[CS-FSLUG] OT: Potter, Halloween and Philipians 4:8

[Nathan T.]

On 3/5/06, 'Mash <re.mash at gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't quite understand the balance. How can we live in this world
> and avoid being in
> sin if it is a complete part of living. Where is the line between
> eating McDonalds
> hamburgers and taking heroine. Or cheating at a board game or cheating
> on your wife.

We cannot avoid all sin, that's what forgiveness is for.

> Killing a rain forest to killing a another human being.

God gave Adam and Eve the hides of animals to wear when they left the
garden of Eden if I'm not mistaken. Don't quote me on that because I
really don't read my bible as much as I should. It seems to me that
while it feels wrong (at least to me) to use animals in that way, it's
also one of those things God has allowed so we may survive. I don't
believe animals should be used as beasts of burden any more than I
should, I think excessive use of that and disregard for the animals
stems from a cold and unloving darwinistic point of view.

> If there is one thing that troubles me no end is this whole area of
> what is sin ?
> Is sin selfishness, is sin void of God?

I don't feel like taking on that kind of question right now.

> I know of Christians who would not dare go watch Brokeback mountain
> due to content but
> enjoy the rock music of Queen.

I only know of one Queen, and I've never heard her sing :-) .

> I have met Christians who will not eat shellfish, prawns or pork but
> will eat chocolate from a company which is known to use child labour.

I've never considered eating something tasty to be a sin, where in the
bible does it say it is? If you're referring to gluttony I think that
had more to do with waste, such as people intentionally overeating and
inevitably vomitting afterwards. On that note I also suspect that some
fast food chains intentionally engineer their foods to chemically
enduce that kind of behaviour, for example you really REALLY should
see the movie "Supersize Me". The scene where the guy stuck his head
out his car window to vomit it reminded me of of all those times I was
at restaurants as a kid, somehow stuffing myself beyond sick without
even noticing until it was too late, just like if the food was
drugged. The same happened to me on a trip to Ohio, at one of the
restaurants in the States I overate entirely without noticing and
walked out of there embarassed wearing some of my food and probably
loking as much like a human garbage can as I felt after that.

> I have just finished watching "The Sphere" on TV. For those who
> haven't seen it, it
> is about an alien Sphere that lands on earth and allows three people
> to manifest there fears into the physical.

I find it very hard to watch most fiction on TV, I do watch some
cartoon satire and I know I shouldn't. I watch it because I get bored
and I believe that again has something to do with the way our lives
are being engineered today. I fancy a life without a television when I
move out, or maybe I'll just have a new and a weather channel although
I do believe the internet can replace that.

> Have I just wasted 2 hours of my life ?

I know I did, watching TV. I could have read some of my books, and at
the end of the day I'm often hitting myself over the head wondering
why I wanted to but never got to it sooner. Perhaps TV addiction is
possible, or pehaps my books while more educational aren't as
entertaining.

> This is merely a line of thought I have so many times.
> The only way I get round it is to focus on the Love of God and the
> relationships I have
> with others.
>
> Your thoughts ?

I tried thinking, all I got was a blank screen that read "No signal" ;-)

I liked this, I got to say all sorts of things I wouldn't have
ordinarily remembered, and I think it could lead to some interesting
conversation.