How then should one respond to someone who is labelling you a bigot or a homophobe for holding Christian views???
How should you respond to someone who is attacking, Christianity, attacking our Lord???
It's easy to criticize in hindsight from a distance without even getting involved in the discussion.
But even now in reflection what is the best response? Defend Christ? Don't engage? I don't really know
Yes, I get the point about ‘ from a distance without getting involved ‘ - your right. In many respects I have held back for many reasons, but one was because it seemed to be reaction following reaction at times. My response earlier was more to the joyful way you and others expressed that ‘ the bigot had been banned ‘
When in reality bigotry fell on both sides, which is why I mentioned the meaning of the word.
You know in all of scripture it’s never mentioned that the instructions that were laid down were to be given to ‘ other cultures ‘ and that’s where I have an issue at times with how Christians seem to think that ALL of society should follow the biblical principles. We may have adopted many of them within society, but that was by choice not command. Of course following what the Lord conveys brings straight paths, but how many of us followed many of them before we came to faith. The Lord needs to bring someone to faith in order to see many things in new light. We are meant to be leading people to that light.
Are we not suppose to live differently so that others would be attracted to what we have, drawn to Gods people as they set an example of a different way to live. You see I see ‘ God hates homosexual ‘ in a different way - it’s something that The Lord showed me when I went through my divorce - well scripture relays God hates divorce as well - and that’s been quoted to me a number of times. However I know the pain and rippling effects that divorce has in so many ways. I had to come to terms with all the wrongs in both my life and my ex’s life in order to heal. The divorce was the result of all of that. God wants to protect people from that pain and ripples. That applies to all sin, and often it’s sin of others that leads to some of the things that we deal with within our society. However that healing, that acknowledgement only happened because I was open to the Holy Spirit and saw what was there. I didn’t see it when I was married, didn’t see it for at least two years after the divorce.
Please do not get me wrong, I do not agree with all that is happening with LGBT, but I equally don’t agree with everything that is happening with all the sexual labels and feminists and all that is happening within society at the moment.
Of course we have a right to defend what ‘ WE ‘ believe is right for ‘ OUR ‘ lives, but surely there needs to balance with regards to what we demand from someone of no faith, no relationship with Jesus.
Brake light posted a good word earlier - about Zacchaeus and how he was hated and ridiculed, joked about because he was one of the lowest in society because of what he did - in the post it states ‘ But Jesus was different ‘...... he came alongside Zacchaeus. We know from that moment on he changed. Why do we expect others to just change without encountering the Lord first.
It’s not by our own efforts that we change, it’s because the Lord works in our lives.
Rita