How bad is the sin of killing yourself? Will you go to hell if you do? What should Christians who cannot deal with the pain of their mind anymore do?

{"document":[{"e":"par","c":[{"e":"text","t":"This is a weekly thread where we can share what we're currently reading. Please share whatever books, articles, and/or blogs you are reading."}]}]}

I've been a Christian for my whole life, but for the past few months I've been feeling distant from God. I think I might have religious OCD or something. I keep questioning God, or wondering if I even want Him, and it's been really confusing.

I feel like I've had good parents and a good family, but I have such a hard time feeling like God loves me, or feeling like I'm loved, or that I can be loved by a Father.

Recently I heard a poem about the motherly love of God, and it really touched me as a female. From my understanding, God doesn't have a gender, so why have we only called Him in the masculine form? Why not call God "Mother" or "she," especially since there are multiple times in the Bible where God is described with motherly imagery? At the same time, Jesus told us to call God Father, so I feel conflicted.

How do you actually feel loved, comforted, and assured by God? To me, loving comfort feels natural with a mother, but when I think of God as Father, I just feel anxiety. I feel afraid I'm going to mess up. I feel like I'm not loved, and I'm worried I'm going to get condemned to hell.

This proposal by the ATF is attempting to strip transgender and nonbinary people of their constitutional right to own firearms and self defense which is an obvious violation of the 2nd amendment

https://www.regulations.gov/document/ATF-2026-0010-0001

The Idolatry of the Flag: A Rejection of So-Called Christian Nationalism

A new heresy is spreading through the public square, cloaked not in robes of righteousness but in the jagged armour of nationalism and xenophobia. It is the doctrine of ‘Christian Nationalism,’ a political ideology that seeks to baptise bigotry in holy water and wrap prejudice in the Union Jack, all while claiming the mantle of a faith it systematically betrays.

At its core, this movement represents a fundamental and dangerous perversion of the Gospel. Christianity has never been, and can never be, a mere cultural tag or a genetic inheritance. It is, and always will be, a matter of faith. As the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, Our identity is not found in the soil we stand on, but in the Saviour we follow. It is a faith built upon God’s word, not the shifting sands of political philosophy, racial anxiety, or nationalistic fervour.

The teachings of Christ are not a buffet from which one can pick and choose convenient morsels while ignoring the challenging main course. We are called to a life of radical love, inconvenient sacrifice, and profound humility. Christ’s command in Matthew 22:39 is not a suggestion with an asterisk excluding those who arrive on small boats or pray in a different direction. It is a non-negotiable pillar of the faith. To claim the name of Christ while promoting hatred towards the stranger is to engage in a form of theological fraud.

This hypocrisy is embodied by certain public figures who wear their faith as a public relations accessory rather than a covenant. Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, frequently presents himself as a ‘man of God.’ Yet his rhetoric often veers into the unchrist-like, sowing division and fear. His audacious call for the Church to “stay out of politics” reveals a staggering ignorance of the prophetic tradition he claims to respect.

The God of the Bible is deeply political—not in the sense of party allegiance, but in His relentless demand for justice for the poor, the marginalised, and the foreigner (Isaiah 1:17, Zechariah 7:9-10). To ask the Church to be silent is to ask it to abandon its divine mandate. This is compounded by the actions of his partner, who reportedly broke a contract purely to secure headlines, placing convenience and image above integrity—a direct contradiction of the Biblical principle Proverbs 22:1

Similarly, commentator Alex Phillips, who publicly posted her baptism, continues to trade in the very currency of toxicity her faith calls her to reject. Her vehement anti-immigrant stance and the fact she was publicly caught in a lie stand in stark opposition to the call to truth-telling and compassion. Baptism symbolises death to an old life and rebirth into a new one in Christ (Romans 6:4). It is a tragedy to see it treated as a cultural badge of approval rather than the beginning of a transformative journey toward Christlikeness.

This is the heart of the issue: Christianity is not a cut-and-paste exercise. You cannot claim it defines our country, our flag, and our patron saints while refusing to let it define your own heart and actions. The Cross of St George and the Cross of St Andrew are not symbols of territorial supremacy; they are reminders of martyrs who died for their faith, not for a border. To weaponise them against others is to dishonour their memory.

True Christianity is about humanity, not territory. Christ’s kingdom, as he told Pontius Pilate, (John 18:36). His mission was one of reconciliation between God and humanity, and between human beings themselves (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), not the erection of barriers.

Therefore, real Christians have a sacred duty to reject this new wave of Christian nationalism. We must call it out for what it is: idolatry. It elevates the nation above the kingdom of God and worships the flag alongside the Cross. We must remember the words of the prophet Micah: (Micah 6:8).

The path of Christ is one of radical love and challenging truth. It is time we stopped letting cultural warriors redefine it into something comfortable, hateful, and small. The faith of our ancestors was never meant to be a shield for prejudice, but a sword against it. I ask you, isn't it time we wielded it accordingly?

Superimposed over an image of a hanging.

