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Re: I think you are missing his point Zalis Send a noteboard - 14/10/2010 03:49:14 PM
It's tricky, because so many Gays embrace their... uh, Gay-ness, if you will, as a large part of their identity. For better or worse, they're promoting that difference and making it a prominent part of who they are. I realize some of this is in defiance of the norm, but it still goes to show that part of the "difference" is self-imposed.

Well they have a disagreement with you on the nature of sin. Gays are either A) Not Christian or B) Christian. They group of gays that fall under the part B) Christian have a fundamental disagreement with you on the nature of sin. They believe that being gay is an inherent part of their being, it was the way that God made them, since God made them that way they should not struggle against their nature. Instead they should embrace their nature, embrace their humanity and their own dignity, and through that dignity find a way to establish a relationship with God, a divine being that is infinite. It is through their own humanity that they can learn how to establish a relationship with something beyond themselves.

Many theologians argue that this is one reason that God made himself both man and God with his son Jesus Christ. It is through his son that we learn how to establish a relationship with the son and the father, it is through his son that we learn on the proper way to live.


I would agree, yet we draw contrasting views from this fact. As for those you mention, lots of people ignore scripture to make themselves feel better. It's no fun to feel guilty, so why not change one's view of the rules? Unlike Old Testament prohibitions that no longer apply, since we're not Israel living under a Theocracy, Homosexuality is mentioned as sin consistently in both the OT and NT.

Having a honest disagreement on how one views himself should not be a reason to devolve into an US vs Them arrangement. An honest disagreement on a world view doesn't even escalate to the area of "enemy" and yet Jesus said we should love our enemies. The world that Jesus lived in had hundreds of groups who had different world views of God, some were Roman, some were Jews, some were the other religions of the Mediterranean. Yet Jesus taught cooperation with all. His most potent parables were even about different branches of Judaism bickering over trivial details yet missing the bigger picture.


Jesus said we should love our enemies, but He also threw the money-changers out of the Temple when they corrupted it with shady dealings. He is not the pale, ever-gentle, castrated figure we see in the stained-glass windows of lifeless churches. He spoke the truth with abandon, and it got him killed. He also told the woman caught in adultery to "Go and sin no more." He was forgiving, but never made excuses for sin.

Yes, He may have been harsh on the legalistic Scribes & Pharisees. They were very careful to live by the letter of the laws, while even making up plenty of their own. He called them "white-washed tombs," which is a pretty grim illustration. Jesus raised the spiritual standards even higher, however, by saying that a man lusting in his heart was already guilty of adultery.

If the Pharisees' rules were demanding, Jesus' standards were humanly impossible. That's why the law never saves anybody. Only through Christ's work on the cross are we free to be filled with the Holy Spirit and really live Christ's example. Anyway, I digress. Jesus was hard on sin, spoke the truth and got murdered for it. (His secret trial wasn't legal, etc.)

Yes we should do whatever we can to stop bullying. But the reasons of a higher rate of suicide with Gays are showing we obviously aren't doing enough. When a rate of something is over 100% compared to the general population than that shows either two things:
1) There is something fundamentally different about the two populations (this is possible)
2) That the environment treats the two populations differently (which is what I find far more likely based on my experiences).


