Sunday morning at the con. not where I'd LIKE to be, but that's life!
What a great little con. The dealer liaison and her hubby were at breakfast, and we sat talking about Freberg, and old time radio. Good times.
A sign that one is somewhat older than one might like: telling the waitress that she reminds you of an actress...and she has no clue who you're talking about (a young Tyne Daly. She even had the upper-gum smile thing.)
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I want to make something plain. Anymore, when the issue of one being a Christian comes up, the concept is given a black eye by certain, ummmmm, church-types who give everyone a bad name.
People, being a Christian has nothing to do with Westboro Baptist Church. Period. I examine the New Testament for examples of such hate-mongering, and cannot find any. Jesus taking on the hypocrisy of religious leaders of his day, and the apostle Paul doing much the same was not hate! Accurate character assessment is not hate!)
There is NO call by Christ or the apostles to spew venom and hatred at sinners (defined as those devoted to a lifestyle of self-serving, trespassing over the boundaries God has set for human attitude and behavior.) The very God who went to cosmic lengths to be born into the world to redeem a lost and dead mankind is antithetical to the message of Westboro. They pick Old Covenant verses to support their spew, but I see no effort for them to rebuild the Temple and re-institute animal sacrifices.
Is there a Cohen in the house?
If you are going to cherry-pick your doctrine from the Law of Moses, you need to be consistent with it. Where's that red heifer, guys?
Lookit, there is sin. Sin is breaking God's laws (His house, His rules. Want different rules? Fine. Create your own universe.) The perfect God hates sin. But he loved the practitioners so much that He sent Jesus to atone for those sins. You may take advantage of this remarkable gift at any time, preferably sooner than later. But God does not hate you. He loves you, and wants you to have the best possible life, but this does involve playing the game by His rules (His house, again).
But c'mon, having principles, having rules, is NOT HATRED, any more than Parker Brothers hates you because there are specific rules for playing Monopoly.
Thus, however much I might disagree with your lifestyle or choices, I should not hate you. Hatred, in fact, is one of the works of the flesh spoken against in Galatians.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Please note that hatred is in the same boat as murder and adultery. The statement:
those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
is a no-brainer. If you live a non- kingdom life, then you won't inherit the Kingdom. I would be bold and say you would not WANT to be in the Kingdom. It would be uncomfortable.
Compare the fruit of the Spirit, borne in the life of a Kingdom citizen:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Crucifying the flesh is not comfy. It involves denial of what I want to do, and submitting my will to the One with a better plan. This is likely why Jesus said:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:12-14
Point: Christian, if you are exuding hatred, I might question your right to the name, as you are displaying allegiance to your flesh, your own will, rather than obedience to Christ Jesus. But that is between you and your Maker, and we all of us are at different points in a life of obedience to our Lord.
In the parlance of The Street: Don't be hatin'.
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CON UPDATE!
The Spirit of the Lord Family Church meets upstairs at the Crowne Plaza on Sunday afternoons. Some of their members were "concerned" at the demonic costumes of some of the cosplayers here at the con, and, being vexed in their spirits, attempted to exorcise someone, because, you know, the kids weren't wearing tapioca-colored polyester, I guess. Thanks for giving a black eye to people who are trying to live the faith in the marketplace.
Chapter and verse, people. Where did Jesus, or an apostle, try to cast out demons from someone because of their clothing?
I'm waiting....
Can we PLEASE stop passing off boogeyman superstition as Biblical faith? Please?
8 comments:
I think that the fault lies on both sides. The loudest anti-gay screamers are looking for signs of The Coming End. Because the homosexual community (at least the vocal segment) are SO in your face about their sex practices that they make a very LARGE target.
Homosexuality is against God's law (remember, homosexuality is a practice) just like fornication, adultury, murder, and gluttony. I am hetero (I'm here...I'm STRAIGHT...and I'm IN YOUR FACE. Hmmm, doesn't quite have the same effect) and if I mess around with a woman not-my-wife, I incur God's displeasure. So-o-o-o-o-o-o, I choose to remain faithful. No problem. Were I to have urges, say for Vidad (yes, I know, the horror, THE HORROR!), were I to not follow through with that idea, no harm, no foul. Likewise with murdering you, or picking your pocket. The law broken requires God's grace and forgiveness. Thankfully it is available readily in Christ.
"I mean, I'm no biblical scholar, but my understanding is that we are all sinners in need of God's Grace."
You're a better scholar than most!
I really think that if the gay activists did not shout so loud, the outcry against them would be far less.
Sin is sin. Whether the Ming vase has a 1 cm crack in the handle, or a 2-inch chunk out of the base, it is still broken, still no longer whole.
My thoughts on what makes so many think they are gay reside here:
http://aardvarksplumbline.blogspot.com/2007/12/i-was-curious.html
It is far easier to rail against someone than to take time to teach them, help them, even befriend them. That's the biggest fault of all.
Excellent admonition, brother 'vark. It amazes me just how idiotic and myopic certain branches of the Church can get (if they can even legitimately lay claim to the designation). Ahh, the stories I could tell...
BTW, I hear from Vidad that you will be in my neck of the woods sometime soon. What's your ETA and what will be your 20, over?
rycamor- We are headed to (are you sitting down?)
Naruto Trek, a little con in Ft. Lauderdale at the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek Hotel. Google it and be amused. March 27 - 29, 2009. We will be coming through on Thurs. the 26th.
Vidad, who tells all, says that you know summat about java.
Aardvark, certain portions of your comment now require that I use copious amounts of mind bleach.
I think you can figure out which parts.
Re: in your face gays, my philosphy when it comes to gays has always been as long as it's not my ass you're grabbing I don't care. And with most gays that works just fine. But there are some who could give the westboro nuts a run for their money when it comes to being poisonous.
Here I'm thinking of those like the one who assaulted that old woman with the cross during the whole prop 8 situation.
They to can fall off of the planet anytime as far as I'm concerned.
Vidad, who tells all, says that you know summat about java.
Well, mostly I know enough to avoid its use whenever possible.
But if you elaborate on what you need, I might be of some guidance. In my tech career, I've at least accumulated a nice list of things a company Should Never Do. Feel free to email me @gmail.com.
Small "j"
Coffee. Cuppa Joe, battery acid.
Ahahaa..., joke's on me. I've had work on the brain too much lately.
Yes, after some experimentation, some trial-and-error, I have settled on a decent methodology for java, which is more than I can say for Java.
Hahahahaha. rycamor, you need to get OUT!
(And not OUT like Rigel's talking... the other kind)
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