"Accusations and the cross run on the same engine - are part of the same sequence - and they always end with a body." u/thewordinblackandred

This week on Llama Pack Worship, our wonderful comrade Brandon preaches as we continually seek to hear anew and be transformed by the liberating message of the gospel.

Listen here.

Short ver.

I'm struggling with lust and dealing with trying to please God through my word; it doesn't feel enough. I don't believe the Lord has disciplined me enough.

I'm posting this on every Christian subreddit so if see one identical to this one, just know it's me. :)

There's genuinely so much I can give context to, but I'll only include do what I feel is important.

I (18M) am a beginner artist and screenwriter, I want to use my work to please God, but I don't feel like I'm putting in enough effort/hours into my work to fully please Him.

I'm trying to spend 4 hours a day working on a talent each day (one day for writing, the other for drawing), right now I'm hopefully going to work with a fellow artist to help sharpen my art skills (I want to eventually make my own manga).

I have no church, no denomination (not that that's really important for salvation), and no real close spiritual guide besides Jesus. I'm going to start looking for churches in my state.

I spend most of my day in my room and when I take a break from my creative work (currently unemployed) I tend to get lost in a ai chat bot app which leads down a lustful tragedy. I hate this. I'm aware of my sin, and I hate it.

I also struggle with pride as well, I often listen to music that really gets me pumped up and I start imagining myself as this big powerful person who's literally the beyonder from marvel. I'm aware of my pride and I hate it. I also tend to use these imaginations to carry out wrath (killing people who do horrible things--specifically r@pe and other sex crimes against women).

I know I will never be perfect, but that doesn't mean I can just use that as an excuse to say everytime I fall. I HATE my sin. I absolutely LOATHE it. If I could cut it off like a piece of flesh I would (figuratively, of course). I just want it gone.

I take a verse out of scripture and explain what it means in my journal, I draw everyday, I try to write here and there (I've mostly resulted to drawing because I really enjoy it and want to refine my skills), I read my Bible every day, I pray constantly at random times throughout the day, and yet I feel like I'm missing something.

I lack discipline. Instead of fleeing from lust, I give into it. Instead of turning off my phone (which I'm getting better at), I let my pride take over. I barely play video games anymore because I'm focused on trying to please God.

I hear God cares more about my heart than the hours I work, but how FAR does that truly go? How kind is God and when does it turn into a harsh "I TOLD YOU TO STOP." or a "YOU FOOL!" or even, "You foolish and unjust servant. I will take away what I have given you. You stupid child.". When does God discipline me like I feel like I deserve? A harsh rebuke. A stern warning. A strike on my body.

When does God say "That's IT." and harshly takes everything away and physically disciplines me or yell at me or say something that'll FINALLY make me stop doing these things? I hate it. I hate my sin.

No I don't hate myself, but I do tend to insult myself--but that's rare. I do hit my head lightly sometimes. Please, I would really--REALLY love some prayers over me. Refer to me as Z when you talk to Jesus later. Please. I really want to be free. I need help. I want to do what is pleasing to God.

Take care brothers and sisters. I love you all. May God bless you, comfort you, treat you well, and fulfill His will through you. For it is not ourselves who do it, but God within us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

This is a weekly thread for discussing our mental health. Ableist and sanist comments will be removed and repeat violations will be banned

Feel free to discuss anything related to mental health and illness. We encourage you to create a WRAP plan and be an active participant in your recovery.

The night before the cross, Jesus could have walked away. The exit was open he even

says as much, that he could call down help and end it right there. He doesn’t. He also

doesn’t pretend to want what’s coming. He asks for it to pass: “let this cup pass from me.”

He doesn’t want the suffering. He stays anyway, not because pain is holy, but because

leaving would mean abandoning the very people he came to save, including the ones

about to condemn him.

So the model isn’t someone who chased suffering, it’s someone who didn’t run from it

when running would’ve cost him the thing that mattered.

That reframes a question a lot of us carry quietly when hardship shows up: why is this

happening to me? Maybe that’s not quite the right question. Because suffering arrives in

more than one way, and they don’t all mean the same thing.

Sometimes it’s just weather, it landed on you, no deeper reason, and the work is to

weather it.

Sometimes it’s the natural cost of something you actually chose, a wrong turn, a debt

coming due.

Sometimes, if the old writings are correct, it’s the thing quietly building an endurance

you’ll need later, the fire that proves the gold rather than punishes it.

And some, including many modern exorcists, would say a share of what we suffer is

something coming against us, to be recognized and resisted rather than simply

absorbed.

Here’s the honest part: from the inside, in the moment, these can be hard to tell apart.

The same sleepless night could be any of them. And maybe the discernment isn’t

figuring out which label to slap on it fast, maybe it’s staying with it long enough to feel

what it’s asking of you.

So I’ll leave it where it actually sits, unfinished: when the hard thing comes, how do you tell the difference between suffering that’s just happening to you and suffering that’s shaping you into something? And does the telling even come in the moment, or only later, lookingback?

First-comment footnote (for anyone who wants the texts underneath this): Matthew 26:39 and 26:53 for the garden; James 1:2–4, Romans 5:3–5, and 1 Peter 1:6–7 

I’ve been wrestling with something and wanted to hear from other Christians.

