Jesus never talked about homosexuality as an issue or a sin or anything else. He did however talk about the sanctiity of marriage. It seems to me that keeping people from marriage, regardless of their orientation, would be the sin that Jesus would highlight, not who it was who wanted to marry. We want people to be celibate outside of marriage and then we want to turn around and deny a whole segment of society that right.
Paul was not our savior, merely one more flawed human being. He went about with the thorn in his side and had anger issues and problems with women. We do not worship Paul, we worship Jesus. And Jesus, being the perfect person, would have told us about what to do with homosexuality, just as he told us about adultery if it was of any consequence. What Jesus did talk about was to love our neighbor and our enemy, not to persecute them. He did not tell us to hate anyone, but to love everyone. To take the log out of our own eye before we worry about the splinter in others.
I think you are mixing your political leanings with your Christian morals. You mentioned two very different examples. First just the way you write the words "homosexual activity" puts a negative spin on it. Homosexuality was never mentioned by Jesus. If it was sin, then I am sure Jesus would have mentioned it, as he so often talked about being rich. That sin he mentioned over and over again. So this leads me to believe he just wasn't as concerned about what went on in the privacy of one's bedroom, as he was in the public areas of ones life. Which leads me to so called illegal immigration. If this was truly a Christian country, as so many like you are wont to point out, then there would be no such thing as illegal immigration because Jesus calls all to him with open arms. So before you point out the splinter of sin in our eyes, might you not look at the log in your own?
I am new to the CRC, having been in reverse chronilogical order a United Methodist, atheist, Jew, so this is a new question for me. I always thought church was a primary prayer place. It is where we commune with God on a regular basis, so how could we hold a worship service if we don't talk to God. Sometimes I think we confuse God with Santa Claus. Its not just intercessory prayer that is important to our life as Christians, but also praise prayer. We need to thank God not only for all he has done in our life, but just for the fact He is God and has chosen us as His people. We need to stop thinking about ourselves and what prayer does for us and the time it takes from us and refocus on God. St. Augustine called it right love - if you have God at the center of your love life, then you are in a right love, if anything else is at the center, your life is off kilter.
Just this past Sunday, I heard the women behind me mutter about the fact that we have four prayers in a row -first an opening prayer, then a prayer over the children, then the congregational prayer and then a prayer over the offering. She was actually complaining about it.
I don't understand this attitude or one that limits time for prayer in a worship service. Prayer is a necessary part of any time that we spend with our Lord and especially in worship service. I agree with the person above who mentioned the Lord's Prayer. I think we need to add that to our service if only on Communion Sunday. I think we lose alot of our connection to God when we eleminate the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Posted in: Are You Prejudiced and the Chick-fil-A Controversy
Jesus never talked about homosexuality as an issue or a sin or anything else. He did however talk about the sanctiity of marriage. It seems to me that keeping people from marriage, regardless of their orientation, would be the sin that Jesus would highlight, not who it was who wanted to marry. We want people to be celibate outside of marriage and then we want to turn around and deny a whole segment of society that right.
Posted in: Are You Prejudiced and the Chick-fil-A Controversy
Paul was not our savior, merely one more flawed human being. He went about with the thorn in his side and had anger issues and problems with women. We do not worship Paul, we worship Jesus. And Jesus, being the perfect person, would have told us about what to do with homosexuality, just as he told us about adultery if it was of any consequence. What Jesus did talk about was to love our neighbor and our enemy, not to persecute them. He did not tell us to hate anyone, but to love everyone. To take the log out of our own eye before we worry about the splinter in others.
Posted in: Is Confession Still Good for the Soul?
I think you are mixing your political leanings with your Christian morals. You mentioned two very different examples. First just the way you write the words "homosexual activity" puts a negative spin on it. Homosexuality was never mentioned by Jesus. If it was sin, then I am sure Jesus would have mentioned it, as he so often talked about being rich. That sin he mentioned over and over again. So this leads me to believe he just wasn't as concerned about what went on in the privacy of one's bedroom, as he was in the public areas of ones life. Which leads me to so called illegal immigration. If this was truly a Christian country, as so many like you are wont to point out, then there would be no such thing as illegal immigration because Jesus calls all to him with open arms. So before you point out the splinter of sin in our eyes, might you not look at the log in your own?
Posted in: The Long Prayer
I am new to the CRC, having been in reverse chronilogical order a United Methodist, atheist, Jew, so this is a new question for me. I always thought church was a primary prayer place. It is where we commune with God on a regular basis, so how could we hold a worship service if we don't talk to God. Sometimes I think we confuse God with Santa Claus. Its not just intercessory prayer that is important to our life as Christians, but also praise prayer. We need to thank God not only for all he has done in our life, but just for the fact He is God and has chosen us as His people. We need to stop thinking about ourselves and what prayer does for us and the time it takes from us and refocus on God. St. Augustine called it right love - if you have God at the center of your love life, then you are in a right love, if anything else is at the center, your life is off kilter.
Just this past Sunday, I heard the women behind me mutter about the fact that we have four prayers in a row -first an opening prayer, then a prayer over the children, then the congregational prayer and then a prayer over the offering. She was actually complaining about it.
I don't understand this attitude or one that limits time for prayer in a worship service. Prayer is a necessary part of any time that we spend with our Lord and especially in worship service. I agree with the person above who mentioned the Lord's Prayer. I think we need to add that to our service if only on Communion Sunday. I think we lose alot of our connection to God when we eleminate the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Grace, Debbie Grossberg