I’m not sure most Christians know that (Eagleton, Dawkins, theological illiteracy in the church)

malakhgabriel · 2012-05-25T23:01:04.087281+00:00

What does your comment have to do with the point being made in the post?

rainer511 · 2012-05-25T21:17:27.642877+00:00

You're telling me...

rainer511 · 2012-05-25T21:15:22.368749+00:00

If I continue on a track towards ministry, I want to do so as part of a denomination.

If your ministry hopes are based in pastoring a congregation, then the UCC could work for you. If you want to work in any other kind of role, find a different denomination. The UCC ordination process is set up for congregational work, and little, if anything, else. Chaplaincy, non-traditional ministries, anything new... unless you have a particular congregation to support it and make it a part of their church, then you'll have a rough time of it.

rainer511 · 2012-05-25T21:10:53.965666+00:00

Being a congregational denomination, it's really going to depend on the church. When I went to UCC churches with my partner when she lived in other parts of the country, they were great. She moved here and we went to the nearest one and it was basically a tiny, wannabe evangelical megachurch with a snake-oil salesman preacher that reminded me of Joel Osteen, only creepier. The theology is going to vary, the services are going to vary, the openness is going to vary depending on where you are and the history of the individual congregation.

Overall I like them, though. Were we in a different area I could see us going to a UCC church.

partofaplan2 · 2012-05-25T20:07:53.712475+00:00

The article? Rubbish.

A DC character being gay? I'm thinking it oughta be the Green Arrow. I just like the idea of a gay Ollie (even if having a gay man named Oliver Queen is waaaaaay too over the top), even though I have no idea what he's been up to since the Arrow/Lantern crossover.

TexDen · 2012-05-25T19:29:03.105092+00:00

By standing up to them, they risk accepting the same shame and desertion that LGBT people do every day when they come out of the closet.

Close, but not quite. There's a difference between "shame and desertion" because you hold an opinion and "shame and desertion" because of who you are. Both are hard, excruciatingly so. And they're clearly related. But they're not quite the same.

Not to mention, they proof-text scripture like machine-gun fire, making it hard to pick one apart without proper scholarship.

I think this is one of the differences between the two of us. If someone requires being out-proof-texted in order to accept GSM folks, then I have zero interest in engaging in that battle. If they value their interpretation of scripture over the lives and the lived experience of their fellow humans, then we simply don't know the same Christ. I'll tell them they're wrong and leave it to them to figure out why.

malakhgabriel · 2012-05-25T19:05:15.673440+00:00

Yeah, I've been vegetarian for 12 or 13 years, and weight a little more now than I did when I cut out dead animals.

malakhgabriel · 2012-05-25T19:04:19.658243+00:00

As a vegetarian, I agree, but in this case they're an example, not the example. The phenomenon that was Skinny Bitch is another one, along with the other things the author mentioned in the post.

malakhgabriel · 2012-05-25T18:44:32.770950+00:00

Yeah, getting away with shaving two to three times a week is nice. Luckily I have plenty of chances for awesome badassery.

malakhgabriel · 2012-05-25T18:27:31.134866+00:00

I appreciate both the honesty and the kind words. :)

ninguningun · 2012-05-25T17:37:48.786933+00:00

I think the more apt comparison is to Fit Finlay's supposed firing over letting the Miz interrupt the national anthem a while back. Wouldn't want to upset people's delicate nationalist sensitivities.

ucb420 · 2012-05-25T16:10:23.056706+00:00

I don't know where to tell you to get good candles for wax play, because I get mine from a guy in my local scene who makes them specifically for play. Try finding a candlemaker or website that specializes in candles designed for wax play.

I find it helps if the person getting wax poured on them has a light coat of baby oil. It can make cleanup much easier.

Speaking of cleanup, have her lay on a tarp or a large blanket that you don't mind having ruined. The wax will splatter.

Keep a butterknife in the fridge or freezer, and slide it under the hardened wax to scape or peel it off. The contrasting temperature can be quite intense, and a cold butterknife can feel at first touch to be as sharp as a regular knife. Of course, you'll want to make sure this is okay with her first. It can be quite scary and intimidating.

Test small amounts of whatever different candles before just pouring. Different colors can lead to different temps. I've got some purple and black candles that can be too hot for my partners.

There's a candle wax group on FetLife where you can probably find more info regarding reliable sellers and candles, as well as more tips.

And a fun tip for ice: Unroll a condom and put it inside a cardboard paper towel tube. Fold the base over the end of the tube and secure it with a rubber band. Fill the condom in the tube with water and set it upright in a freezer. After a while you've got your very own ice dildo. If you use it for insertion, be sure to melt off the point that results from the reservoir tip.

ucb420 · 2012-05-25T15:55:27.399360+00:00

And don't just trust any candle from a sex shop that says it's for this. Find out what it's made of, what the melt point is, and make sure it's not scented.

malakhgabriel · 2012-05-25T14:23:21.563447+00:00

Even in my mid 30s I can't grow a full beard, but I very much enjoy what I do have. Recently separated the goatee and moustache, and narrowed the goatee a bit.

IranRPCV · 2012-05-25T13:45:34.892758+00:00

Yeah, that second one is what made me aware of /u/JimKB, and I still get a little teary eyed when I see it.

imagitcha · 2012-05-25T13:31:12.978521+00:00

I've got my towel!

Alphastar18 · 2012-05-25T02:05:52.343390+00:00

That's probably pretty accurate. With the McLaren recommendation I was thinking it'd be more of an exercise in listening and trying to see how other people relate to the texts, but you're right that the pomo bent would probably just annoy you further.

Alphastar18 · 1 day

So how about this. Instead of derailing conversations here with "JUSTIFY YOUR BELIEF TO ME!" (which, frankly, is how I see your comments), go read a book. Maybe Borg's Reading The Bible Again For the First Time would suit you. Or Brian McLaren's A New Kind Of Christian. But I'm not going to continue in a conversation with someone who wants me to fit religious meaning and experience into an empiricist framework. It's fruitless. If your reason for posting here is to get someone to do that for you, then I request you take your search elsewhere.

redditorguy · 1 day

fruit of the vine and grain of the earth

So... chips and salsa oughta work, right? Tomato plants are basically vines.

malakhgabriel

TROPHY CASE

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