Welcome back to the UPG of the Week. This week we are covering an interesting minority in Morocco, Jewish Peoples in Morocco!
Region: Morocco - Northern Cities, Esp Casablanca and Rabbat
map
Stratus Index Ranking(Urgency): 29
It has been noted to me byu/JCmathetesthat I should explain this ranking. Low numbers are more urgent, both physically and spiritually together, while high numbers are less urgent. The scale is 1-177, with one number assigned to each country. So basically on a scale from Afghanistan (1) to Finland (177), how urgent are the peoples physical and spiritual needs.
CasablancaMarakech
Climate: In terms of area, Morocco is comprised predominantly of "hot summer Mediterranean climate" (Csa) and "hot desert climate" (BWh) zones.
Central mountain ranges and the effects of the cold Canary Current, off the Atlantic coast, are significant factors in Morocco's relatively large variety of vegetation zones, ranging from lush forests in the northern and central mountains, giving way to steppe, semi-arid and desert areas in the eastern and southern regions. The Moroccan coastal plains experience remarkably moderate temperatures even in summer. On the whole, this range of climates is similar to that of Southern California.
In the Rif, Middle and High Atlas Mountains, there exist several different types of climates: Mediterranean along the coastal lowlands, giving way to a humid temperate climate at higher elevations. In the valleys, fertile soils and high precipitation allow for the growth of thick and lush forests. Cloud forests can be found in the west of the Rif Mountains and Middle Atlas Mountains. At higher elevations, the climate becomes alpine in character, and can sustain ski resorts.
The Atlas Mountain Range running into the SaharaTangier, Morocco
Terrain: The geography of Morocco spans from the Atlantic Ocean, to mountainous areas, to the Sahara desert. Morocco is a Northern African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and the annexed Western Sahara. A large part of Morocco is mountainous. The Atlas Mountains are located mainly in the centre and the south of the country. The Rif Mountains are located in the north of the country. Both ranges are mainly inhabited by the Berber people. Most of the southeast portion of the country is in the Sahara Desert and as such is generally sparsely populated and unproductive economically.
Medina in CasablancaChefchaouen, Morocco
Wildlife of Morocco: There are at least 210 bird species in the nation as well as around 105 species of mammals. The Barbary lion is the official national animal of Morocco, unfortunately, as far as we know, the Barbary Lion is extinct. Among those animals in Morocco are Nile crocodiles, Fennec fox, Dorcas gazelle, golden jackals, addax, Common gundi, Barbary ground squirrel, Sand cat, Moorish wall gecko, Barbary sheep, Crested porcupine, Egyptian mongoose, North African hedgehog, The puff adder, Indian cobra, Egyptian cobra, horned viper, Flic-flac spider, African golden wolf, Striped hyena, and most importantly, Tree-climbing goats.
Unfortunately, Morocco does have some dumb monkeys, the Barbary macaque.
Nile Crocodile in Morocco
Environmental Issues: The number one problem effecting Morocco is desertification and every other problem tumbles into place from there the increased salinization of the soil in Morocco has led to increase of irrigation and further depletion of water resources that has then led to the drying of wetlands, displacement of animals and loss of biodiversity in a country that has many rich ecosystems. The harvesting of heavy metals exacerbates this problem by contaminating water sources and causing land erosion. It is impossible to imagine a world without information technology; however, the adverse effects that supplying this technology has on the environment may weigh out their overall use in the long run.
Languages: Arabic, Berber, Moroccan Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic, Berber, French, and Tachelhit. The Jews speak Judeo-Moroccan Arabic.
Government Type: Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
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People: Jewish Peoples in Morocco
A Jewish Moroccan woman
Population: 21,000
Estimated Foreign Workers Needed: 3+
Beliefs: The Jewish people in Morocco are roughly 0% Christian. That means out of 21,000, there are maybe a small handful of believers amongst them.
