Christianity must Implode

[ignoramus]

Who cares what it says?

What relevance is a goat herders' manual from c. 300 BC to us in the 21st century?

I use the 1896 Benz model 710 steam powered car repair manual regularly to reprogramme the ecu on my mitsubishi.

[Huggy Bear]

[robvalue]

Lek: Here's the problem. The bible says you should kill two men who have sex. So unless you advocate executing them, you are not following the bible.

I doubt you follow hardly any of the bible. Which is a very good thing. It's horrific.

This is also in the Old Testament, which you so often say doesn't need to be followed anymore. Which is it?

[Vincent]

so gay marriage wasnt addressed at all only heterosexual marriage was addressed in the bible . you interpret that to mean God is against gay marriage thats the problem with interpretation it always supports a persons predjudice because the wording is vague enough to be interpreted any way the interpreter wants .

No, because it is outright in condemning sexual acts between people of the same sex, and I assume that's what homosexual marriage entails.  I need no prejudice to interpret the bible in that regard.  It's clear to me that if you follow the teachings of the bible you will not think that homosexual marriage is OK.  I can understand someone believing it is OK, but not because they follow the bible.

I've met plenty of Christians who support gay marriage.
The thing with Bible interpretation is that people who read it will find some way - any way - to adjust it so that it fits into their own sense of morality. One's beliefs are not determined by the Bible; the Bible is determined by one's beliefs.

[Mr Greene]

No point in doing anything much really.
The religion has a quarter-life equal to the difference between the average age of the church-goers and the average life expectancy.
ie; If life expectancy is 85 and the average age of church-goers is 65 in 20 years the size of congregation will have fallen by 25% and the difference halved to 10 years.
Following this pattern the average churchgoer in the UK will have reached life expectancy around 2030, at which point the difference is zero and the church will cease to exist in any meaningful sense.

The great atheist utopia is just around the corner in the UK!

No that much longer for the US either. Average age of the congregation there is 53 meaning it should equal life expectancy around 2075.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

The Bible isn't a good source for marriage advice. The best marriage in the entire Bible is the crazy old coot Abraham and his sister Sarah. He screwed the pubic hairs off of her for her entire life. God loved the pervert.

[Lek]

Lek: Here's the problem. The bible says you should kill two men who have sex. So unless you advocate executing them, you are not following the bible.

I doubt you follow hardly any of the bible. Which is a very good thing. It's horrific.

This is also in the Old Testament, which you so often say doesn't need to be followed anymore. Which is it?

The old testament law was given to the Israelites and was meant was for them until the coming of Jesus who freed us from the law. Christians were never under the old testament law. It had its purpose for the Israelites, but is no longer in effect for anyone. So, in other words, the Israelites of the old testament were required to follow those instructions which, I believe, were put in place to keep them separate from the rest of the world. Give me a specific instance of how I don't follow the bible and I'll respond. Also, if you can find a verse that tells us to hate homosexuals, show me that too.

[Vincent]

@Lek - you guys don't think gay marriage should be legal, but you're perfectly accepting of the legality of divorce, which Jesus preached more against than any homosexual relationships. Christian hypocrisy 101. Why protest one, and not the other? Oh, that's right. Because divorce might come in handy for you guys down the line. 

Let's take a moment to think about what would happen if your Lord and Savior returned today. Your sexual orientation is not something you can just reverse. If you're attracted to the same gender, you're attracted to the same gender. It's not the devil in them, it's not demonic sinful forces, it's just the way their brains are wired. Jesus would be a smart enough bloke to figure that out. So if he knows that gays will be bumming each other and whatnot either way, don't you think he would much rather prefer it to at least be within a sanctified marriage?

[robvalue]

Lek: Here's the problem. The bible says you should kill two men who have sex. So unless you advocate executing them, you are not following the bible.

I doubt you follow hardly any of the bible. Which is a very good thing. It's horrific.

This is also in the Old Testament, which you so often say doesn't need to be followed anymore. Which is it?

The old testament law was given to the Israelites and was meant was for them until the coming of Jesus who freed us from the law.  Christians were never under the old testament law.  It had its purpose for the Israelites, but is no longer in effect for anyone.  So, in other words, the Israelites of the old testament were required to follow those instructions which, I believe, were put in place to keep them separate from the rest of the world.  Give me a specific instance of how I don't follow the bible and I'll respond.  Also, if you can find a verse that tells us to hate homosexuals, show me that too.

I appreciate the answer but I can't understand your mode of thought at all I'm afraid. I'll have to give up. I hope you wouldn't actually want to block secular same sex marriages for non-Christians. If you would, I am shocked that you think one particular religion should get to dictate how the government handles things.

[Lek]

The old testament law was given to the Israelites and was meant was for them until the coming of Jesus who freed us from the law.  Christians were never under the old testament law.  It had its purpose for the Israelites, but is no longer in effect for anyone.  So, in other words, the Israelites of the old testament were required to follow those instructions which, I believe, were put in place to keep them separate from the rest of the world.  Give me a specific instance of how I don't follow the bible and I'll respond.  Also, if you can find a verse that tells us to hate homosexuals, show me that too.

I appreciate the answer but I can't understand your mode of thought at all I'm afraid. I'll have to give up. I hope you wouldn't actually want to block secular same sex marriages for non-Christians. If you would, I am shocked that you think one particular religion should get to dictate how the government handles things.

I do not think that one particular religion should dictate how the government handles things.

I've stated this more than once in this forum. I am not opposed to civil unions in the public sector that provide the same rights and privileges under the law as heterosexual marriage does. I consider marriage a sacred institution, which has deep meaning to me, and I resent government being allowed to change the definition of marriage, as it has been defined since the establishment of this nation. It's as if the government declares that Christmas is now going to be the celebration of Secularist Day, but we're still going to call it Christmas. In that case, they have redefined Christmas. I don't mind someone celebrating Secularist Day, but don't say that is now what Christmas means.

I think that homosexual relations are immoral. I also think that heterosexual relations outside of marriage are immoral. I think that divorce for convenience is immoral. I think that drunkenness is immoral. I don't hate people who do these things, but I am not in favor of them doing them. It really frustrates me that people cannot grasp what I am trying to convey. Should people hate me because they believe that some of my moral stances are actually immoral? I don't think they should. They are entitled to oppose my actions and beliefs, but they shouldn't hate me and I shouldn't hate them.