Kiddo
Furry Critter with Claws
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2007
- Messages
- 2,790
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- OMNi
I used to practice Christianity very rigidley when I was younger, you could say im agnostic now.
Any Christian that judges anyone else or condemns sin is not a real Christian, I understand people make mistakes, but as someone who has been to church all their life, about 90% of organized religion can be catorgorized as "false". The Bible teaches that Christians should be accepting of everyone, to love everyone and try to show them to Jesus, and then let that person and God work out the sins.
Kiddo, there are more quotes along those lines as well. Although I can only remember one,
"Do not try to remove the spec of dust from your neighbors eye before removing the plank from your own"
See, that is my view of Christianity. I suppose I can post some quotes form the Roman Catholic I have been discussing these things with so you can see it from his point of view.
Kiddo:>I believe when you condemn a sin, you are condemning the sinner. In doing so you are putting shame in their heart for what they do, not helping them understand the love God has for them despite it.
RC Guy:There should be shame for sin. Making it clear that God loves them is not ignoring sin.
Kiddo:>It is clear to me from the Bible that God told us to love our fellow man, sin and all.
RC Guy: No, here's where you're wrong: it was written to hate sin, and that God hates sin. I love you, but I'll never love any sin, not yours, and certainly not mine.
Kiddo >It is not your place, nor any other man's to define sin outside of your own life. That is God's place, and no one should try to act as God.
RC Guy:Sin is defined in the Bible, and in Church. I'm not stepping outside of their definitions.
Kiddo:>To repent is not to try to avoid sin, or even to feel shame or remorse, but simply to ask for God's forgiveness for being human and to love him and feel his love in your life.
RC Guy:You're wrong. You need to repent, and decide you won't do it again.
Kiddo:>Your sin is the only sin that matters to you and it is only between you and God. Just as my sin is the only sin that matters to me and it is between me and God.
RC Guy: (sarcastically) Yeah, I really don't know why Jesus and the apostles talked about sin at all in the Bible, they had no right.
Kiddo:>It is our place to love each other despite sin in hopes of bringing God into each other's lives so he can help us, as individuals, to know his path for each of us.
RC Guy: That I concur with. And it's His will for us not to sin, and he may send his people to teach us how.
Kiddo:In fact, it is the greatest of all commandments to love your fellow man as you love yourself. Mark 12:30-31
RC Guy:No, actually it's love God with all your might, soul and mind. And after that for God's sake love your neighbor as yourself.
Back to poverty: poverty doesn't send you to hell, sin does. So, if you love your neighbor, the first thing is to introduce him to God. You have to understand, most of the population on this planet is poor. It's not such a big deal being rich. Nor does your donation makes poor rich, or solves their problems. It can help them, and we should help, but our primary mission is to give them hope for eternal life (Gospel, aka the good word), then worry about this one. Don't get me wrong, you're right in helping them, and you do good doing that. And you're right, people should help the poor with donations, but if you love a person, you'll first try to help him get saved from eternal damnation, that's what I'm saying. Isn't it true? It would be selfish of me not to speak about Christ, and His words, if I know they are true.
Kiddo:>Look for yourself on the internet and see which is the true path of God's will. One marred by hatred and anger, where people go about shaming gays for how they feel by condemning their sin? Do you honestly believe that brings gays to God?
RC Guy: On Internet!? There are white power sites, saying Jesus was a racist, there are black sites, saying Jesus was black, and others even saying Selassie was God, there are so many weird and twisted interpretations. No, I find Truth in the Bible, and so should you. I honestly believe sin separates from God. As for the method I'm using to tell people, I think I really am not insulting anyone, how much milder can I get, without going astray myself?
Kiddo: >How about the other path, where Christians reach out in love, not judgment, and accept gays as fellow sinners and as brothers and sisters in the eyes of the lord? All sins are equal in the eyes of God.
RC Guy: That's not the teaching of the Church. There are venial sins, and mortal sins. Venial are ones you can just repent for, the others - called mortal because they endanger your chance to go to heaven, if you're a Christian - will get you to hell, if you don't repent and go to confession, and decide you would never do it again. But Jesus says in the revelations to st. Birgitta (saintbirgitta.com) that even venial ones, if you keep repeating them, with no intention to change - become mortal sins. because that means you're not all about God anymore, and you'd rather cling to that, 'minor' sin.