Is it possible to be a Christian and in the hobby? I've had many providers tell me they consider themselves Christians. They site Mary Magdalene as an example.
In any event, I'm retiring from the hobby. I'm married and consider myself a Christian. Its time I started following my vows and my faith. I cast no judgement on anyone. Good-bye, farewell, and amen.
That's Shakespeare, not the Bible.
That's why he's such a laughing stock - He was happy to live a double standard - and would probably still be doing so - if he could.
If I ever leave this hobby and lifestyle I want it to be because I've had a change of heart, not because I'm trying to con the public, by throwing myself down at the alter and crying and making a public spectical. Jesus called such men "white-washed tombs" - appearing restored on the outside, but inside nothing but the stench of rotting flesh!
I have met many providers who go to church every Sunday, give to charity and are as kind and generous as anybody.
So what is the problem with being a Christian and in the hobby? For that matter can one not be a good Jew or just be a good person and be in the hobby?
"Show me your faith by your works, and I will show you my works by my faith."
In Christianity, you cannot earn your way to heaven. The only way is to accept Christ as your lord and saviour.
Do all the good works you want, and without accepting Christ as your saviour, it is all for nothing.
ever hear of the Salem Witch hunts.... the Inquisition? to say nothing of the KKK!!! but hey.... who's judging...
You forgot the Crusades, where people were slaughtered to promote Christianity. Oh, and what about those in the Middle East that refer to us as infidels? Technically, they're not Christians, but it's still evil in the name of some idol.
How do you know that?
Did God tell you personnally?
Is everybody else going to hell?
How do you know that hell exists? If it doesn't exists, then no one is going there.
Either God revealed Himself through the bible as it claims, or it is a bunch of lies.
Your choice as to which you believe. However, its truth, or lack thereof, exists regardless of your belief, or mine.
As the knight said in the Indiana Jones, The Last Crusade: Choose wisely.
I too consider myself a Christian. I simply lack the discipline to live by what I know is a better way. I found the bar was set too high for me when Jesus said 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."
That being true, I have lived in a perpetual state of adultery since somewhere around age 11, I have tryed to rise above it over the course of life - and have on and off for a time, but like a dog that returns to his vomit, I alway find myself back here! - I will say, God has still used me from time to time, in spite of my weakness! The best to you!
-- Modified on 6/29/2005 9:05:13 PM
I think you answered your own question: “Its time I started following my vows and my faith.”
The very basics of Christianity require that you believe in the Trinity, and accept Christ as your lord and savior. After that, it is all gravy. Being a Christian does not require that you be sinless.
As a Christian, you are called to be “in” the world, and not “of” the world. As you mature in your Christian walk, you are supposed to overcome the sinful tendencies. The Bible is clear that sex outside of marriage is a sin.
Christ spent a lot of his time with the sinners. Tax collectors and prostitutes. Funny that I would too, but for different reasons. There is much rejoicing in heaven when one lost soul finds his way to Christ.
“I cast no judgment on anyone.” And neither do I. If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleans you from all unrighteousness. Go forth and sin no more.
May God bless you in your retirement, and may He have mercy on my soul.
“I cast no judgment on anyone.” And neither do I. If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleans you from all unrighteousness. Go forth and sin no more."
The key to that is the "sin no more" part. A confession means nothing if you are rushing it to make your 4 o'clock appointment.
You are correct. The key to being saved is to act with a changed life. You can't keep repeating the same sin over and over. It is a struggle each day, but its a choice we must make.
Even Jesus saved the prostitute from stoning, "Ye without sin, cast the first stone "
I wrote something about this in my blog being I had gotten a spam mail from A christian dating site. LOL..