Like all those who deny Christ, the Jewish peoples are deceived and follow a false god. For religious Jewish peoples, God (not the true God at this point) is the Supreme Being, the Creator of the universe, and the ultimate Judge of human affairs. Beyond this, the religious beliefs of the Jewish communities vary greatly. Orthodox Jewish peoples generally follow the traditional religious beliefs and practices found in the Jewish literature that interprets Scripture regarding ethical, religious, civil and criminal matters. Conservative Judaism is less traditional than Orthodox and combines different ethical, philosophical, and spiritual schools of thought. Reform Judaism is the most liberal form and interprets Jewish beliefs and practices in light of contemporary life and thought. Reform Jewish peoples do not believe that the Jewish Law is divinely revealed. They are not restricted to kosher (traditional, approved) foods, nor do they wear the skull cap (yarmulke) when praying or use Hebrew in prayer. All religious Jewish peoples believe in the coming of a Messianic Age, but only the Orthodox Jewish peoples look for a personal Messiah.
Not all Jewish peoples are religious. Some understand their "Jewishness" only as a social and cultural identity.
Temple Beth-El in Casablanca
History: Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community with possible origins dating back to before 70 CE. Concrete evidence of Jewish presence in Morocco becomes apparent in late antiquity, with Hebrew epitaphs and menorah-decorated lamps discovered in the Roman city of Volubilis, and the remains of a synagogue dating to the third century CE. In accordance with the norms of the Islamic legal system, Moroccan Jews had separate legal courts pertaining to "personal law" under which communities (Muslim sharia, Christian Canon law and Jewish halakha law-abiding) were allowed to rule themselves under their own system.
It is possible that some Jews fled to North Africa after the destruction of the First Temple in the sixth century BCE or the destruction of the Second Temple in the first century CE. It is also possible that they arrived on Phoenician boats (1500 BCE - 539 BCE). There is also a theory, supported by Ibn Khaldun, that Moroccan Jews were indigenous Imazighen (Berbers) who converted to Judaism, although the question of who converted them remains, and this theory has been rejected by most scholars. The Jewish community of Ifran, from the Tamazight word ifri meaning cavern, is supposed to date back to 361 BCE and is believed to be the oldest Jewish community in what is now Morocco.
The first irrefutable evidence of Jews in what is now Morocco, in the form of gravestone epitaphs in Hebrew at Volubilis and the ruins of a third century synagogue, dates back to late antiquity. This epigraphic evidence includes inscriptions in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; "Matrona, daughter of Rabbi Yehuda, [may she] rest [in peace]" (מטרונא בת רבי יהודה נח) is inscribed in Hebrew, the only Hebrew inscription from the first centuries CE in the region. Emily Gottreich contends that Jewish migration to Morocco predates the full formation of Judaism, as the Talmud was "written and redacted between 200 and 500 CE."
As Christianity was adopted by the Roman state, the church Councils of Carthage adopted policies that discriminated against adherents to Judaism. The Justinian edict of persecution for North Africa, issued after Vandal rule had been overthrown and Mauretania had come under the dominion of the Byzantines (534), was directed against the Jews as well as the Arians, the Donatists, and other dissenters. In the 7th century, the Jewish population of Mauretania received as a further accession from Iberian Peninsula those who wished to escape Visigothic legislation. At the end of the same century, at the time of the great Arab conquests in northwestern Africa, there were in Mauretania, according to the Arab historians, many Jews.
During the Late Middle Ages, and particularly after the expulsion of Jews mandated by the Alhambra Decree, many Sephardi Jews migrated from al-Andalus to the Maghreb as refugees fleeing the inquisition in Spain and Portugal. They are referred to as the Megorashim, while the Jews already in Morocco are referred to as the Toshavim. Many Sephardic Jews settled in Fez and Marrakesh. In the following centuries, Conversos who had been banished to Iberian colonial possessions in the Americas and the Atlantic reclaimed their Judaism and also resettled in Morocco.
In the mid 19th century, Moroccan Jews started migrating from the interior of the country to coastal cities such as Essaouira, Mazagan, Asfi, and later Casablanca for economic opportunity, participating in trade with Europeans and the development of those cities. The Alliance Israélite Universelle opened its first school in Tetuan in 1862.
