S
Sniffles
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St. Paul calls upon Christians to be good citizens. Not to mention Christ's command to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
Isn't God supposed to return for judgment first?
A conservative Christian closest to me believes that global warming is a liberal leftist conspiracy, and that people buy into it because they need something to give their lives to since they don't have Jesus. (I'm not being facetious. That's really what he said.)
Why take care of the earth if it's all going to burn? It's the same reason this person always tells me there is no point in trying to make peace on earth. There will be no peace until Jesus comes back, therefore the sentiment "peace on earth" is "stupid."
I disagree. A Christian ought to be intimately concerned with politics, and he will actively work against those beliefs that manifest themselves in cultures and institutions that do not recognize the law of God.
That's an important point to keep in mind: after all Christianity is 2000 years old while our modern political categories are only 300 years old(they date from the French Revolution).
Trying to read Global Warming into Biblical prophecy is very much akin IMO to those who try to read 9/11 or the Iraq War, or anyother contemporary events into it. You really can't do that, and in some ways betrays the more perennial significance of such prophecies.
Also, I used to take a "futurist" view of scripture (Peter's and other's prophecies were yet future and literal), but the problem was, in many places, it was said to occur "soon", and the lost blatant example of this was Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. We have tried to explain this away, with absolutely no success, and it just becomes another one of those things "we can't comprehend".
St. Paul calls upon Christians to be good citizens. Not to mention Christ's command to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
Because they can only follow one religion.
A conservative Christian closest to me believes that global warming is a liberal leftist conspiracy, and that people buy into it because they need something to give their lives to since they don't have Jesus. (I'm not being facetious. That's really what he said.)
Why take care of the earth if it's all going to burn? It's the same reason this person always tells me there is no point in trying to make peace on earth. There will be no peace until Jesus comes back, therefore the sentiment "peace on earth" is "stupid."
Accepting scientific theories about climate change doesn't qualify as a "religion."
Science and religion are not mutually exclusive. Anyone who thinks so is very much oversimplifying things.
However, in the same breath that I say that,it's also good to remember that much of what makes up science are actually theories and not facts.
What your friend claims runs completely contradictory to the Bible. Your friend really should read scripture more often before claiming that we have no need to care for the earth. Jesus also taught a message of love. It boggles my mind how many "Christians" have utterly forgotten that.
Although the scripture that talks about The Rapture, and how Jesus will return to earth and take Christians with him back to Heaven, surely could be related to a disregard towards our petty earthly environment.
I think everyone brings personal morality into their politics; they oppose things they disagree with, they support things they approve of. Some are better than others at not abusing their power to impose a minority perspective on the majority, but it makes sense that people would use what avenues they can to endorse what they believe.
I think the offensive nature is simply when people follow a book that is actually an F-style values system -- i.e., not universally apparent in terms of the specific details, it either is accepted on faith/conviction or not accepted on faith -- but insist that everyone else must follow it as well "because it's right." Politics has the nasty aspect where morality is codified into law, so now you're imposing rules on people who are already "good/productive citizens" that have little to do with maintaining the state as functional; it's maintaining the state as an extension of the details of a particular religious belief, in a country that claims to not endorse a particular religion and supposedly provides freedom of worship.
If I was the parent, I'd consider the more conservative religions to be the kids that did not respect their siblings and basically feel like I had to protect the rest of the kids from their desire to dominate them and set the rules; meanwhile, I'd have to encourage my more liberal kids to make sure they had some solid footing and direction. It's frustrating to see factions arguing about why they should be in charge based on their personal beliefs rather than any universal standard, and why other people's opinions really don't hold any weight (since they're not in agreement with theirs).
I think global warming's pretty cut and dried. Examine the state of things (observable by anyone); determine as best as we can if there is anything to do to stop it; then take steps to be prudent. It's all observable, all tangible, all sensible... I don't need to reference a book to tell me to call the fire company to put out my burning house, and especially if the book might tell me that my house really isn't on fire at all. It's more prudent to actually smell for smoke, feel for heat, look for flames.
And what is Christianity... and all other religions?However, in the same breath that I say that,it's also good to remember that much of what makes up science are actually theories and not facts.
I disagree. A Christian ought to be intimately concerned with politics, and he will actively work against those beliefs that manifest themselves in cultures and institutions that do not recognize the law of God.
We as Christians need to be faithful witnesses of the truth of God to the world, which means we need to be in the world, working in its institutions even when we work against them, not withdrawn from the them.
If you want to do "God's work", you should be witnessing, going on missions, helping set up churches all over the world... Thats really the only true work of God. I don't think Jesus ran for mayor, or would. Its hard to do the real nitty gritty "dirty" work, because its natural to listen to one's own ambitions to do more visible, recognition things of the world.
Anyways, im sorry, I can't talk any more about this... peace.