Never.

 

Has a gay person ever been approached?

On the bolded, when you assume there are things that happen.

 

There is no committee and contrary to you wanting a bunch of church marms to run around yelling sinner, sinner, sinner at people that does not happen. You are watching too much crap out of Hollywood.

 

The challenging goes on the same way it would at schools. I am hoping that you have no problem with teaching as a way of learning and challenging people.

 

Sermons, bible studies, Sunday school lessons, ALL FIRMLY GROUNDED IN SCRIPTURE....let me repeat that........ALL FIRMLY GROUNDED IN SCRIPTURE are the ways to challenge people.

 

On the italics, if I have never opened a Bible, I attend your church, and you are unwilling to help me learn what is sinful and what is not, how would I ever learn what I should try to strike from my life. Have you ever thought that YOU are the vehicle that God is trying to use to teach me how to live a better life but you are unwilling to do YOUR job because you are afraid of hurting my feelings through pointing out the sin in my life? God is trying to use you and me and HHSDAD and Rockmom and the posters on here. Some answer the call, some don't.

 

On the underlined, please educate me where in Scripture that Jesus called out the government of his time for these things.

 

Also, which is worse, taking one's life in form of abortion or denying healthcare or living wage?

 

I will say again, I do not think that abortion is the taking of a life, you do, and on that we may never agree, or one of us may grow into a different opinion. However, we both know that denying some access to healthcare because of their "sin" is wrong and amassing great wealth at the expense of others we both know is wrong.

 

What you would learn from my church if you walked in having never read the Bible?? That is easy. God Loves You - Unconditionally - and wants you to have a full (read eternal) life. You would learn that we believe we serve God by serving others and that we all struggle with things that harm our relationship with God and with each other but by striving to live like Christ (not read Perfect) as the ultimate servant we will grow to be more like Christ and learn to LOVE everyone Unconditionally and welcome any who would come into our fellowship.

On the bolded, when you assume there are things that happen.

 

There is no committee and contrary to you wanting a bunch of church marms to run around yelling sinner, sinner, sinner at people that does not happen. You are watching too much crap out of Hollywood.

 

The challenging goes on the same way it would at schools. I am hoping that you have no problem with teaching as a way of learning and challenging people.

 

Sermons, bible studies, Sunday school lessons, ALL FIRMLY GROUNDED IN SCRIPTURE....let me repeat that........ALL FIRMLY GROUNDED IN SCRIPTURE are the ways to challenge people.

 

On the italics, if I have never opened a Bible, I attend your church, and you are unwilling to help me learn what is sinful and what is not, how would I ever learn what I should try to strike from my life. Have you ever thought that YOU are the vehicle that God is trying to use to teach me how to live a better life but you are unwilling to do YOUR job because you are afraid of hurting my feelings through pointing out the sin in my life? God is trying to use you and me and HHSDAD and Rockmom and the posters on here. Some answer the call, some don't.

 

On the underlined, please educate me where in Scripture that Jesus called out the government of his time for these things.

 

Also, which is worse, taking one's life in form of abortion or denying healthcare or living wage?

 

 

Oh heavens! All I do is answer questions and argue! :eek: I'm not sure I'd say God's using me to teach anything. :eek:

If there is a genetic predisposition to homosexuality, I don't believe that makes it right. There is an argument that there is a predisposition to murder- a "murder" gene"- does it make it right?

 

Did you really compare murder, as in taking someone's life, to homosexual relationships?

Oh heavens! All I do is answer questions and argue! :eek: I'm not sure I'd say God's using me to teach anything. :eek:

 

Yes, he is and you have taught me that Catholics are as much Chrisitans as Protestants. And I say that very seriously.

 

While I may not agree with some of the practices, I believe their are Christians that Jesus is so very happy with in Catholicism, Methodists, Baptists, etc, etc.

 

And I believe on a daily basis, there are people that you run into and have talks with that see the love of Jesus Christ through you.

Did you really compare murder, as in taking someone's life, to homosexual relationships?

 

No, they did not. They compared having a gene for something making it right.

I will say again, I do not think that abortion is the taking of a life, you do, and on that we may never agree, or one of us may grow into a different opinion. However, we both know that denying some access to healthcare because of their "sin" is wrong and amassing great wealth at the expense of others we both know is wrong.

 

What you would learn from my church if you walked in having never read the Bible?? That is easy. God Loves You - Unconditionally - and wants you to have a full (read eternal) life. You would learn that we believe we serve God by serving others and that we all struggle with things that harm our relationship with God and with each other but by striving to live like Christ (not read Perfect) as the ultimate servant we will grow to be more like Christ and learn to LOVE everyone Unconditionally and welcome any who would come into our fellowship.

