What is it with some of these freepers?
There is only arrogance and ignorance....and self righteous scripture quoting. Lots of judging.
Worrisome that this is what people call Christianity today in the US.
This must be the neocon way.
I need to send you something.
Check your other messages today.
Worrisome that this is what people call Christianity today in the US.
This must be the neocon way.
Yes and the bloodlust some of them demonstrate is creepy.
You write: "Worrisome that this is what people call Christianity today in the US. This must be the neocon way."
An excellent and pertinent observation. Christianity as a word means quite different things to different people, as salvos of scriptural citations service differing comments. As an example of "different things," one reads:
"Open and Affirming (ONA) is an official designation of congregations and other settings in the United Church of Christ (UCC) affirming the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and non-binary persons (LGBTQ) in the church's life and ministry.So Christianity of the "Open & Affirming" variety stands in opposition to Christianity of the "Faithful and Welcoming." Which is it, then?The Open and Affirming program is administered by the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition, which supports congregations and other church settings as they consider the adoption of an ONA "covenant" and maintains the official registry of ONA congregations and ministries. The Coalition encourages UCC congregations, campus ministries, seminaries, regional bodies and other settings of the church to engage their members in serious study of sexual orientation and gender identity and to declare publicly their full welcome and inclusion of LGBTQ people. With more than 1,600 congregations, the UCC's ONA program is the largest of several LGBT-welcoming church movements in U.S. and Canadian churches.
There is a similar "Open & Affirming" program in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_and_affirming
The Wiki then notes as "Opposition" -- "In response to the perceived promotion of the ONA movement by denominational officials, 75 UCC congregations have identified themselves as "Faithful and Welcoming" by affirming the Lexington Confession (named for the North Carolina town where it was drafted), which affirms marriage as an relationship between a man and woman."
A fair question which so many refuse to answer with any real clarity. Why? Because opting publicly for one or the other "outs" someone, and so many seek to not be so clearly identified.
As with other schisms throughout the history of the "church," this is a postmodern addition. And most assuredly a schism. For the most secular of reasons in the end.
Catholics, Protestants and varieties of Orthodox Christians differ. But all must confront and/or ignore Romans 1. There's the biblical bugaboo in this day. It is not so easily washed away by politics and pop psychology and all sorts of rationalizations.
For the King James adherents: ROMANS CHAPTER 1 KJVSo "update." There's the game. Update. Revise. Edit and amend. Remove. And be sure to vote for your favorite version of the "Gospel." One particular vote comes only next year, in its ten-year cycle.For the Douay-Rheims adherents: Epistle of St Paul to the Romans - Chapter 1
For the Orthodox Church in America: Romans 1:18-27 (Epistle) and more
For the New Revised Standard Version adherents: https://www.bible.com/bible/2016/ROM.1
This version is interesting in light of an article worth noting:
NRSV Updated Edition Removes 3 Biblical Condemnations of Homosexuality, Keeps Others
I recall decades ago acquiring a well-worn and century-old copy of a"Life of Christ" used in some seminaries. It contained the remarkable assertion that only once was scripture in error -- saying the Romans conducted the Crucifixion, because 'obviously' the Jews did.
One finds justifications for many things to begin to eat away at a tradition, in order to "fix" said traditional t. Such is it as the schism between "Open and Affirming" and "Faithful and Welcoming."
Such is it now as some denominations break apart, for the most "Christian" of reasons, depending wholly on how one defines "Christian," per the above.
An amusing anecdote: Years ago, a convocation of bible translators, expert in Hebrew, Aramaic, Koine Greek, Latin and more was held. Differences were of course of the academic sort, and sometimes it became heated. One very old scholar got up towards the end and simply said, "I prefer to read in the original." Best wishes.