Silly Catholics, God is for Protestants!
But seriously.
A Catholic school teacher was recently fired for being pregnant and unmarried. At a news conference announcing a lawsuit Michelle McCusker is filing against the school, she said, "I don't understand how a religion that prides itself on forgiving and on valuing life could terminate me because I'm pregnant and choosing to have this baby."
And I don't understand how a woman professing to be of that faith could not follow its laws. If she was a good Catholic, she would follow the rules outlined in the Bible and allow her community to stone her (KJV Deuteronomy 22:21). Geez.
No, really. I've said it time after time: You cannot claim to follow a religion because of the morals it teaches, because it also teaches ones that most people would regard as bad. When people mention the morals of a religion, they mean the morals that they agree with.
And that's all for today, folks. Have a great holiday.
posted by Anonymous @ Tuesday, November 22, 2005
13 Comments:
OMG I SAW THAT!!!...The funny thing is i started laughing...and im catholic...haha thats a situation i feel would happen to me when i get older....im a bad catholic...o well...
That is hillarious!
Also I am proud to announce that Kingdom of Heathen is the first result on Google if you search for it. I don't count the book and sponsored because tehy always come first. I think we should celebrate. You guys wait till i come back and we'll have a party.
I am in india and forgot my password.
Jesus fulfilled the law when He said, "It is finished" on the cross and at that moment (check out the Gospels)the curtain in the temple, in front of the Holy of Holies was ripped in two. This is just one of the many symbols that show that the temple and the sacrifices were fulfilled by Jesus (read Hebrews and this will be clear) as well as the many other ceremonial laws. Because Christ's finished work means that there is no more need for the theocracy of Israel, the civil laws of the Old Testament no longer apply (which is why we don't stone people for adultery). The universal principle of the sixth commandment on adultery DOES still apply, which is why Jesus, Paul and others condemn it.
To all of you who are following right along with everything posted on this blog.........do you really want to group yourself together with someone who doesn't even understand the basics of the Bible and Christianity? Obviously no one here is thinking for themselves. Even another atheist should've been able to correct him on such a blatant error instead of just patting him on the back and agreeing with him.
Lucy, I understand that the Bible says this. I just think it's bullshit.
And just out of curiosity, how come some Christians use Leviticus's civil laws as ground for their war against homosexuality?
Why do some Christians use the civil laws in Leviticus in their war on homosexuality? Because Christianity doesn't cure stupidity. There are Christians who twist scripture to defend racism. There are Christians who will condemn other Christians to hell for drinking a beer. There are Christians who twist scripture to defend mistreating their wives and children. You name it and there's somebody out there twisting scripture to condemn it or defend it. You also have to remember that not every person who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. The KKK claims to be a Christian organization, but who wouldn't pay to be a fly on the wall when they have to stand before God? I'm not in the habit of saying whether or not someone is truly a Christian, but some things are obvious. Not to mention the fact that Christ himself said, "'Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" There are people out there who are sincere Christians as far as their faith in Christ goes, but who are very ignorant where scripture is concerned. Sincere Christians are still fallen people. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER base your faith (or lack thereof) on the followers of Christianity. Make your decision to believe (or not believe) based on Christ.
These people aren't twisting scripture, they're just doing what it says! Just like you are! The only difference between you and them is that you have a more contemporary set of morals.
How do you know which parts of the Bible are right and wrong? You say that the laws of the Old Testament are obsolete, but the 10 Commandments were in the OT. Are they obsolete?