Here is my letter to a christian :
Dear Christian soldier,
I have found your ad on the Christian network. And I do have the same beliefs as yourself. However , I must tell you before we start out this whole thing, I am an escort. Now, you are probally shocked. However, dont' be a hypocrite, Look at Mary Magdalene, A saint more or less, that you commune to every Sunday. Yes she was a Christian Leader, but rumor has it she was a repentant prostitute as well. Your scholars and research say, there were so many Mary's in the bible they were mixed up. Whatever! Thats like mixing up Ciara's of Buffalo. And yes Jesus has come to see me and paid me his homage. He loves me, I'm still safe, never been busted or hurt nor put in harms way. He came to me and gave me a brain. Just like the scarecrow. He's my wizard too.
If you are maddened over the fact I am an escort, the first profession in time, I'm sure you have your beliefs over sex. There are, after all, a good many of them, and most of them are not consistent one with the other. If you are one of those that believe prostitution is not a sin but certainly most undesirable, I will tell you that these ideas did not jut pop into your head at 9:00 this morning. Nor were you born with them. After all, there are certain societies in which prostitution was / or is legal and some in which it is nicely integrated with the rest of the cultural patterns. You may have even read up on the practice of temple prostitution several thousand years ago in which there were sacred prostitutes. They lived in temples. You did your thing with him or her. You then left a coin and went happily on your way, knowing that you contributed your bit to the likelihood that the crops would grow, the cows would calve successfully, and the land would be fruitful.
But in our society there are no sacred prostitutes and I doubt that many believe that intercourse with a prostitute would generate greater fertility for crops.
The Catholics say that sex is for pro-creation. There are many wives that are still practicing this belief. Thank God for traditionalists ! They don't know it. It's why their husbands come to see me . I am from an Irish Catholic family and my parents believed in sex at least 11 times that I know of. *smile*
Just think, you wouldn't have to pay 19.95 a month for this site and test the waters, buy dinners, nice gifts, play games, deal with psychos. You don't even have to have a good credit standing so you can buy me a car or a house. I'd love to go to Church with you, but only if I didn't have a call that day. Even Jesus gave his rib. I must give that back to our religious society.
Do let me know if you are in agreeance of what I speak. Til another time
Ciara O'Magdalene
~" Even Jesus saved the prostitute from stoning, "Ye without sin, cast the first stone
This is the word of Ciara
Amen
-- Modified on 6/29/2005 8:31:04 PM
I too am a Christian but according to Jerry Falwell will probably be burning in hell. However, there is these small voice, I call Him the Holy Spirit, that says no way Anneke, I love you too. Now, I'm going to say something here that might make the hair on some of your Christian heads stand up. I tried everyway I could as a divorced woman to make a good living in sales and marketing and in private teaching. I went on interviews to find a better paying income, lalalala. Nothing worked and I was looking at being in the street. By chance, I saw and answered an ad for Classy Ladies for Upscale Tampa Lingerie Shop and my new career was born. From the VERY first night I KNEW this was what I was CALLED to do. Yes, called and since then it is as if the windows of heaven have opened up and blessing has poured out. I feel protected, loved and blessed. Don't tell me that's the deceiving work of Satan. It's not. God created me as a sexual woman who loves to please and who works hard to see that her gents ARE well pleased. There will be no convincing most folks that prostitution is an honorable and important service in any society. All that matters is that I am proud of what I do and feel that I'm exactly where I should be.
Amen,
Anneke
You just said, "but rumor has it she was a repentant prostitute as well." The key word here is "repentant." That does not mean that being a prostitute is Holy--holey maybe, but not Holy. Jesus supposedly hung out with sinners to save them, not because they were more fun (which they were.) Also, Jesus said "Ye without sin, cast the first stone." That means that those people should not judge. That does not mean that God will not judge you later. He did not turn to her later and ask her rates.
Anyway, for these reason (and many others) I don't buy into the religion thing. But if I was, I'd jump into one of those slutty Britney Spears-type religions--the chicks are way hotter.
Jesus saved the adultress from stoning, but told her to sin no more. Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, but she gave it up to follow Jesus.
The Bible is against sexual immorality. Here's a passage from Revelation.
