Damien the Leper

I wish @Thunderfire still posted here. They could probably provide a better explanation. 

On 11/24/2025 at 12:55 AM, The Nehor said:

Pedantic correction: There doesn’t have to be. The word “the” does not have to be part of the name to fit in that sentence.

To them it is not pedantic. Having learned the history of the name change, they explicitly left out "the" in their name. To them they were called to be a Community of Christ and not The Community of Christ. The distinction means a great deal to them. Using "the" to begin a sentence followed by the name is a waste of time.

Example...

"Community of Christ officially changed its name 1 January 2001."

Vs.

"The Community of Christ officially changed its name 1 January 2001."

The two sentences do not have the same meaning. There is absolutely a distinction with a purpose.

Consider it in terms of the LDS church. Perhaps dropping "the" at the beginning of the name is pedantic. 

Example again...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Vs

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

Vs

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

To LDS people there is a clear distinction between the three. Perhaps you're right and people are being pedantic. 

On 11/23/2025 at 6:39 PM, Benjamin McGuire said:

Not really. It's more of a paraphrase.

If I am just reading for pleasure, it's generally going to be the KJV - because, at least for me, it has a high level of familiarity. If I am doing academic work, the KJV (or the NIV) usually work just fine for the text that I quote - depending on the audience. But in my research for academic work, I pull in a lot of other things including original language texts (Hebrew and Greek). What I read then is often very technical and at a level where this is often disagreement over nuances in the text.

People can be overly concerned about which translation to use - in the long run, its better to find one that is readable to you, and to read through the text, than to start with what might ultimately be a better text but much harder for you to read and understand in a way that makes it meaningful to you.

I don't care for The Message. I was joking. I cringe when I read it.

On 11/19/2025 at 2:37 PM, Stargazer said:

The Community of Christ now ordains women, and their Prophet-President is currently a woman, so I don't know why they didn't migrate over that way. 

Fixed it. There is no article 'the' in their name.

On 11/22/2025 at 5:59 AM, Benjamin McGuire said:

I agree, the NRSV is better - but the question I was answering was:

And the NRSV is not the answer to that question. I do not know how deliberate these things are, but, different translations match up with different educational levels. And the NRSV is a modern translation that doesn't sacrifice very much in terms of language content in exchange for readability. The NIV sits at a 7th-8th grade reading level. Once you drop below that you start getting into the paraphrases (the NLT, GW, etc.). And while there are a fair number of translations in the 7th-8th grade range, the NIV is, in my opinion, really good at maintaining a high level of readability without sacrificing too much. It is part of the reason why the NIV has become the most widely read translation today. It is also the reason why, in my opinion, that when the Book of Mormon references biblical text in non-King James language, it has a higher degree of similarity with the NIV - it is simply the quality of the language. In comparison, the NRSV makes for a much better academic translation or study bible. Although, I would add, that at least for most of my life, academics regularly used the KJV when quoting scripture for recognition on the part of the audience. This has really started changing in the last couple of decades.

I keep a handful of translations in my reading room. Physical copies aren't as important as they once were for research, and so I don't have to use them that often. But they are sometimes easier to use when I need to continuously refer back to a specific text. I also have a few that are illustrated or copies of illuminated texts. Included in this group are a set of the St John's Bible, the JPS Torah (both regular and the commentary series), A Washburn College Bible, an ESV Study Bible, and Oxford Annotated NRSV with Apocrypha, a UBS4 with NRSV and NIV, an NIV Study Bible, Robert Altar's Five Books of Moses, a Jewish Annotated New Testament, a BHS, and a Moulton's Modern Reader's Bible. I have a bunch more stored in totes in the attic. When I die, my kids are going to have to deal with a lot of books they don't want ...

Have you considered The Message version? 

On 11/6/2025 at 6:28 AM, Benjamin McGuire said:

In my opinion, the NIV.

I disagree. NRSV is better. Love you, Ben!!

On 10/21/2025 at 11:11 AM, Calm said:

I find this position very troubling as well. And quite wrong. His assassination created a much greater platform and grew his audience tremendously. 

But all the people I know who saw Kirk as more extreme also condemned his murder, so hopefully the numbers of those who actually saw his killing as a good thing are small in proportion and their numbers seem greater simply because they are quite vocal. 

Kirk may have seen a gay man like me as less or ignorantly abnormal but I find his death reprehensible. 

Emphasis on may.

On 10/8/2025 at 11:52 AM, JVW said:

To save from a separate post I'll add this bit here at the end. Both you @Benjamin McGuire and @The Nehor

Not directed at me but I prefer fair.org and Ground News.

Ok. Just so I don't have to go through all the posts... Who are the winners after Oaks?

The posturing of some on the right that suggests that they are somehow the more moral, godly and rational is just that. Posturing. Christian Nationalism is real and extremely dangerous. Especially the rhetoric of the post-millenial theonomists.

On 9/24/2025 at 3:00 PM, Stargazer said:

I'm not even sure what the OP is asking, and I definitely don't know what you're complaining about in connection with it. Clarification, please?

