The Christian Onslaught

by satinka 205 Replies latest jw friends

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  poopsiecakes

  Godrulz, have you ever thought about loving your Self first?

  wow, Satinka this is exactly what I've believed for a long time now. The golden rule is 'love your neighbor as you love yourself' and I personally feel that unless you love yourself you can never truly love another. No matter who that 'another' is. Everything tied up in love is knowing yourself and loving yourself, striving to be a better you while appreciating and celebrating what makes you unique. Nothing else matters as much as this concept - it isn't egotism or any imagined higher power or guilt or feeling unworthy that can truly make you love another individual. And it's a concept that most (if not all) religions have left behind.
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  godrulz

  Humility is having an accurate assessment of oneself, neither too low of a view (earthworm) nor too high (divine being). I have strengths and weaknesses like anyone else. What counts is character, not outward things. My character is being formed by the Spirit as He reproduces the life and attitudes of Christ in me (Gal. 5:22-23 fruit of the Spirit). This is a progressive work that does not make me immune from fleshly lapses/imperfections.
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  tec

  I like Christ's new command best. "Love others as I have loved you." I find that one easier to follow. Less 'subjective'... not as dependent on how you love yourself. We don't always love ourselves, but how Christ loved us is a good reminder and example for me to try and follow.

  Peace,

  Tammy
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  Terra Incognita

  Rulzgod, Post #408:

  "Humility is having an accurate assessment of oneself, neither too low of a view (earthworm) nor too high (divine being)."

  "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'" Luke 17:10; New American Standard Bible
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  Terra Incognita

  Christian Hate Group ‘Repent Amarillo’ Terrorizes Texas Town, Harassing Gays, Liberals, And Other ‘Sinners’

  An evangelical Christian hate group called “Repent Amarillo” is reportedly terrorizing the town of Amarillo, Texas. Repent fashions itself as a sort of militia and targets a wide range of community members they deem offensive to their theology: gays, liberal Christians, Muslims, environmentalists, breast cancer events that do not highlight abortion, Halloween, “spring break events,” and pornography shops. On its website, Repent has posted a “Warfare Map” of its enemies in town.

  Calling Repent an “American Taliban,” blogger Charles Johnson notes that the group’s moniker “Army of God” is a rough translation of “Hezbollah.” Led by a man named David Grisham, a security guard at a nuclear-bomb facility called Pantex, Repent first gained media attention in Texas following a campaign to boycott Houston for electing a gay mayor. The group, which is associated with Raven Ministries, collaborates with other Christian groups as well as forced pregnancy advocacy associations like “Bound 4 Life.”

  According to a new exposé by the Texas Observer, Repent set out earlier this year to destroy a discreet club of swingers they discovered in town. On New Years eve, the harassment began, with Repent members, almost exclusively young men, showing up in military fatigues and bullhorns, blaring Christian music at the swingers’ club building. The swingers, made up of “regulars” of middle aged, working class couples, were then stalked at every following visit to the club. Repent not only took video of each member, but obtained the swingers’ license plates and dug through their trash, informing neighbors and coworkers of what was once private. Watch a Texas Observer report:

  Repent has struck with some success at many of its enemies within the town. A community theater attempted to open “Bent,” a play about the persecution of homosexuals during Nazi Germany. But the day before opening night, Repent members helped shut down the play by calling in fire marshals to complain about the theater’s permit. Staffers at a nature preserve were featured on local news defending themselves against Repent accusations that their site represents something related to witchcraft.

  But grassroots opposition to Repent is also building. A group called “Angel Action” has mobilized against Repent, and blogs and Amarillo-based Facebook groups are springing up to protest Repent’s hate. (HT: LGF)

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• 

  PSacramento

  the above sounds more like it is suggesting indifference on God's part rather than love - god makes his sun rise on the evil and the good.

  Not sure how telling one to love those that are hardest to love is indifference but ok...

  The perfection recommended in the verses above seem to foster a sort of detachment from real life imo. The emotions of love and hate are both healthy emotions - it is what we do with our hate that can result in badness. Furthermore there is much reward in loving those who love you and in hating your enemy. It means that one can break off from an unhealthy relationship and start a fresh. Also if one does not hate where does one find the impetus to act in self preservation or in perservation of those weaker than oneself?

