The Church of Body Modification is a religious movement that views body modification as a spiritual practice. While not an officially recognized religion, it does have followers who adhere to a set of principles and rituals centered around modifying the human body through practices like tattooing, piercing, scarification, corsetry, stretching, and body hacking. At its core, the Church of Body Modification sees the body as a temple that can be enhanced and improved through modifications. Practitioners believe that changing their bodies brings them closer to a transcendent state of being. The church has codified their beliefs into a set of…
Author: Emma Price
The Bible teaches that at the second coming of Christ, Satan will be bound and thrown into the abyss for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3). But after the 1,000 years, Satan will be released for a short time before being thrown into the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:7-10). This raises the question – why would God release Satan after 1,000 years of peace on earth? Here are some key biblical reasons: To Test the Hearts of Humanity During the millennial kingdom, with Satan bound, the world will experience a time of righteousness, justice and peace under the rule of Jesus…
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus Christ. He is infamously known for betraying Jesus to the religious authorities for 30 pieces of silver, leading to Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:14-16). Though Judas was originally a follower of Jesus, he ultimately betrayed him. Here is an overview of what the Bible says about Judas Iscariot and his life: Judas’ Background The Bible does not tell us much about Judas’ background before becoming a disciple of Jesus. Judas was the son of Simon Iscariot (John 6:71). He was from the town of Kerioth in Judea (Joshua 15:25). This…
The Bible offers guidance for Christians on evaluating and discerning the teachings of leaders within the church. Here is an overview of key biblical principles on this topic: 1. Test teachings against Scripture The Bible encourages Christians to test all teachings against Scripture to see if they align with God’s truth. 1 John 4:1 says “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans for examining the apostles’ teachings against the Scriptures daily. Christians have a responsibility…
This is an important question that many people wrestle with as they seek to understand the meaning and significance of Jesus’ death on the cross. The Bible teaches that the penalty for our sins is eternal separation from God in hell (Romans 6:23). Yet Jesus, though completely innocent, suffered death on a cross and was buried in a tomb. He did not descend into hell or suffer eternally. So how could His death pay the penalty for our sins? To properly understand this, we need to first recognize that the penalty for sin is not just duration in hell, but…
How does God judge those who were raised in non-Christian cultures? God is a just and merciful judge who sees and knows the hearts of all people. For those raised in non-Christian cultures who have never heard the gospel, God judges them according to the knowledge and light they were given. The Bible indicates that every person has some inner sense of right and wrong and some awareness of God’s existence and power from creation (Romans 1:18-21). Those who respond to the light they are given with a seeking heart will be led to further light and truth. At the…
The controversial passage in Hebrews 6:4-6 has led to much debate among Christians about whether a believer can lose his or her salvation. The passage states: For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up…
Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a controversial business model that relies on recruiting a network of distributors who sell products directly to consumers. Participants earn money both from their own sales and from commissions on sales made by people they recruit. MLMs are often criticized for their similarity to illegal pyramid schemes, though defenders argue they are legitimate businesses. The Bible does not directly address multi-level marketing. However, it provides principles that can guide Christians in evaluating any business practice. Here are several relevant biblical themes to consider regarding MLMs: Avoiding greed and idolatry of money The Bible warns against greed…
The phrase “land of the living” appears in several places in the Bible, most notably in Psalm 142:5 which reads: “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.'” This verse gives us insight into the meaning of this term and how God relates to it. The Land of the Living Refers to Life on Earth The “land of the living” is contrasted with the realm of the dead like Sheol or the grave (Psalm 88:10-12). It refers to the realm of life here on earth as we experience…
The book of Jonah tells the fascinating story of the prophet Jonah and his mission to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. In chapter 4, we find Jonah expressing anger and frustration when the people of Nineveh actually repent after hearing his message. This seems counterintuitive – shouldn’t Jonah be happy that his message was effective? Why then was he so upset about their repentance? To understand Jonah’s anger, we need to examine the context. The Assyrian people of Nineveh were enemies of Israel at this time. Jonah was an Israelite prophet tasked by God to go preach repentance…