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This is a very good argument that I haven't seen before. It's one of countless ways that OSAS is clearly contradicted by scripture and you gave me one more to add to the list.

If I understand what you're saying, you believe that the church you attend is responsible for your spiritual growth. I know when I phrase it that way, it already seems to lack merit on its face. When I was in the Army, one of our PT (physical training) instructors told us that regular battery...

LOL oh to be young again! I do hear what you are proposing but also see what's behind it. I grew up Christian too and had to forge my own path forming borders between good and evil apart from what I was taught growing up. It's a discovery process that you shouldn't let anyone rob you of. My...

The value of denominations should not be underestimated, especially those who exercise precise control over the schools of doctrine that are taught in their churches. They should be viewed as walls and gates that keep the wolves out. Without clarity on what a denomination teaches and believes...

Repentance follows conviction, conviction that we are sinners. And every one of us sinners falls in the category of knowing what it's like to be completely unaware they are sinning until they are brought to that realization. But what's more telling is the fact that we continue to sin and...

High praises for the profound wisdom in this post! If the Bible were essential for salvation, then I guess the first 4 centuries of Christians are lost. Certainly scriptures were a part of the Christian life even before the official canon, but never did early Christians believe that scriptures...

I've been thinking about this for a while. I'm no stranger to discussion boards and mostly those of a political or religious nature. Particularly in the political forums, it can get downright rancorous and I won't deny I've been sucked into the mud slinging with despicable and embarrassing...

I appreciate all the responses I'm getting because I've privately wrestled with the notion that my lesbian friends may be living in unrepentant sin and as such be condemned in eternity. I've been terrified at the anticipation of them crying out to me, "Why didn't you warn us?" As I said, one of...

And I think you've gotten down to the nub of the matter, what individual perceptions are of whether or not their relationship is sin. Christian beliefs run the gambit of fundamentalists who believe that every ordinance of scripture applies today as it did when it was given (legalism) to more...

It should be expected that Jesus left order, not anarchy when he ascended. But this still isn't clear to some.

I don't think an honest and respectful expression of your opinion violates any rules, but if you looked past the first sentence, you'll see that wasn't the thrust of my argument but rather a humorous diversion. (that smilie was WASTED on you! :rolleyes: )

I like your take on this. I think the deeper question is what God values the most and from scripture, the top of that list is how we treat our fellow man. Certainly reading the gospels shows an emphasis on this and the issue of homosexuality bears not even a single mention. But even more...

This thread is eerily familiar.

One quick cure to that is to become Catholic. ;) A lack of humility is at the heart of thinking the Bible just fell out of the sky last week. Christians have been reading the Bible for centuries and have plumbed the depths of it, engaged in weighty and often heated debates, and passed on to us...

Yes I do. It isn't a mystery. There's a man who lives in squalor in Kenya, living in dire poverty in a shanty town that is prevalent for housing in most African nations. And his brother is the president of the United States, a millionaire several times over. This is just one of many examples...

That's a very probing question and not easy to answer. Of Jesus it was prophesied that "the winnowing fan is in his hand" (Mt 3:12) and indeed we saw it come true during his ministry. A good example of this is when Jesus was followed by crowds of people all wanting to be his disciple. But then...

I'm glad you see it too. Birth control has been used as a cudgel by the Left against family values, most pointedly by the recent Obamacare law that forces the Catholic Church to provide contraceptive coverage in violation of our beliefs. It's hammered into kids at school that "as long as...

It's a question I want to posit and I'm sure I'll get a lot of heat for it. I have a very good and lifelong friend. She was my favorite teacher in Middle School and we still maintain a good relationship today, though she's retired now. She lives with her domestic partner close to where I live...