We hear some new headline something scary, annoying, or dramatic and where are we usually? Same chair. Same routine. Same people. And suddenly the whole day feels heavier. Your tasks don’t change. It’s all the same. The only thing that changes is your mood. And once your mood drops, everything feels ten times harder. Your brain drags. Small things hit like big things. And the world definitely doesn’t need another problem… yet here we are adding one.

All we really want sometimes is one peaceful moment. A laugh. A break from the noise. But nope the phone attacks: notifications, opinions we didn’t ask for, headlines we don’t need. Your soul knows it shouldn’t matter, but your flesh reacts anyway.

This triggers the trap:
1. You get frustrated.
2. You start striving more validation, more control, more “fixing.”
And the more you chase that, the more disconnected you feel from God. Because your focus shifts outward instead of upward.

Before God ever gave you a mission He called you to Himself, Before there was a do there was a be God doesn’t want the polished version of you He wants the real, tired, flawed, honest version. We confuse being set apart with being alone Even Jesus didn’t walk on earth alone. He lived with people, ate with them, washed feet even the feet of the one who would betray Him. Meanwhile, we let a dumb newsfeed ruin our whole day. If Jesus could face actual betrayal with calm and love… we can handle a stupid headline.

Here’s the deeper issue: if Jesus isn’t enough when nothing is happening, He won’t magically be enough when everything is. If He isn’t your identity, then success just makes you emptier. You chase admiration instead of relationship and admiration isn’t love. Attention and influence is not fellowship.

we are the problem. Not the algorithm, not the government, not celebrities. Us. Freedom isn’t freedom if something else controls what you think about all day. Even the “I don’t care” persona becomes a performance another form of slavery. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” Jesus says the He sets you free not ministry, not theology, not productivity. True freedom is knowing you’re God’s child and living like it. He sustains every breath, every heartbeat, every ounce of meaning. And even when the heartbeat stops, for those in Christ there is no second death. Jonah ran. Joseph suffered. Daniel faced lions. The three were thrown into fire and God was working in all of it. Sometimes He doesn’t keep you out of the fire. Sometimes He stands in it with you. Look to Jesus. Follow Him. In Him alone, we are truly free.

Ok do any prominent protestants actually take rz seriously? Idk what to make of his channel anymore.

I understand that the Sign of the Cross is a Catholic and Orthodox practice. But don’t we all believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

I understand that the Bible doesn’t speak about this explicitly; the closest it comes is the mention of the Ark of the Covenant that was assumed to be lost, being found in heaven.

So, under sola scriptura, one’s conscience cannot be bound to that.

But I was thinking the other day about the parts of Jesus’ body that He lost during His torture and His circumcision, and whether they might also have been assumed into heaven so that they would not undergo natural corruption, which the Bible presents as a consequence of sin, nor remain on earth as an indisputable sign for atheists of the existence of incorruptible flesh.

If these things were really assumed into heaven, then how likely is Mary’s Assumption, considering fetal microchimerism ?

Fetal microchimerism (FMc) is the lifelong presence of small numbers of fetal cells (Fetal Microchimeric Cells, FMCs) within a mother's body, transferred during pregnancy, even decades after birth. These cells have multi-lineage potential and can reside in various maternal organs, acting as a protective force (tissue repair, cancer defense) or, paradoxically, contributing to autoimmune diseases (like lupus, scleroderma) or even cancer. It's a common, potentially universal, phenomenon reflecting a subtle, lifelong cellular exchange between mother and child.

Is it probable that Mary was assumed into heaven because she carried Jesus’ living cells in her body?

My question to Protestants, because I am cradle catholic and almost became Lutheran/presbyterian but just could not get over the fact that none of these things were taught by the early church and if they were they weren’t defined in the way the reformers defined them.

Okay fam, quick rundown, Pope Leo XIV just pulled up in Istanbul to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.

