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To: xzins; Buggman; Alamo-Girl; betty boop; wagglebee
You can all be the Buggman brothers all you want, but if I see you only fighting with each other, then I won't believe in your unity.

You won't see me fighting with anyone much.

I'll say this. Reading through this thread is a real eye-opener, but then around here most of the religion threads have the tendency to get really nasty really quick. I just remember two things.

Family do squabble, but they also respect one another and love one another even when they don't agree. But the nasties reveal themselves maybe in a way they don't realize. By their fruit you know them, as they say.

I understand what you are saying and I agree with your call to unity. And I agree that some of the nasties do a lot of damage and they almost never see it themselves.

The first mark of a fellow brother is the love we have for one another. Your posts are always repectful even in disagreement which is right and proper, in fact that is what I notice about you and the others I've included in this post. I love God, I love discussing him, and I love discussing him with people who love him like I do. And I think for anyone looking on from outside that shows, it shows from all of us. The nasties, well, not so much.

For them "love" is trying to pound one another into submission. It doesn't work. Unity comes because although we are very different we love one another and we love God. And more important where unity exists it exists because God orders my steps and yours in a way that he will make coherent. I have to have the wit to see that even if I disagree with one thing or another that God is nonetheless in you and around you.

Your call for unity is right on the mark. But the "disunited" aren't going to hear it because they aren't going to admit that they themselves are the problem. The nasties will always think you are the problem. How do we solve that? They get older, they mature, at some point God opens their eyes a bit. As they become aware of the spirit moving in them at some point they begin to recognize it in others around them.

We're always going to disagree and consequently we're always going to argue. But arguments among people who respect and like one another are actually pleasant and great fun (and even edifying on a good day). Arguments with the nasties are usually not very pleasant and don't usually shed much light. And they aren't listening anyway.

I'm not catholic but I love catholics and I like them. Even where I disagree with them I get where they are coming from and I get what they are trying to do. I'm not baptist but I like baptists, I get them, I come from baptists more or less, and baptist thinking is very coherent. (I like that word, obviously.) It may sound strange but among the believing, committed catholics and believing, committed baptists I see unity. Not uniformity, but unity. They just don't always see it themselves.

1,300 posted on 07/08/2010 12:30:21 PM PDT by marron
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To: marron; wagglebee; betty boop; Dr. Brian Kopp; P-Marlowe; blue-duncan; Corin Stormhands
But arguments among people who respect and like one another are actually pleasant and great fun (and even edifying on a good day). Arguments with the nasties are usually not very pleasant and don't usually shed much light. And they aren't listening anyway.

I would have loved to sat in on the discussions of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

You don't have to be identical to love and respect someone. You cannot, however, be hateful. Not one soul will see that as unity.

1,303 posted on 07/08/2010 12:37:27 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it. Those who truly support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: marron; xzins; Buggman; betty boop; wagglebee
The first mark of a fellow brother is the love we have for one another.

Truly said, dear brother in Christ, love is the first fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. - Matthew 7:15-20

And God "is" Love.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. – I John 4:16

God's Name is I AM.

1,465 posted on 07/08/2010 8:39:42 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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