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Posted on 07/08/2011 12:31:34 PM PDT by wagglebee
NEW YORK, July 8, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - American Christians may one day find themselves facing legal penalties simply for believing marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, a fate already suffered by believers in other countries, said the leader of America’s most influential Catholic pulpit this week.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York reflected on his blog Thursday on the recent legalization of gay “marriage” in New York, and what repercussions true marriage supporters can expect in the future.
He called it “haunting” that the marriage bill became law on the day Catholics celebrate the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist, “whom King Herod would behead because the saint dared to defend the God-given truth about marriage.”
“If the experience of those few other states and countries where this is already law is any indication, the churches, and believers, will soon be harassed, threatened, and hauled into court for their conviction that marriage is between one man, one woman, forever, bringing children into the world,” wrote the archbishop.
Christians in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere have lost their jobs, been dragged through lengthy “human rights” proceedings, and faced steep fines for questioning the dangerous homosexual lifestyle, declining to facilitate gay “marriages,” or even failing to acknowledge “gay pride” events.
Dolan pointed out that editorials nationwide have been calling for an end to the Catholic Church’s religious liberties as a growing percentage of Americans consider defending true marriage a form of discrimination against homosexuals. The archbishop insisted the Church’s position was “never anti-gay.”
“As I replied recently to a reporter who asked if I had any message to the gay community, ‘Yes: I love you. Each morning I pray with and for you and your true happiness and well-being,’” he recalled.
Meanwhile, he says, the true aggressors have proven to be the gay “marriage” lobby.
“As one respected columnist has observed, the problem is not homophobia but theophobia — a hatred by some of God, faith, religion, and the Church,” he said.
Although Dolan said his brother bishops in New York were “particularly prophetic” in acknowledging an uphill battle on the marriage issue, Dolan said Christians would not back down on the truth.
“Like St. Thomas More, we’re willing to take the heat and even lose our head from following a conscience properly formed by God’s revelation and the teaching of His Church, even if it is politically incorrect, and clashes with the King’s demands to re-define marriage,” he said.
Read Archbishop Dolan’s full post here.
It is a chain to the state. Soon we will either have to break that chain, or go along with what the state wants. You can't have it both ways.
It is only a chain because of the nature of what the state is and is becoming right now. It was never a problem in the past because the state was once a constitutional organ, unlike today.
Christians are hated, terrorized and murdered by communists because Christ is more powerful than the god of atheists.
We will always be hated by those who worship false gods. But putting Americans in jail for not celebrating the anal sex lifestyle, might be a problem for the American elite compared to the Euro-peons. American Christians tend to be attached to an ideology of freedom and have a long history of warring against the opposite.
Where they will try to hurt us is that corporations and polically correct businesses and higher education will refuse to let us have slots and jobs and refuse to do commerce with us because they will named haters/biggots.
When that comes, we had best be prepared to stick together for one another; deal amongst ourselves and discriminate on behalf of one another’s advancement in every way we can. We are going to have to follow the example of Jews who have managed to get around this hate thing for a long, long time by sticking together and preferring one another in any and all ways possible.
I don’t know about everyone else, but when it comes to choosing whom I contract to do any work, I make sure I “buycott” Christian businessmen.
“Oh confound all this. I’m not a scholar, I don’t know whether the marriage was lawful or not but– dammit, Your Eminence, look at these names! Why can’t you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!?”
“And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?”
The homosexual mafia and its friends in the government have been used to the willing cooperation, or capitulation, of apostate religious bodies and it makes them mad when the rest of us don’t go along.
Of course, we cannot go along, and we must resist. We are free men and women, created free by our Creator. At the core of our liberty is the freedom of thought and belief. That used to be something we could take for granted by virtue of the First Amendment. Even if the First Amendment is eroded and ignored, we are still, by our creation, free.
Christians would do well to remember the example of Peter who, when told to stop preaching, replied: We must obey God rather than men.”