Again, it doesn't mean the bullying has anything to do with actual Christianity. Mean kids bully, and they don't tend to do it while pontificating on points of scripture. I'm sure some of what he says does happen, but his broad generalizations are not accurate.
The sword might be grateful to the forge fire, but never fond of it.
This message last edited by Zalis on 14/10/2010 at 03:53:50 PM
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Love the Sinner - 13/10/2010 04:07:28 PM 1181 Views
I have to think about that for a while. - 13/10/2010 04:30:56 PM 714 Views
Suicide is significantly higher in young gay populations - 13/10/2010 05:36:01 PM 653 Views
That is not what I think requires thought - 13/10/2010 05:56:06 PM 657 Views
Nossy I ain't a mind reader, no matter how I try or how much I would do Jean Grey - 13/10/2010 06:06:42 PM 787 Views
for ze record - 14/10/2010 02:54:07 AM 677 Views
ok now show that it caused by what Christian beliefs *NM* - 13/10/2010 06:50:32 PM 341 Views
I don't think it's the belief's themselves - 14/10/2010 12:20:01 AM 696 Views
The churches who encourage people to bully gays should be condemned - 14/10/2010 06:43:06 PM 688 Views
Re: I have to think about that for a while. - 13/10/2010 06:29:09 PM 681 Views
He was very frank but completely founded - 13/10/2010 04:34:46 PM 750 Views
Ah, that Ghandi quote sure does get around. (which is funny, since he wasn't a Christian) - 13/10/2010 05:07:42 PM 774 Views
I'm not sure that is true - 13/10/2010 05:16:30 PM 659 Views
I think you are missing his point - 13/10/2010 05:45:45 PM 739 Views
Question (and this one actually is asking for information )... - 13/10/2010 06:42:17 PM 573 Views
Yes and no - 13/10/2010 06:53:26 PM 833 Views
Okay, fair enough. *NM* - 13/10/2010 07:48:21 PM 303 Views
I would think... - 14/10/2010 04:35:31 AM 729 Views
I have seen gays be bullied before - 13/10/2010 07:02:35 PM 766 Views
You just didn't listen to a thing I said *NM* - 13/10/2010 07:09:29 PM 301 Views
I think there's truth in this as well. - 13/10/2010 07:55:00 PM 710 Views
churches tend to refelect society as much if not more then they influence it - 14/10/2010 07:15:35 PM 681 Views
Re: I think you are missing his point - 13/10/2010 08:30:42 PM 741 Views
Re: I think you are missing his point - 13/10/2010 09:55:52 PM 748 Views
Re: I think you are missing his point - 14/10/2010 03:49:14 PM 734 Views
Actually you can very much debate whether homosexuality is a sin on a textual level - 14/10/2010 05:49:22 PM 766 Views
Re: Actually you can very much debate whether homosexuality is a sin on a textual level - 14/10/2010 08:52:24 PM 775 Views
Do you know greek or hebrew? - 14/10/2010 08:57:32 PM 634 Views
I know a few words here and there, but not really. Do you? - 14/10/2010 10:46:36 PM 760 Views
I don't look to Christianity for my answers - 15/10/2010 03:02:16 PM 739 Views
Re: I don't look to Christianity for my answers - 15/10/2010 04:27:25 PM 778 Views
You're kind of sidestepping a large part of his point - 13/10/2010 05:51:53 PM 783 Views
so should Christians abandon other religious conviction to stop bullying? - 13/10/2010 07:39:54 PM 684 Views
Re: You're kind of sidestepping a large part of his point - 13/10/2010 08:23:07 PM 705 Views
That seems a little myopic to me. - 14/10/2010 09:16:27 AM 696 Views
I think he is jackass that does not believe other's can have apoint of view - 13/10/2010 06:48:12 PM 677 Views
That's right, bullying would go away if we didn't have Christians to make moral judgements on things - 13/10/2010 08:11:27 PM 767 Views
I mostly agree - 13/10/2010 08:19:00 PM 834 Views
most of the bullies I remember from school were not known for their regular church attendance - 14/10/2010 07:24:06 PM 646 Views
I thought I pretty much agreed with you on that point - 14/10/2010 07:44:07 PM 707 Views
Interesting - 13/10/2010 08:56:46 PM 999 Views
Sometime rants do work and change people's mind - 13/10/2010 09:23:39 PM 594 Views
and sometoimes they are just rants *NM* - 13/10/2010 10:01:55 PM 281 Views
Okay my response now - 14/10/2010 06:04:02 PM 734 Views
He becomes what he hates. - 14/10/2010 02:40:19 AM 860 Views
Good stuff. *NM* - 14/10/2010 02:56:44 AM 303 Views
Re: - 14/10/2010 03:06:36 AM 752 Views
I think Chora has dibs on that bumper sticker. - 14/10/2010 09:35:02 AM 816 Views
Re: - 14/10/2010 11:50:04 PM 760 Views
It's nothing at all like cultural relativism. - 15/10/2010 01:16:10 AM 661 Views
Re: It's nothing at all like cultural relativism. - 16/10/2010 05:20:56 AM 776 Views
Re: It's nothing at all like cultural relativism. - 16/10/2010 07:16:21 AM 690 Views
I don't think there is any question... - 14/10/2010 04:42:45 AM 712 Views
If I may quibble: - 14/10/2010 05:22:22 AM 539 Views
He's bullying Christians - 14/10/2010 04:47:13 AM 691 Views
I agree - 14/10/2010 04:09:23 PM 788 Views
Two seperate things are mingled here - 14/10/2010 09:50:42 AM 893 Views

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