Family of God: Re: [Church_of_Christ] Re: Questions on Marriage

Shawn said......Are you suggesting that you have the right and the authority to determine how another free citizen lives their life; what rights and benefits they enjoy and receive, simply because their sexual orientation is different from your own?

Beth said....Shawn, we don't have a right to determine how others citizens live their lives...UNLESS, they have an agenda to teach our kids and grandkids that homosexuality is a union sanctioned by God...then it becomes my business and the business of every Christian. And it is especially my business when the same people are closely affiliated with the ACLU and they have worked vigorously to take God out of this country. It's getting to the point that people can't even put anything in their yards depicting Christ or Christianity becuase we might offend someone, but it's o.k. for them to teach our kids trash.

Shawn: I DARE to undertake and suggest much. I'm not afraid of controversial topics and as a social scientist, I desire to grasp an understanding of motivations behind the conflicts between religious (specifically Christian) ideology and secular ideology.

Beth: I read a little of what a social scientist studies and I would say that I think you have let your study of all the social aspects of people from every religion conflict with God's teachings...but that is just my opinion. :-)

Shawn: Why is there so much emphasis placed on the "Gay Lifestyle" as you say and yet there is next to no mention of cohabitating heterosexual couples. There is no public outcry against the "Shacking-Up Lifestyle". Why the disparity in how the two groups are treated?

Beth: I think I said this before, but the difference in my opinion is that those "shacking up" don't have an agenda to teach my kids and grandkids that what they are doing is just an alternative lifestyle sanctioned by God. They are not yelling and screaming that their rights are being denied because they don't have the same legal rights as a man and woman sanctioned by God and the state. They are not standing on every street corner with tracts depicting their lifestyles. If they ever start...then we should be just as verbally adamet, if nothing else, about them also.

Shawn: Isn't our role as believers to share the good news and not to condemn or dictate to others how they MUST live their lives?

Beth: The Good News encounters many things...one of which is, as I said before, loving our neighbor enough that we want to take them to Heaven if they are living a lifestyle contrary to God's Will.

Shawn: Is condemning non-believers and dictating how they should live their lives according to the Messiah's modeling of his interactions with people of the world?

Beth: We are not condemning the non-believer...we are condemning their actions. We are not dictating how they live their lives, but rather want them to be saved in the end.

The Messiah's modeling of His interactions with people is the same anywhere in the world. If you believe there is a God and that the bible is His inspired Word then you have to believe that God wants every person to become His CHILD. And if you think as God does then you will also want every person to become His child. Why are you making us the vilians when we just want to save the world thru Christ...rather than through all the false Gods and false teachings and false mis-conceptions about the defination of sin.

Shawn: Aren't those regulations assigned to believers and while non-believers are in violation of those regulations, is it our right to require that they subscribe to ours?

Beth: Shawn.....it has been a while since I talked with you to any extent and I can't remember you ever saying that you are a Christian. Are you? If you are then you should know that we are not "requiring" that anyone subscribe to our religion because we are bigoted or self-righteous, but because we love the world and believe that the only way for the world to be saved is thru Jesus Christ and through His teachings...one of which is that Sin is Sin. And as Christians we cannot bury our head in the sand and pretend that it's o.k. just because people think or want it to be o.k.

Shawn: Please explain what is problematic with the "Gay Lifestyle" beyond your belief that it is contrary to Christianity?

Beth: Those living in the O.T. who were not God's chosen will be judged by the "law of their conscience". Even if we had never read a bible...or never knew about Jesus Christ or God or the HOly Spirit...or never been told what sin was...does not nature itself tell us that it is not natural for men to be with men and women to be with women. If scriptures tell us...."Does nature itself not tell us that a man with long hair is a shame to him"..... then how can we not know by nature that homosexuality is wrong? And if it is wrong...it cannot enter into Heaven. Do you not want all those who live this way to go to Heaven? If so...then why are you opposing us who are trying to do away with their lifestyle with the help of God, by teaching them Him judgements concerning homosexuals? You think God is displeased because we want to teach them what He said about homosexuality? <sigh>

Beth :-)

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