Why do churches not embrace both morality and compassion?

[Albion]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me what is wrong with supporting LBGTQ rights? Why should someone be denied civil rights due to sexual orientation?

Relatively few people DO oppose equal civil rights for gays. Mostly, that's just a rallying cry for those who won't tolerate anyone having even a private opinion that doesn't affirm every last demand made by the most extreme of the gay action organizations.

 

[Nemo Neem]

See, I think the issue here is a resurgence of "legalism" in Christianity today. We are living under grace now, not the law.

Sin is sin, yes. Sin shouldn't be lessened or watered-down. But the greatest sin, I think, we all commit is pride. "I know better than you do because this is what my God says." What God says is true; but what YOU say isn't true. Quite frankly, any Christian going around tooting his horn saying he or she knows the Lord's will is lying through their teeth. What we should be saying is, "I know that God loves me and has forgiven me; because of this, and because He has been merciful and just to forgive me, then I forgive you, too. And God loves you because you are His child."

 

[ToBeLoved]

See, I think the issue here is a resurgence of "legalism" in Christianity today. We are living under grace now, not the law.

Sin is sin, yes. Sin shouldn't be lessened or watered-down. But the greatest sin, I think, we all commit is pride. "I know better than you do because this is what my God says." What God says is true; but what YOU say isn't true. Quite frankly, any Christian going around tooting his horn saying he or she knows the Lord's will is lying through their teeth. What we should be saying is, "I know that God loves me and has forgiven me; because of this, and because He has been merciful and just to forgive me, then I forgive you, too. And God loves you because you are His child."

I agree with you 100%. It's really hard even here on CF when replying to posts to an OP because other people who are more towards legalism will question every thing we say. Not the OP mind you, but other posters. It is really unfortunate and makes me not want to reply sometimes to an OP.

I think that 'legalism' makes more sense, per se to them than grace. We are use to a society of actions and consequences, not a loving, holy God.

 

[jenny1972]

Yet it also says in 1 Timothy 5:20 it states: But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone

what makes you think she is sinning for showing love toward sinners and those who have been unfairly shunned ? is that not exactly what Jesus Himself did accept the groups that society had shunned ? actually YOU are the one who is sinning by treating sin and sinners unequally and shunning certain groups based on the value you place on their sin , so you "unfriended" an elderly woman who showed you nothing but kindness just because she was doing what Jesus had done ? sorry but she is not the one who needs to be 'reproved before everyone'

Matthew 7 -
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye..... Not every one that saith unto me, " Lord, Lord, " shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day," Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" And then will I profess unto them,"I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

in·iq·ui·ty noun: iniquity; plural noun: iniquities immoral or grossly unfair behavior. from Latin iniquitas, from iniquus, from in-‘not’ + aequus ‘equal, just.’

 

[grandvizier1006]

See, I think the issue here is a resurgence of "legalism" in Christianity today. We are living under grace now, not the law.

Sin is sin, yes. Sin shouldn't be lessened or watered-down. But the greatest sin, I think, we all commit is pride. "I know better than you do because this is what my God says." What God says is true; but what YOU say isn't true. Quite frankly, any Christian going around tooting his horn saying he or she knows the Lord's will is lying through their teeth. What we should be saying is, "I know that God loves me and has forgiven me; because of this, and because He has been merciful and just to forgive me, then I forgive you, too. And God loves you because you are His child."

Very well. But remember that this standard could be applied to gay people who insist the Bible affirms homosexuality when it clearly doesn't and they just want it to.

 

[Marius27]

Very well. But remember that this standard could be applied to gay people who insist the Bible affirms homosexuality when it clearly doesn't and they just want it to.

Clearly doesn't? Obviously lots of people disagree with you. A deep study of the anti-gay verses doesn't support your position.

 

[grandvizier1006]

Clearly doesn't? Obviously lots of people disagree with you. A deep study of the anti-gay verses doesn't support your position.

I know that this issue is important to you, but honestly, not everyone agrees with your assessment. certainly not every Messianic Jew. But that's derailing the thread. I was just trying to say that people shouldn't try and shame some group of Christians and assume that they're correct and infallible. I see liberal Christians accuse conservative ones of this sort of thing a lot on here, and vice versa.

 

[lismore]

I don't agree with all my friends political beliefs they state, or even another friend's Christian views sometimes.

That's true. If we even look at the twelve disciples of Jesus, one was a violent, ruthless terrorist, committed to driving the Romans out by force, another actively colluding with the Roman system as a tax-gatherer. I believe the twelve were specifically chosen partly to be an example to us. A more different bunch of lads you could not find, but united together in a common purpose. You don't have to be the same as someone else to be in agreement .

 

[Cappadocious]

If we even look at the twelve disciples of Jesus, one was a violent, ruthless terrorist

The anachronism may make for good sermons, but c'mon.

 

[hedrick]

The anachronism may make for good sermons, but c'mon.

As far as I can tell, the Zealots were in modern terms terrorists. I'm not so sure any of Jesus' disciples were actually Zealots though.

 

[ReadingForOrders]

I've read the thread and can really only come up with one reasonable response. The moral thing IS the compassionate thing. Perhaps I am thinking about this too simply but I cannot understand how "defriending" someone on social media simply because they support human rights for the LGBTQ community is a moral imperative. Exactly how is that called for?

 

[lismore]

The anachronism may make for good sermons, but c'mon.

A very violent group, the Zealots were know for their massacres, even of women and children .e.g the massacre of 700 civilians at Ein Gedi by the Zealots according to Josephus. One faction of the Zealots were known by the Romans as 'Sicarii', from 'Sica', the curved dagger the zealots kept up their sleeves. They would pretend to meet and greet someone in the marketplace, instead stabbing them to death with the hidden knife. The Latin Sicarii was also their term for murderer and I believe in the Sicilian dialect today still is.

So terrorists, yes I would say so! Simon the Zealot, an example of the very wide spread of people Jesus picked as disciples.