How does "being in the world, but not of the world" work?

[agricola]

It's like they never heard of the Golden Mean, and think that ANY pleasure leads inevitably to extreme overindulgence - think of the coc 'doctrine of 'one drink drunk'.

[Struggler]

One must not ever do or even consider doing anything that someone, somewhere might remotely construe as contrary to God's Will.

[OneStrike_ur_out]

I actually think it's one of the more harmful doctrines of Christianity. It encourages people to have total disregard for the life and world they currently inhabit, and focuses them on the pie-in-the-sky world that they believe is to come. Many COCers (and other fundies) that I know have totally missed out on THIS life because of their focus on the next. Personally, I can allow that there may be life after this one, even though I don't believe in God... but I cannot imagine why (if, for the sake of argument, he exists) God would want us to totally disregard this life that he gave us, and not take full advantage of it.

This times 1000. I just could not deprive myself of everything. What if the 70-80 or so years we get on this planet is ALL we will ever have? What if after this life, we are just gone, like we never existed to begin with? I would HATE to be at the end of my time, thinking back to all the opportunities I let pass me right on by because of some twisted cOC logic.

[AtPeace]

I might be the only one here who sees it this way, but I actually find some benefit to that particular scripture. It helps remind me to be intentional about what I involve myself in. Helps me be more mindful of what I personally value, and to avoid things in the world that run counter to those things. Especially with so much available media around us today, I think it's particularly useful advice. Picking and choosing what one gets involved in, or pays attention to, keeps us from becoming overwhelmed or sidetracked from living our lives.

[KLP]

I might be the only one here who sees it this way, but I actually find some benefit to that particular scripture. It helps remind me to be intentional about what I involve myself in. Helps me be more mindful of what I personally value, and to avoid things in the world that run counter to those things. Especially with so much available media around us today, I think it's particularly useful advice. Picking and choosing what one gets involved in, or pays attention to, keeps us from becoming overwhelmed or sidetracked from living our lives.

No I agree somewhat. I see a tension in current culture between two concepts that might be termed "keeping it real" and "improving one's self". The improve yourself gets a lot of push back because of negative connotations of forgetting your roots, putting on airs, thinking you are better, etc. But we see this in natural infant/child development when there is growth from being focus on self and immediate needs and being able to focus on others and putting off gratification...there is room for improvement and striving to mature and grow towards an ideal. The idea that "life is short" is a concept also in the Bible but the advice is to get right with God. Another response is to eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Accepting that there is a higher goal (spiritual, material, eternal, or temporal) provides the motive and reason to strive for something else which means making choices...which is your point, what is the motive and reason for even making a choice...much less deciding which choice is better to attain some goal. If there is no hope or aspiration then there is no reason to make such discriminations and choices.

So just because I was born and raised in small towns didn't mean I had to make choices that would keep me forever in that small town or to think that way. And just because I moved to the big cities and traveled did not mean I had to swallow all of the stuff that comes with that. I can be in either of those places and still make choices about what to do or what to think.

[ena]

It's like they never heard of the Golden Mean, and think that ANY pleasure leads inevitably to extreme overindulgence - think of the coc 'doctrine of 'one drink drunk'.

This is a goody. Common in the CoC. I have had drinks many times. The companies would supply a couple of drink tickets or leave bottles of wine on the table. During wilder parties some would get drunk and make asses of themselves. They would be copiously apologizing the next Monday. I found it rather funny as I was never that wasted just observing the whole thing. I don't currently drink because I am diabetic today. I don't like beer or wine. I have tried many. I do like some mixed drinks. Mostly orange mixes. What do you get when you mix milk of magnesia and orange juice? .....................A Phillips Screwdriver!