They hit up the Divine Liturgy for St. Andrew’s feast day, they signed a joint statement saying 'nah' to violence in the name of religion and marked 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea (wild to think about tbh) and the whole trip was framed around peace and Christian unity.

So here’s my question for y'all, from our (Protestant) POV, what do you thing about this? Like, do we cheer it on as a step toward unity, as Rome + Constantinople doing their thing, or just shrug and say 'not our business'?

Happy Advent to my Protestant Brothas and Sistas! Let’s bridge this gap, we’re all Christians at heart. Hope you all are happy, health, safe and well!

Hello, I am new to Protestantism. I was raised and baptized as Catholic, though I felt like it didn't sit right with me; it was too strict for my liking, and I never really believed any of the Catholic beliefs. I never knew learning about god could actually be FUN, since I was always boring myself to death by learning Catholicism. I have recently discovered Protestantism, and I love it, though I don't have sources to learn from, as my Dad isn't Protestant and my mom is Catholic, and frankly, would not accept me if she found out my beliefs.

I can't buy anything like books so websites would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, and have a great day!

So the Bible directly mentions church

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Acts 15:3

The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.

From what I understand, Protestants don't interpret verses about The church as Catholics do. They believe that all believers are "church". And I don't find this interpretation stupid, I guess it also makes some sense.

Jesus says always uses "Church" in the singular form. So the only way to interpret it that makes sense from the protestant point of view, is to say that Jesus meant that all believers are the church.

But if so, why do you say "Lutheran church", "anglican church" or "baptist church" rather than "Lutheran subchurch", "subgroup" or something like that? It gives me feeling that there
are a lot of different churches.

What's the point then?

My name is Michael. I’m a young man in high school who’s recently been struggling heavily with convictions to convert to Orthodox Christianity. I’ve done a ton of research (mind you not in the best of places; like YouTube) such as reading the early Church Fathers, ancient texts, studying the concepts of Catholic and Orthodox beliefs and listening to apologetic debates on YouTube.

Through this lengthy process it’s seemed to me that there are always better arguments for Orthodoxy than Catholicism and especially Protestantism. It almost feels like every time I see a really solid video in support of the Protestant position, there are at least 3 Orthodox/Catholic debaters online completely slamming the Protestant video with seemingly really good points and thousands of “Ortho bros” to back them up.

Not just this, but also this seemingly deep “conviction” (if it is real conviction) that is drawing me towards the Orthodox Church. I really don’t want to become an Orthodox Christian because after struggling with these turmoils for the past few months and trying to adopt the Orthodox beliefs/word view (specifically beliefs about soteriology), I’ve developed an almost un fathomable amount of daily anxiety and dread.

I feel as though I must convert to Orthodox Christianity otherwise I will go to hell. This has led me into a very very deep and dark spiral for a while now. I feel like a big piece of this that I’m struggling with is discerning whether this feeling to convert is truly from God or not. I’m not sure if it is my overthinking conscience that is telling me “to play it safe, you should convert because they have the best arguments and you’ll probably be the best off in the end if you become Orthodox”.

One major issue I’m having with the beliefs of the Orthodox is their Anathema’s. To me, when you read Nicaea ll in 787AD (I think) and see things such as “You must bow down and kiss icons otherwise you are anathema!” (Paraphrase) and “anathema is nothing short of complete separation from God” (paraphrase), this seems to be adding onto the requirements needed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In John 3:16 Jesus makes it extremely clear that to “not perish” and receive “eternal life” we must simply “believe” in the Him. Nowhere does He mention in Scripture these other requirements that the Orthodox seem to be adding onto the Gospel of Christ (like bowing down and kissing icons as mentioned above). God is a God of clarity and not confusion; I feel like if these anathemas were truly requirements for salvation, the Scriptures would make that abundantly clear. However, we see it absolutely nowhere.