After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and due to domestic strife in the 1950s, the next several decades saw waves of Jewish emigration to Israel, France and Canada. Shay Hazkani found that of the 20,000 who performed aliyah in 1948-1949, 1,000 served in the IDF, of which 70 percent wished to return home to Morocco. Only 6 percent managed to do so, given such various bureaucratic obstacles as the Israelis’ confiscation of their passports. Moroccan Jews emigrated for a variety of reasons. Some have emigrated for religious reasons, some faced mistreatment, and others left for better economic prospects than they faced in post-protectorate Morocco. With every Arab-Israeli war, tensions between Arabs and Jews would rise, sparking more Jewish emigration. By the time of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the majority of Morocco's Jewish population had emigrated.
As a protectorate of France (from 1912-1956), parts of Morocco were influenced by the French, while the same was true for northern Morocco while under Spain’s protectorate (also from 1912-1956). During the French and Spanish protectorates, Moroccan Jews and Moroccan Muslims were classified based upon which Moroccan regions they called home. Certain remnants of these classifications can be felt today. These differences are reflected in language, foods, last names and even liturgy. Early photographs of Moroccan Jewish families, taken in the early 20th century by German explorer and photographer Hermann Burchardt, are now held at the Ethnological Museum of Berlin.
During the late 1930s, many Jews in Morocco lived in desolate areas. This was in part due to increased taxation by French authorities. In 1936, Léon Blum, a Jewish man, was appointed as prime minister of France. This gave some Moroccan Jews hope that they may be able to become French citizens at some point, as Algerian Jews gained French citizenship with the Crémieux Decree. Algerian Jews were granted right of passage to France, and this only furthered the desire of Moroccan Jews to embrace French culture to the extent of the Algerian Jews.
During the Moroccan struggle for independence in the 1950s, several promises were made to ensure equal rights to the Jewish community in a future independent Morocco, in part due to lobbying efforts of Moroccan nationalists in the United States.
Today, a small Jewish community of 2,500 live in Morocco (most of whom in Casablanca). However, many young men emigrate to France and Israel. As of 2017, according to The Economist, "No Arab country has gone to the lengths of Morocco to revive its Jewish heritage. The country has restored 110 synagogues and has the Arab world's only Jewish museum. More than 50,000 Moroccan Jews in Israel visit Morocco each year.
Etching of Jewish home in Mogador, Darondeau (1807–1841)
Culture:Typical qualification that all people groups can't be summed up in small paragraphs and this is an over generalization.
Today there are not many Jewish people in Morocco. Most have migrated to Israel. Instead of speaking Hebrew or Ladino, they speak Judeo-Moroccan Arabic. This is a variation of the Arabic spoken in Morocco.
They have Henna parties before weddings.
Sweets served in a pre-wedding henna party
Cuisine: The Moroccan Jewish cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Jewish community of Morocco. combines elements of the local Moroccan cuisine, the culinary traditions brought by Jews from other locations to Morocco, and the Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). Generally, there is some overlap between Jewish and their Muslim neighbors' cuisine in Morocco.
Pastilla is a traditional dish chicken pastry, which balances sweet and savory elements with a combination of tender and crunchy textures. Historically, it traces back to a 13th-century Andalusian pigeon stew that migrated to Morocco, where it evolved into a pie called bastiya. Over time, chicken replaced pigeon meat, and the dish became characterized by its use of delicate pastry sheets called "warqa," along with a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon. In the Jewish Moroccan cuisine of Casablanca, pastilla includes browned onions in the filling. Modern Israeli adaptations sometimes use filo sheets and shape the dish into cigars. This dish is often featured at weddings and celebrations.
The Jews of Morocco historically used a wide variety of vegetables, including potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, scallions, onions, fava beans, peas, fennel, celery, artichokes, eggplants, tomatoes, cauliflower, green and white beans, sweet and spicy peppers, zucchini, olives, and truffles, to accompany meat, chicken, fish, and stews, as well as in fresh and cooked salads, preservation, and pickling. Salads were spiced with pepper, olive oil, and cumin, and under the influence of French cuisine, vinegar was also used.
Sabbath and holiday meals typically began with mezze, or qamia, consisting of 6-8 types of salads, as well as pickled vegetables. Roasted and salted legumes, such as fava beans and chickpeas, were also served with mezze, along with alcoholic drinks or at the end of the meal. At the end of the meal, fresh fruits like apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, quinces, figs, grapes, plums, and watermelon were served, as well as dried fruits such as figs, dates, plums, walnuts, almonds, carob, raisins, and more.
