Author Archives: Steve Long

Sanctuary Seating Psychology Supposition

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Okay, this is a dumb question, but I wonder if anyone else has ever had this conundrum.

Suppose you, an individual of the single variety, are walking into church. You’re fairly early, so there are lots of available seats. (Note: this is a Modern Church, so there are no pews; just individual seats lined up in rows and attached together at the sides.)

One of your friends is sitting in a row that is otherwise empty, so you go to join them. Now, the big question is, do you sit right next to them, or leave an empty seat (AKA, a “Bible Seat”) in between? If you are both male, there is no hesitation. Given that there are enough seats available, two or more males sitting “together” will leave an empty seat in between each occupied seat. This way there is no accidental touching; legs can be crossed, elbows moved about, etc, without bumping into each other. In contrast, two or more females sitting together will always sit in adjacent seats. The precise explanation for this is unknown, but some suspect it may be so whispering during the service is less noticeable.

But what if you are a male, and you’re getting ready to sit down by a female with whom you have a platonic friendship? You don’t want to seem aloof by creating an unnecessary distance between you, but on the other hand, you don’t want to give an impression that is unintended (by you) or unwelcomed (by her). It would be different if the row were already mostly full, but sitting side-by-side with no one else in the immediate vicinity might be awkward.

Am I alone in facing these life-altering quandaries? Is it all in my head, the result of my own insecurity, or have others been plagued by this as well? Any advice?

originally posted 1/23/2005 on bibleforums.org

Bizarre ritual

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Yesterday afternoon as I was driving home on a county road outside of town, I passed a field and noticed four people standing in the middle of the field, apparently wrestling with a cow. This seemed rather strange, so I pulled off the road onto a nearby driveway behind a barn, and observed them for a while. After struggling with the cow for a while, and apparently tying it up, it suddenly went limp. I happened to have a pair of binoculars in my car, so I pulled them out for a closer look at what was going on. There were four men, all dressed in robes. They had slit the cow’s throat, and were collecting it’s blood in a container. Then they smeared the blood on their faces, hands, and feet, and sprinkled some on their clothing. They cut the cow open and removed some of its internal organs, then began dismembering it, cutting off its head and legs. Certain parts they would wave in the air, and then place on a fire that they had started. I was pretty sick to my stomach, so I didn’t stick around to see what else they did. Does anybody know if this is a ritual that a particular group has, or was it most likely just four twisted individuals? Should I have told somebody about this?

Perhaps you would respond like some of these people responded:

“From my extensive study of many of the worlds religions, it seems you witnessed the act of four very messed up kids. This doesn’t sound like anything more than someone who has watched one too many gore movies.”

“Almost sounds like an OT sacrifice. Please note the word ALMOST. It also seems a little ‘dark lordish.'”

“It does sound like some kind of sacrifice…not OT though.”

“That’s disgusting. Sounds satantic to me.”

“My, this sound like some Old Testament ritual.”

“I would not have thought twice to call the cops…”

“It sounds a lot like a satanic ritual.”

What if I replaced “yesterday” with “3,500 years ago,” and replaced rural Indiana with the Sinai Desert; would that change your response?

“…they smeared the blood on their faces, hands, and feet, and sprinkled some on their clothing.”
Exodus 29:20-21 “…take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. …sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments.”

“They cut the cow open and removed some of its internal organs, then began dismembering it, cutting off its head and legs.”
Exodus 29:17 “Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces.”

“Certain parts they would wave in the air, and then place on a fire that they had started.”
Exodus 29:24-25 “Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD, an offering made to the LORD by fire.”

I think sometimes when people (including me) read the Bible, we read some pretty bizarre things without batting an eye. You’ve probably heard comments before to the effect that if the Bible were made into a movie, and Christians weren’t told that the script came straight from the Bible, many would think it should be banned. Why is it that our perception of the same stories is so much different depending on the source? How is it that something holy and righteous 3,500 years ago, would be viewed as satanic if it were observed today? Is there anything we should learn from this about ourselves or how we view God?

Some people believe that the last nine chapters of Ezekiel refer to the millennial reign of Christ, and that sacrifices will again be offered in the temple at that time. (There may be other passages that are used to support this idea, but this is the one I’m aware of.) The religious leaders of the day did not accept Jesus when he came the first time, because his ideas and practices were not consistent with the context in which they expected the Messiah to operate. How will we respond when Jesus returns, if he institutes practices that are unfamiliar to us, possibly even bizarre and shocking?

In thinking about this topic, I was reminded that evil is not the opposite of good, but rather a perversion of something good. We’re so used to the concept of “good vs. evil” that we tend to think of them as opposites, with good forces and evil forces struggling for superiority. However, Evil cannot exist by itself; without a knowledge of what is Good, Evil is undefined. The fact that evil is not the polar opposite of good can make it harder to identify. Since evil is in fact a twisted version of something good, our ability to recognize it depends on how twisted it is, and how familiar we are with the standard for Good.

originally posted 2/4/2005 on bibleforums.org

Mark of the Beast

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It’s not uncommon to hear Christians theorize about what the mark of the beast will be. Technological advances relating to personal identification are common suspects.

Orginally posted 2/22/2005 on bibleforums.org:

I don’t know how the mark of the beast will manifest itself, but I do think that someone who takes it will know that in doing so they are renouncing Jesus. We are essentially already a cashless society. Cash is available, but it isn’t necessary. When I swipe a magnetic code in order to buy something, does the fact that it’s on my body versus on a plastic card make all the difference in the world?

