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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 17, 2023

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I know there's an expectation that Christians "have" to do this. But from a pragmatic, as opposed to biblical edict standpoint, I'm never going to change. It's inviting conflict with no possible upside for anyone or a fictional god.

This is where my charge of arrogance comes into play. I've spent just as much time and effort, if not more, considering my beliefs and morality. I was born and raised in a pressure cooker of Christianity and haven't budged an inch. If they assume I'm too stupid to have actually thought this true, or that I'm weak enough to fold to their bullying, they're wrong on both fronts.

Given the available evidence of non-believers that have converted, what makes you so confident you'll never change? I don't think you've really engaged with the faith, the objections you raise are shallow. Maybe you engaged with a hollow version of the faith.

I, too, used to be an edgy Internet atheist. I'm now on the path to Catholic baptism.

At least 3 of the men who married into this family have converted, but came from casual christianity as opposed to atheism. I've been given the hard and soft sell continuously throughout my life, and really only got respite from it after moving from home. Things would have been much easier for me if I could be religious, but I couldn't honestly make that choice.

Well I mean fallen short in advising you both not to enter a mixed marriage. Look, I don't know your family and would guess that 90+% percentage of inter-family value pressure and hostility (Christian or otherwise) is counterproductive just from a human nature perspective, so I'm not carte-blanc defending that.

But your wife, especially if she's a practicing Catholic, doesn't get to just make up the rules to force-fit her preferred marriage arrangement. Overall, by entering a Christian marriage, both of you should expect and act gracefully in the face of the Great Commission's demand's on your families, or else you shouldn't have entered into a marriage with a Christian.

This is where my charge of arrogance comes into play.

Maybe this isn't what you're saying, but it's not arrogance to act upon your convictions.

Then maybe you should not have married her. Your choice.

You may consider it passe, but I personally believe in love as an actual thing.