« first day (7 days earlier)      last day (4848 days later) » 

00:00
yeah, mine was bouncing around a bit, too
dang I was sure I'd get at least one question right today.. I think we were all distracted by the noobs
alright, it's tomorrow now
my rep was between 475 and 479 cause of the downvotes on my answers and an upvote on my question
but i got 3 answer upvotes and jumped up to 507
from 477
and I'm supposed to meet some friends in an hour for a Salsa lesson... I should probably start getting ready for that instead of thinking new questions to ask
ok guys, im done with work for today.
ttyl, gonna finish building my chicken coop now
00:10
Wow I didn't even see this go by. That cost the community some down-vote-rep.
I agree that had to go. Does burning it like that serve a purpose to drive home a point? Sort of like a scarecrow or public hanging? Or is it just piling on?
Anyway it's too late for me to answer that question, it's pushing 3 am.
down voting a question doesn't cost rep (except of the OP)
if that's what you're referring to
if yuo down vote, you get lower 1 rep
only on answers
not on questions
indeed
@Flimzy I knew that ... but had forgotten.
00:14
3
Q: Are there unforgivable sins?

DTestJesus came and died for our sins so that we may be forgiven and have salvation. But Matthew 12:32 (NIV) says there is at least one thing to prevent being forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be f...

What is this question asking? Is my question (currently deleted) "What was the 'unforgivable sin'?" based on the same scripture, a duplicate?
This was my question:
Matthew 12:32 makes reference to an "unforgivable sin":

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

That is this verse actually referring to?
s/That is this verse/What is this verse/
darn
i was so close to getting mortarboard
mortarboard?
200 rep in one day badge
oh
woot, got my first 5 rep for the day
i got an upvote on my answer about the sun
...
16
Q: Is it okay to have doubts?

PurmouI was raised Christian. I am Armenian, and my parents were raised Christian (however my grandmother was raised Catholic). Every so often I think about my religion, and I can't help but think about whether it's true or not. I know that it's more on a "believing is seeing" basis rather than "seein...

HedgeMage closed this 0.o
00:37
Yep, I did.
SE sites don't exist for personal validation. We're Q&A, not a forum or support group.
I'm just surprised you did it even after it went about a week without any close votes, and no mod attention =/
I didn't see it until somebody flagged it.
it got flagged?
hmm
i would have appreciate a comment
from the flagger
If you get away with committing adultery for a while, that doesn't mean it doesn't count when your spouse eventually catches you.
gotcha
00:42
@Purmou There is a feeling among many people that commenting "I'm flagging because..." is just inciting drama (I agree with this). Quietly flagging and letting the acting mod comment if appropriate tends to keep the drama down.
@HedgeMage I see
@Purmou I know it takes a little getting used to, but when we stick to the format it does great things. :)
@HedgeMage of course.
though SE sites aren't really far from forums :P
@HedgeMage Though, out of curiosity
3
Q: Why do some people hate Christians?

ChaosGamer ΕΛ-Υ ēel-ūI know that not everyone hates Christians. Frequently the animosity is directed towards Christians as a whole, and not individuals. Is there a specific reason for this hatred towards Christians? Both from those whom never believed in Christ, and those who were previously of the faith. This can ev...

Couldn't this question be closed by the same logic?
Trust me, I'm not a fan of questions that would attract opinionated answers.
But another reason I'm surprised my doubts question got closed is because a few answers had valid biblical references, which is what we're using to determine validity aren't we?
@Purmou why closed? good one IMO
@Explorer by the same logic this got closed:
16
Q: Is it okay to have doubts?

PurmouI was raised Christian. I am Armenian, and my parents were raised Christian (however my grandmother was raised Catholic). Every so often I think about my religion, and I can't help but think about whether it's true or not. I know that it's more on a "believing is seeing" basis rather than "seein...

00:51
@Purmou what? that's the question I'm referring to
@Explorer Oh, haha. I thought you were asking why the other one would get closed.
:)
after getting 16 up-votes and 7 answers!
@Explorer my thoughts exactly
SE sites don't exist for personal validation. We're Q&A, not a forum or support group.
-HedgeMage
by the way how do we do quotes?
"If you get away with committing adultery for a while, that doesn't mean it doesn't count when your spouse eventually catches you."
this was also what she said
@Purmou *she
@ElendiaStarman What do you mean? ;D
00:55
@Purmou Verrry nice... :P
oh wow
0
Q: Do we have a clear definition of god or should we adhere to ignosticism?

estevan benson Ignosticism or igtheism is the theological position that every other theological position (including agnosticism) assumes too much about the concept of God and many other theological concepts. The view that a coherent definition of God must be presented before the question of the existenc...

