Two things I do not understand

[Jake]

Elijah...I agree with you!



Rhea,

You've brought up some good food for thought, but perhaps we're straying too far away from the OP...happens a lot around here!

Regarding "gay friendly" churches...here's the point...the "religion" most of these churches profess is supposed to be Christianity...but they have strayed far from what the tenets of our faith uphold as truth.

Christianity is a word that has become almost meaningless because folks use it to cover all who truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only source of salvation to a fallen world, to those who simply think He was a gentle philosopher who said some nice things about love. There's a fairly broad spectrum in between.

The Church...the Body of Christ which is comprised of all believers of all time (this would include even folks like Abraham and King David) hold certain things to be truth. Yes, there are many modern churches that are breaking away from these truths...but this is in contradiction of their "religion". As for the "Christian churches" that have embraced homosexuality...this isn't the only issue in which they have separated, not only from historic Christian tenets, but their own denomination's historic teachings as well. All the churches you listed also reject the Scriptures as the inspired and inerrant Word of God (whole 'nuther thread) and many even question the whole, "Jesus is God" idea opting instead for a sort of grayish area that makes statements like "You have to experience Jesus as man in order to understand his divinity and experience his divinity in order to understand the man." (This was something someone said at an ELCA gathering I was at. It sounds cool, but it's based in new agey thought.)

Again, I know of no "religion" that embraces homosexuality. Only splinter groups from historic Christianity and Judaism.

Agreed 100%!
A church building accepting homosexuality is not the church Christ set up. There is only ONE True Church, the believers are scattered all over the world, in some church buildings, some outside of church buildings.
God knows the hearts of men and we will be judged accordingly.

 

[Classik]

Yep! :yes

The tricky thing is...they will look you in the eye and deny ever denying the Son or that Jesus is from God...all the while either stripping Him of His divinity...or making out that he is divine only because God divinely resides in all of us...that Jesus just knew how to tap into his "inner god" more than the rest of us...

Truly we have a lot of work to do defending Christ and christianity. Don't we?

 

[EricTheBaptist]

I kinda want to put another point out. So many churches are straying away from what being a Christian truly is! I've explored just about every other denomination out there and nothing makes sense. Orthodox, Jehovah, Mormon, Lutheran, Unitarian, and Catholic never appealed to me and seem to have scriptures to contradict most of what they put out.

Churches need to get down on their knees and start reading what God says NOT what man says. However most of these churches preaching these things are being willfully ignorant. I've brought up the gay verse to so many "Gay Christians" and they simply wont believe me. It's like they either don't care, don't believe God's truth, or they are blocking it from their mind.

 

[Rhea]

Regarding "gay friendly" churches...here's the point...the "religion" most of these churches profess is supposed to be Christianity...but they have strayed far from what the tenets of our faith uphold as truth.

Christianity is a word that has become almost meaningless because folks use it to cover all who truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only source of salvation to a fallen world, to those who simply think He was a gentle philosopher who said some nice things about love. There's a fairly broad spectrum in between.

One might consider that modern protestants, baptists, for example, or any evangelical, wandered away from a previous church. They now think theirs is the ONe True Way. BOTH Catholicism AND Baptistism (? LOL) are BOTH religions. Buddism is a religion. Islam is a religion. The fact that you don't think they are a Correct(tm) religion is not relevant to whether they, as religions, embrace their values and these are their religious values.

It's possible that you don't call the UCC or the Episcopalians "Christian", but that is because you think they are a different religion than yours - not that they are not a religion.

According to them, and I sit in their church and hear them, they believe firmly;

Churches need to get down on their knees and start reading what God says NOT what man says. [...]. It's like they either don't care, don't believe God's truth, or they are blocking it from their mind.

Maybe they are simply living the other verses more strongly. The one I quoted above, plus perhaps

Matthew 5:38-40
New International Version (NIV)
Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

where they feel that BEING Christian has nothing to do with judging or even preventing others in their sin.

I realize this may not be your interpretation, but it is theirs, FYI. It's what Jesus said to them, which for many is as good as what God said.

 

[Pizzaguy]

Civil Rights. What three groups of people are these largly made up of? Nothing wrong with some civil rights. All should be treated civil. Yet, are sinful rights to be accepted with a smile is the question. And when two are correct & one is not according to Gods law, and then we still see three of these three pushed forward as 'civil rights' in a type of yoked civil law by some of the loudest of mouthed ones of these type folks, then what Christian would not be offended?


--Elijah

I always have a hard time understanding your posts. Well, I always HAVE - but not THAT post.

"Sinful Rights" - that is a good one. :yes Not just a good "word play", but you have spoken a tidy little truth.

It is now YOUR turn, I hereby award you "Pizza's Post of the Day"!

 

[handy]

Rhea,

I've spent some time pondering your post...and I concede the point. :nod

The churches that have accepted gays are indeed their own religion, based upon the teachings and philosophies of Jesus, but not the same as the "Church" known in the New Testament.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea,

I've spent some time pondering your post...and I concede the point. :nod

The churches that have accepted gays are indeed their own religion, based upon the teachings and philosophies of Jesus, but not the same as the "Church" known in the New Testament.

Thanks for clarifying. I appreciate your candor. I would agree with you that they are practically a different religion, despite the current difference of "sect". But I guess the normal usage of sect can include some huge differences! So maybe different sects can be thought of as "different religions" at some point, even though as they evolve one can never pinpoint the exact moment they become a "different" religion, but at some point most agree that it has already happened way back. (Kind of like, how many hairs can you still have and yet be "bald"?)