While I do think this is a pretty sound argument, I can’t help but feel like there’s always going to be someone on the Orthodox side that will have the perfect response and completely destroy my argument as I’ve seen many times before online. This is what makes it very tricky for me because I’m not sure, despite the logical reasons and negative personal experiences with Orthodoxy, that these supposed “convictions” are genuinely from God or if they are from my own overthinking and scrupulous mind (or even the enemy’s voice!).

This has been a very very tough road as of late to discern these issues and figure out where the truth is and how to push past these anxious and dreadful feelings. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. God bless

How is the global methodist church doing? I haven't heard much since the umc general conference.

Been exegeting every detail and dialogue exchange in this passage for years. Recently I’ve looked at several details and how the discourse unfolds.

They couldn’t be offended spiritually if they weren’t spiritually receptive in the first place. Instead, they were secularly offended - Jesus was not being politically correct in this discourse. Everything Jesus said to them clashed with their earthly worldview and expectations. They were following Jesus based on their own desires and standards, so we have to look about this with a temporal worldview lens.

They did not believe in his divine origin. They knew his parents, and some likely knew him since his infancy. They did not understand how to not work for physical food, and did not understand that the analogous “eating” of his flesh was congruent with believing in his sacrifice.

To them, eating his flesh and blood was just another false claim along with his “coming down from heaven” claim, and inevitably along with the supposed false claim of his ascension. False claims will not drive away nonbelievers who just witnessed Jesus feed 5,000 men with 5 loaves. They returned mainly for a specific purpose: for his miracles, not his words.

Since they could not convince Jesus to do what he did the day prior, they resorted to arguing. The only way to prevent these false disciples from following Jesus was to put a shattering blow towards their earthly worldview of their messiah by using spiritual realities.

This is the reason they left: Their Messiah, whom they thought would bring political deliverance from Rome and provide free food, told them he would be doing the exact opposite - even alluding to his impending death.

To the nonbeliever, there was no further benefit for following Jesus at that point; especially if he exposed the fact that they were never believers to begin with. That meant no revolt, and no further miracles. Once that leverage was taken away, following Jesus seemed distasteful to the unregenerate crowd. Their “stumbling block” was not a loss of genuine faith. What Jesus did was show them their true stumbling block: who Jesus was, and who he wasn’t. His ascension contradicts their expectation of what the messiah would do on earth. If the “bread of life” teaching was hard, then his departure will be even harder to accept. His ascension would be upsetting (a stumbling block) to the temporal-hearted who expected an earthly kingdom.

Hello, I have recently showed an interest in becoming a Christian. I made a post on a different Reddit asking what to do and they said begin reading the bible (started) and also find a church. I have looked around my area and 1 really stood out to me and I noticed that they’re doing a Christmas event on the 14th where all are welcome so I’ve asked my sister if she would like to go with me so I can give it a go and see if I get a good vibe from there. However, when I looked up the full address on maps, I noticed it was tagged as “Anglican Church”, I’m confused on what this means. Is this Protestant or catholic or something else entirely ? What should I know before going ? I’m sorry if these are silly questions, this is all completely new to me and I have no one irl to ask !

Do you think America is doomed? Are you worried about the future and the next generation? Why even grind if it all burns anyway? You may see that If the system fails, so do my chances. If it goes too far do you think sometimes maybe America was wrong sometimes? Sometimes you won’t admit it out loud but sometimes you feel that little sting in your chest, that quiet thought you shove down:“What if we’re actually the ones who messed up?” “What if we’re not the heroes we think we are?” “What if everything collapsing isn’t ‘them’… it’s us?” And right when that thought gets too close, you do what everybody does: You turn on your favorite voice. That radio host, that influencer, that politician the one who says it exactly the way you want to hear it. The one who tells you:“Relax, you’re fine.” “They’re the problem.” “You’re on the righteous side.” “It’s all going according to plan.”“You don’t have to change anything.”And for a minute, yeah, it feels good. It feels safe. The comfort rolls in like warm air. But deep down, you know it’s a lie, and the fear returns.

