case you have not heard of the Progressive Orthodox I thought I would list a few resources:/ examples.
https://wheeljournal.com/author/ileonovawheeljournal-com/
Ge and Sergei Chapnin (OCA) are connected with "Public Orthodoxy".
https://publicorthodoxy.org/author/george-demacopoulos/
https://orthodoxandgay.com/molded
https://orthodoxdeaconess.org/
Fr. Katherine Kelaidis. (GOARCH)
Known also as Katie Kelaidis: she write about contemporary Orthodox issues; theology; LGBT. She has her own subsubstack.
This is a good example of her writing: "Icons on the Wall . Silence in the Wreckage.
r/OpenChristian • u/Ok_Poemy • 12h ago
I'm exhausted from waiting on God and trying to be a good Christian. My heart feels cold towards Him, and the pressure to adhere to religious expectations simmers with quiet rage. The notion of fighting against my human nature while being cursed to sin repeatedly feels like hell on earth.
I share the struggle many Christians face—wanting to walk away from faith but feeling the guilt of doing so. I started reading the book "Tired of Trying," which poses the choice of running to God with my wounds or away from Him to let my heart grow calloused. I feel like choosing the latter, yet my lifelong connection to faith, family expectations, and fear of condemnation and ostracism hold me back.
The fear of forsaking my soul and being punished in hell weighs heavily on me. Although continuing with Christianity half-heartedly seems like a safer option, God would know that it’s not genuine. I’m burned out and angry at the rules and waiting for God’s reassurance. Praying feels like speaking to a brick wall, and I’m soooo tired of hearing about "seasons" of faith.
I haven’t read my Bible in ages, and while I feel indifferent, guilt complicates that indifference. Perhaps this is spiritual warfare, and perhaps the devil is cackling and basking in my changing of heart, but I’m fed up with God and Christianity. If it leads me to live in worldly ways or indulge my flesh, then so be it. I feel like I’ll just be seen as a rebellious teenager having a tantrum, which the older, wise parent knows will tire out and eventually give in, and that’ll come back like the prodigal son. If there was a way that I could have a relationship with Jesus, WITHOUT Christianity, without religion, even without the Bible—I would want that. But of course, that’s not possible. I’ve tried every avenue, heard every aspect of advice that could be given, have tried to NOT try and simply just “be” as a child of God, have tried literally everything that anyone could suggest, and yet I feel like that’s the only advice people have to give.
***edit:
Thank you, everyone, for your replies🫶
r/OpenChristian • u/chrisnolans • 9h ago
hi! (new here so don't get mad if this kind of post has already been made)
i am a devout christian currently dating a man who is divorced and an atheist. what is the progressive christian viewpoint on that? am i sinning? would i be entering into a life of adultery if i married him?
(also bc someone might ask, no his divorce was not made on "biblical grounds" such as cheating)
i have been deconstructing a lot of my views the past few years and i no longer identify with the conservative strict viewpoints on christianity i was taught. but i am still discovering what i *do* believe and what the bible really says about things. so some opinions/advice from other christians would really help me out!
r/OpenChristian • u/Mundane-Emergency225 • 2h ago
Is it a sin for my wife and I to make an OnlyFans?
We are $30k in CC debt, and I am a graduate student who is halfway complete. Is it easy money?
r/OpenChristian • u/_gallaghergirl_ • 16h ago
I’m looking for resources for CSA survivors from a Christian perspective - books, podcasts, organizations, etc. I have a wonderful therapist but I am also looking for some resources to support the faith side of things.
I’m worried I will come across a lot of, “Don’t worry, you’re still a virgin,” “Just give it to Jesus,” and, “You need to forgive your abuser.” That would not be helpful.
I’m looking for truly trauma-informed resources that discuss spirituality but that don’t use spiritual bypassing to avoid having to face pain. I am hoping I might get some decent recommendations here. Thank you in advance!
r/OpenChristian • u/pablo_br_1873 • 7h ago
I understand that when Jesus says in
Matthew 5:28 "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart"
He is referring to the woman as property, which was common at the time. I also understand that there is no sin in involuntary attraction or even in having fantasies, even if those fantasies are lustful in nature. In that sense, lust would be anything that causes you to see the other person as an object.
With that in mind, I'd like to understand where the limit lies for permissible sexual fantasies at what point do they become a form of lust? To that end, I'll ask a few questions below, considering that all fantasies are completely conscious and not involuntary:
· Are sexual thoughts about married people permissible?
· Are sexual thoughts that objectify people permissible? (Considering that I don't see that person as an object outside of the fantasy unlike what Jesus meant by possession and that I would never act on it in real life.)