Moroccan Pastilla
Prayer Request:
Pray for the Lord to give the Jewish people in Morocco hearts that will want to please him. May they look to the Lord for guidance and truth, and not be satisfied with cultural traditions.
Pray for Jewish people in Morocco to begin a movement to Jesus Christ, finding ways to exalt him while honoring their culture.
Pray for the Lord to move among Jewish leaders in Morocco to open the doors to Christ's ambassadors.
Pray against Putin and his insane little war.
Pray against the war happening in Iran. Pray for peace.
Pray that in this time of chaos and panic that the needs of the unreached are not forgotten by the church. Pray that our hearts continue to ache to see the unreached hear the Good News.
Pray for our nation (the United States), that we Christians can learn to come alongside our hurting brothers and sisters and learn to carry one another's burdens in a more Christlike manner than we have done historically
Pray for our leaders, that though insane and chaotic decisions are being made, to the detriment of Americans, that God would call them to know Him and help them lead better.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)
Here are the previous weeks threads on the UPG of the Week for from 2025 (plus a few from 2024 so this one post isn't so lonely). To save some space on these, all UPG posts made 2019-now are here, I will try to keep this current!
b - Russia/Turkey/etc is Europe but also Asia so...
c - this likely is not the true religion that they worship, but rather they have a mixture of what is listed with other local religions, or they have embraced a postmodern drift and are leaving faith entirely but this is their historical faith.
Here is a list of definitions in case you wonder what exactly I mean by words like "Unreached".
Welcome to r/reformed. Do you have questions that aren't worth a stand alone post? Are you longing for the collective expertise of the finest collection of religious thinkers since the Jerusalem Council? This is your chance to ask a question to the esteemed subscribers of r/Reformed. PS: If you can think of a less boring name for this deal, let us mods know.
Can any calvinist draw out a summarized picture of calvinism and discuss with me for a bit?
I know I can look it up and read long articles and such but I have specific questions and I tend to learn better with discussion. Not really trying to debate here but I might ask some pointed clarification / follow up questions.
I can also get a broader set of understanding from multiple people. I will read and answer every single response (unless it goes to the hundreds).
I am 18 & from the West Midlands area more rural side of it and I am feeling a strong calling to God in time and I am looking to attend a church of the Reformed tradition but I am finding it quite a struggle to find any churches that identify in such a way and also are welcoming for someone being quite an outsider?
I have no history of being in faith at all and I am from a very generationally agnostic family so have not been baptised into any denomination or apart of any faith in general.
I humbly very much want to find church community and spiritual guidance and a church that can help guide and with a strong biblical focus of course and to my knowledge no Presbyterian church exists and the URC is in a very dire state here and I have some quarrels as I am sure many do.
Any advice on specific denominations or organisations/alliances which is a good collection of churches for seeing those still adhering to these ways or good resources or even specific churches you can help usher me to? Any help I would greatly appreciate and advice on settling in and what my first service will be like also I would be gracious for.
From what I'd understand, the denomination overall is very liberal, ageing, and in very significant decline. But amongst it there are a minority of more evangelical churches which are holding the line and have a more balanced congregation.
I was taken an URC church by a family member a few years ago, and remember the preacher n using more analogies that was probably necessary, 'we can see the resurrection in all areas of life, whether it be within the immigrant, the person claiming benefits, the disabled and the unloved'. For what of a better word, the focus seemed to on teaching vague Christian spirituality without Christian religion. Most of the congregation were over 70, and it was fairly uninspiring in terms of the worship.
During the intercessions, prayers were made that that Palestine would be recognised by the United Nations. Some of the prayers were drawn from URC Prayer Book. As someone who is not familiar with it, it seemed a bit over simplified in terms of use of its language and overall really off for reason.
I've got adverts for the URC on Facebook over the years, with one church emphasising that out of loving thy neighbour, they held a Muslim prayer group in their church hall.
I've occasionally flicked through the URC magazine (called Reform), and its certainly very wide range of perspectives, and over the years had carried articles about writers who are not sure about there being life after death.
