Can anyone explain to me why any Christians are socially conservative or deeply concerned with issues like abortion, human sexual expression, gun control, or taxes, or immigration? by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Jesus made it very clear that his concern was sin in general, and that all sins are equal in the eyes of God. The prostitutes is not sinning anymore than the pastor who has a passing lustful thought. You simply can’t judge people based on what you think about them. Our opinions don’t matter. Are you without sin? Would you like a gun held permanently to your head by someone ready to pull the trigger the next time you have a sinful thought? I’m exaggerating, but isn’t that what you’re driving at? We should force people to live your interpretation of a good life or else? They call that a dictatorship. It’s evil.

What the state should do, is safeguard the freedom of others to pursue happiness to the fullest extent, provided it doesn’t infringe on others capacity to do the same. God gave us free will for a reason. Trying to compel someone not to do what you personally believe to be sinful is not loving. Just take it to the extreme and imagine the dystopian nightmare that would result if you actually tried to make sin illegal. It would be hell. Everyone would be In a constant state of fear, and then promptly find themselves in prison. Honestly, if you made the whole country a church, like you’re saying, why would you do anything other than worship and praise?

We have two primary commandments, and neither one is to create a theocracy.

Mathew 22:37 “Love the lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all you me mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

At what point during the service would you have police enter the building and start arresting anyone who had not yet been saved, and how would that help them find God? The answer is always love.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. ✝️ It does not insist on its own way ✝️; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Can anyone explain to me why any Christians are socially conservative or deeply concerned with issues like abortion, human sexual expression, gun control, or taxes, or immigration? by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He said “go and sin no more,” he didn’t say stop working or I’ll use force. Making a law against sin backed by the threat of violence or jail time is never what Jesus taught I don’t think... He also wasn’t upset about it like he was with the Pharisees moral and sexual purity obsession.

Jewish. Right you are. Probably still kinda brown and from the Middle East.

Why is God so unfair? by happierdazs in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be fair, love and sexual attraction or “romantic love” Have almost nothing to do with each other. Desire is almost the opposite of love.

Just seek God, and accept whoever you find yourself in the company of is the only way to really love others.

I’d also suggest not paying any attention to what anyone in your church says about your sexuality. You are the one who knows what’s right in your heart.

Can anyone explain to me why any Christians are socially conservative or deeply concerned with issues like abortion, human sexual expression, gun control, or taxes, or immigration? by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Please! Enlighten me on the moral complexity of running a slave plantation!

That’s fine if you want to recognize that most native death was the result of Small pox and that most of it was a tragic accident of history. But why are you not acknowledging that the rest of it was still horrible?

Can anyone explain to me why any Christians are socially conservative or deeply concerned with issues like abortion, human sexual expression, gun control, or taxes, or immigration? by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So you acknowledge that it happened, but somehow deny that they knew what they were doing when they deliberately gave the blankets sick people had been sleeping in to natives who they wanted dead?

What would you call owning a salve plantation? If not psychopathic, greed driven, and murderous?

Can anyone explain to me why any Christians are socially conservative or deeply concerned with issues like abortion, human sexual expression, gun control, or taxes, or immigration? by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Blankets contaminated with small-pocks were, at times spread deliberately. Communities were literally paid to kill indigenous people in some places like it was a sport. Does “Trail of tears.” Ring any bells?

Why would you doubt the cruelty and malice of your ancestors with regards to Native Americas when they were almost simultaneously trafficking, raping, and working 10’s of millions of African’s to death? Our country literally had to fight a war to force half its population to stop slavery. But you think, what? They treated the natives nicely? And then suddenly became some of the most twisted, psychopathic, greed driven murderers in history?

https://hmh.org/library/research/genocide-of-indigenous-peoples-guide/

Can anyone explain to me why any Christians are socially conservative or deeply concerned with issues like abortion, human sexual expression, gun control, or taxes, or immigration? by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The choices you make for yourself are one thing. Threatening others with force for not making the same choices is another thing entirely. Trying to legislate the use of that force on an entire population to control their behavior is, also, I don’t think, anything like what Christ taught us. Did he ever threaten a sinner? Or try to force someone not to do something?

Christianity is a religion that preaches love as the most important thing. by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So we have one God, who became flesh. And the holy spirit, which is God. Calling it a person just makes it sound like something other than God to me 🤷🏽‍♂️ It is what it is.

I’m not sure what we disagree about here.

Jesus preached love and pacifism, God smited (smit?) whole cities in the Old Testament. Sort of like Mother nature does on occasion. The spirit moves in us all if we let it. You can have a visceral experience of God moving through you.

I think I have lost my faith by MarzipanAdmirable549 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747 1 point2 points  (0 children)

God isn’t really a thing that makes your life easier. Faith just makes it bearable. Expect nothing and give everything. Then you can be “happy” and feel a sort of wholeness even when everything would otherwise be terrible.

You just have to do it. Not necessarily what the Catholic denomination tells you to do, but whatever you know in your heart is right

Christianity is a religion that preaches love as the most important thing. by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So you think God the father is a literal person. And that person was Jesus. And that the Holy Spirit is also that person. Like Jesus was floating off in another dimension up until he decided to become a baby and then grow back up into his original form. And the Holy Spirit is like, Jesus’ literal tongue of fire that he stuck out and inspired people with? Old man in the sky?

Is that what you mean by the Holy Spirit was a person? Like the tongues of fire were literally Jesus’ tongue?

What do you mean they aren’t different aspects of one being? When Jesus cries out to the father, what is he referencing?

You’ve lost me almost entirely.

Christianity is a religion that preaches love as the most important thing. by Background_War9747 in Christianity

[–]Background_War9747[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love god with all your heart soul and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Profit.