There are many who would teach but not all have equal value in their teaching.Are you careful not to be deceived by clever arguments and carefully worded sermons? Can you look past some of the facade you have seen? I have met many and I am sure to meet more. What are your thoughts?
2007-05-20 03:11:27 · 23 answers · asked by Debra M. Wishing Peace To All 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I say let us pray and forgive and move on.
2007-05-20 03:11:58 · update #1
You are right. We all must learn to be careful and test all things, including personalities that appear to be harmless, but are gross on the inside.
2007-05-20 03:31:34 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
A long time ago I thought that love was something that you reserved for some special set of people that you had judged worthy of it.
After a while I got to thinking about what Jesus had said about turning the other cheek and loving our neighbor I put the two together and realized that he had made no exceptions in these statements. It became obvious to me that he intended that we exclude no one from the love that we are supposed to be giving. I started thinking about my idea of love and suddenly realized that I had not been loving anyone at all. I had simply been judging everyone and every thing.
Judging someone worthy of love is not love, it is only judgment. I actually started to cry when I realized this. I saw just how much of my life I had wasted being judgmental, thinking of myself as a Christian, when I was actually doing just the opposite of what Jesus had asked us to do.
I thought about the verse judge not lest ye be judged, and I understood it for the first time.
I realized that I have a lot of catching up to do. So many opportunities were wasted. I now try to apply the love that I have for the world in a universal way like Jesus asks us to do.
If I start to feel afraid and think that I see someone that I should not love because of something I have thought or heard I try to catch my mistake as soon as possible. I tell myself that I have forgot the truth and have fallen for the same old trick that had cost me so many opportunities to be loving in the past. The horror of this realization is often all that is necessary to bring me back to my senses and make me drop the judgmental nonsense I was thinking.
I still have a lot to learn about love, but at least I’m making progress.
Love and blessings
Your brother
don
2007-05-20 10:16:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Many demonstrate hate: They do so under the banner of "Love the sinner, hate the sin".
They "love the homosexual" but wish them to be unable to live as equals in the world. Allow them to be fired or prohibited from employment because they are gay; would allow the state to take away their children; do not permit them to serve in the military, would not permit them to see their partner on their death-bed, etc.
This one area is perhaps the strongest where I see the contradiction. Many so-calle Christians would rather invite a mass-murderer to their dinner table than a homosexual.
Many Christians claim they have no fear, yet the behavior they exhibit around homosexuals certainly resembles fear. If one has no fear, then why is it that one will not be near a homosexual? Why can one not befriend such? I've met Christians (a pastor in fact) that would not eat food prepared by a homosexual. If this is not fear, what is it? If this is not homophobia, then what?
It's sad, but there are a great many contradictions among those who claim the title "Christian".
2007-05-20 10:25:37 · answer #3 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Debra,
My own mother is a Catholic and she preaches and knows the Bible by heart. She has demenstrated a lot of hate to me and uses a lot of hateful words towards me and my youngest son.
I know that this is not how someone who knows God and believes in Him, will behave. I appologize if I sound like I am talking bad about her. But her actions has hurt me more than I could possibly imagine a mother would do to a child.
This behavior is enough for anyone not to want to believe in God. With all due respect, to God and my mother, I gave up on both of them. I pray she will always love me and see that she will not hurt me no more but, sometimes she can't help herself, I guess?
Thanks for asking this and I hope you didn't mind that I gave such a long answer~
2007-05-20 10:19:57 · answer #4 · answered by SDC 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Debra I am guilty, not of preaching love, but of telling others the message of God's love and then acting hateful. I have asked God to help me to leave the hate behind. It is only an excuse but I am in a difficult place in life and I have let my feelings about that carry over into other parts of my life. This is wrong and not what God has given me to do.
The Ol' Hippie Jesus Freak
Grace and Peace
Peg
2007-05-20 10:23:48 · answer #5 · answered by Dust in the Wind 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes,i think most have experienced such, and it is one thing i beat myself up about.
I do try my best to visualize something beautiful that would remind me that my example in response to others can effect how they might pick up if Iam acting in love or hate like a flower for example.
None of us are perfect, and i have learned to cast cotton balls opposed to stones that do render peace and Love.
I will not exchange evil for evil and i try my best to overcome evil with good,and it does quench all the fiery darts.
Look past,look at a flower.
Peace
2007-05-20 11:21:41 · answer #6 · answered by flowerpower 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I've seen many preachers on tv, but none preach hate. Only ones full of hate that I know of are Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson but Ive never heard their surmons, just interviews.
2007-05-20 10:19:37 · answer #7 · answered by wisemancumth 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, not really. Most Christians I know demonstrate love and forgiveness because they are filled with the Holy Spirit.
2007-05-20 10:17:25 · answer #8 · answered by Apostle Jeff 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Of course.This is one reason why I don't go to church.Pastors and priest they can talk a good game but I don't know how much they back it up. I don't know what their like when their home behide closed doors.They could be living worse then me.Its not so much about following what your told, its about being concious about what you learn.Because I think ultimatly thats what its about conciousness and wisdom.
2007-05-20 10:34:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I've seen this happen. It's terrible. Christ spoke clearly about hypocrisy. However, He has given us His Spirit in order to, among other things, determine the "fruits" of others. This way we can tell who's who in the kingdom of God here on earth.
2007-05-20 10:25:08 · answer #10 · answered by stpolycarp77 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