Quote from: Mrs Erocse on February 27, 2011, 11:06:28 AM

I have not been a Christian since I was 29 yrs of age.( I did not find love or acceptance in the church I attended. Only disillusionment and hypocracy.) I am nearly 48 yrs old now. I only feel that judgment be reserved for God if there is God. And if Christians quote scriptures to support their views, they do so in  context and fairly. If they don't live by the bible completely, I feel it is wrong to quote a portion, take it out of context and suggest everyone else live by that small clip. Though they ignore the surrounding scriptures and would not choose to live by any of the rest at all. When "so many so called Christians" take this liberty it brings ridicule upon all of christianity.

There are so many that do this. In fact Roxy's family are a variety of religious family members who have done this. They belong to an assortment of religions. They excuse themselves, for child abuse, drug use, adultery, vanity, greed, theft, arrogance, slander, bigotry, laziness etc...... Yet would turn their back on Roxy for being transgender without an ounce of compassion.

Perhaps I feel very defensive of our position. I think there are many in our position and we are all out numbered by bigots who proclaim christianity and use christianity as a basis for hatred.

This saddens me to the core. I know many that have found acceptance in their church and perhaps more importantly acceptance from God in Christ. My church fellowship is fantastic and the acceptance has been such that I have been given so many opportunities in ministry from within the church. I am concerned that the whole of Christianity is being judged when it is evident that some as you say, are, So called Christians by their fruits you will know then. I too have found those So called Christiansin other churches but not all church fellowships are the same. In this respect these should not be tarred to the same brush. Also we should not judge or we find ourselves standing in the same place as those who condemn us. Jesus only condemned the hypocrite and when we point the finger at someone we find we have more pointing back at us.

I understand where you are coming from, believe me I have seen, felt, received and been made unwelcome in the past but this does not mean that all are the same and its to their loss that I am elsewhere. That's how I view it. We live in a fallen world and as such we too are part of that fickleness of humanity, imperfect, frail, confused and outright frustrating humanity. There has been one thing that I have held onto throughout those times when I too stood condemned and its in a God who in Christ Jesus makes me whole, new and loved by him unconditionally.

Stardust

Stardust

The Dali Lama once said "My religion is kindness."  Pretty much goes without saying he's not a Christian.

Quote from: tekla on February 28, 2011, 12:16:04 AM
The Dali Lama once said "My religion is kindness."  Pretty much goes without saying he's not a Christian.

WHY? I know many Christians who also live by loving kindness. Please don't judge all by those examples who judge us as we can become the judge and jury ourselves. We all know where that leads.

Stardust

But see you are.  That what remarks like "so-called" do is judge and damn in the same breath.  And you are not alone in this thread either.  We have several doing that.

My greatest concern, with the increasing, political hijacking of religion in nominally Christain and Muslim countries, is that religion plays such an important role in our cultures and national identities.

Once we lose that basis for knowing who we are, individually and as communities, we are left open to almost any manipulation. This is being seen in many, otherwise Muslim countires, where previously peaceful people are celebrating, decent young men and women, blowing themselves up. In parts of the US, there is violence and intolerance toward those deemed not part of the latest doctrine.

What is perhaps most alarming is the way so many of these activities are being portrayed as always having occured. This is simply not true.

We abandon ourselves and our indentities at our peril.

so many of these activities are being portrayed as always having occured.

So the Crusades (both foreign and domestic), the Witch Trials, the Inquisitions, the Pogroms, The Hundred Years War (which lasted much longer than that, they just stopped counting when they hit triple digits), never happened?

Tekla.

I could go through each of these with you but they would take too long.

But I will say this. The Crusades were inteded to restablish control over the trade routes to India. First established by Alexander the Great and lost when the Roman empire colapsed after Roman citizens poisoned theselves with lead. (Incidently, you may not realise it, nor been taught, but the entire development fo Europe, including its miliraty rise, it's predominance on the seas, its exploration of the world, including the colonisation of Africa, the Americas, Australisia and Asia, its artistic, philosophical, cultural and technological predominance, not to mention its enormous wealth, all occured because if the desire to access India).

The witch trials were mostly incited by medics who wanted to get rid of local wise women, who were also midwives, so they could practice their own medicine.

The Inquisitions were intended to vanquish the remanants of Islamic influence from Spain, after the explusion of the Moors.

The Hundred Years War had nothing, what so ever to do with religion. (Much like Blair and Bush have tried to claim they were guided by their god to invade Iraq. While Saddam claimed he was guided by his to oppose them).

Quote from: tekla on February 28, 2011, 08:23:09 AM
so many of these activities are being portrayed as always having occured.

So the Crusades (both foreign and domestic), the Witch Trials, the Inquisitions, the Pogroms, The Hundred Years War (which lasted much longer than that, they just stopped counting when they hit triple digits), never happened?

Not that they ever happened but that they were not religiously inspired as spacial has so eliquantly put. Before we begin to tar religion with the same brush we first must understand the reason for our argument. If the reasons are unfounded then your argument fails.

The phrase "So called Christians" I used was to reiterate what you said. I would rather see them as not being Christ like.

Stardust

Quote from: spacial on February 27, 2011, 02:58:44 PM
Why?

Because if you don't then you invalidate your source.

Quote from: Dana Lane on March 02, 2011, 02:09:31 PM
Because if you don't then you invalidate your source.

I'm sorry Dana, but that is a ridiculous argument.

The only parts of the Bible that are relevant to Christians are the New Testament.

And if you read the Gospels, it become clear that much of the non-Gospels books in the New Testament are not valid either.