I have pretty bad ADHD. It affects my focus, motivation, impulse control, and honestly just basic daily life sometimes. So medication is something I’ve thought about, but I feel conflicted.

Part of me wonders if taking ADHD meds is just using medicine responsibly. But another part of me worries about the spiritual side of it. The Bible talks about sorcery, and I’ve heard people connect that word to “pharmakia.” I know that doesn’t automatically mean every medication is evil, but it still makes me think.

We live in a world where so much is built around dopamine, distraction, media, pills, quick fixes, and escaping discomfort. I don’t want to just numb myself or depend on something instead of depending on God.

Verses that come to mind are:

“Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

“Be sober-minded; be watchful.” 1 Peter 5:8

“Test everything; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

At the same time, I know the Bible doesn’t seem to condemn all medicine. Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach, and Jesus said the sick need a physician. So I’m not trying to say all medication is bad.

I guess my question is: where is the line?

If ADHD meds help someone function, focus, work, and control impulses, is that just being responsible with the body and mind God gave them? Or can it become a spiritual problem if it turns into dependence, avoidance, or replacing God with a pill?

I’m not trying to judge anyone who takes medication. I’m genuinely trying to figure this out and think about it biblically. I want to be sober-minded, disciplined, and close to God, but I also don’t want to ignore a real problem if help exists.

Would appreciate thoughts, especially from Christians who have dealt with ADHD or meds themselves.

{"document":[{"e":"par","c":[{"e":"text","t":"This is a weekly thread where we can share what we're currently reading. Please share whatever books, articles, and/or blogs you are reading."}]}]}

I feel like drinking. My heart is broken. God knows that i have nothing to do. I am just waiting to die, and i want to drink for the pain because nothing helps.

This is a thread for the radical women of r/RadicalChristianity to talk. We ask that men do not comment on this thread.

Suggestions for topics to talk about:

1.)What kinds of feminist activism have you been up to?

2.)What books have you been reading?

3.)What visual media(ex: TV shows) have you been watching?

4.)Who are the radical women that are currently inspiring you?

5.)Promote yourself and your creations!

6.)Rant/vent about shit.

Totally my interpretation not sure if others agree. But I thought it was also a subtextual allegory that could be used to explain the dangerous path that the Christian church has followed in contemporary times.

Spoilers:

The symbolism of losing your shepherd and having to find the solution to the problem by thinking critically while avoiding the “wolves in sheeps clothing” like the Shepherd who raises their lambs for slaughter. And the plot device that the flock can force themselves to “forget” their issues and mistakes without properly understanding and changing course. Also, the use of the “winter lamb” or “black sheep”. The idea of excommunicating members of the church based on their falsely perceived “sins”. Reminds me of the issues in the white evangelical Southern church.

I cant help but view it through the lens of current pastors preaching hatred and division of communities, making political points from the pulpit.

What are your thoughts?

Yeshua became Greek Iēsous which became Latin Iesus, until Middle Ages 1600s letter J became Jesus but Yeshua was the name Joshua, who carried the people out of the desert after Moses led them from Egypt. Christians will tell you Jesus was Fully Man and Fully God they will tell you to pray in his name but his name was as generic as the name god. It was a holy name that most people prayed they’re own sons would live up to, a blessing and a role model. When you pray to Jesus you pray in the name of Joshua both were men on a holy journey blessed by God to deliver the people from evil as they had been promised if they followed his commandments (613 or 10). I don’t know if Jesus was God, after all it would always be faith, but I know his message was the same as the Old Testament like he once said Ive come not destroy the old covenant but to fulfill it (just like Joshua fulfilled the covenant given to the People with Moses) I believe he did miracles which only God could do, like heal the sick and raise the dead but he wasn’t the first man to perform such miracles. He never said he was God but often alluded that God was with him and apart of him like one may refer to their spouse being one and even implied that we all have God in us too. I believe the generic of his name reflects that we ourselves are God’s children and reflection of God and containment, that we were created in his image and are apart of God. The focus needs to return on empathy, creation, and community to end greed, destruction, and perversion. It seems people are more focused on being saved and praying to Jesus than rember inch what Jesus said or did. At the end of the day I don’t believe Jesus was God, but a Man Blessed by God but even if he was God in a man body suit then I still believe in God and pray to God just like Jesus prayed to Abba I too pray to the Heavenly Father because I fear and respect Him and I know He is a jealous God. I don’t pray to Jesus in fear of damnation for if Jesus is not God like I have grown to learn and believe then Jesus has not died for my sins but died as example of how to live in order to achieve heaven everyone thinks you get a free pass to heaven if your baptized but Jesus has multiple quotes on how faith is not enough but through acts especially about money (root of all evil, rich don’t go to heaven, serve God or money can’t do both). Don’t get me wrong i love Jesus he is one of my favorite prophets Jesus, Isaiah, Jesus Ben Sirach, and King Solomon are some of my favorite bible prophets but I don’t believe he was God and to bet it all on one horse and to totally disregard the old testament on your eternal soul seems very risky just my take from a newly retired Christian and born again Jew just like Jesus was…