@Purmou does it count as personal validation? :O
everybody could have doubts, you didn't ask "Is it okay that I have doubts?"
01:15
@Explorer Indeed
@Explorer I'm sure that question would be viewed a lot in the future
Agreed.
"This question is not a good fit to our Q&A format. We expect answers to generally involve facts, references, or specific expertise; this question will likely solicit opinion, debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion."
Almost every single answer on my question had a bible reference or some factual evidence.
2
Q: Is it possible to be Christian but not interpret it as fact?

estevan bensonThere are cultural Jews. Are there cultural Christians who do not interpret the religion as factual? Is this possible? Apparently it's also called a "Nominal Christian" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Christian From the comments: To my understanding there are people who call them...

plus that it'd happen to 99.99% of Christians, if not 100%
and they act as if this question won't solicit opinion
...
0
Q: Is God the only God?

bizso09What about Allah, Visnu or Zeus? What are they? Please share your wisdom.

@Purmou VTC'd that one... >.>
01:26
@ElendiaStarman likewise
I thought ch.SE was created to answer doubts!
but this person is asking about gods from other beliefs :P
:D
anyways.
well
it would be a valid question if it was phrased better
maybe he doesn't know those gods are from different faiths
too
many
trolls
0
Q: How do you define a Christian or a brother in Christ?

brilliantHow do you define a Christian? How do you define what kind of person is your brother in Christ and what kind of person is not

@Purmou I feel like that's a dupe.
01:31
he phrased it terribly (plus his grammar is awful) so I couldn't tell
@HedgeMage i've commented on some posts i flagged. since the site is still in a trial run, i figured to use comments to help improve the question when i feel the question is salvageable
is this behaviour undesired? should it be kept strictly in meta?
@Purmou That question is badly formed, but the question itself is valid. I just gave a pretty extended answer and I'll try to edit the question if I can find the time.
@djeikyb It is absolutely good to use comments to suggest ways that questions and/or answers could be improved if you think they can be improved. I was trying to explain that commenting specifically "I flagged/downvoted you because..." -- as opposed to providing advice in a comment and then flagging/downvoting as appropriate -- is more likely to raise drama than improve the site.
Does that make sense.
gotcha
no need to mention votes or flags, keep comments to advice
yep, exactly.
BTW, any comments on my answer to the question @Purmou cited (below)? I was trying very hard to explain the problem without sounding like I was trying to rag on Christianity in general, but I'm not sure how well I accomplished that:
3
Q: Why do some people hate Christians?

ChaosGamer ΕΛ-Υ ēel-ūI know that not everyone hates Christians. Frequently the animosity is directed towards Christians as a whole, and not individuals. Is there a specific reason for this hatred towards Christians? Both from those whom never believed in Christ, and those who were previously of the faith. This can ev...