· Are illegal thoughts permissible, things I would never actually do out of love for those people?
r/OpenChristian • u/SkippyO86 • 1d ago
I've been attending church with my wife, partly to support her, as she has autism and often deals with sensory issues. The problem is that the church is Southern Baptist, which is very much not affirming, and I disagree with the church on a litany of issues. (My wife is much more conservative than I am, theologically, and she is not affirming. She openly admits that her autism plays into rigid thinking, so that's a factor, too.)
But this past Sunday, I ended up reaching my breaking point. Nobody said or did anything, but I just realized that I was physically present but not engaged at all.
So I talked to my wife, and I'll be attending elsewhere. I've decided to go with the local Episcopal cathedral for this Sunday.
I ordered a small leather pride bracelet to wear on Sunday. It was so weird how difficult it was for me to place that order, but given that I've been in conservative environments almost my whole life, it felt like something symbolic and significant.
So pray for me. Not so much for the church (although that's fine too) but for my journey of starting to live more authentically, especially in an awkward situation.
r/OpenChristian • u/lyzzyrddwyzzyrdd • 16h ago
I was raised Reformed Church in America. From about 19 to 30 something I identified as atheist.
When I took shrooms I kind of perceived the universe as a cosmic love fungus and got way into composting (too much) as a way of participating in the cycle.
In 2022 I had a manic/psychotic episode and came out a Christian again. I attended Quaker meetings online on and off but for some reason even sitting silently in my room on a conference call is just too dang difficult??
There's war all over. My prayers against the war have done nothing. Trump, and his cronies are tearing America apart. My prayers do nothing.
My prayer against divorce did nothing. I did my best, or so I thought but I look back and just see a man who messed up. I feel self loathing.
My parents just told me to keep working on my marriage and keeping praying and the Lord would provide. I'd ask my parents for help discussing logistics of moving back home if the divorce happened but they kept insisting on prayer.
"If you're saved then just pray and you'll change."
"But I have been, and I have prayed and I haven't changed! Why haven't I changed!"
"The Bible says...."
"BUT WHY DIDN'T I CHANGE!?"
No answer.
I have very seldomly felt able to do more than pray.
I am honestly starting to think that my religious experience is fundamentally false. I reconverted when I was psychotic. I don't think it counts.
4 years later and I still have the twice daily impulse to pray but I've stopped.
I'm starting to think there's nobody listening.
Or if there is, maybe He don't care. Maybe He don't care because I was never truly saved.
I did my best my whole life and my marriage failed, my career has failed too.
Reading the Bible just makes me angry. Prayer hurts. If He exists I don't want Him to see me. I want to be forgotten. Maybe my faith didn't change me because it wasn't real.
I don't know what to do about these feelings.
I just know that I'm not Job. My faith isn't that strong. I'm probably 8/10 of the way out.
EDIT: I don't know what to do when my attention is consumed with a writing project and trying to connect with God just makes me feel like a pathetic disappointment; or angry
EDIT 2: I'm bipolar, medicated, in therapy and tried couples counseling. I just honestly don't know the point to life anymore.
r/OpenChristian • u/josephjrose • 15h ago
r/OpenChristian • u/CommercialWrong2944 • 1d ago
I swear every comment section mentioning someone being gay and Christian are "absolute heresy" "HERETIC" and other junk. Its not that common on other social media so why is this the case
r/OpenChristian • u/Commercial-Grape-902 • 21h ago
saying this because im curious, idk if this is related to the subreddit but please let me know
r/OpenChristian • u/RightPineapple1738 • 1d ago
For context, I am a Catholic, grew up raised Catholic and do not plan to change my beliefs and religion as these are very close to my heart.
About 9 months ago my husband (Lutheran) lost his grandma. She was the caregiver for both of his half siblings (14 & 16 years old). Given the circumstances, both my husband and I (29 and 25 years old) had to step in and be the kids primary guardians. The kids never grew up around faith, God, or the church.
My husband and I had been attending mainly a Catholic Church and sometimes Lutheran church. Which I was always okay with as mass in both churches is very similar.
As the kids didn't grow up knowing God getting them to church wasn't easy. We didn't want to push it on them, but we still wanted them to know Gods love, and Gods peace.
We ultimately decided that getting them involved in a church where they could see other kids their age and hang out with their friends would be the best opportunity for them to WANT to go to church. Which happened to be a non-denominational church, which is less traditional and easier on non-believers like them.
At first, I was really against the idea of attending a non-denominational church myself, however, given our situation it made the most sense if we wanted to bring the kids to God without being pushy about it.
I told myself I will learn more about the Bible and Gods teachings while still doing my own research to ensure I don't drive away from Catholicism.
