A question for the Christians on this Forum

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SDouglas

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This may be the wrong place to post this question and if so I apologize.

I have noticed several christians on this forum so I feel safe asking this question.

How do you maintain balance between your love of knives and your faith in terms of time and money?


 
?!?

Not sure if this is an appropriate discussion here, but if this topic can be discussed without flames, we'll allow it.

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com

Insert witty quip here
 
Not only am I a Christian, but I am a Quaker. I could attempt to rationalize the matter, but I don't have the time. To quote that famous theologian, Popeye the Sailorman, "I am what I am and that's all that I am."

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh


 
I'm not much of a theologian, but how about Luke 22:36 - "...he who hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one."

Of course, Luke says "one" sword...oops!

Stone

 
Thanks, Spark, for allowing this discussion. It's an interesting one, because it prompts us to move beyond the 'what' and 'how' knife questions to some 'why' knife questions.

I may have more to say about this soon, but for now I'll just make these observations.

1. I believe the God of the Bible places a supreme value on human life, high enough in fact to hold people morally accountable for not defending it against those who would try to take it away - - thus the laws in colonial, Calvinist New England requiring all Christian fathers to carry a firearm while escorting their families to church, etc. I think this principle would apply to the use of a knife in self defense, or in the defense of another person.

2. God intends for his children to enjoy an abundant, joyful life. I think this includes the enjoyment of flowers, sunsets, sex (within covenant marriage), and even refreshing hobbies.

3. God does not want our abundance to be at someone else's expense. This would include enjoyable hobbies that bring misery to others.

4. Hobbies can easily become addictive and take people away from their responsibilities and obligations. Obsession is always unhealthy, even when the object of the obsession is fine.

5. I find myself constantly pushed into places of confused, self-contradiction. When I'm honest with myself, this leads to repentance and better balance. When I'm dishonest with myself, it leads to the dead end of rationalizing self-justification.

6. My personal solution to all hobbies is to give away as much as I keep for myself. I'm not so good at this with my trains, but with knives and books, I give one away for every one I keep. I think this keeps my hobbies in balance.

7. Are you attracted to the fine lines and workmanship of an effective tool designed to do a job well? Fine. God loves good design and craftsmanship too (check out a DNA molecule sometime).

Are you attracted because, "Man that thing . . . no-wha-I'm-sayin that be one BAD mo-fo"? Nope. I'm not sure God's in on that one.

Want me to judge what attracts YOU? Big time nope. That's between you and God.

More to follow, perhaps.

Good topic.

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Bill

"You Americans are hard to understand. Ten years after the Berlin wall fell and socialist economic theory was discredited around the globe, you folks continue trying to prop up your 'public' schools. If private enterprise beats socialism in other arenas, why do you think it's any different with education?"


[This message has been edited by Uncle Bill (edited 05 October 1999).]
 
i'm a christian, and although i don't have that much money being a college student, my personal belief is that if u give to God what's His and you are meeting all your other financial responsibilities there is no problem with spending money on things you enjoy. (wow that was a long sentence) the things that i spend extra money on are usually cd's, clothes, books, and i'm working on the knives. =) they are more expensive and for me require saving money. other christians i know spend money on stuff like boats, hunting gear, music, computer stuff...the list is endless. just let God lead u in your money decisions and most important....DON'T BE LEGALISTIC!!! it will make u feel so opressed and stale in your walk!
smile.gif


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I Love You!
God Loves You!
Does anything
else matter?
Liz <><
Matthew 5:16

http://www.angelfire.com/ar/lizzybeth/
 
Stonefish, but Jesus also asked how many swords do we have and they said 2, and He said that's good.

As far as dividing my time evenly, I can't juggle very well and my devotions are really lacking, thanks for bringing that to light!
But it really is an obsession of sorts, and so I maintain that the money I spend on knives are gathered from my sheath making and never from the regular work money which goes to our family. And trading/selling knives which works best for me, otherwise I'd never have a new knife...and that would be sad!

G2
 
My grandmother died at 106 after a healthy life. She lived her faith on a second by second basis. Two things come to mind.
Pick your pursuits wisely.
Enjoy them in moderation.

 
I have alot of passions, obsessions, and hobbies, and as a Christian, I know I ain't perfect, But that I am loved just the same.

As long as I do not forsake what is truly important, I am okay with my knives, and there are far worse habits than knives.

YeK
 
Hmmmm....I'd like to insert some thoughts here, but I'm not sure that this thread will last long.

The same question could be asked, 'how do you balance your love of dogs, cats, TV, unhealthy foods, cigarettes, time spent on bladeforums, internet access...whatever...and your faith in terms of time and money?'

I tend to lean towards the objective rather than the subjective.

Uh-oh...here goes the debate.
 
The knives have to come out of time and money left over after I fulfill my primary commitments. Some of my odd idle moments are spent sharpening knives instead of watching TV or surfing the net.

I guess I worry more about time spent pondering the desireability of knives instead of real concerns in my life. These forums are probably more of a drain on my attention than knives themselves. But then, I used to spend more time worrying about the stock market.
 
A Christian is a believer and a FOLLOWER of Jesus the Christ. Nowadays I see way too much of the world creeping into the body of Christ (the assembly of believers). It is a true and sad fact that most of us Christians have our priorities out of order. (I for sure, do)

I believe that as Christians our priorities are to be in this order:

1. God
2. Family (your personal family - wife, kids)
3. Church (your ministry and/or local assembly))
4. Country
5. Others (neighbors, friends, enemies)
6. Self

I hope that order is correct. I believe it is. Funny but knives or any other hobby is at the bottom of the list. God doesn't mind that we have hobbies, as long as our priorities are in order.