ehh, i think the question should be closed. it doesn't have much to do with christianity. "why do people hate x" is psychological, or sociological, or...
btw, seriously? "She called a local Christian preacher, who tried to break into my house with the stated goal of beating me until I miscarried"
01:42
Yep.
That's central Texas for you.
They're nuts.
wtf
glad you survived that
(Not to mention in conflict with mainstream Christianity who, afaik, are still pretty anti-abortion. I mean, how is beating a woman to a miscarriage not abortion?)
Thanks.
i could see some hokey rationalisation about sending the kid to heaven before it hit the age of accountibility
buuuut yeah. outrageous
and ultimately illogical
@djeikyb In that case wouldn't Christians be in favor of abortion whenever it was likely the parents wouldn't raise the baby to be "proper" Christians?
@HedgeMage I submitted a tag wiki for approval
01:45
@Purmou I'll get to it, but right now I'm trying to keep up with the (many) content flags. I only plan to address edits when I have flags down to zero.
@HedgeMage i feel like someone should start a parody site promoting the idea, but then i feel sick thinking of people who would take it seriously
@HedgeMage There are that many flags?
heh
well. seriously in the wrong deathly way
@Purmou ;)
@Purmou 80 so far, which isn't high in general, but is kind of a lot for one week with a site that is so small still.
01:47
anyway, i think your answer is as good as can be hoped for, for that quality of question
@HedgeMage It's not exactly small. if I remember it was a quite large private beta.
@djeikyb thanks
@Purmou It was about average for a private beta, but it's small compared to the other sites that get 80 flags/week or more.
now...if i were a computer case model number, where would i hide...
@HedgeMage Ah, I see
@djeikyb underneath? inside? :P
@djeikyb probaly under the motherboard
01:48
Parenting had a similarly sized private beta, and I think they had something like 13 flags the first week. (I'm guesstimating from memory, I don't have stats handy)
that would be the most inconvenient place :)
@waxeagle oi. you're probably right
@djeikyb are you looking for the case model # on a 3rd party case or a off the shelf computer?
i think by computer case, he means a cover for a computer
an old antec (i think) case i bought a decade ago
01:50
but idunno
@djeikyb gotcha, why not just hit their product site and see if they have old models?
Oh, wow. I just figured out the dotted line thing. So handy.
I'm a bit of a newb to chat. :\
@waxeagle i had some thought of looking up the wiring diagram for my front usb ports, but it isn't worth taking out the mobo
@waxeagle heh, maybe i'll find something, good idea
@Richard Lol. I actually didn't know myself until yesterday, but it's not THAT useful to me. :P
@Richard er, what's the dotted line thing? i've never bothered to figure that out
01:52
@Richard ...what are the dotted lines for? :P
If you click away from your screen so that you're not looking, it will throw a dotted line there, showing the last ones you looked at.
Also, it changes the title in the tab so that it shows how many comments you missed.
so someone post a message here really quick
post
:)
@Richard I've known of that feature for quite a while and it certainly is quite useful.
haha, sweet
i always thought they were minute markers
01:55
@Purmou Thats what I thought too, but then I noticed (during quiet times) they were long ways apart in time. (I still haven't figure out the time markers on the right, though.)
@Richard I don't really get those either.
@ElendiaStarman I'm starting to think that they throw those up there ever X number of posts. But I'm not quite convinced of that yet...
though I think it counts multiple messages from the same person as 1
@Richard Actually, that would be precisely it.
yeah
01:58
Well... 19:54 to 19:55 had only two between the timestamps. Yeah, I'd probably have to look at the script to figure it out.
hmp
@Richard ohhh. the dots are pretty handy. neat. and to think i've used se chat for six months not knowing that..
It also does it if you scroll.
and someone posts something. ;)
Hmm... the "unbelievers" tag seems awkward to me. In some circles, it's taken to mean someone who used to believe, but now does not, while in others it also includes those who never believed in the first place. Is there a clearer alternative that's not horribly perjorative?
@HedgeMage Yeah, I don't care for that tag, either. How about Heretics?
Just kidding.
Maybe... non-christian?
02:12
@Richard You just made me think of this:
@ElendiaStarman LOL that's awesome!
:D
Halo fan yourself by any chance? :P
@ElendiaStarman Oh, I wish I had the free time for it. My free time is limited to time I'm actually "at work".
@Richard "heretics" may be a valid tag in itself, but I'm not sure it's appropriate in this case because some heretics believe in/worship Jesus Christ, they just don't necessarily agree with church doctrine.
bbiab, phone call
@Richard [blink blink] ...eh? Care to explain? :P
02:15
@ElendiaStarman Heh. :) The only time I have to work on my own projects and do "fun" things is when I'm at work (or supposed to be working). Home life is too busy.
@Richard Lol, interesting.
@HedgeMage Aye, see, sabellius, arius..
02:38
Wooo! Civic duty badge! :P
@ElendiaStarman Ill be getting mine sometime tomorrow :)
@waxeagle Yes, you are. :P
02:58
-_-
1
Q: Constructive ways to pursue a relationship (with a partner/spouse)?

imodaAs a single man I find it difficult to meet people, not only with good values, but who share my faith. I struggle with finding environments in which mingle with eligible people that may actually lead to a lasting relationship. The cliche bar scene is typically no good as an avid Christian should...