As far as Christianity being outlawed — well, it can’t be outlawed. They can try. They can pass laws. But are God and His Word ever truly constricted by human laws? I know a number of Orthodox Christians from Albania. Albania, from 1967 until the communists fell, closed all churches, synagogues, and mosques, and outlawed all religious observance. I knew some young people, born after 1967, who came to America after Albania opened up, and they knew — by heart — all of the hymns of the Orthodox Liturgy. I remember seeing a performance of Rachmaninoff’s long-lost music for the Divine Liturgy, performed in Moscow during the last years of the Soviet Union, and was amazed to see the entire audience, young and old, even Red Army soldiers, reverently signing along with the music for the Lord’s Prayer.
An Orthodox Paschal hymn says, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” That has to be our prayer, rallying cry, and hope. God is faithful, and will be with us if we are faithful. He will see us through, and He will blow away the dust of the current regime.
The exemption of taxes on churches was intended to free churches from government control through punitive and/or selective taxation. Because (most) churches have always relied on the freewill donations of their members, that lack of taxation was welcome. However, I can't imagine any church body that takes their religion even half-seriously would kowtow to the state based on a tax exemption. I'm not saying it couldn't happen -I'm not that naive - but to ignore your faiths teachings (homosexual behavior is condemned in every major religion, including Islam) in exchange for receiving a tax exemption from the state seems far-fetched. Should this ever occur, I can only imagine the kinds of protests (peaceful and otherwise) that would ensue all over the country - and the huge backlash against the government trying to remove a church's tax exemption if they don't 'recognize' the legitimacy of same-sex 'marriage'. The Muslims - who's religion does not condone homosexual behavior - would be burning down Washington, D.C., guaranteed.
The origin of this problem is far deeper than you realize. There are too many voices all proclaiming to speak for christian teaching. Those "clerical" voices (and I use that word loosely) include christian "ministers" who live an active homosexual lifestyle and have 'interpreted' and preach scripture in a way that absolves them of any sin. Here is an example:
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah has been used by people to condemn gays. The argument used by them is that God destroyed these cities because the people of these cities were homosexuals. In this section we will show conclusive BIBLICAL evidence that Sodom and Gomorrah were NOT destroyed because of homosexuals. The only book I will use to show this is the Bible. The Bible does not contradict itself because it is the Word of God and God is not fickle.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH
This is the result of sola scriptura. Please do not lay blame at Catholic prelates for not "publicly" excommunicating politicians. Under Canon Law, these politicians have excommunicated themselves.
Regardless of the denomination to which you belong, I would ask you to step back from the picture and take a closer look at the landscape. For 1500 years, there was only one christian church - the Catholic Church. Today, there are more than 30,000 and growing. Why? Because they disagree on the interpretation of scripture.
Divide and conquer is the oldest method of warfare. Christians do not speak with one voice and that results in confusion. Each christian becomes his own pope and proclaims to have the truth. Can there be more than one interpretation of the Bible? No. The word "truth" is used several times in the New Testament. However, the plural version of the word "truth" never appears in Scripture. Therefore, there can only be one Truth.
Without a unified voice, mayhem prevails.
The left/commies couldn’t care less about the homos, they’re just a weapon or tool. And when the commies accomplish their goals, they’ll be “discarded”.
Much the way Hitler used Ernst Rohm and the SA.
History repeats itself.
I’m not saying this could never happen - look at the sorry state we’re in today - just that Christians (even the nominal ones) are 75% of the U.S. population.
The problem with the 75% figure, however, is we have to still put some consideration into how many Christians actively practice their faith and attend their services. Even in Catholicism there’s many worldwide that profess the faith, but hardly attend church that often. However, I would be willing to assume that Christians in America are perhaps among the most active attending in the modern world. Don’t take my word for it, because I don’t have the stats to back it.
That's the problem. He's not acting, he's reflecting. Excommunicate Cuomo and the rest of the so-called Catholics that voted for this immediately. End of story.