I'm speaking of the institutionalisation of Trans people. The institutionalisation isn't coming from a place of love but bigotry and false morality. 

It's now Wednesday. Anything I should know about?

This rhetoric is maddening. Conditionalising our human worth is absolutely obscene and reprehensible. So much talk of "Christian" values and so little attention to the words of Jesus. It's too bad that the Beatitudes isn't the kick in the butt we need.

20 minutes ago, bluebell said:

I’m so sorry.  

So am I. 

9 hours ago, Calm said:

I missed this before.  What do you believe is evidence that they have been normalized?  Maybe you could define what you mean by normalized first.  

They are seen imo by pretty much everyone as horrendous crimes, perpetrators are treated as criminals or mentally ill.  To me that is not looking at mass/school shootings as normal.

 

Bjskki is a longtime poster who has demonstrated her sincerity over and over again.  I think it quite inappropriate to suggest she is playing any sort of mind game, manipulating, or whatever other form of insincerity you are implying she is engaging in with “attempting to sound scandalized”.

Her comment sounds full of pain to me.  

What I mean by normalised is that people, not all, are never ever truly shocked when a mass/school shootings occurs. They are a part of everyday American life. It is absolutely reprehensible that people seem to hold their guns closer than they do their children, their loved ones or humanity as a whole. I am so sick and tired of the shallow bullsh!t offered up as rationalisations. Thoughts and prayers? Are you kidding me? People are dying! When the Pulse night club was shot up, Marco Rubio simply said it was Florida's turn. Florida's turn? Again, are you kidding me!?! Kirk's death is getting more airplay than the kids that were shot in Colorado. People have moved on from another school shooting. That's par for the course. I am absolutely devastated by the fact that we continue to allow this to happen. I am so damn angry! Our complacency should be our downfall. 

1 hour ago, Zosimus said:

Fair enough, I'm also curious what it means because I hear it almost every conversation and have always asked who these they are, and nobody seems to know

It is a fair question. 

21 hours ago, bsjkki said:

Political assassinations can’t be normalized. 

Why not? Mass/school shootings have. 

21 hours ago, bsjkki said:

Kirk was all about engaging with those who did not believe as he did. They killed him for it.

Ah. So you know who killed Kirk and what their motivations were. Got it. Your rant sounds just like all the other so-called conservatives attempting to sound scandalised.

Also, you say you're pro-life. Or are you just pro-birth? There is a universe wide difference between the two.

6 minutes ago, ttribe said:

Who are "they"? We know next to nothing about the shooter.

Mossad, IDF and the Likud. 

I abhor gun violence. I would never wish it on anyone. However, Kirk died on his hill. To him, empathy was a New Age term that causes damage. A person is not simply better or more Christlike for having empathy for the one who would not have empathy in return. Humanity is broken. We have allowed the liberals (those who are still RIGHT of CENTER on the spectrum) and the conservatives to create this narrative that is so divisive. One side claim to have some greater morality than the other. However, at the end of the day, it is just one monster speaking from both sides of its mouth. The absolute manipulation by corporate media (OANN, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, Newsmax, etc.) has completely mind screwed Americans. 

What I think may happen is that the right will heavily politicise this and attempt to turn Kirk into some symbolic patriotic martyr for their cause. And it will likely work. It is a trademark of weaponising emotions.

After I left, several evangelical friends and acquaintances saw my leaving as an opportunity and often made me feel like a project. Their "Will you...?" questions became nauseatingly exhausting. The arrogant and narcissistic idea that they held the truth of the Bible and true Christianity was a good way to get my open-mindedness and willingness to engage in discussion to shut like a steel door. When facing situations like that it seems as though the authenticity is lacking or non-existent. The worst experiences I had were with people from the Assembly of God and Acts 29 Reformed. 

To be honest, however, Protestantism was never going to work for me anyway. The Westminster Confession has always made me want to punch myself in the face.

Catholicism and Orthodoxy hold my heart. Also, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria is pretty rad too. 

3 hours ago, 3DOP said:

Hey Damien. Good to see you! 

First Sunday of Advent, 2023. I go to Immaculate Conception, my diocesan church about a mile away. I am out on the back deck and see the Immaculata, the largest SSPX Church in the world, a half mile away?

Like the Church, I am making progress, (I hope)!

I intend, in these retirement years to write some memoirs for family and interested parties, explaining my many moves over the years. 

Rory

Very nice. That sounds like good plans.

On 5/10/2025 at 5:12 AM, 3DOP said:

Although I am no longer with the SSPX

When did this happen? What parish do you attend now?

He's  an Augustinian as well. Good moderate choice.

On 4/23/2025 at 8:59 PM, Calm said:

I think it’s a brilliant idea, encourages kids to expand their lives beyond school.  Hopefully this becomes commonplace in universities.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51300131/university-of-utah-to-give-college-credit-for-missionary-military-or-humanitarian-service

 

Will they also honor non-LDS missionary work?