Posted on 10/20/2015 11:04:32 AM PDT by wagglebee
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, October 19, 2015 (LifeSiteNews)—There was a time when Church and State cooperated – when governing powers welcomed the influence of Judeo-Christian values and sought to harmonize its laws with morality. But since the radical secularization of Western society, Christians have been forced into an adversarial, politically incorrect role, much like the early Church in times of persecution. Since a "culture of death" began to dominate the West, genuine Christians have become counter-cultural.
The leader of America's largest Protestant denomination, Dr. Albert Mohler, applies this Christian counter-culturalism to the latest politically correct trend in society: the approval of sodomy and sodomitical relationships – in other words, gay "marriage."
Rev. Mohler writes that Christian love "does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right," including the good of others. Genuine love does not enable abuse or influence people toward harmful behaviors, including homosexuality.
Sodomy is very harmful physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually –sodomy hurts, and those who honestly care about others do not encourage its practice or imply approval in any way.
According to Dr. Mohler's latest book, We Cannot Be Silent, Christians should not attend a same-sex "wedding," because to attend the celebration implies condoning the behavior. The Southern Baptist Seminary president writes that the Christian's presence at a homosexual ceremony signals "moral approval" of something terribly harmful to both parties.
Mohler pointed out that avoiding participation in homosexual rites is simply living consistently as a Christian. "At some point, attendance will involve congratulating the couple for their union," Mohler wrote. "If you can't congratulate the couple, how can you attend?"
With compassion and understanding, Mohler writes that missing the ceremonies of gay friends, relatives, and loved ones will be excruciatingly difficult, but there are other ways a Christian can affirm and love those who suffer from same-sex attraction without implying approval of gay "marriage."
Mohler wrote that Christians should not shun or isolate themselves from homosexuals. "We should make every effort to develop real and authentic friendships with our LGBT neighbors," he wrote. He conceded that Jesus ate with sinners, but he pointed out that the Lord never approved of sin. "His constant call was to repentance."
As expected, homosexual activists have vehemently denounced the book, saying it will further divide homosexuals from their families. Chris Hartman, director of the Fairness Campaign, a homosexual advocacy group, commented, "Dr. Mohler's self-righteous intractability on this issue ... can cause nothing but strife, heartache and hardship."
Some Catholic bishops have likewise urged parishioners not to attend homosexual weddings. Bishop Michael Jarrell of Lafayette, Louisiana, wrote in a letter to his flock, "All Catholics are urged not to attend same-sex marriage ceremonies."
Bishop Joseph Edward Strickland of Tyler, Texas, wrote to the faithful that "the solemnizing of [homosexual] relationships" is intrinsically immoral, and "[t]here are absolutely no grounds for considering unions between two persons of the same sex to be in any way similar to God's plan for marriage and the family."
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence wrote, "Our respect and pastoral care, however, does not mean that we are free to endorse or ignore immoral or destructive behavior[.] ... We are required to 'speak the truth in love' (Eph 4:15)[.] ... 'Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,' and always sinful." The Rhode Island hierarch wrote that attending same-sex ceremonies "might harm their relationship with God and cause significant scandal to others."
Fr. Edward McIlmail summarizes the Catholic view in his response to a parishioner's question about attending her niece's same-sex reception: "Receptions are for celebrating, and morally this isn't much to celebrate in this case. In fact, by not attending you would be living in accord with the promises you made when you became godmother to your niece. You are giving witness to your faith."
There are 15.5 million Southern Baptists in the United States.
Change jobs. Life's too short to go to work at a place you hate.
paging captain obvious, captain obvious to the white courtesy phone...
Homo wedding is not a wedding. 2 sinners PLANNING to sin the rest of their lives. PLANNING to sin es no bueno.....they chose poorly.
Jesus was talking about himself and his role in God’s plan for the universe. He was not talking about you. We do not have to associate with any group or person. We are influenced by our associations? Would you bring home a pair of flaming “married Sodomites” to meet your teen aged boys? Would you send your twelve year old boys to a camp staffed and managed by flaming Sodomites? St. Paul said it best “come out from among them.”
I use alcohol based hand cleanser on the door handles, taps, work surfaces ,and keyboards, when I take over at work after the resident Butt bandit.
Same here.....
Are you from Michigan? As I am? I wonder if you work the same place as me !!
I was thinking the same thing. Thanks for the post.
People fail to analyze their INTERPRETATIONS of Christ's words. There is common sense.
Paul is talking about being “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. He is not talking about not fulfilling Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself.
“I’m talking about associating with Sodomites, it is not required.”
Nor does your claim out rank Christ’s command.
“Would you send your twelve year old boy to a camp owned, staffed and managed by flaming Sodomites?”
Straw man argument that changes the issue.
“Would you go celebrate a “Sodomite Marriage?” Kiss the “couple,” throw rice,tie shoes and cans to their car?”
I would not.
None of that gets you off the hook for being a neighbor, if you claim the name of Christ.
I agree with Paul by associating with Sodomites is not one being “yolked “to them. Love is a word of many meanings,(one man counted eighty different meanings) so many that it is virtually meaningless. By the way show where Christ dealt specifically with Sodomites. There is common sense stay away from them. I wish them to stay away from me and I’ll stay away from them thus we both love our neighbors as ourselves.
By the way, as is usual in this day and age, you failed to answer my specific questions. People just want to get their distorted interpretations across not answer as to the implications of their views.
Your interpretation is egalitarianism under different words. Ones neighbor can be interpreted negatively as merely not harming ones neighbor.(absent self defense.) One must be selective as one cannot associate with all. As usual you avoid answering the question as to a hypothetical twelve year old. Curiously you would not attend a Sodomite “wedding” thus implicitly “JUDGING THEM” as unworthy of your presence. A common sense view with which we are in agreement.
I agree. The Bible clearly states in many Old and New Testament scriptures that homosexuality is a sin.
While as a Christian I am not to judge anyone, I also am not to go out and enable people to sin either. By attending a homosexual wedding I would be aiding and abetting a sinful cause.
Paul in Galatians tells us who to deal with sins of others: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore the person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1)
Well said.
ICor 5:9
I wrote to you in my letter not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I did not mean the sexually immoral people of this world, or the covetous and extortioners, or the idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. 11 But I have written to you not to keep company with any man who is called a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Do not even eat with such a person.
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1:1-27-31 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1%3A21-27&version=NIV
>>Because “Religions” make up their own versions of worship and what is right or not...
Religions are Created Things?
There’s a Natural solution to that described in Romans 1:25+
My faith includes self-evident facts about how Sex (the genetic exchange between male and female) increases fitness of species - and how the object of worship among homosexual activists isn’t Sex, but mutual masturbation and themselves.
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