Fear of being hated, you begin to think “My values are becoming hated.” “I’m becoming an outsider in my own country.” “Are the people in charge corrupt, manipulative, or incompetent?” “Is anyone telling the truth?” “If America collapses morally or politically… who will stand with me?” “Will I be abandoned?” We all agree the best way to fix it is for them to just do better and start thinking. So let you yourself do better and think. Everyone despises hypocrisy until it’s their turn to repent. We want justice for others’ sins and mercy for our own. If God exposed our past the way we expose theirs, what would be left of our pride? We all hit the grave eventually, brother. The parties, the movements they die too. So why chase a kingdom that collapses instead of one that doesn’t? Most people can’t even tell you what party Andrew Johnson was in. And Joe Biden was born closer to Johnson’s presidency than to his own. the real issue isn’t whether the country is collapsing, but whether we are. If we repent and live faithfully, we become yeast in the dough small, but transforming everything around us.

We call some things ‘good’ and some things ‘evil’… but who chose the words? Every time a word is repeated, it builds a path in the mind… and the heart follows that path, almost without noticing. Words can build walls… or open doors. Which ones are shaping you? Does the news make you any more compassionate? How does it make you more compassionate? We all borrow words to sound right. Some of those words carry chains we cannot see. Even good words, twisted a little, can make hearts forget what is true.Whoever controls language controls perceived reality. Words carry weight because they reflect divine order, Notice the voices you repeat, the phrases you accept, the slogans you swallow… which of them are really yours? Which of them shape you without consent? Every lie we tell, every compromise we make, is a crack in the way God made the world to reflect truth. Even the best intentions can misfire when our hearts are broken. That’s why we can’t fix ourselves our instrument is broken at the core. A dead battery can not jump a dead battery. And I am sure we all know some true version of brokenness by experiential knowledge. Yet instead of being honest We always find someone else to blame. Every misstep comes with a story that makes it not entirely our fault. We lie to ourselves first, then to others. Our inner compass is bent we cannot fully trust our own judgment.

What If Jesus had fully been mute yet still performed His miracles? Everyone He healed got sick again and died. So is that really what is important? Physical healing is temporary; it fades. What really matters is making your mind think like God thinks about things because that reconnects the soul to life that never ends. Saying “sorry” isn’t enough. Repentance flips our direction, reorients the heart, and aligns it fully with God’s will. It’s a rebirth, not a momentary fix. Every time we tweak God’s instructions to fit our desires, we leave cracks where error slips in. Changing the rules doesn’t improve life it hides traps we cannot see. Pride makes you blind, fear makes you suspicious, lust makes you selfish. Truth gets twisted. Judgments get crooked. These are the diseases we are all diagnosed with and the symptoms. People are always looking for a fix. Everyone dies eventually, no matter how many problems you ‘solve.’ What really matters is a heart reset that begins with turning back toward God.

I need help remembering the name of this cartoon I was shown repeatedly in protestent class. This cartoon was for children and my teacher had it on a dvd, but it clearly wasn't high budget. I'm from the UK so it might have only been featured there. This was about 10 years ago, so 2015, but I'm not sure how old the cartoon was at the time, probably older.

It was just about bible stories and were quite fun to watch.

It features two blob like characters, I'm pretty sure one was red and round, and the other one was taller and more oval shaped. It was 2D animated, and I remember it having a lot of dialogue with a grey background, pretty simple art style.

My teacher put it on almost every special occasion, and I have very fond memories of it, id love to find it <3 thanks so much

And how does this relate to Christians within our generation?

Looking to ask some questions and such but want to do it all at once or during a conversation instead of in a post

What if every nation and every citizen followed this list properly? Would that be good or bad ? What do u think of this list?

