I've been trying to be more religious of late. I've been an atheist/ agnostic for a long time but started going to church and reading the bible. Not judging and not hating is freaking hard to do. There is something evil about hamming children that that makes my blood boil.
Don't forget that as a Christian you live in God's Kingdom, but you also live in The World, in Babylon. "Judging and hating" is often a ridiculous admonishment (used for purely motivated reasons) to ignore your necessary participation in the world, as a citizen. The entirety of (non-religious) law is of the world, and it's built of nothing but what society finds abhorrent. What society "hates" and "judges." You have a seat at that table.
If you take your religiously-informed judgment out of your part in civic engagement, and like-minded and like-hearted do the same, all you're left with is ungrounded atheists calling the shots.
That's what we're dealing with when it comes to "family-friendly drag shows" and the like. There's a collusion of perverted academics and their enablers in the administrative bureaucracy, supporting in each other when they say "age-appropriate and culturally-appropriate!" even though to anyone with functioning morals, ethics, and aesthetics, it's clearly not okay. These people don't share your values. Don't be fooled when they ape "Judge not!" at you just to get you to decline your responsibilities as a citizen.
It's not supposed to be easy. Christ didn't give easy commandments. He forgave the soldiers actively killing him. I don't think I could do that.
I think it goes with the story of the good Samaritan. A man saves the life of someone who hated him. Others who were considered good men did not save the man. Who was the neighbor?
Instead, it's a way to look past the accusations, find a way to take care of the problem itself and share it with others. That's not an easy thing. Saul actively killed christians when God converted him. Naaman was captain of the enemy forces when he went to Elisha. When Elisha was surrounded by a host of the enemy, he prayed for them and asked God not to slay them. He then led them into captivity after blinding them.
The answer doesn't mean don't protect yourself or ignore the problem. Satan always gives false choices and says they are the only answers.
Not religious, but I always liked the idea of Christianity when I heard some priest or pastor or some such talk about Paul.
He said something like: "Paul persecuted and caused the deaths of many Christians, but all the saints and angels were rejoicing in Heaven when he repented and was saved".
Really made me appreciate what Christians are asked to do. Sure, nobody is perfect, many are Christian in name only, but the source of their faith is very pure and it's easy to see nothing that's horrible and done in the Christianitys name is because of the Bible. I can't say the same for some other religions.
Christ didn't tell us to not judge, He told us to be prepared to be judged by the standard that we use. It's more a caution against religion than morality (so-and-so doesn't tithe enough, they're going to hell!).
There's also plenty of scriptural support for hating evil. Right now, I particularly like this bit from Jude:
22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" wasn't followed up with Christ picking up a rock and chucking it to begin the stoning process. In even your example, it's pulling them out of the fire, not pushing them into it. It is still saving, salving, succoring. Which, you know, is kind of important to an all-forgiving being. But it certainly doesn't affirm "fuck 'em all, they're all evil. Brimstone, floods, and salt pillar time.", that's more Old Testament flavor.
I didn't say all that and I still affirm what I did say.
Paul says to pray for all, but also warns to beware of ex-companions who are spreading bad teachings (almost literally says "don't have anything to do with [Greek name], he has been nothing but trouble." Maybe in Timothy, I don't recall off the top of my head).
Titus has a verse about removing "self-condemned" people (those who persist in evil despite warnings) completely from your life.
How do you "save with fear" without, you know, inducing fear?
I've been trying to be more religious of late. I've been an atheist/ agnostic for a long time but started going to church and reading the bible. Not judging and not hating is freaking hard to do. There is something evil about hamming children that that makes my blood boil.
I guess I have a long way to go.
Don't forget that as a Christian you live in God's Kingdom, but you also live in The World, in Babylon. "Judging and hating" is often a ridiculous admonishment (used for purely motivated reasons) to ignore your necessary participation in the world, as a citizen. The entirety of (non-religious) law is of the world, and it's built of nothing but what society finds abhorrent. What society "hates" and "judges." You have a seat at that table.
If you take your religiously-informed judgment out of your part in civic engagement, and like-minded and like-hearted do the same, all you're left with is ungrounded atheists calling the shots.
That's what we're dealing with when it comes to "family-friendly drag shows" and the like. There's a collusion of perverted academics and their enablers in the administrative bureaucracy, supporting in each other when they say "age-appropriate and culturally-appropriate!" even though to anyone with functioning morals, ethics, and aesthetics, it's clearly not okay. These people don't share your values. Don't be fooled when they ape "Judge not!" at you just to get you to decline your responsibilities as a citizen.
It's not supposed to be easy. Christ didn't give easy commandments. He forgave the soldiers actively killing him. I don't think I could do that.
I think it goes with the story of the good Samaritan. A man saves the life of someone who hated him. Others who were considered good men did not save the man. Who was the neighbor?
Instead, it's a way to look past the accusations, find a way to take care of the problem itself and share it with others. That's not an easy thing. Saul actively killed christians when God converted him. Naaman was captain of the enemy forces when he went to Elisha. When Elisha was surrounded by a host of the enemy, he prayed for them and asked God not to slay them. He then led them into captivity after blinding them.
The answer doesn't mean don't protect yourself or ignore the problem. Satan always gives false choices and says they are the only answers.
Not religious, but I always liked the idea of Christianity when I heard some priest or pastor or some such talk about Paul.
He said something like: "Paul persecuted and caused the deaths of many Christians, but all the saints and angels were rejoicing in Heaven when he repented and was saved".
Really made me appreciate what Christians are asked to do. Sure, nobody is perfect, many are Christian in name only, but the source of their faith is very pure and it's easy to see nothing that's horrible and done in the Christianitys name is because of the Bible. I can't say the same for some other religions.
Christ didn't tell us to not judge, He told us to be prepared to be judged by the standard that we use. It's more a caution against religion than morality (so-and-so doesn't tithe enough, they're going to hell!).
There's also plenty of scriptural support for hating evil. Right now, I particularly like this bit from Jude:
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" wasn't followed up with Christ picking up a rock and chucking it to begin the stoning process. In even your example, it's pulling them out of the fire, not pushing them into it. It is still saving, salving, succoring. Which, you know, is kind of important to an all-forgiving being. But it certainly doesn't affirm "fuck 'em all, they're all evil. Brimstone, floods, and salt pillar time.", that's more Old Testament flavor.
I didn't say all that and I still affirm what I did say.
Paul says to pray for all, but also warns to beware of ex-companions who are spreading bad teachings (almost literally says "don't have anything to do with [Greek name], he has been nothing but trouble." Maybe in Timothy, I don't recall off the top of my head).
Titus has a verse about removing "self-condemned" people (those who persist in evil despite warnings) completely from your life.
How do you "save with fear" without, you know, inducing fear?
Don't judge. Send them to the afterlife so the deity may judge them sooner.