Posted on 07/26/2014 4:41:46 AM PDT by michaelwlf3
I am coming up on my first year as an ordained minister in a continuing Anglican church, and I have noticed that participating on political forums (even when the topic is religious) I find that my opinions and postings more often than not generate more hatred than anything else. Among the things I often hear are that the laity are the real priests and that I am a Pharisee, that my vocation disqualifies me from offering an opinion on anything Christian because I am too narrow minded, and (my personal favorite) because I look too Catholic I must be a child molester.
Are these people really Christians?
>>Dang! You broke the code. Our fantasy armies will be overrunning your position any second now...
Nah, I made my Saving Throw.
Interesting, that contradicts what God said through Jeremiah:
(Jeremiah 29:13)
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
:-)
This has to be one of the most childish comments I've seen at FR.
If you post on a forum you're offering an opinion. Only a child thinks their opinion won't be responded to with a different view. IOW, if you don't like what others have to say don't post on an open forum.
Why? Because most of them are shysters out to milk the flock of their life savings. A vast number of them have no training in theology/Biblical studies, whatsover, they just went from being used car salesmen or Amway salesmen to “preaching”. What do they all have in common? The gift of gab.
**we Catholics and Orthodox will get your vocation 100%.**
Yes, we understand vocations!
Member of the Serra Club here......named after Father Junipero Serra.
This is great to hear!
My experience is the same. Our pastor will be sorely missed. He walks the talk, is a great teacher, and doesn't have a puffed up opinion of himself. He's one of us, a sinner just like me in need of a Savior.
I find that my opinions and postings more often than not generate more hatred than anything else.
So it is time for reflection. Are we being hated because we told the truth? Maybe it was the way we said it. Or maybe we are stubborn in our positions and they have responded to it.
I try not to do “fly by posting” but most people don’t have thinking caps any more even when you post well reasoned responses. I find part of my therapy is trying to post better, it helps me clarify my thoughts. Once in a while I get some one asking a clarifying question, and I try to ask them also of others. So, what would God’s Spirit and Word tell you about this situation? He would be a better counsel that us.
Here is were we learn to do better, you might say “working it out with fear and trembling”, so keep at it...............
I’m not, what disturbs me is the lack of unity I see among people who call themselves “Christian”.
“If you post on a forum you’re offering an opinion. Only a child thinks their opinion won’t be responded to with a different view.”
Get a clue, will you? The question is one of unity, not of who says what to whom. If Christians could be bothered to show a united front, no one could run roughshod over us the way some political groups would like to. Instead, they would rather argue over things like whether you have to be dunked to be well and truly baptized or if sprinkling is okay.
That is very pious.
Let’s see...Each of our bodies is a “temple of the Holy Spirit”. Proverbs 4:23 states:Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Yeah...each of us is our own Pope. Why? Because popes, priests, pastors, praise and worship teams, and even pious old mommas can’t always be around to mind us when we are out and about and in public. We Christians are to learn to conduct our private selves in ways that our religious selves could never farthom.
I’m not, what disturbs me is the lack of unity I see among people who call themselves “Christian”.
Second thought: Being of like mind was Jesus last prayer on earth for us. Now, that is a pretty high level prayer, either it is being answered or is it not? Eyes to see and ears to hear.
Third thought: I am in the cocoon, asking the purpose the church. I find that very few are reading the Bible and are offended if you ask. I find very few listen to sermons and are offended if you ask. Revelations 2 and 3 are not a good report card for us.
“what disturbs me is the lack of unity I see among people who call themselves “Christian”.”
So did you just realize this now, or did it take years of study for you to realize that people are......well, people?
You’ve obviously chosen the wrong business. Time to move on.
am coming up on my first year as an ordained minister in a continuing Anglican church, and I have noticed that participating on political forums (even when the topic is religious) I find that my opinions and postings more often than not generate more hatred than anything else. Among the things I often hear are that the laity are the real priests and that I am a Pharisee, that my vocation disqualifies me from offering an opinion on anything Christian because I am too narrow minded, and (my personal favorite) because I look too Catholic I must be a child molester.
Be careful of the assumptions you bring to the discussion. The term "priest", for one, is going to rub many the wrong way.
And, yeah, some folks are just plain ignorant. The Internet is an ignorance aggregater.
Are these people really Christians?
I wonder about that here, sometimes.
I don’t think God calls any of us to earn a paycheck peddling Him
Indeed, this is why I urge people to really read James: it's a tough, convicting book full of practical things and great theology.
(I bet there would be a huge revival in America if churches seriously taught on James for an entire year; it would put a lie to accusations of [a] hypocracy, and [b] the moralistic, therapeutic, deism
feel-good church-member.)
In those two senses there's a surprising amount of Catholic priests with the same outlook/attitude. :(
Same with my priest.
“So did you just realize this now, or did it take years of study for you to realize that people are......well, people?”
Christians are not “just people”. They are supposed to be the body of Christ, not a bunch of ears and eyes saying they don’t need hands or feet. Ever hear of a guy named Paul? He had a lot to say about that.
You have just asserted that there is no TRUTH.
Your body being “a temple of the Holy Spirit”, doesn’t give you the mind of God.
It means your life is not your own, as it is a gift of God.
It is an admonition against suicide.
The apostles were quite clear that they could not know the meaning of Scripture unless they were taught.
We must be taught according to a standard and not something we make up as we go along.
The point of learning is to carry that knowledge with us.
Your pitiful excuse that we can’t have authority follow us around to direct us, is simply your rationalization for making your own rules.
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