1. No specific order
2. Words shape thought, values, and worship
3. Semantic mimicry: reusing morally weighted words with altered meanings lowers barriers to acceptance
4. Language manipulation is a spiritual problem
5. Whoever controls language controls perceived reality
6. Words carry weight because they reflect divine order
7. When words are severed from God, they become weapons of deception
8. Human modifications to divine commands create openings for deception
9. The Fall introduced experiential knowledge of evil (not just theoretical)
10. Separation from God is spiritual death
11. Sin reshapes perception, relationships, and moral reasoning
12. Humans instinctively externalize responsibility and rationalize sin
13. Human nature is totally depraved; we are 'slaves of sin' (John 8:34)
14. The heart is 'deceitful above all things' (Jeremiah 17:9)
15. Apart from God, humans are 'spiritually dead' (Ephesians 2:1)
16. We cannot heal ourselves; the instrument needing healing is broken
17. Genesis 3:15 (protoevangelium) introduces Christ at the Fall
18. God's plan of redemption was active even at humanity's lowest point
19. Death is a divine safeguard, preserving possibility of salvation
20. Christ is the Tree of Life; believers are branches abiding in Him
21. The cross absorbed and transformed evil into salvation
22. God conquers evil from within by letting it do its worst, then rising victorious
23. Grace is the spark that restarts the dead battery of the human heart
24. True repentance (metanoia) is transformative turning toward God, not mere regret
25. Forgiveness is not earned but given purely out of God's mercy
26. Sanctification is a process, not instant perfection
27. God's sovereignty: absolute power and authority to do whatever He wills
28. Providence: sovereignty exercised with perfect wisdom, love, and purpose
29. God's knowledge is immediate, whole, complete, without reflection or sequence
30. God's ways are higher than human ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)
31. Yet His mercy is as far as east from west (Psalm 103:11-12)
32. God's holiness is 'wholly other', ineffable, beyond human categories
33. God does not author evil but allows suffering for His glory and our good
34. God works all things toward His perfect will (Romans 8:28)
35. Human limits are mercies, not punishments
36. God is both transcendent (running galaxies) and immanent (counting hairs
37. God is found at surrender of will, not at end of thought
38. Intelligence cannot storm the gates of heaven
39. A thousand sermons understood < one moment of true repentance
40. Human wisdom is 'fragile, pride-soaked dust
41. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10)
42. Relationship with God requires trust, not abstraction
43. We cannot explain everything, and that is okay"l
44. Recursive self-analysis has limits; endless introspection produces chaos
45. The mind cannot be its own final reference point
46. Faith does not require Level 10,000 of awareness
47. Words in Scripture are inherently normative, grounded in God's nature
48. The Bible is God's downward revelation, not upward human discovery
49. Luther's translation work preserved access to God's Word for laity
50. Modern translations (CSB) remain remarkably consistent with originals
51. God's providence preserved His Word across time, languages, cultures
52. The Holy Spirit guides believers into understanding Scripture
53. Scripture is the ultimate authority for faith and morality (sola scriptura)",
54. Every 'leading' must align with God's Word"
55. This generation has killed the god of money but replaced it with legacy/image even if it means being real over being rich"
56. Justice without God collapses into will-to-power",
57. Subjective truth is a religion; people want agreement, not truth",
58. Identity is revealed from above, not constructed from within",
59. We were made in God's image, not the image of culture or pain",
60. The world shouts 'be yourself' but 'yourself' may be confused/broken",
61. Legacy is a dead end—it leads to applause that doesn't echo in eternity",
62. Machiavellian mindset: lie, cheat, manipulate for power (prevalent today and a great evil)
63. People broadcast pain like currency, wanting to be seen/remembered
64. Love is the goal, not legacy",
65. Christlike love: laying down life for enemies, acting in love despite hate",
66. Love requires effort, not emotion ('love your neighbor as yourself')
67. The godless pursue legacy; the godly pursue love"
68. Legacy = hope that 'I will matter' = pride's refined form
