Interfaith Talk @ MMU Melaka

It’s a natural tendency to avoid anything uncomfortable. Many Christians tense up in situations where angry feelings arise. We’ve all probably witnessed the volcanic anger that erupts from a disgruntled customer in the grocery checkout lane. Everyone around gets singed by the heat of rage directed toward the offending cashier. They scramble to put distance between themselves and the angry eruption.

Avoiding all anger is like turning off the electricity in your house so as to avoid the potential of being electrocuted. While anger suppression works to keep you safe, it also means

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The negative consequences of using drugs “recreationally” far outweigh their short-term pleasures.

First are the physical effects. Marijuana, for instance, may have dangerous long-term effects, including cancers of the head and neck. Amphetamines and cocaine are highly addictive and cause rapid physical deterioration. Barbiturates depress the central nervous system and are so physically addictive that withdrawal can be fatal if someone dependent on them attempts to stop taking them without medical supervision. (Another peculiar danger of barbiturates is the ease with which a person can take

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Here are some standards to apply to your TV viewing:

The Reality Test

Even in comedy, unrealistic plots and stereotyped characters often indicate a warped moral perspective. Programs that don’t depict the painful consequences of wrong actions distort reality. Just as we shouldn’t spend our lives aimlessly associating with evil people and fools (1 Corinthians 15:33), we shouldn’t invest valuable time watching immoral and frivolous programming.

Every family member should learn to be a critical viewer, ready to switch off “junk” productions that are done in poor taste. We

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According to Titus 2:5 it is important that a young woman keep her home. She is “to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to [her] husband, so that no one will malign the Word of God.”

Paul’s purpose for telling young women to be pure, self-controlled,and keepers of their home is found in the last part of the verse, “so that no one will malign the Word of God.” How can responsible Christian women honor God in our culture? How do we make decisions for our family that will not make a mockery

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Every living creature instinctively fears death. Like everyone, Christians are human, and like everyone, they fear dying. In crisis situations, fear of death is important to survival. An animal species that lacks an instinctive fear of death won’t survive even a few generations. Therefore it’s normal for all creatures to fear death. Healthy people spend a lifetime doing their best to avoid it. Surrendering to death without a struggle

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You shouldn’t feel guilty that you are grieving. We might be saddened or distressed when we break a valuable heirloom or lose a valuable antique in a fire. But grief at the death of a pet dog is — and should be — deeper. A dog may not be “worth” nearly as much in dollars as an antique, but the real value of your dog is not monetary. Dogs aren’t things; they’re companions. They’re not man-made objects, but masterpieces of the Creator,

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Because this is a fallen world, we do nothing from entirely pure motives. (See article on Depravity.) As the prophet Isaiah said:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away (Isaiah 64:6).

Because our motivations are always imperfect and our choices often difficult, one of Satan’s

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Apologists for homosexual behavior often attempt to distinguish between “born” homosexuals and people who engage in homosexual behavior for other reasons. This distinction is usually combined with the claim that approximately 10 percent of the population is exclusively homosexual. Both of these claims are false. Further, they are misleading because they provide a rationalization for “normalizing” harmful behavior.

Science has not yet discovered any genetically dictated behavior in humans.

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The physical attractions you feel for men are real and, obviously at times, quite strong. It’s good that you are troubled by them. Your discontent is a sign that you have not accepted an identity as a “gay” man (see Does the fact that I feel same-sex attractions mean that I am “gay”? ). It’s a sign that your heart is open to moving in a godly direction.

Generally, it’s a mistake to suppress your same-sex attractions in terms of trying to pretend they don’t exist. Driving the attractions underground will make them grow stronger. God wants us to be honest about

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Being sexually attracted to the same sex is one of the most difficult struggles a person can experience. But don’t allow the presence of same-sex attractions mislead you into thinking that you are “gay.” Same-sex attractions are a sign of a deep hunger and a profound confusion within you.

While biological predispositions may contribute to any unwanted struggle, same-sex attractions are probably not something you were born with nor did you choose to have them. There are other reasons you are sexually attracted to men. It is more likely that you are confused by significant relationships and events in

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