 

On the bottom, that is what you will learn from my church too. As long as you don't come in with some predetermined mindset of what you expect us to be.

 

Cause usually when you expect something, that is what you see despite that is actually there.

 

On the top part, you are just wrong.:sssh::D:cool:

 

On a serious note about the top part, how do you (not talking society but you as a Christian) handle the Scripture in which God says that before we were in the womb he knew us? Do you ignore it or can you justify that Scripture as a Christian with your stance that abortion is not taking a life?

 

I am not sure that denying healthcare is a sin as I see no where that Jesus talks about government programs and you have yet to provide me Scripture on government provided healthcare. And I am not even sure where we as a country deny healthcare to people.

 

Absolutely, I agree with you that amassing great wealth AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS, (I read to mean being greedy and cold blooded while doing it) is a sin. I don't think wealth in general is a sin (lot of wealthy people in the OT that God made that way and used) but the manner you accumulated it and what you do with it could be a sin.

Let me also make a very clear distinction that I thought of today while on the golf course.

 

There is a difference and I believe it is a BIG DIFFERENCE between sin and a sinful life for a Christian. PLEASE NOTE I AM ADDRESSING A BELIEVER IN CHRIST HERE.

 

The Bible alludes to that in talking about drinking. Drinking is not a sin but living a life where you are characterized by drinking is a sinful life.

 

I could go out this weekend for the first time in about 20 years and drink and maybe get drunk and I might have committed a sin. I ask for forgiveness and I believe it is forgiven.

 

But if I go out on Friday and Saturday and get drunk. Then I go out Monday and Tuesday and Thursday and back out on Friday and Saturday and that is normal operating procedures for me, that is a sinful life in which I am not truly repenting and dealing with the sin in my life. That sin is not just drinking but lying, greed, sexual sins, etc, etc.

 

The latter, I am not sure how God looks at.

 

The former I think God can be okay with because my life is not characterized by that sin. If not, then we have to live a perfect life and that is not going to happen.

 

But if I am doing that sin all the time in the latter and not trying to change, well, I am not sure how God looks at it.

 

Some are quick to dismiss it and say that Jesus is not concerned with it and loves us all whether it is sin or a sinful life.

 

Well I simply don't see a clear argument in Scripture to fall down on that side. NOT saying it is wrong but don't think that the argument is strongly weighted on that side.

 

So as a result the safe play is to strive to not have a SINFUL LIFE!

 

We, you, us, WILL COMMIT sin. That is a guarantee.

 

BUT a SINFUL LIFE we need to try and avoid.

Though I don't support gay marriage, or homosexuality, I do accept it. How I feel about it formally I'm still not sure. 5 years ago straight out of high school I would've voted make all homosexual activity gay. That was before I became friends with and accepted some homoexual people I've met. I still don't support it, however I couldn't imagine not being supportive of some of these people being happy.

 

I voted that is should be left up to the state. Although I think I'd vote against gay marriage, despite my support of my gay friends, I still think it should be up to that community. I really don't feel that someone in the federal gov't could effectively vote or understand what each community would accept or approve of, or diaprove of.

I would be happy to leave the issue of gay marriage or civil unions for the states to decide but the federal courts have shown such a blatant disregard for states' rights under the US Constitution that I do not believe that is a realistic possibility. It is only a matter of time before courts start ruling that states must honor gay marriages, regardless of where they were performed. Forcing states to implement a system to allow gay divorces is a logical extension of that kind of over stepping of federal authority.

 

Liberal judges will ultimately force voters and politicians to consider a constitutional amendment barring gay marriage, IMO. Calling gay marriage a "civil union," when the laws would define the same institution is nothing more than a sham. Like rephrasing "pro-abortion" to "pro-choice."

No, they did not. They compared having a gene for something making it right.

 

And used murder and homosexual relationships as the comparison...right?

Did you really compare murder, as in taking someone's life, to homosexual relationships?

 

I am not saying that they are equal- I am just saying that the idea that a "genetic predisposition" to something exists does not make the action right. As a genetic predisposition to murder does not make murder a moral act, a genetic predisposition to homosexuality is not proof that it is a good thing.

 

FWIW, I am not even convinced that there is a genetic predisposition to homosexuality, I was giving a theoretical situation.

And used murder and homosexual relationships as the comparison...right?

 

No, using the point of having a gene that predisposes people to certain activities.

Well I think everything that could be said on the subject, has been said. Time to put this thread to bed.