In the future, when another vote comes up sanctioning sinful behavior, tell those that still claim to be Catholics, they will be excommunicated. This is a war for souls and we can no longer be passive, using rhetoric rather than action.
Imagine, if the Baptist church had advocated the violent destruction of all other relegions, they would have been dealt with a long time ago.
No it is not.
This is a result of Scripture taken out of context.
Text without context is pretext.
Here is the Scripture the criminals probably tortured to justify their filthiness.
Eze 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
True enough. But Pride is listed first. Think of "Gay Pride".
Then there is this from the Letter to the Romans in the New Testament that clarifies it for us.
The Bible does not contradict itself.
You just proved my point. Who decides that context? Did you visit the link I posted above? It is replete with biblical sources and interpretations. But, lacking an 'authority', anyone can interpret scripture.
The Catholic Church applies scripture and holds it up with the Early Church Fathers. For example:
"You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill one that has been born" (Didache 2:2 [A.D. 70]).
Or
"[W]e have been taught that to expose newly-born children is the part of wicked men; and this we have been taught lest we should do anyone harm and lest we should sin against God, first, because we see that almost all so exposed (not only the girls, but also the males) are brought up to prostitution. And for this pollution a multitude of females and hermaphrodites, and those who commit unmentionable iniquities, are found in every nation. And you receive the hire of these, and duty and taxes from them, whom you ought to exterminate from your realm. And anyone who uses such persons, besides the godless and infamous and impure intercourse, may possibly be having intercourse with his own child, or relative, or brother. And there are some who prostitute even their own children and wives, and some are openly mutilated for the purpose of sodomy; and they refer these mysteries to the mother of the gods" (Justin Martyr - First Apology 27 [A.D. 151]).
And also from Justin Martyr
"The fate of the Sodomites was judgment to those who had done wrong, instruction to those who hear. The Sodomites having, through much luxury, fallen into uncleanness, practicing adultery shamelessly, and burning with insane love for boys; the All-seeing Word, whose notice those who commit impieties cannot escape, cast his eye on them. Nor did the sleepless guard of humanity observe their licentiousness in silence; but dissuading us from the imitation of them, and training us up to his own temperance, and falling on some sinners, lest lust being unavenged, should break loose from all the restraints of fear, ordered Sodom to be burned, pouring forth a little of the sagacious fire on licentiousness; lest lust, through want of punishment, should throw wide the gates to those that were rushing into voluptuousness. Accordingly, the just punishment of the Sodomites became to men an image of the salvation which is well calculated for men. For those who have not committed like sins with those who are punished, will never receive a like punishment" (ibid., 8).
Essentially, scripture is supported by the writings of the earliest christians. Yet sola scriptura believing christians are exonerated from taking such passages as these (and there are plenty more) into consideration. That is the point I was trying to make. My purpose in doing so is not to incite a flame war but to clarify the critical need for a unified voice, based on historical documentation, including scripture. What active homosexual could excuse away the above passages?
Jude 1:
7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
“People don’t want to risk the tax exempt subsidy.”
Sadly, all too true. But maybe it’s the solution, too. Once tax-deductions to religious institutions are eliminated, and I’d bet that day’s not too far away, the problem is at least mitigated. Then the pastors have only jail time to face. /sarc.
I would suggest it’s closer to what it was as Noah was building the Ark.
You are very naive. Ask any pastor or church board. The concern with losing the tax exempt status for speaking the wrong thing is something they are all concerned about. That has been the case in every church I have attended (outside of my old small rural church I grew up in). I know of one that got into a dust up in preaching an anti abortion sermon. Seems that the pro aborts saw it as an endorsement of a certain candidate, and reacted to it with a complaint.
You are very naive. Ask any pastor or church board. The concern with losing the tax exempt status for speaking the wrong thing is something they are all concerned about. That has been the case in every church I have attended (outside of my old small rural church I grew up in). I know of one that got into a dust up in preaching an anti abortion sermon. Seems that the pro aborts saw it as an endorsement of a certain candidate, and reacted to it with a complaint.
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