Results 1 - 9 of 9
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | tell me about Soul ties | OT general | Makarios | 50240 | ||
Greetings, Your question, like your username, is a bit vague without any substance. Please clarify. Also, please look into getting a "username." Makarios |
||||||
2 | Is the concept of soul ties Christian? | OT general | LuckyCharm | 63184 | ||
I found this original question on a search of the site. I, too, am interested in this topic, particularly whether it is consistent with sound Christian doctrine. Here is an explanation I found online -- any thoughts? Is this really something we must guard against? http://www.courtshipconnection.net/bok/Soulties.html |
||||||
3 | Is the concept of soul ties Christian? | OT general | Hank | 63187 | ||
Dear Lucky Charm: My "soul tie" with my wife is now in its 44th year. I read some of the opinion and comment on the web site you referenced and came away with this thought in mind: The wisdom of God pertaining to "soul ties" (a term I don't particularly relish) is as follows: "The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." [Genesis 2:22-24]. As for other relationships in life (soul ties, if you will), Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as we do ourselves. That's rather close bonding, or "soul ties" don't you think? God's wisdom on human relationships is far superior to and infinitely more authorative and trustworthy than anything I read on the "Courtship connection" web site! --Hank | ||||||
4 | Can some "soul ties" be harmful? | OT general | LuckyCharm | 63193 | ||
Hi Hank! Thank you for replying, and congratulations on your wonderful and lasting marriage! Do you think that some "soul ties" can be harmful or ungodly, though? Or even that some that start out healthy can go bad? And what is the proper Christian response in that event -- stick it out and pray for enough agape love to overcome the evil, or walk away and shake the dust off our feet? Cheryl |
||||||
5 | Can some "soul ties" be harmful? | OT general | Hank | 63194 | ||
Cheryl, please permit me to use the word "relationships" instead of "soul ties." And, yes, certainly some relationships can be unhealthful and damaging, I don't doubt that at all. In my upbringing my parents were very zealous to guard me against forming close associations with unsavory characters! "You're judged by the company you keep" was a motto they drilled into my head over and over. This is not to say that Christians should avoid going into the highways and hedges of life, rich and poor, upscale and skid row, to carry the message of the Gospel. After all, Jesus did that. But still and all, I believe that young people, whose minds are so malleable and who are so impressionable, should pick for close friends those of high moral and ethical standands and those who have high regard for God and His word. --Hank | ||||||
6 | Drawing the line? | OT general | LuckyCharm | 63198 | ||
Yes, "relationships" is probably a more comfortable term, after all. It is true that bad company corrupts good morals, as Paul reminds us, and there are plenty of Scripture references to support that warning. But I'm wondering how to tell the difference between a sacrificial Christlike agape turn-the-other-cheek type love, and one that is purely dysfunctional, crippling our spirit and our effectiveness for ministry. It seems that plenty of Bible verses could be produced on both sides, and I'm thinking there must be a dividing line somewhere. Peace, Cheryl |
||||||
7 | Drawing the line? | OT general | Hank | 63201 | ||
Cheryl: Sorry, but I must confess that your description is too abstract for me. I'm not quite sure of what you mean by "telling the difference between a Christ-like agape turn-the-other-cheek type love, and one that is purely dysfunctional, crippling our spirit and our effectiveness for ministry." Perhaps you could be more specific and concrete, and perhaps give some examples to illustrate what you are saying. But please be careful not to reveal personal details or disclose private information. That is not advisable on a public forum on the net. --Hank | ||||||
8 | Caught in a sticky web.... | OT general | LuckyCharm | 63207 | ||
Hi again, Hank! I'm thinking mainly of what they call "toxic" relationships. Did you ever know someone who was a constant downer; who knew how to push your buttons, and did so regularly; who always seemed to bring a frown rather than a smile; who would not tell a lie, but would continually shade the truth to keep you confused and off-balance? Someone with whom you might have spent hours, days, month, years, hashing out all the ins and outs, trying to untangle the web, only for nought? Someone who is a constant and considerable drain, who costs you sleep, work, and other responsibilities, without any improvement in the relationship? That's the kind of toxic relationship I'm talking about. It's not a clear-cut thing -- a good case could be made for sticking with it. But the very thought fills me with such an immense weariness that I feel I could collapse on the spot. Yet weariness is no excuse, right? "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13) I am in just such a toxic relationship. Or rather, I have just ended it (I think -- I have done it so many times now, I've lost count). When I end it, I feel guilty -- agape love should have been stronger than that, shouldn't it??? But when I'm in it, I feel guilty for letting it sap all the resources, energy, time, etc. that I could be putting to much better use... Needing to be free, Cheryl |
||||||
9 | Caught in a sticky web.... | OT general | Hank | 63208 | ||
Cheryl: You're corresponding with no psychologist! I took a course in psychology in college but didn't learn enough about it even to be dangerous :-) In my career as a insurance sales manager, the most agonizing experiences where the times when I had to make the decision to let an employee go. I suppose that in some sense it could be viewed as a "toxic" relationship. In private life, and certainly in my marriage, I've never really had what I would call a toxic relationship, although there have been persons whose company I've avoided like the plague for various reasons. But I believe it is possible to love our fellow human beings and to be willing to help those who are in need as Christ would have us do without allowing ourselves to become so vulnerable to their negative influence on our lives that it drains us mentally and emotionally. This is not a healthy situation, and I do not for a moment believe that Christians are required to subject themselves to it. I could be very wrong, but what you describe sounds very much like co-dependence, and that's something that is not desirable. Living a Christian life, telling others about Jesus, and being the best example that one can of the changed life that Jesus can bring about in a human being -- these things are the goals for which I aim. But I try to avoid to the best of my ability the bad emotional entanglements, the "toxic" relationships, the undesirable "soul ties" that have the capacity to lead me off course and to thwart what efforts I exert to be, in some small measure, an effective Christian. I yield now to other, wiser Christian brothers and sisters of the forum who may well have more light than I to shed on this subject. --Hank | ||||||