(Okay, at this point, I'm not trying to play gotcha. I'm sincerely curious what you have to say)
At first glance my morals may seem contemporary, but they're really no more contemporary than the Bible itself. I do not believe that it is a sin to drink alcohol. The Bible speaks against being a drunkard, not against drinking. There was a group of priests that were not allowed to drink alcohol. It may have been the Levites, but don't quote me. I haven't drank alcohol in over 4 years because I can't seem to be able to do it without being a drunkard. People will quote OT scripture where God tells the nation of Israel to not mix with other nations. They put a twist on it and say that it is proof that God doesn't approve of interacial marriage. It wasn't interacial marriage God was warning them about. It was idol worship. I'm not waging any kind of war against homosexuality when I say this, but the act of homosexuality is condemned in the NT. People like to categorize and rate sin. Stealing is worse than lying. Lying is worse than pride. Stealing is not as bad as murder. And EVERYBODY knows that homosexuality is the worst of all of them. Well, everybody but God. God does not categorize and rate sin. ALL sin is rebellion against God. Their are sins that God places special emphasis on because of their ability to cause us more immediate, earthly damage. The act of homosexuality is one of them, but so is pride. There are so many homosexuals out there who will not even consider faith in Christ because they think that God hates them. Where did they get that idea? From Christians. People are struggling with all kinds of issues and they think, "One of these days if I can get my act together, I'll become a Christian." That's not how it works. Christ wants people to take their issues and struggles TO HIM and let HIM get their act together.
I didn't say that the laws in the OT are obsolete. They had their purpose then and they have their purpose now. Their purpose is to show us the standard or what we've got to measure up to in order to be holy in the sight of a holy God. If it was left up to me (or you or Billy Graham......) to keep the law, we'd be burning like a marshmellow on a stick. We couldn't do it. I would've had to sacrifice so many animals to atone for my sins alone that everything would be extinct before I'd turned 18. In walks Christ. Christ did not come to abolish the law, but to FULFILL it. "He (God)forgave us (those who choose to trust in Christ) all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross."(Colossians 2:13) "But now, by dying to what once bound us (the law), we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."(Romans 7:6) Eventually, everyone is going to be judged by God. We all have a choice of which judgement we want God to use, but he's definitely going to use one of two choices. We can choose to be responsible for ourselves and follow the written law and be judged by that law or we can admit that we don't have the power to follow the written law and be judged based on Christ's life and the fact that he lived a sinless life, yet still paid the penalty for all sin once and for all when he died an undeserved death on the cross.
As far as whether or not the 10 Commandments are obsolete, I'll let Jesus answer that one: In Matthew 22:34 one of the Pharisees asked Jesus which was the greatest commandments in the law? Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." In other words, Jesus was saying, "You keep your focus on loving God and others and everything else will take care of itself." I hope this helps clear it up.
So the Bible is NOT a good moral guide ? You're the first Christian I hear say that. Good for you !
So you acknowledge that reason, not faith, dictates your values ? Very good. So now the only question left is, why are you still Christian ? As far as I'm concerned, if you admit that much, you might as well be an atheist.
"At first glance my morals may seem contemporary, but they're really no more contemporary than the Bible itself."
Ah, well, the Bible has a whole lot of morals. The ones that said to kill infidels used to be socially acceptable…say, during the Spanish Inquisition. Nowadays, ,most people are following the (arguably) less barbaric ones.
That's why I don't think the Bible should be used as a moral guide; it has so many that it's not rational to rely on it to be a steadfast source.
I never said that the Bible is not a good moral guide. Without it, how would I know where I've failed? How would I even be able to recognize my need for salvation? I would have nothing by which to recognize sin.
Reason dictates my belief in God and my belief that Christ is who he says he is. I didn't come to believe by leaving my brain at the door. My faith allows me to not obsess on the things that I don't understand. I have faith in God's promises. I have faith in and trust the heart of God. I have faith in the fact that when I can't comprehend the things going on around me, God is still in control. He sees the big picture and knows exactly how the puzzle fits together. That is why I'm no longer an atheist.
