Purity Force Challenge (Kick-off)
Time for resolutions, right ?
Browsing around on the Internet and on some blogs, I noticed the Setting Captives Free website. Apart from books like "A Biblical Approach to Weight Loss" (of course we all know that, apart from spreading his message of love and peace, Jesus also informed us about dieting and weight-loss tactics.), the site offers several 1 or 2 month courses on subjects like porn-addiction and drinking problems.
One of the courses caught my eye, called the Purity Force Challenge.
Quoting a small part of their text :
If you want to live a life of power, then you must live a live of purity! If you want a life of purity, you must live a life that sees and understands reality and truth. Thats what we want to teach you and train you to recognize. Therefore, this course will be based on Truth, as a biblical study. It will be challenging but as Gods Word is put to use in you, it has the power to free you from sins grip, and to help you keep your life pure and powerful for Gods glory.
Right. Well, a life of power sounds good. Purity sounds funny as well. Let's give it a shot, shall we ? Sounds like a good way to start the new year.
Details
I will try and keep a record of everything I learn and do during the course here on my blog. I'll even try to make a day-to-day, diary like story. Hopefully, by the end of this course, I'll be completely pure and powerful.
Prologue.
So, there we go.
Signing up. I am confronted with the following facts :
Enrolling in this course means that you agree to:
Abstain from sexual impurity of any kind.
-Wait a minute. Does that mean no sex at all ? Or can I have sex, as long as I keep it 'pure' ??
I'm not really into any kinky stuff or whatever. Let's assume they mean that with 'impurity'..
Work through the daily lessons.
Email in the completed study guides (hit the submit button on the page).
Be held accountable for your daily progress (If you don't have daily access to a computer then we will work something out).
Apart from the 'abstaining' part, it sounds fair enough.
During the sign-up process, I have to check 3 boxes of which one again reads 'I am committed to abstain from sexual impurity.' Without checking it, there's no signing up. Let's just stick to my definition of impurity, until they prove me wrong.
Day 1.
Off we go.
I am inmediately confronted with the program for the first day.
The story again rants on about how you can only live a life of power, when you remain sexually pure.
It also tells me that during the course, I will learn, among others, about the 'various forms of sexual sin' and the 'Reality of Purity, Relationships and dating'.
Question 1. Bart, what are your own thoughts about sex and sexuality? (There are no right or wrong answers just write!). This will set a starting point and give you something to look back on as you go through the course. What do you think of when you hear "sexuality" ??
- Oh bugger, now what the hell am I supposed to say to that ?
My final answer reads :
When I hear sexuality, I think of the fact of two people having sexual intercourse, aimed at either procreation of their species, or simply as a way to show their feelings for each other, with those feelings being either emotional or physical.
After thinking for a while, I add another paragraph in which I ask the guys what exactly they mean with sexual impurity. Should get that one straightened out right away.
I answer a few other questions about how that opinion is shaped (I guess media and other people around me, mostly), and am confronted with a verse reading "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Cor. 6:18-20)
They now ask me whether I remained pure since my last lesson, and tell me they are gonna ask that question every day. I guess I should answer 'yes' here.
Note
Despite the -possibly somewhat sarcastic- tone I'm writing this, I mean in no way to ridicule or make fun of the Christian beliefs. In fact, I am very interested in their views on things like 'purity'.
If you feel offended by this post, or any other post following in this series, feel free to contact me -either by replying to this post, or by mailing me.
Realize however, that I too am entitled to my own opinion on things, and try not to simply think of me as a 'sinner' (or any other kind of jerk). If we act like adults, we might have a nice discussion.
Browsing around on the Internet and on some blogs, I noticed the Setting Captives Free website. Apart from books like "A Biblical Approach to Weight Loss" (of course we all know that, apart from spreading his message of love and peace, Jesus also informed us about dieting and weight-loss tactics.), the site offers several 1 or 2 month courses on subjects like porn-addiction and drinking problems.
One of the courses caught my eye, called the Purity Force Challenge.
Quoting a small part of their text :
If you want to live a life of power, then you must live a live of purity! If you want a life of purity, you must live a life that sees and understands reality and truth. Thats what we want to teach you and train you to recognize. Therefore, this course will be based on Truth, as a biblical study. It will be challenging but as Gods Word is put to use in you, it has the power to free you from sins grip, and to help you keep your life pure and powerful for Gods glory.
Right. Well, a life of power sounds good. Purity sounds funny as well. Let's give it a shot, shall we ? Sounds like a good way to start the new year.
Details
I will try and keep a record of everything I learn and do during the course here on my blog. I'll even try to make a day-to-day, diary like story. Hopefully, by the end of this course, I'll be completely pure and powerful.
Prologue.
So, there we go.
Signing up. I am confronted with the following facts :
Enrolling in this course means that you agree to:
Abstain from sexual impurity of any kind.
-Wait a minute. Does that mean no sex at all ? Or can I have sex, as long as I keep it 'pure' ??
I'm not really into any kinky stuff or whatever. Let's assume they mean that with 'impurity'..
Work through the daily lessons.
Email in the completed study guides (hit the submit button on the page).
Be held accountable for your daily progress (If you don't have daily access to a computer then we will work something out).
Apart from the 'abstaining' part, it sounds fair enough.
During the sign-up process, I have to check 3 boxes of which one again reads 'I am committed to abstain from sexual impurity.' Without checking it, there's no signing up. Let's just stick to my definition of impurity, until they prove me wrong.
Day 1.
Off we go.
I am inmediately confronted with the program for the first day.
The story again rants on about how you can only live a life of power, when you remain sexually pure.
It also tells me that during the course, I will learn, among others, about the 'various forms of sexual sin' and the 'Reality of Purity, Relationships and dating'.
Question 1. Bart, what are your own thoughts about sex and sexuality? (There are no right or wrong answers just write!). This will set a starting point and give you something to look back on as you go through the course. What do you think of when you hear "sexuality" ??
- Oh bugger, now what the hell am I supposed to say to that ?
My final answer reads :
When I hear sexuality, I think of the fact of two people having sexual intercourse, aimed at either procreation of their species, or simply as a way to show their feelings for each other, with those feelings being either emotional or physical.
After thinking for a while, I add another paragraph in which I ask the guys what exactly they mean with sexual impurity. Should get that one straightened out right away.
I answer a few other questions about how that opinion is shaped (I guess media and other people around me, mostly), and am confronted with a verse reading "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Cor. 6:18-20)
They now ask me whether I remained pure since my last lesson, and tell me they are gonna ask that question every day. I guess I should answer 'yes' here.
Note
Despite the -possibly somewhat sarcastic- tone I'm writing this, I mean in no way to ridicule or make fun of the Christian beliefs. In fact, I am very interested in their views on things like 'purity'.
If you feel offended by this post, or any other post following in this series, feel free to contact me -either by replying to this post, or by mailing me.
Realize however, that I too am entitled to my own opinion on things, and try not to simply think of me as a 'sinner' (or any other kind of jerk). If we act like adults, we might have a nice discussion.
posted by Bartje at 7:04 PM
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