I personally think it is incorrect for a person to spend hundreds, even thousands on knives, and never send any financial support to a missionary. One of the best ways to realize our priorities, is to see where we spend our money, and to see where, and how much time, we spend doing things.

This thread is good, because it may cause Christians to reevaluate their priorities. We must realize that "self" is last, and knives fall into that last category of "self".

What a lot of people don't realize is that there are plenty of folks who think they are Christians, but their lives say something else. I'm not saying they aren't saved - they very well may be. But a true Christian is a FOLLOWER of Christ.

Modern, liberal Christianity says that God wants everyone wealthy, and that it doesn't matter what you have (for example tons of knives), as long as it doesn't have you. The Holy Bible teaches something else - God says that we are not to accumulate treasures here on earth; we are to accumulate treasures in Heaven.

So knives and knife collecting I believe are great, as long as our priorities are in order.

Hope I haven't stepped on too many toes.

Happy Trails...

Dennis
 
Dennis,

Not trying to step on your toes here...seriously, but most of the missionary work I've seen first-hand in 3rd World countries has actually caused more harm than good. Don't get me wrong, I do have ultimate respect for those willing to sacrifice their time and comforts in an attempt to help others, and, if this wasn't so far off topic I could explain the harm I've witnessed that missionaries have done.

Knives, on the other hand, seem to help
smile.gif
because it's something the people can use as tools for suvival, defense, and trade.

Jeff
 
I really see no conflict at all between the two. It did not cause a conflict in the service where I spent all day learning new and exciting ways to kill the enemy. It does not cause a conflict now tat I'm a civilian.

I think a big misconception of Christianity is that it has some list of "rules" regarding things that you can't do. This is false.

All things in moderation is something I live by. I also agree that your consience is a good guide to what you should or should not do. If anything starts to take my focus off of what's REALLY important in this life, then I usually know that it's time to re-examine my interest in it.

To date, I don't feel any direct conflict with my favorite hobby (knives) and my belief.

Read the Old Testament! There's enough blood and guts in there to last a lifetime. All the faithful are not meek little lambs being led to the slaughter despite popular misconceptions!

Chris Canis
 
Lizabelle,

It is easy to use terms such as LEGALISTIC to describe others. However I find that it is usually used by people who are attempting to label others that are not as worldly as they are. In effect they find a need to justify their love of the world by labeling others as fanatics or legalists.

You often (maybe always), end your threads by writing "I love you! God loves you! Does anything else matter?" Well - yes, without a doubt a lot of other things matter. Not only do they matter, they matter very, very, much. To God it matters how we live our lifestyles (See James 4:4).

God calls us to be separate and to be Holy; even if people call us legalists.

Take care,

Dennis
 
I believe that the intentions are what God judges.....why should christians feel guilty about the collecting of tools? I don't and I have numerous firearms also, I work for a Christian organization, attend devotions and Chapel regularly, spend most of my free time with my family and shoot whenever I can make a little room in my schedule. This doesn't make me a "bad" christian....only a "prepared" one.
 
I agree that you must establish your priorities ahead of time. There is nothing wrong with hobbies as long as they do not consume your time and the money needed for you and your family to survive. Everything done in moderation and with temperance, thanking God for all of his blessings and workings in your life.
The Christian's relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ should be his first thought, then his family and so on....
Remembering that, I keep things in perspective(well I try to anyway) and prioritize as applicable.
Peace

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"Worst of all my foes, I fear the enemy within"
*John Wesley*

Romans 10:9-10

"Military" Fans Unite!!

 
Jeff Randall,

I don't know what you have witnessed overseas. I know Christian missionaries are humans and will do wrong things, no doubt about it. True that knives will help people in this life, but missionaries that are true Christians (maybe you've seen some who weren't), are doing the most nobel of works. they are spreading the message of salvation in Christ, and Christ alone. They are fulfilling what the mission of all us Christians is. Giving someone a knife is nice, but leading someone to the saving knowledge of the true and living God, and in essence eternal life, well - that has eternal significance. It takes very special and comitted Christians to answer the call of God (take up their cross and follow Him). To go live in foreign countries (most of them third world countries), leave their families, friends, and luxuries, that we all take for granted, and go live amongst other peoples in other countries, with other cultures, learn their language, endure unending hardships and often persecution; sometimes unto death - just to share the Truth (Jesus Christ) with them, is one of the nobelest of callings. And they are definitely worthy of our support - both financially and in prayer.

Many, many, Christian missionaries have given their lives as martyrs overseas. More than you could ever imagine. Your comments are an insult to their loved ones they have left behind.

I am sorry you have witnessed people who you thought to be Christians harming others. I assure you one thing, if you saw people harming others, they were neither missionaries, nor were they Christian.

Peace,

Dennis
 
And with that, this thread is locked.

I'm not going to allow a "Why this religion is good / bad / other debate on these forums. I've made that extremely clear in past posts, and the only reason why I allowed this thread was to hear how people balanced their love with knives with the rest of their lives.

Since this thread has clearly showed that no matter what, it will always turn into a debate, this thread is closed.

Those of you who want to start religious threads should use this as an example of why they generally aren't allowed.

If you want to discuss religions, there are plenty of other sites to do so on. Let's stick to knives here.

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com

Insert witty quip here
 
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