Popular Christian cliches and their translation

[aldona]

"one of my favorite authors" or "one author says" = Ellen White said this but I am neither willing to use her name or take credit for the information myself.

I think that's code for "I'm not going to say 'Ellen White Said' because I'm trying to make it look like we're not a cult, just a well-read bunch of people who appreciate a wide range of literature."

If it was any other Christian author we would have no hesitation in saying "Martin Luther said..." or "C.S. Lewis said..." or "Philip Yancey said..." etc.

AJ

[aldona]

Phrase: Let's pray about it / I'll pray about it

1) If used during the church board meetings, it's a polite way of saying NO.

2) A way to delay a direct response to a request

Phrase: Pray about it

1) I want you to do it

"I'll certainly be praying for you" = "I can't wait to spread this juicy bit of gossip around the whole church, of course with the aim of getting everybody else to pray for you too."

AJ

[aldona]

Phrase: Traveling mercies

1) Protection that God gives to traveling people

2) Many times used as a more spiritual way of saying #1 in between "Let their root be rooted by your river of life", and "Let your shining countenance guide them as they go in peace".

traveling mercies = as distinct from mercies which are stationary or confined to one place

I think these are somehow connected to a mysterious character called Harmon Danger.

So many prayers have a clause asking God to "protect us from Harmon Danger."

Maybe he/she/it is mentioned somewhere in the Book of Revelation. You know, as in the Beast, the Dragon, the False Prophet, and Harmon Danger.

AJ

[aldona]

Phrase: Unspoken Request

1) An oxymoron that provides means for other to ask favors on your behalf without revealing what the favor/problem actually is.

Unspoken request = I have something that is really important that I desperately need my fellow believers to pray about for me. But if I reveal what it is, then either

(a) the news will be all over the grapevine in about 10 seconds, or

( I will find myself removed from all my church positions, excommunicated as a heretic, and branded with a big "S" for Sinner on my forehead.

Or both.

AJ

[aldona]

Phrase: Holy Spirit will lead you to God's truth

= One day you'll come to see it my way. I can only pray that happens soon. Amen.

AJ

[aldona]

Quote:

If one puts themselves in the place of someone with no religious experience or background, you can understand that the perception of an expletive is really correct. You hear some thing you strongly agree with and you exclaim a single word or phrase in response that does not contribute any added meaning, but serves only as a verbal punctuation mark.

Amen to that. teehe

I just can't get used to the idea of peppering my conversations with frequent utterances of "amen", "praise the Lord", "God is good", etc, like my more spiritual brethren and sisters seem to do.

It just seems like verbal "filler" to fill those awkward pauses or times when normal people would say something like "that's nice", "I'm happy for you", "I agree", etc.

It must be a boon for other folk like myself who are not very good at making small talk.

But I just can't do it. I can't bring my mouth to throw around God's name or other holy words as conversational "filler."

Maybe in my junior Sabbath school years, when we were taught the bit about not taking God's name in vain, I took it a bit too seriously.

AJ

[SivartM]

"Heretic" = "If this despicable excuse for a human being and I lived a few hundred years earlier I would gladly have executed him."

"Sola scriptura" = "You need only listen to what I teach. I have proof texts and everything."

"Don't just listen to what I teach! Search the Scriptures for yourself!" = "I didn't mean for you to question that. Search the Scriptures about a minor issue like... beards. Or something."

[SivartM]

"Wake up, sheeple!" (and related phrases) = "You really are dumb. Why on earth can't you figure out that jewelry/dairy/Obama/science/movies/Narnia/rock music/Stonehenge/Care Bears/the internet/Calvinists/the NIV are evil? Since you obviously can't think for yourself, just do as I say. You'll thank me later."