Some will reject any type of implantable chip whatsoever. I haven’t decided yet if that is evil or just the next wave of technology and convenience. If you decide that it’s okay, where else are you going to put it besides your forehead or hand? It wouldn’t be very convenient to have to swipe your knee or your shoulder to buy something. At amusement parks, concerts, etc. where they stamp your hand to show that you paid admission, they always stamp the back of your hand. Is that the mark of the beast?

Online "dating" (a male perspective)

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A while back, out of boredom and curiousity, I posted a profile at several online dating sites (match.com, cupid.com, true.com, etc; there are a bunch). Here is what I can tell you from my experience. Some of these will sound like superficial generalizations, so bear with me.

(in no particular order)

  • The number of Christians is small. Some will check the “Christian” box by “default” because they aren’t Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim, and they believe in God; but they aren’t necessarily born-again. In the “what they’re looking for” category, if they leave religion Open/Any/All, it tells you they don’t really understand the Christian concept of being unequally yoked. Even if they are true Christians, someone who was raised on Catholic or ELCA doctrine is not likely to see eye-to-eye with me on a lot of issues. The number of people who have a faith that is truly compatible with mine is very low.
  • There are quite a few women who are divorced and/or have children. In a way, this reflects reality, but I think the percentages are higher for online dating sites. I think single mothers or divorcees are more likely to use an online dating site than someone who has never been married. That may not be true, but that’s my impression. This is not to say that you should automatically rule out someone who has been married before or had children out of wedlock, but it’s not the ideal situation.
  • If they haven’t been married and don’t have kids, they’re likely to be overweight and/or unattractive. I don’t say this to be mean or superficial, and I realize it’s a generalization; it’s simply my observation of a trend that I saw. It seems to me that the people who are most likely to use online dating sites are those who have been unsuccessful in meeting someone via the “normal” means. Often, that means those who have had failed relationships, or those who are not found to be attractive (or don’t consider themselves attractive to others). Again, this is not to say that you should rule out someone who isn’t a knockout. It’s inner beauty that really counts, and someone’s inner beauty can influence how you view the exterior “package.” However, I do believe that physical attraction, though a minor consideration, is important. I also believe that a measure of physical compatibility is important. All other things equal, a 6-foot supermodel is probably not the best match for me. On the other hand, I prefer to marry someone who I can carry across the threshold; so I either need to really start working out, or find someone who weighs less than I do.
  • To actually have a conversation with someone, most sites require you to purchase a subscription. They usually filter out email addresses, IM accounts, web sites, etc, and some are more aggressive than others at censoring profiles to eliminate any description of how to contact you outside of their system.
  • You are likely to cultivate interest from people who don’t interest you. This makes me feel kind of bad when someone tries to contact me or let me know they are interested in learning more about me, and I either ignore them or let them know that I’m not interested. It’s one thing to get to know someone, but since it’s a dating site, I don’t want to get someone’s hopes up when I suspect they’re not what I’m looking for.

Also, some people lie, long distance relationships are tough, and the impersonal nature of the internet has it’s complications.

On the plus side, some of the personality tests and questions you have to answer in the process of creating a profile are kind of fun and helpful in learning about yourself and what you’re looking for. eHarmony.com is probably the best in that regard.

originally posted 3/3/2005 on bibleforums.org

Drinking

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Is it okay for a Christian to go to a bar?

Originally posted 3/5/2005 on bibleforums.org:

I grew up in fundamental evangelical churches, mostly Baptist, and drinking was always discouraged. Especially in the youth group, which I can understand, because teenage drinking is illegal and teens are suspectible to peer pressure. I’m sure a number of people considered alcohol consumption a sin, but I think the general consensus was “technically, we can’t categorically call it a sin, but we frown on anyone who drinks or smokes, and the expectation is that a Christian shouldn’t do it.”

I went to a Christian high school, and if any drinking went on, I wasn’t aware of it. I had my first beer when I was 22, and I went to play pool with a couple of guys I worked with. They got a pitcher of beer, and since I had no moral objection to it, I thought it would be better to share it with them than to raise some artificial wall between us by saying “sorry, I don’t drink.”

The point of this thread was not whether or not it’s okay to drink, but whether a Christian should frequent saloons. The two questions are related, because your answer to the latter depends on what you think about the former, but there is a distinction.

There are two or three verses that are [mis]used more than any others to condemn certain “grey area” activities. 1 Thess. 5:22, “abstain from all appearance of evil,” and Rom 14:21 & 1 Cor. 8:13, the “offends your brother” passages. The argument goes that even if you don’t get drunk, people in bars get drunk, so going to a bar “appears evil” so you shouldn’t do it. Or if another Christian thinks something is wrong, you shouldn’t let them see you do it, because it will offend them. Since you never know who might see you going into a bar, you’re better off not going at all.

The problem is, I Thess 5:22 is not saying “avoid anything that LOOKS like it could be evil, regardless of whether or not it really is.” It’s saying, “avoid anything that IS evil, regardless of how it looks.” The passages in Romans and 1 Corinthians refer to actually causing your brother to sin, not just doing something that they think is wrong. This one still has some merit, because if your brother has a problem with overindulging alcohol, you don’t want to be guilty of leading him into temptation.

I have an occasional beer. It might be at home, it might be at Applebee’s, or it might be at a bar. To me, where I have it is not important. If I go to a bar, it might be because I want to build a relationship with some non-Christian friends, or it might just be me and some Christian friends going to listen to a band who happens to be playing there.

Originally posted 3/3/2005 on bibleforums.org:

Deut 14:26 (KJV)

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.

wine = yayin: from an unused root meaning to effervesce (ie, fermented)
strong drink = she?ka?r: an intoxicant, that is, intensely alcoholic liquor

As far as I can tell, neither OT nor NT prohibit alcohol.