  I don't see it that way but lets look ta it from a purely "selfish" stand point:

  Hate begets hate, violence begets violene, living with hate and unforgiveness in our lives is a horrible way to go through life, any trauma counsellor will tell you that.

  You can never get closure on anything "unhealty" if you keep it "unhealty" and the best way to do that is to feed it with unforgiveness.

  But, to each their own of course.

  perahps a verses like the above can be contemplated as a remote ideal rather than applicable in real life. Sometimes the ideal may come closer whereas at other times it can seem far off. And as we contemplate we can notice the inherent errors and problems in the applocation of these ideals

  All values start with ideals and we can see THESE ideals in, most recently, the legacy of MLK jr.

  Fact is that Christ made it clear for those that follow His Word that we are to forgive and to pray for those that persecute and hate us.

  Hate that leads to hate can only be broken by the power of love and forgiveness, the vicious circle of hate and violence that we see in our everyday lives have not been broken because the answers that we give are: Hate, violence, intolerance, arrogance, etc, etc.

  If we see with out won eyes how THAT way doesn't work and has ever worked and we see with out own eyes how love and forgiveness HAVE changed the world for the better, then...well...there you have it.

  Be the change you want to see, right?
• 

  WontLeave

  Repent Amarillo

  A "Christian" group who believes it's their responsibility to identify, round up, and confront "sinners". I never thought I'd see the day.

  They believe the whole world is ancient Israel, they are the Levites, and they have been commissioned by God to enforce their interpretation of His will. This is why people hate "Fundamentalists" and "Evangelicals". Sadly - just like JWs - when they're offensive, illogical, ignorant, and a total waste of time, they feel when people ignore them it's "rejecting God" or even "persecution". Similar to some posters here, they feel they are God's prophet and are waiting for the bears to come and tear apart their opposers, because God has sent them on their holy mission.

  People like that are impossible to reason with, because they're irrational and delusional. It might be possible to make inroads with the children of such organizations, but what groups like this come down to is self-worship, much like the JWs. God is a thin veneer they put over their own faces, in a weak attempt to gain credibility and feign modesty. In reality, the GB worships its own doctrine and its own literature with little regard for God, Christ, or the Bible. The elders worship their own entry-level management authority. Fundamentalists are just hateful losers, using the Bible as an excuse to direct their preexisting blind hate at a target while feigning noble reasons. Hellfire Pentecostal and Southern Baptist types are just self-important, self-deluded, wanna-be prophets who scour the Bible looking for things to attack people with. In reality, JWs, fundamentalists, and fire-and-brimstone evangelicals would be the first ones to line up as Inquisitors if the government would allow modern-day Inquisitions, even though they'd never admit it.
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  tec

  revelation is a different genre and written at a different time. Jesus was being very direct at Matthew 10:34&35 and there was a lot of partisanship going on at the time. Why would he say something so risky to his disciples if he adamantly intended not to suggest taking up arms to fight for one's side.

  Because he didn't do it. He spoke against it.

  Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. Bless those who persecute you.

  "My kingdom is not of this world; if it were then my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

  "Put your sword back in is place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."

  "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teachings and you did not arrest me."

  And this one:

  Luke 2:34-35 "Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary and his mother: "this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

  The sword has more meaning than just a literal piece of steel, and the people at the time used it in this other meaning often. We can't just take what we think things mean now, we have to try and understand the sayings and the way people communicated then as well - or we get the wrong message completely.

  When you realize something that you don't like about yourself, that you did not know was "in" you before - some flaw or cruelty or hypocrisy - that can be likened to having a sword pierce you with this personal revelation or truth.

  Peace to you,

  Tammy
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  jgnat

  Hence the expression, "Stabbed me in the back." No blood, no knife, but it hurts just the same.

  It's a bit of an ego trip for a stranger to wield the bible as a sword, cutting people to ribbons in the process. "But it is the truth!" Even the truth, handled cruelly, can do much harm. If I want frank honesty, I'll invite a trusted friend to share it with me. I trust my friend to know me well enough to avoid the tender bits, and only expose what needs to be.

  Logs and slivers come to mind (Matthew 7:3-5). I've often thought the log is a blatant disregard for others.
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  godrulz

  Speak the truth in love. If we are going to condemn not speaking in love, we should also have a problem with those who refuse to speak truth at all or denigrate those who do stand for truth and righteousness even if offensive to some (I am talking about Jesus' style, not the Texas extremists which I do not defend).