Posted on 10/20/2006 7:35:21 PM PDT by xzins
Where did that come from? You might want to re-acquaint yourself with a particular commandment about not bearing false witness, as I said nothing about Christians wanting to convert the unsaved at gunpoint. Either that, or perhaps you should just work on your reading comprehension skills. ;^)
What I did say is the that Christians shouldn't expect the unsaved to live as if they are saved and therefore they should avoid supporting or enacting laws that seek to do this. The reasoning is simple, by enacting laws that compels the sinner to live like the saved or face punishment from the state, God has been removed from the moral equation. It means nothing to God if people refrain from sin out fear of punishment from the state. It means everything if they refrain from sin because they've chosen to accept His grace and fellowship with Him by choice.
However it isn't unreasonable to expect people to act appropriately ...
We have some agreement here. All of us, Christian or otherwise, share this world together. I would say it is fair to set certain mimimum standards for public behavior so as to keep the peace in public. But I would stop it there as private immoral acts are not the concern of anyone but the persons doing them and God. Of course criminal acts of violence and theft are excluded from this equation, lest you or someone else accuse me of being an anarchist. ;^)
... otherwise there would be more moral chaos than there is now.
But perhaps forcing Christian morality on people using the state police powers isn't the answer to mitigating this moral chaos. I guess the best way to explain my thoughts on this is to ask you this question:
Would you rather live in a soceity where everyone refrains from sinning out of fear of punishment from the state or in a society where those that refrain from sin do so out of obedience to God?
Perhaps all this moral chaos we see stems from, in part, turning God's laws for believers into man's laws for everyone. By removing God from the moral equation, many will not seek him at all for anything. If there is no need to seek God (as the criminal law has already addressed the issue), over time more and more people will stray further and further away, resulting in more, not less, immorality over time.
One more thing. Which of these two scenarios makes a more profound moral, religious statement? (1) The Christian who refrains from sin when the sin is a criminal violation. Or (2) The Christian who refrains from the same sin when it isn't a criminal violation. Clearly the the latter scenario makes a much larger moral statement. Imposing Christian morality via the state dimishes the witness of obedient Christians. Eliminating Christian morality in the criminal code creates bright lines between the behaviors of the saved versus the unsaved, magnifying their obedience to God and their witness for God.
"Jesus would vote that you take all your money and give it to poor people. IOW Jesus would vote Democrat."
Where did Jesus ever say that the poor = government?
Since when does taxation equal personal choice?
Are you a simplistic single issue voter?
Your money's gone either way -- at the point of a gun or the fires of hell. Brrrrr. I don't see how Christians can rationalize away biblical socialism but that's their problem, not mine.
I never said anything about my position on theology, it is not relevant to the discussion.
You are telling me that helping my friend of 30 years is socialism?
When I donate to FreeRepublic, is that socialism?
" I don't see how Christians can rationalize away biblical socialism but that's their problem, not mine."
Repeating a question you dodged, where did Jesus ever say that the poor = government?
" Jesus was the opposite of libertarian."
a libertarian advocates theft and murder?
If not, then Jesus was not the opposite of libertarian.
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