Again, you can't base your faith (or lack thereof)in Christ on the actions of supposed followers of Christ. Base your belief (or disbelief) on Christ himself. There have always been and always will be people who claim to be Christians, but only use Christianity to advance their own agenda..........the Spanish Inquisition being a great example. You can add to that example: Jim Jones, David Koresh, The Salem Witch Hunts, The KKK and Benny Hinn. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers?'" - Matthew 7:21
"I never said that the Bible is not a good moral guide. Without it, how would I know where I've failed? "
You alraedy know that you've "failed" on the basis of your own values - not on the basis of the Bible. Because you regret your actions. Because you know you hurt other people. Because you know they are wrong. Objective facts. NOT the Bible.
"How would I even be able to recognize my need for salvation? I would have nothing by which to recognize sin."
There's no such thing as salvation and sin, at least not of the Christian kind.
No, you don't sound condescending. You've got to remember that I spent most of my life saying the same things and questioning the same things that are written on this post.
Around four years ago I was over at a friend's house sitting around talking to them and some of their relatives. We got on the subject of Christianity and the Bible. I'd never believed any of it. I was of the opinion that the Bible was full of contradictions and I didn't understand how one group of people could be so arrogant as to decide that they were right and everyone else (who was just as sincere in their beliefs) was wrong. I felt like if God was so great and powerful, why didn't he stop some of this suffering? We decided we'd get together and talk again the following weekend. In the mean time, I had every intention of writing a list of every contradiction that I could find in the Bible. I was bound and determined to prove them wrong. My dad had been killed in a car wreck 7 years before this and I knew that I had a big box of his books in the bottom of a closet at home and I was pretty sure that his Bible was in it. I dug the box out that night. His
Bible was there, but there was also a small paperback book, "Christianity, The Faith That Makes Sense" by Dennis McCallum. I started reading it. It took me about 3 days to get through it, but by the second day I had read enough that I had no doubt in my mind that there really is a God, Jesus is his son and Christianity is the genuine article. It was presented almost like a lawyer would present his case in front of a judge and jury and it literally blew my mind. The evidence was so obvious that it amazed me that I needed someone to point it out. I became a Christian that night and I've never regretted it. Since then I've read several other books that have done nothing but strengthen my convictions. One is "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" by Josh McDowell and "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel. Both of these guys were intent on writing books to disprove Christianity, but became Christians while researching for their books. Lee Strobel was an investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune and an atheist when he started writing his book.
The existence of the Jewish people today is one reason I believe that the Bible is true. God promised Abraham that he would make from him a great nation and would give them a land that would forever belong to this great nation. God warned them against disobedience and promised that He would use other nations to remove them from that land if they were unfaithful to Him. He said that He would scatter them across the whole earth as strangers in a land that was not their own. But because of His faithfulness, God also promised that one day he would bring them back into their land. They eventually fell into idolatry and were removed from their land and have been scattered across the earth, but through all this, the nation if Israel has neither perished nor lost its national identity. History has demonstrated that any people who leave their homeland will, after about 5 generations, lose their national identity by being absorbed into the new culture, but the Jews have remained a distinct entity. Not only have they survived, but the nations that have persecuted them have either been destroyed or completely lost their individual identity. Have you ever heard of a Swedish Moabite, a Russian Philistine or an American Ammonite? But you have heard of a Swedish Jew, a German Jew, American Jew etc. They have not lost their identity and if you will pay close attention to the news you will see how events in the Middle East (and everywhere, really) line up with biblical prophesy.
As far as Islam is concerned, you can immediately discount any religion that claims that Jesus was a prophet or a "really good, moral teacher", as Islam and Hinduism do. Jesus claimed to be the son of God, God incarnate, God in the flesh. He was very to the point about who he said he was. It's not possible that Jesus could be just a prophet or a good, moral teacher and make those claims. He had to be either 1)a liar, 2)a lunatic or 3)the Son of God. Good moral teacher is not an option.
"Enil Edam", I want you to know how much I appreciate the level of respect you've shown during this conversation. In no way have you offended me or sounded condescending and I hope I've shown you the same courtesy. If we never see it eye to eye, the conversation has still been good. I'm going leave you guys alone now. If you ever have any questions, feel free to post them on my blog.
Post a Comment
<< Home