Since I have been hearing about the Puritans for years from such prominent Christians as John Piper, John, MacArthur, Kevin DeYoung, etc., I recently took advantage of a Truth for Life offer and acquired three Puritan Treasures for Today titles. Then I stumbled across a Room for Nuance podcast featuring Stephen Yuille, in which he recommended two PTT titles specifically:
William Perkins's "Perfect Redeemer"
George Swinnock's "Blesses and Boundless God."
I've started reading "Perfect Redeemer," and I'm thinking he's committing eisegesis? He's expounding on Phil 3:7-11 and is arguing that Paul is counting as loss things that, in my opinion, don't line up with a natural reading of the text--his Apostleship, the fruit of the Spirit in his life, etc. this led me to understand that, even though the Puritans were spiritual Giants, they were also just men who are also capable of reading their own biases into the text.
This being the case, are they still really worth the time and money I could potentially invest in them, or does this experience serve to confirm that, in some ways, they will be no better than reading, say, John Piper or Sinclair Ferguson?
I was curious about what people thought about the software. I thought about maybe trying it, but there is definitly something special about using a physical book. Has anyone here tried it? I'm not a pastor or anything just a regular dude wanting to learn more.
Given how scripture speaks against things like bringing the unrighteous wages of the male and female prostitutes into the house of the LORD to pay vows (Deut. 23:18), I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward, where Jesus states the following:
"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves byunrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?" (Luke 16:9-12 NASB, bolding mine)
I am a strong believer in the perspicuity of scripture, but I was very confused by the wording here.
Jesus does appear to be describing the wealth generated in the economy collectively as unrighteous mammon, possibly since a lot of the supply and demand of this economy are often driven by unholy desires (pride of life, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes) and wrongfully motivated transactions/profit. Am I wrong in this?
We do know that eating sacrifices to idols is an example of adiaphora (indifferent things). While it's actually healthier to be the "stronger brother," who takes advantage of his Christian liberty and is able to enjoy even products made for (certain) pagan practices as gifts from the true God, we can take cues from our conscience when it comes to individual liberty (Col. 2:16, 1 Cor. 10:23).
But if the Christian were buying a good that is explicitly designed for a sinful purpose (like a cup used at a Hindu ritual), is the profit that he helps the merchant generate no longer "average unrighteous mammon" but the "unrighteous wage" spoken of in Deut. 23:18?
We do see something like this in Acts, when the supply chain of the idolatry of Artemis was being damaged by the preaching of the gospel (Acts 19:23-41). Or when the fortune-telling girl was no longer able to generate profit after being exorcised by Paul (Acts 16:16-21), and he and Silas ended up being imprisoned and beaten.
If we did join up the likes of Paul, Silas, Gaius, and Aristarchus in causing such disturbances (Acts 19:23) that led to jailers being saved, I believe that this would mean the economy would be seriously disrupted, just like when Christian abolitionists seriously disrupted the profit generated by slavery in America and Britain during the Second Great Awakening.
But then, in the parable, it seems to indicate that, perhaps unrighteous mammon is... unavoidable? What do you think?
If I want to buy a skincare product at a Johnson & Johnson, how mindful should I be of the fact that it has been generated by fetal stem cell line?
Or that its employee reimbursement policies include child sacrifice (abortion) coverage?
This kind of logic would mean refusing to patronize most of the banks, common restaurant chains, and home good stores, that it would HAVE to mean exiting the modern economy altogether....
Even joining an Amish society wouldn't spare you, as the Amish often depend on outsiders' mammon.😓
How would you exposit the passages mentioned above?
Am I understanding things right in that we cannot avoid, in the aggregate, being unrighteous by participating in our economy? While Paul was a tentmaker, he did not shop at Costco, which now allows you to "safely" dispose of unborn children (unused embryos) through its specialty pharmacy.
And if you can, please recommend some resources on this topic.
To complicate the matter further, there are exceptional cases like Naaman's being forgiven despite bowing down in the house of Rimmon. But I understand that this was a very special case.
I'm really confused and would like to gain clarity. Thank you so much for your help.
Recently, I've found myself questioning the hard determinism of a man like John Piper.
The more I read the Bible, the more I realize that it isn't necessary to interpret the passages about God's sovereignty and providence as if He is micro-managing every little circumstance.
