re: Mark Wahlberg says faith is ‘not popular in my industry,’ but he won’t deny his

Byrd fella you’re the classic example of idle hands are the devil’s plaything.

When Wahlberg can’t sleep he works out. When you can’t sleep you spread Satanic messages of hate and division.

It’s never too late to do the right thing and act like a Christian man.
Lesson 1: Agape
Agape is the foundation of Christianity. Christianity is the religion of a savior who loves everyone.

Yet you follow the Islamic teachings of hatred and anger. We are praying for you dinner.

quote:

---

Seems like a good man, but he needs to remember that the nuns job is to rear his kids to be good Catholics.

---

FIFY

I did not fear my dad, just took the whuppin when I was bad

It was the nuns who put the fear of God in me.

I agree wholeheartedly with everything he says. However, I don’t know that I necessarily agree with this part:

quote:

---

"Before I was like, ‘all right, everybody's got to be in Catholic school. We got to go to Mass every Sunday.’ But that can also create some resentment. I want them to gravitate toward it in a very natural way," he confessed.

---

I understand what he’s saying here; however, it is his duty as a Christian father to ensure his children are in church. Don’t force them to get saved or anything like that, but also don’t make it a choice as to whether or not they travel with him to church.

quote:

---

"I want them to understand that dad has to start his day by getting on his hands and his knees. And no matter where I am, the priority on Sunday is to go to church."

---

I think he helps explain his meaning behind the previous quote with this one. He doesn’t want to seem hypocritical in making his children go to church by not acting it out himself.

Either way, he’s a very admirable man and he seems like an excellent father and a great Christian. And as I said previously, I agree with and applaud his courage to profess his faith in an otherwise soulless, God-hating world.

quote:

---

Tell me how the God who supposedly assigns all value to life and actions gave some people such terrible circumstances through no fault of their own.

---

I'm a Believer but this thought tears at my soul. I've forced myself not to debate it with myself anymore.

quote:

---

I'm a Believer but this thought tears at my soul. I've forced myself not to debate it with myself anymore.

---

Do not shy away from the difficult questions; an athlete who shuns the most difficult training will never become a champion athlete.

There is a wealth of writing out there, by both lay and clergy, written across the centuries that address these questions head on. I highly suggest that every professing and aspiring Christian maintain a steady and consistent diet of theological reading apart from scripture.

For this particular question, I think C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain is a good one for most people. And you can find the entire text online for free. The Problem of Pain

The question of “why does a good God let bad things happen?” is older than Christianity itself. Remember, Christianity was not the genesis of the belief that God is good. The idea that God is supremely good and loving came long before air conditioning, automobiles, supermarkets, anesthetic, modern medicine, and a boatload of other things that, if we suddenly lost them today, many of us would probably be tempted to cry out “why does God hate us?!”

When the question is asked with genuine curiosity, it is always a special moment because it’s a great question.

But I admit that I chuckle when it is asked with a sneering tone of superiority. Does the questioner really think they are that clever or insightful? Do they really think people haven’t been asking this same question for thousands of years?

For the materialist who believes that “what we see is what we get,” and that there is nothing more to existence, it is understandable that they would have difficulty with the question.

But for the Christian, it is important to remember three basic truths:
1. Our lives our not our own. God created us, and we belong to him.
2. We were made for something far greater than this Earthly realm in which we temporarily exist.
3. The purpose of life is to know and love God, to love others and to emulate Christ; to pick up our cross and follow him, even unto earthly death.

These truths cannot be divorced from the question, which is something non-believers will often try to force believers to do. They want you to answer the question based on their suppositions about the universe; not the Christian’s. Which is silly. It’s like someone asking a sommelier which wines are the best; but – oh, by the way – they detest wine (and don't think anyone else should drink it either), so however the sommelier advises them, they'll consider it "bad" advice.

If you’re going to discuss the book of Christianity – and I’m not talking about the Bible - you have to read the whole book if you want to truly understand and discuss it. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.

For similar reasons, I can’t pick up a novel, open it up to chapter 27 to read a few pages, and then make an accurate judgement of whether it was a good book or not. Nor would I make for a very introspective participant at that month’s book club meeting. If I’d never seen The Shawshank Redemption, but decided to pull it up on Netflix, fast-forward to a couple of random scenes which happen to be Andy being attacked by the Sisters and Brooks killing himself, I’d likely be tempted to think that the entire movie is macabre, depraved, and depressing and wonder what all the acclaim is about.

Scroll back up and read the quick story I wrote about the documentary of the congenital amputee. Is it an anecdotal story? Sure, it is. But that doesn’t invalidate the point, which is that that amazing young woman, who many skeptics would say “should never have been born” will likely make a far bigger positive impact on this world than you, me, or those skeptics could ever dream of making.

God has an uncanny ability to bring unbelievable good out of unbelievable suffering. C.S. Lewis called this “the deeper magic.”

You’ve probably experienced this just as much as I have, maybe even more so. We’ve all seen shitty and terrible situations that have brought people together, bonded them, forced them to grow, taught them what love and self-sacrifice truly means.

Would most people ever understand those things in a world where everyone is fat, happy, and comfortable? Likely not. Depending on where you live, we’re the fattest, happiest, and most comfortable people in existence, and yet more people than ever are claiming depression, anxiety, and loneliness. What’s wrong with this picture?

quote:

---

Wonder if the Asian guy he blinded feels this way?

---

what's the story on this?

quote:

---

Just thought you would want to know.

---

thanks, I don't follow the Hollywood crowd much but the wife and daughter have a lot of that crap on the tube, I thought he was the one that was a gangsta rapper wannabe tPOS, seems like he was a tPOS, good for him that he found his "faith"

quote:

---

we have these things because people were unfaithful to God (Adam & Eve)

---

Would you rather be walking around as a mindless drone with no free will?

quote:

---

Would you rather be walking around as a mindless drone with no free will?

---

Sounds a lot like what the serpent said to Eve