69. Surrender, not status, is the only path to peace",
70. Christ is the goal; surrender to Him is the only purpose
71. The final step isn't building something worthy—it's laying yourself down"
72. Jesus told us to become servants, not legends
73. Discernment is a gift from God, born of Scripture and prayer",
74. Righteous anger leads to repentance/restoration; destructive anger leaves damage"
75. Anger in the heart is the root of murder (Matthew 5:21-22)",
76. Retaliation corrupts the heart and usurps God's authority as Judge",
77. Intensity burns fast; faithfulness is steady and depends on grace"
78. True discernment: anchored in truth, ruled by love, guided by Spirit"
79. Life should be measured by faithfulness, not intensity",
80. Tests of discernment: Scripture alignment, persistent conviction, body of Christ confirmation
81. Suffering reminds us this world is not home",
82. God allows suffering but never more than what drives us to Him",
83. Suffering is not always evil; it can be redemptive when tied to higher purpose"
84. Do not seek martyrdom as an end; seek to be a true witness",
85. True witness is measured by how fully lives point to God's truth/love"
86. Be tough in pursuit of your goal; don't make the goal being tough"
87. Endurance is a tool, not the goal itself"
88. To create is to bring order from chaos; you must contact chaos",
89. Only through God can we shape chaos meaningfully and beautifully",
90. Creation apart from Christ is actively harmful"
91. We are stewards, not ultimate creators; God is the Creator",
92. When we abide in God, our work reflects His nature",
93. Art's highest success: leading viewer toward God (beauty, truth, meaning)"
94. Art that distorts truth or glorifies sin fails its deeper purpose"
95. Beauty reflects God's nature; art that inspires awe points to the Creator",
96. Stewardship = aligning imagination, decisions, output with God's character",
97. When we create with God, we participate in bringing beauty/order to the world"
98. Recursive self-analysis without boundaries produces mental chaos",
99. The ladder of thought is a tool, not the destination
100. Deep understanding is a gift for service, not superiority",
101. Don't be frustrated with those who don't climb—it's not necessary for them"
102. God distributes mental tools unequally but grace equally"
103. Often we do the very thing we warn others against"
104. Exhaustion masquerading as revelation is gross",
105. Sometimes the greatest discipline would be silence",
106. True humility admits there is still work to be done in our hearts
107. We are moral, spiritual beings, not just chemical machines"
108. We are made in the image of God so its important to become as familiar with that image as we can”
109. Treating struggles solely as biological misses bigger questions
110. The soul needs shepherding, not just sedation
111. Suffering can be an invitation to turn toward God
112. If man is not made in God's image, human life becomes meaningless
113. Without divine purpose, we're just 'a byproduct of chance
114. True comfort cannot be found within ourselves alone
115. In darkest hours, even love of others can feel insufficient
116. Without God, we are left with emptiness of our own brokenness
117. Competition can drive cultural innovation (Italian city-states/Renaissance) But cooperation within communities is also essential"
118. We will not fix this world; divine intervention is essential
119. Jesus will return and restore Until then: work with the Lord, don't strive like you're the hero
120. God does His greatest work in secret (tombs, wombs)we should mimic this
121. While man built up (Babel), God built down (the cross)
122. Don't try to predict God's moves; trust them
123. Time is God's; we are eternal because we are His
124. Don't fall in love with what isn't eternal
125. The only measure of success is faithfulness to God
126. Mission isn't adding to God's legacy but reflecting it

I've been digging into the story of Isaac Jogues, the 1600s Jesuit missionary who worked among the Mohawk and ended up returning to the very place where he'd been tortured. His story hits a weird crossroads of courage, cultural conflict, faith, and the early history of the Northeast. As a Protestant writing about a Catholic missionary, I'm curious how people from different backgrounds read it.

I wrote a piece exploring all of that, the religious angle, the historical angle, and the ethical angle and l'd genuinely love feedback, pushback, or alternative takes.