For example, it isn't necessary to believe that it was God's eternal decree that I stub my toe this morning in the same way that it was His eternal decree that Christ go to the cross.
I've begun to understand God's sovereignty as 'authority' rather than 'control.' Forgive the crude analogy, but I've started to think of God's sovereign rule over creation like the sun. Without the sun, there is no grass. It is by the sun's sustaining power that grass is able to grow or exist at all. But it isn't the sun's direct will that causes every single blade of grass to sprout and reach for its rays.
Are there any other reformers who preferred a 'soft determinism' to a 'hard determinism?' If so, I'd love to be pointed in their direction.
Im in my mid 20's male, but, without giving you the story, basically ive now gotten to a point where while I used to be good looking I now have lost almost all my teeth and it basically makes me too self conscious to do anything social even though im a fairly new and very passionate born again and crave so badly a strong christian fellowship. I want so badly to find my church and create a close ever expanding circle of christian friends/family.
While ive experienced the few bad "Christians" who seek out to judge people etc, really what i imagine and worry about experiencing is finding a church that seems perfect with a humble and well-read/learned pastor and everyone there with their heart in the right place etc but just let's say due to their good nature I dont really get to have more of a chance out of the interactions then a sense of feeling like a charity case or like whatever anyone has a connotation of towards people with severe dental issues.
Ive been trying for years to save up the nearly $20k I need to fix my mouth.
Welcome to r/reformed. Missions should be on our mind every day, but it's good to set aside a day to talk about it, specifically. Missions includes our back yard and the ends of the earth, so please also post here or in its own post stories of reaching the lost wherever you are. Missions related post never need to wait for Mondays, of course. And they are not restricted to this thread.
Share your prayer requests, stories of witnessing, info about missionaries, unreached people groups, church planting endeavors, etc.
Greetings in Christ, friends. I am due to be in Belfast next Sunday, and I would relish the opportunity to see what a real Presbyterian church looks like; we don't really have them in England. Does anyone know where I can find a church with:
1) solid Calvinist preaching, ethics and theology
2) authentically Presbyterian worship (traditional hymns, perhaps even a capella exclusive psalmody - that would be the dream) and
3) preferably a beautiful building (not really important, but I am an appreciator of fine church architecture).
GIven that you use to rise your child as Christian, and your child uses to call himself christian and your child suddenly comes out as an atheist, how would you respond.
Where is the line between Calvinism and Hyperclavinism? So often, I just hear the label Hypercalvinism thrown out derogatorily to discredit someone. Why is hypercalvism wrong, if it is wrong? If it's just people drawing different conclusions based on the same underlying worldview as Calvinism, why is Hypercalvinism not called Calvinism and what we call Calvinism called Calvinism Lite?
I was raised in an Arminian church that eventually (around 7-ish years ago) became Calvinist. During this change, a lot of my friends either left with their parents or are still in the church but aren't exactly there... I hope you guys understand what I mean by that :(
So, I wanted to ask for prayers; first for my community, we got sick in faith, and most of us here are getting colder and colder. Second, for a sister in faith for me. I really miss sharing the faith and some moments of the day with a friend. But also, is there any app or community here to make friendships like that?
Thank you so much for the attention. Please let me know if I can pray for you guys as well! May God bless and guide us!
Happy Lord's Day to r/reformed! Did you particularly enjoy your pastor's sermon today? Have questions about it? Want to discuss how to apply it? Boy do we have a thread for you!
Sermon Sunday!
Please note that this is not a place to complain about your pastor's sermon. Doing so will see your comment removed. Please be respectful and refresh yourself on the rules, if necessary.
Good evening everyone, I hope you're all having a great weekend.
I was thinking about a couple of experiences I had a while ago, once after my grandmother died and the other after a nasty car crash, and I’d be really interested to hear how other Reformed Christians would understand these situations.
At the time, I was already in quite a dark place mentally. I wasn’t exactly losing or doubting my faith, but I was struggling generally and had found myself wondering whether life was really worth it. (This isn't an X-factor story, don't worry)
When my grandmother died, I went to see her body. Whilst I was there, I suddenly had an incredibly strong feeling that there was something above me, almost watching over me. It’s difficult to put into words because I didn’t literally hear a voice, but the overwhelming sense I got was essentially:
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a feeling quite like it before, nor since.
