Re: For #79513 Religion is a means for subjugation
The institutions of Christianity are practically built on prudishness and snoberry (which, of course, is a setup for persecution) and have little to do with the heart. Jesus's only Sermon was The Sermon On The Mount. Since the world is more heavily populated today, it only makes sense that there be SOME buildings for the Christian following, but it certainly has gotten out of hand in the last two thousand years and become the source of much of the world's grief (the last 900 years of European history shows that). In scripture, the Lord tells us that the more attractive we find this world, the less attractive we will find His kingdom (John 12:25, ...and he who hates his life in this world...", Ecclesiastes 2:17, "So I hated life...", this coming from the wisest man in the world, you're in good company Topstroke11). Of course The Lord is not preaching suicide, you wouldn't murder anybody else, so neither should you murder yourself (after 51 yrs. of suicidal depression, I felt it reasonable to mention this, it's just me).
If there wasn't so much fighting and evil in the world for the last two thousand years, all of the technological advancement that the world has experienced in that time probably could have been acheived in a period of 100 years, but 40 years ago, the weaker sex decided there's not enough fighting in the world, so they made women's suffrage become "women's empowerment" so there would be competition and resentment between man and woman. We've already gone through generations of 'latch key' kids growing up with drugs and sex, it has become more popular for modern generations to even question their actual gender, the nuclear family is practically a thing of the past, and even England is no longer educating it's children based on Shakespeare (the "latch key" kid generations are becoming increasingly shallow), so it's true that feminism is far from being a benefit to society, but the obsession of making feminism a life-long enemy is similar to the kind of reasoning that has been starting wars and conflicts since time began, and poetic justice is that it colors your life. There are probably few ideas in the world that do not have any merit at all, but even the best ideas are ruined by MILITANCY (not just the idea is ruined, but the owner's reasonableness and serenity). The only solution I found so far to what this world has to offer is a blend of tolerance and disgust (at first I thought The Lord would give me a dirty look for that, but He understands, I'm like Solomon, I hate my life and this world).
I grew up in a dysfunctional family and, before I was 10, knew my parents weren't a match made in heaven and should not have gotten married. My parents separated when I was 15 and got divorced years later while I lived my life detached from reality and in a daze always thinking that there is something wrong in or about my life. I could never really believe that life had anything to do with me and made many incredibly stupid and non-sensical decisions in my life. I always had that mysterious feeling that "something was wrong" and could never figure it out until I was 49 when I was going to church and I went to a bible study. The leader of the bible study (who was also pastoring a congregation) was BRAGGING (woe is me, he was the victim of his own irresponsibility, not the victim of divorce) about going through his divorce settlement at the time (no Christian should brag about a divorce, especially leaders should know this). He also had two little daughters 3000 miles away (and the "MAN of the household" brags that he's the SURVIVOR). When I wondered how they would react to the divorce, I realized they will also have the same feeling I did all of my life (because I just then finally realized what that feeling was,..."Man Without A Country"). I did not have a family lineage/heritage. I could not lay claim to a strong, stable heritage and say that I come from a solid foundation (family). So, the least you should do for your children is pay that child support, and not grudingly (God is watching). It is we (the children of divorced parents) who have much more to live with than you can imagine. Whether or not it ever registers consciously in our mind that we were born by mistake and technically should not exist, our minds can't understand how it is that we do exist (that's what was wrong). Technically, we should never have been born, but I have always chosen The Lord as the ideal parent anyway.
So whatever you think of as a "Christian" marriage (I scoff at the world's wisdom, and have every right to do so, DETACHED from this 'world', remember?), it is each person's MIND that will show whether the spirit really is in their heart, not any "marriage" contract (biblical or otherwise), Ephesians 4:23 "...be transformed by the renewing of your MIND", "I will put my laws into their MINDS...", He WRITES them on our hearts, Hebrews 8:10 (being what God wants us to be requires creative thinking so that we can escape from the confines of a book, not just from an institution, this is the poetic liscense I speak of). I need no scripture to talk about "marriage".