Two weeks in.

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So, it's been about two weeks since I've started participating with this site. It's been about two weeks since I felt something of a 'calling' to Christianity again.

What I have learnt?

Don't expect people proclaiming to be Christian to act in a Christ like manner.

Now, I know every community has it's 'bad apples'. I've found them in every community I've tried to belong with. But nowhere have they been as immediate or as obvious as with the past two weeks.

I can live with people not keeping to the more difficult tenants of their proclaimed faith. I wouldn't expect to change habits of a lifetime (smoking? eating meat? drinking?) all of a sudden or even easily. But the very basic things Jesus stood against? Hatred? Authority? Discrimination? Well, I tell you what they are rife here. Racism and homophobia and warmongering being the most obvious projections of such.

'It happens', yes, yes it does. But the problem? No one seems to take a stand against the very vocal (hopefully) minority of 'Christians' that espouse these things. I've found through personal experience, that objecting to racism and far right authoritarian attitudes, for example gets you dogpiled by the perpitraitors, does anyone say 'hang on, I'm not sure Jesus would have approved...' no they don't. Do the admins even react to posts that break the rules? Well, I've not seen it happen yet.

I'm finding it hard to keep heart in this all. When your faith is based on a socialist person of colour, and yet racism and authoritarianism are a-ok? That's troubling.

Time to most probably rethink things.
Time to give up and acquiesce to the fascists? I'm not entirely sure that's the Christian thing to do.
 
You just haven't seen all the stands we have taken over and over again until it seems pointless, and so we eventually learn who is not espousing Christian doctrine, and we just do not bother with their threads anymore.

If you stay here, you will grow discerning about people. And you do have a place to put your thoughts for those who will be helped by them.

Joi
 
Hi Joi,
You're quite right, I haven't seen any stands taken. Part of that may very well be because I haven't been round long. But I like to think (or flatter myself) that I get the measure of a 'place' quite quickly, and well, large sections of this place just seem to be a hate echo-chamber.
 
But the very basic things Jesus stood against? Hatred? Authority? Discrimination?
Click to expand...

Very often people ascribe things to Jesus which aren't the things Jesus taught at all.

1) First of all, Jesus seemed pretty angry about a LOT of things.

He seemed to have some pretty serious "anger issues" when he drove people out of the temple with a whip.
John 2:15
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

He seemed to have some anger issues when he called the scribes and Pharisees "vipers", and said they were going suffer the "damnation of hell."
Matthew 23:33
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

There will even be a time when Christ actually JUDGES everyone.
2Ti 4:1
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

There will even be a time when Christ will MAKE WAR.
Revelation 19:11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
So, Christ talked about peace and love, but he also talked about sin, hell, and judgement. He often rebuked people, and pointed out their sins, and said many people were in danger of hell fire. Those are HIS OWN WORDS

So from Jesus' own example, it can't be "un-christlike" to take a stand, or point out sins, or even to get upset about things that are genuinely wrong.

We must NEVER accuse people of being "un-Christlike" until we study the scripture enough to actually know what Christ was like.

2) Second of all, God actually talks a lot about hate, and he even says there are things WE SHOULD HATE.

God makes it clear that he HATES sin.
Zecharia 8:17
And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.

God tells us to hate evil.
Amos 5:15
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
Psalm 97:10
Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

God tells us to hate lying.
Psalm 119:163
I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.

God tells us to hate any "false way" that goes against his Word.
Psalm 119:104
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

God tells us to hate pride, arrogance, perverted speech, and the path of evil.
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
This is a pretty long list of specific things to hate.

It can't be "un-Christlike" to hate sin and evil, because God tells us over and over that HE hates sin, and then he commands US to hate sin and evil also.

3) Christ didn't talk ONLY about love and peace, he also talked about sin and judgment and hell... Christ had a BALANCED APPROACH to these topics.

Christ had a balanced approach because that's biblical.
We are supposed to look at evil and CALL IT EVIL, and look at good and CALL IT GOOD.
That's in the bible.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

4) It is not "un-Christlike" to point at bad doctrine, and call it bad doctrine, and it is not "un-Christlike" to point at sin, and call it sin.

This is EXACTLY what Christ DID.

Christ was loving, and merciful to all who were repentant.
But he ALSO pointed out SIN, and bad doctrine, and SPOKE AGAINST IT, CLEARLY.

Sometimes he even became passionate, and upset.

We shouldn't accuse people of being "un-Christlike" until we take the time to study Christ, and see what Christ was really like.






 
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My thought is to read the Bible! If you are newly back to Christianity, don't depend on what others say Christianity is about, but rather, go back to the source book itself.

I have not personally seen any racism in this forum. I know there are people of many colours and ethnicities, and people are ok with that. This is an international forum, not just Americans, and cultures like my own, Canadian, do not tolerate racism any more.

As for homophobia, it depends upon what you mean by that. The bible is clear in both the New and Old Testaments that one man and one woman is the way God planned it. Now to those who are caught in the homosexual lifestyle, I have seen many kind and loving posts, offering to help and support people get out of that lifestyle. That is not homophobia, but rather Christian love. Now if anyone is just condemning gays as the "worst" sin, I would personally take issue with that. We all have sin in our lives, that is why we need a Saviour. But the Bible is clear that homosexuality is a sin so if calling a sin a sin is homophobia, then so be it. You have come to a conservative forum, we believe in what the Bible says, and if you don't like that, you might want to read the Bible, listen to the posts, and make up your mind if CC is where you want to be.

And welcome to the forum. It is possible to put people on ignore, if you don't like their rants, and to just flat out not read or posts on other threads. Find the people who speak with love, uphold the Bible, and who reach out to you. There is lots of diversity here, don't focus on the things you don't like, or try to change people, but rather, allow the Holy Spirit to change you!
 
I have came across this also racism, attacking behavior, and rudeness. Especially from the ones who seem so self righteous, condemning, and judgmental attitude towards others and claiming to LOVE JESUS. Do not allow others to take your joy, praise, peace, worship, and Love you have for JESUS. Always have the Amour of GOD on when you enter into the forum. Be aware of deceiving spirit(dark agents) proclaiming to be messengers of GOD. Folks can fool people sometimes, but they can never fool JESUS. They roam in pack of wolves, follow the pattern of their behavior, they support each other unbecoming behavior and they are bullies.

Ephesians 6:10-18Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)


with truth like a belt around your waist,
righteousness like armor on your chest,
15 and your feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace.[b]
16 In every situation take the shield of faith,
and with it you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God’s word.
 
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