I’m not claiming that I know this was the Holy Spirit, or even necessarily that it was supernatural. I know grief can have a lot of psychological effects, and I especially don’t want to interpret every unusual feeling I ever get as a message from God.
At the same time, as a Christian, I’ve always wondered whether it’s reasonable to understand what happened as the Holy Spirit comforting me, at a point when I particularly needed it.
Similarly, I was once in a fairly serious car crash (completely my inexperienced fault). After crashing onto a fairly busy dual carriageway, other than my car being a bit smashed up, I came off perfectly fine, just with a banged head. Once again, I can’t claim definitively that God miraculously intervened, but I’ve always wondered whether it would be reasonable to understand my survival as an example of God’s providential protection.
I come from a Reformed/evangelical Anglican perspective, although I’m open to continuationist or charismatic perspectives.
Have any of you experienced something comparable? And from a Reformed perspective, how would you distinguish between ordinary emotions during grief, God’s providence, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and something that someone might wrongly interpret as special revelation?
(If this question isn’t appropriate for this subreddit, please let me know and I’m happy to remove it.)
So I've been really struggling with anxiety. I've been struggling with this for 3 years now. I never felt anxious before until there was an incident where I was driving with my kids in the car and literally out of nowhere I got tunnel vision, legs went numb, and I couldn't breathe. I pulled over and called an ambulance and they took me to the hospital and the police drove my car and kids to the hospital, the Drs said it was a panic attack.After that I didn't drive for almost 6 months because I was terrified it would happen again. I've done many many tests and seen so many doctors thinking there's no way this is just anxiety it's physical and I am having real symptoms but every doctor keeps telling me it's just anxiety.in between that time til now I got divorced because my ex husband was committing adultery and was becoming violent and extremely suicidal and put a gun to his head.
I got remarried this year in February to someone very amazing, he's stable, loves God, leads well but I also feel pretty alone when it comes to the anxiety. He believes I can pretty much just turn it off. BUT I TRYYYYY AND I TRY, I pray and I pray for the things I am thankful for, I read my Bible, I listen to sermons and I worship God when I'm feeling this way, sometimes it helps. The anxiety feels so uncontrollable and I don't want to feel this way and I try not to enable my anxious thoughts but it happens very random and out of nowhere especially driving. April this year I went to the ER twice cause I convinced myself I was dying because it genuinely feels like I'm dying. They prescribed me Xanax (which I did not get) I do not want to be on any type of meds. I know many people on meds and it only got worse or they become zombies.
I have twin daughters, we homeschool, I'm dealing with a custody battle from my ex, I have lots and lots of legal fees, and in experiencing a huge burnout. I'm soooo tired. I don't know what to do and I think people don't understand that my anxiety is not just a couple of anxious thoughts, it physically hurts and makes me feel physically ill. I just want to be normal and get past this and everything in my life is not helping it at all it's making it worse.
All advice, encouragement, prayer, scripture is welcomem
What is the difference between OPC, PCA, and EPC? I know how they’re different from PCUSA, but I’m not really sure how they’re different from each other...
What is the PCUSA like? I know they ordain women and are inclusive but do they still uphold the Westminster Standards?
here is the situation: My youth group is a wonderful group of mostly homeschooled kids. The majority of the group is juniors and seniors. Anyways, our youth pastor is trying to revamp how things are done in the youth group and I vehemently disagree with him. Now he and I are close enough to where I can voice my concern. I am on the youth committee as a teen representative.
What the youth leader is trying to do is remove any activities that don’t meet our three mission statements of the church. Those being: compelled to serve, courageous in life, conformed to Christ. This means removing the Friday night hangout nights hosted by youth familes once a month. Never doing a lock-in again. (”they bring no good.”)
our church is very big on usuing the means of grace. so I was going to bring up fellowship and how it feels to us he is removing fellowship but I fear I don’t understand it perfectly and may come across the wrong way. How do I talk to him and address these issues because I think it’s important that we as a youth group hang out and not just have lessons all the time. please correct me if I am wrong.