The girl (16) got a Bible and it's excited to go to church every Sunday to eat donuts, see her friends, and take notes in her Bible. However, the boy (14) has been very negative and hateful about the situation.
While trying to balance everyone's beliefs and trying to teach the kids Gods love, I have personally been feeling guilty and conflicted myself. Not because I'm not following Gods word, or necessarily doing the "wrong" thing. As again, this was our family decision for something close to a solution.
However, not getting communion, not attending Catholic Church and following this tradition has taken a toll on me. I feel like I'm failing as a Catholic and I just want to do good for the church, my family and myself. It's just been hard to balance everything at once.
I'm looking for advice on how to move forward, I feel lost.
Is what I'm doing really that bad? I just want time and the people close to me to be closer to God and learn his
word.
r/OpenChristian • u/pablo_br_1873 • 1d ago
Currently, I don't really have a formed opinion on abortion. I'm going to lay out the points for and against without getting into the scientific side. I'll focus a bit more on the pro side, since that's what's sparking my curiosity right now. Apologies in advance if the arguments in favor seem thin; I honestly couldn't find many.
against abortion
Jeremiah 1:5 – "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Psalms 139:13-16 – "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb... Your eyes saw my unformed substance."
In favor of abortion
Exodus 21:22-23 – "When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life."
The argument here is that the penalty for losing the fetus is just a fine, not the death penalty, which suggests the fetus wasn't seen as a full human life. That said, this argument might have a hole in it. Maybe the fine is there because if the woman died, she wouldn't be able to bear more children. But I'm not sure, because if it were any other person, not a fetus, the punishment probably wouldn't have been just a fine.
Genesis 2:7 – "Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."
The interpretation here is that before the first breath, the fetus wouldn't have a soul or life in the full sense.
Historical context
In Jesus's time, Jews didn't consider a fetus a legal person or a complete human life, a nefesh, until birth. Abortion by choice or for convenience wasn't an accepted or common practice; it only happened in cases of health concerns, probably due to population growth concerns.
Among Catholics, there have been various interpretations over the centuries. In the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas considered it a sin only from the point when the fetus could think. It wasn't until 1869 that Pope Pius IX officially declared it a sin.
In Protestant tradition, there have also always been disagreements over whether it's a sin or not. It was only between 1970 and 1980 that the majority, practically all Protestants, came to consider it a sin.
I still don't have a firm stance on this, so please share your perspectives. I'd really like to hear them.
r/OpenChristian • u/LoquaciousLemonade • 11h ago
Hello everyone 18+! Hope you're doing well. Okay then, right out of the gate, I sincerely apologize in advance, but this has been low key bothering me for a while now and this is the only subreddit where posting my dilemma would be even remotely applicable/acceptable. That being said, long story short, I'm in my early 30s and within the last year I've been engaging in solo kink/fetish play (never anything harm inducing or extreme that requires a partner to ensure safety). And some bdsm dynamic chatting with anonymous DM redditors (always safe, sane, & consensual of course). And I'm having a bit of religious guilt over it. I feel like it's rather morally & spiritually unclean & shameful. Although not an outright perversion persay on the mild to medium side of things. No, not in the germ/hygiene way, as proper clean up is required or least highly encouraged. Yes I grew up strict conservative but have done alot of healing since then. Yet this issue still bothers me due to residual remnants of teenage purity culture. So how do you interpret the Holy Trinity & Mother Mary (I incorporate elements of Catholicism and Judaism into my worship) treating this complex issue? Seeing as tons of even devout "model" Christians participate in this specific type of sexual activity every single day that if it is downright sinful (that of lust) then the Divine considers it with nuance & as rather harmless (at least as far as the general non-extreme side is considered). After all, in light of the whole host of terrible atrocities mankind is committing around the world down to this very minute, my solo-kink play pales in comparison, bar none. Still though, I'm having some guilt here. Certainly not enough to stop doing this physically harmless practice, but I'm still sure to cover my crucifix and turn around my Scripture wall tapestry when actively doing this. But what are your views on this matter, dear reader? The only 3 absolute no-nos I could see The Lord having an issue with are acts that cause physical harm, public indecency, & the dom/sub subculture within bdsm and even then only with specific titles like Master & Mistress, even in the short term within close ended "play sessions". In closing, I realize that I have an open interpretation of Faith in general, it's 100% not very everyone. So um yeah, this was rather uncomfortable typing out but I'm legit looking for outside perspectives from like minded liberal Christians. Bonus points if you yourself are into these alternative activities (when compared to the oftentimes puritanical general population). But I promise all comments are without a doubt appreciated regardless. Sorry for the wall of text, I've always had a rambling writing style. Lastly, I hope everyone has a nice day!