8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The rumor that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute has been proven to be incorrect. The real Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' disciples, in the same way that Peter and John were. Some people even believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had children. That is the basis of The Da Vinci Code.
As for the question of whether you can consider yourself a christian if you partake in the hobby, in my opinion that would depend on your interpretation of what being a christian is. As the earlier poster said, doing good works is not the way to heaven. According to the Bible, only through believing in Christ can a person enter the Kingdom of Heaven. As for me, I believe that all sins can be forgiven, so hobbying, while possibly sinful wouldn't preclude you from believing that you are christian.
I live in Las Vegas. I'm getting used to the heat, for later...
Damn, I thought we were already there, you mean it get's better?
I belive the proper term would be "Carnal Christians" also a term from the Bible. All sin is just that SIN and none is worse that another. Even thinking about it is as bad according to the scripture. If any person thinks he is better (judging) than another it is like the parable of the Publican and the Pharasie.We are all equal in Gods eyes and all have our faults. We may have to answer on judgement day.I cannot belive we will be Damned for Love. even love of Sex.I am extreemly happy to see this thread remaining so Civil. You make me much more happy to associate myself with this comunity. I also commend yoou for attempting to follow your beliefs and being so transparant if front of all.You are to be commended...Bless us all.
-- Modified on 6/30/2005 12:07:32 PM
I was amazed TER posted it. Credit them for that.
Actually, there are several references in the Bible where people who engage in sexual sin will be judged more harshly, including Revelation, where the weak and the sexual immoral are thrown in the lake of fire. Paul says the sexually immoral will not get into heaven.
You are correct though, sin is sin. all have fallen short. There is nothing we can do that cannot be forgiven.
As a new testamant Christian I don't see the conflict. As long as you love your Lord and your neighbour what happens between consenting adults should not be an issue.
Actually, there are numberous prohibitions against sexual sin in the New Testament. Here's one from Ephesians 5.
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
Again, I am no one to judge. I have five reviews on TER. I have made a new choice to live what I say I believe and honor my wife. She doesn't look like she did on our wedding day, but I don't either. I am choosing to honor her for staying with me through thick and thin (mostly thin). I am choosing to honor Jesus for what He did on the cross. Each of you must live by your own code and you're own concious. Read the Bible and reach your own conclusions. Each of us will have to stand before God and answer for themselves. All have fallen short of the glory of God, but none has gone to far to be forgiven.
Thank you for the thoughtful and intelligent discussion. I wish you all the best.
Here's an interesting read.. it's got several good points about the misapplication of the term "immoral" when the better description is "unholy."
We are not just animals: Judeo-Christian values part XV
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/printdp20050614.shtml
Reading this made me stop and think again of what it means to strive to be holy.. not just good.
If you understand "Holy" to mean "Set Apart", it will help to better understand the column. By being set apart from other animals, we have higher set of expectations.
Interesting comment that sex outside of marriage is unholy, but not immoral. I never thought about that. I guess it depends on one's definition of morality.
Its fucking around on your wife.
Thou shall not quit adultry..
how bout ya quit causing havoc and go take a walk to church and pray for yourself and not us.
I am a Christian and struggle with this issue all the time. I have discussed this matter at length with many people and my priest. This is what I have come to understand:
When we sin, we leave the community of Christians to serve our self (our own needs) when we should be serving God and others. That does not mean that you can’t go and do things for yourself, but in the case of adultery, you are serving yourself. Once I have confessed my sin to God, I am forgiven and I should “go and sin no more.” God loves us, even as sinners he loves us, but that will not keep us from being judged by him on judgement day. Think of it as a parent who loves their child, but when the child does wrong, he is punished.
When Jesus died on the cross he died for all of us sinners and god knew that we could never lead a sinless life. So when it comes to judgement day he will judge us all individually and there is no person that can tell us how he will judge exactly. Remember the story of the prodical son, God is the father and rejoices when we come back to him, so remember that we are all loved sinners,
In any case chaska, I wish you the best and hope to follow you soon.
God bless,
Kris