Dang, I might get Deputy tonight :). Probably don't actually have enough flags for that, but I can try :)
@waxeagle Lol. I really should flag wayyy more often... >.> :P
@ElendiaStarman right now there is plenty of low hanging fruit :)
@waxeagle That's rather true...
I need to start just posting [citation-needed] as a comment...
03:11
@waxeagle lol
@waxeagle LOL. That would actually be a rather good idea... >.>
@HedgeMage I'm not typically this grumpy about it, but a lot people are just spouting stuff with no backup at all...all over the place...
@waxeagle Everyone who has ever shown up to a church service thinks they are an expert on Christianity. You have no idea how many Christians I know that I can make look like the ignorant fools they are with even my outsider's level of knowledge of the bible and church doctrine
@HedgeMage incredibly true. and lol I can only imagine.
How is rpeg asking new questions after having been suspended?
03:17
@Flimzy He created a sockpuppet account under another name. I discovered that and merged the two accounts, and now I'm going through and deleting the garbage and anonymizing anything worth keeping. Please be patient with me, as it's not a fast process.
whoo, 584 rep
how do you link questions?
@HedgeMage: Ah, okay
@Purmou ...woah. Exact same rep here... O.O
0
Q: Is there any right way to go about dating if you're a Christian?

leeand00I've read some books on the subject and they always seem to state that you shouldn't really go looking for a woman to date, you should just "let it happen". However I've also read some books that say that "just letting it happen" is a bit like sitting outside the bank and wishing all the money w...

on topic or off?
@waxeagle I think he's trying to slip it in as on
but it's not working
03:20
Well, it's at least an improvement over his last question
so if we VtC we should at least comment on that ;)
I think the content of his question is off-topic.
I wish there was a VTC option that explicitly said "too general"... :P
That's what "not a real question" is for
"not constructive" works too...
sure
read my comment on that question
let me know if we agree, or if I should delete my comment
I closed it as not constructive with a long explanatory comment on how to get it re-opened
Okay, I'm going to grab some shut-eye... I'll finish that clean-up in the morning. If you need me for anything, just @ highlight me and I'll see it in my inbox.
03:27
@HedgeMage thanks for all of your work keeping the peace around here.
no problem :)
@HedgeMage: I agree with waxeagle. :)
589
so close to 600 D:
the rush of questions on the Christianity site is just dizzying. or at least to me
brb guys
dinner
03:31
@DForck42 yeah there have been around 30 since the site went public
ok going to bed now
Are questions on OT Jewish living/culture on topic, or should they be directed to Judaism.SE?
@Flimzy good question. Let me see if I can get an answer.
@Flimzy Good question. I myself would migrate it, but I don't feel strongly one way or another.
Certainly understanding Jewish culture and symbols is important in understanding much of Christianity
So I can see a clear case to be made to leave them...
But it seems fuzzy to me
Before we start migrating those to Judasim, we probably should ask them how they feel about it
I know we're open to non-Christians asking educational questions here
I don't know J.SE's stance on that, though
@Flimzy def.
03:38
@Flimzy I'm in agreement with wax.
@all history of Jewish life is on topic per their FAQ
and law too
Another issue... I hope I can ask this delicately... Do we want to send Christ seekers to a site that generally doesn't believe in Christ?
@Flimzy Sorry, but the answer is that this is SE. If its off topic here and on topic elsewhere it gets sent there.
If we don't want questions migrated then we should ask better questions. We can't just not migrate topical questions where they should go because we want people to stay here.
@waxeagle That doesn't answer the question of whether it's OT here, though.
@Flimzy I don't know if its off topic here. We should open a meta question and discuss.
03:43
Considering that "Christian history" includes OT and NT Jewish culture, that could well be defined as on-topic here.
I'll do that.
@Flimzy true. Lets iron it out in meta
Ok really Im actually going to bed now.
sweet dreams!
@waxeagle G'night! :)
back
that was some good dinner
@Purmou Lol. What'd you have?
03:52
@ElendiaStarman Oh, I see, you're just digging for a rep race. Well it's on >:D
@Purmou [chuckle] I've got a couple good(-enough) questions in mind... >:D
@ElendiaStarman: Daemon vs Demon? Sounds a lot like it's just a British vs. American spelling...
@Flimzy Hmmm...it could be, but I think "daemon" is also an American spelling...(emphasis on "I think").
:)
It is
Although many Americans at least pronounce both words as "Demon"
lol, okay

Yeah, that's true.
04:04
I prefer DAY-mon for the program
I feel like this one is kinda a dupe of TWO questions... o.O
1
Q: Does God forgive those who take his name in vain?

xiaohouzi79Christianity teaches the forgiveness of sins by God, but from the Ten Commandments in Exodus (NIV) it says something along the lines of: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain." Does this mean that br...

@Flimzy Yeah, that's how I would pronounce it too.
Yeah, I was just scratching my head about that question,t oo.
I feel like the unforgivable-sin question doesn't have an adaquate answer yet
VTC'able?
0
Q: How do I get more faith?

leeand00I'm really terrible at faith. I understand that it's a choice to have or not have faith, I'd really like to choose the former, but my very much neurotic nature often gets the best of me, and often holds me back I think... So my question is "How do I get more faith?"

if it did, then it would address this new question
I'm not sure about that one, either... it inspired my "What is faith?" question, though
I don't want to VtC that guy too much... I think he's starting to feel pretty beat up... but I think he's asking honest questions
@Flimzy On the other hand, one can easily make the case that taking God's name in vain is NOT that particular unforgivable sin...
04:06
They're just kinda vague... hehe
@ElendiaStarman: Agreed, but the question seems to be asking "are there any unforgivable sins?" (although it's a bit unclear)
If the answer turns out to be "No." then of course it would address any question of "Is X unforgivable?"
@Flimzy: Hmmm...I may as well go ahead and answer it in the narrow context of taking God's name in vain.
This guy needs some SE lessons
He has 2.5k on SO
@Flimzy [facepalm] Yeah.
@Flimzy ...woah. Weird.
Another question that's not a dupe where I can use an answer to another question... :P
0
Q: What does the Bible say Gentiles should or should not do on the Sabbath?

xiaohouzi79Most of the Christians I know do whatever they like on Sunday: working at home, paid employment etc. Is there any specific information in the New Testament that suggest what Christians should or should not do? Are we supposed to obey the Ten Commandments? What does that mean for Christians? T...

04:21
That is pretty strange. Although, to be honest, the content on Christianity.SE looks like it's going to be pretty subjective, so maybe he's just testing the waters, trying to get the site shaped out?
When he says Gentiles, he means non-Jewish Christians right?
I mean, it's better to see him ask this kind of question now as opposed to ten months into the site's lifetime...but it would have been even better if it showed up in the Area 51 questions thing where people could do the whole on-topic/off-topic jazz.
@Flimzy I would assume so.
1
Q: Does "Where ever there is more than one of you gathered in My name" apply to the Internet?

leeand00I mean I'd like to think so...and people communicate on this site about Christianity, but I was wondering if a virtual gathering counted as well.

Finally, a good question... not perfect... but at least a good Q&A question, IMO
@Flimzy Lol, yeah. :P
@Flimzy: Do you remember where that verse that says that Jesus fulfilled the law is?
04:34
Matthew 5
verse 17 specifically
had to look that part up :)
Huzzah! Thanks @Flimzy! :)
I was forced to memorize Matthew 5 and 6 in junior high by my father (I was home schooled)
Scripture memorization really comes in handy some times.
I wish I had more motivation to do it on my own.
Lol. I'm horrible about that, actually... >.>
I've only ever memorized 4 books of the bible 1 Cor. 13, Matthew 5 & 6, and Psalm 23
and of course a few other select verses
You mean chapters? :P
I'm more of a I-remember-there-was-something-that-said-something-like-this kind of guy, so I can usually find the appropriate verse on BibleGateway pretty quickly.
04:41
uh, yeah, chapters
haha
Yeah, that's how I am for most things, too.
As for specific verses, the ones I have best memorized are the Armor of God and 1 Corinthians 10:13.
04:56
Oooo...looks like he might be improving... :P
0
Q: Is there a point when "be fruitful and multiply" should no longer apply?

leeand00Well mainly I'm talking about the multiply bit...there are 7 billion people on the planet, is there any Christian reasoning that states that at some point you should take in existing-orphans instead of making more people?

Indeed. Although I think there are two questions in there.
1) What is the scope of "be fruitful and multiply" and 2) Should Christians adopt instead of concieve?
@Flimzy Hmmm...good point.
Personally, I think it's suitable the way it is right now.
They're closely enough related, that I don't think the two questions kill it
Although my answer for the 2 questions would be quite different.

« first day (7 days earlier)      last day (4848 days later) »