How many Christian Churches allow parishioners to rely on their God given Consciences, to make decisions about such things as:
Smoking cigarettes
Driving Race Cars
Sky diving
Fighting For the Freedom
Does your church dictate every thought, word, and deed?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApDGwGjL81l0wF2zPemX8t3sy6IX?qid=20070809071353AAh17ur
2007-08-09 03:55:15 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Amen Steve
2007-08-09 04:01:20 · update #1
Pedderin...Honestly...True christians try to follow Christ...They rely on his spirit inside them for guidence and salvation....we are not bound by a bunch of rules and laws that we can not ever be faithful to...we do our best to Worship in truth and ask for forgiveness and GRACE for the rest....Better than adding a bunch of nonbiblical laws that you can be disfellowshipped for.
2007-08-09 04:09:21 · update #2
PED...I haven't gone off the deep end..you posed the question to me....thus the link......You may rewrite your question but you andI know the truth...or at least I do.
2007-08-09 04:28:46 · update #3
Actually all Christians are "free thinkers." The Bible and churches are only a guide.
2007-08-09 04:00:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
First of all, I believe that "conscience" for a Christian is not the same thing as conscience for people of the world. People of the world have only their own moral compass to guide them, that is very often based on little more than common sense and the values they were raised with. For Christians, however, when we ask Jesus to be Lord over our life, we are granted the Holy Spirit that Jesus said would "guide us into all truth".
The Holy Spirit is basically God within us and as such, cultivates the fruit of the Spirit within us, as spelled out in Galatians 5: 22, 23. Therefore, I submit that these fruits of the Spirit should dictate the actions, attitudes and values of the person who has the Holy Spirit within him/her. The things we choose to do or not to do, therefore, are based upon whether or not these things are in harmony with these values, and someone who has the Holy SPirit within does not need to have someone else dictate to him/her what is acceptible behavior--they already know because the Holy SPirit is guiding them, if they have truly submitted to and turned their lives over to His will.
2007-08-09 16:39:07 · answer #2 · answered by Simon Peter 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Do true Christians smoke, sky dive, fight and kill in war, and risk their lives racing cars?
Fight for freedom? I guess the askers is not aware that Jesus said at Matt. 5:44 "However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you." Jesus also said at John 13:34, 35: "I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”
As one responder said, some churches have invested into the tobacco industry that is responsible for killing scores of people with their deadly product. Would you really call those churches Christian? Not hardly!
The askers includes herself with REAL Christians who worship God in truth. But is she one? By no means. She supports armed conflicts, calling such warfare "Fighting For the Freedom" (whatever that means). She is an a religious organization that celebrates pagan holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.
The asker has indeed gone off the deep end. Apparently, she sees nothing wrong with "Christians" polluting their bodies with cigarettes, while forcing those who don't want to smoke to inhale that bad air. To her, such conduct is merely relying on a God-given conscience to make one's own decision.
2007-08-09 11:06:20 · answer #3 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The Christian denomination I belong to points out that in one part of the world many of their members smoke like chimneys but refuse to drink alcohol. On the opposite side of the globe, it's the other way around! Smoking is considered disgusting but alcohol is fine in moderation. Social pressures account for that.
My denomination also points out that our God-given lives are precious and are to be lived for the glory of God. Therefore, to take unnecessary risks with our lives (sky-diving, white-water rafting etc) could cost us dearly. It's not encouraged. But nobody would try to dictate a policy on that!
Freedom Fighting is a propagandist phrase; I prefer to use the more quaint phrase, cannon fodder. My denomination is all for supporting the government of the day and if that means joining the armed forces for what is (absurdly) called 'a just war', they go along with that. I do not. Yet again there is no pressure. They stress that Christ died to set us free and never to forfeit that freedom for any kind of slavery/bondage. We must keep a clear conscience and never do anything to violate it. What is good for one Christian might be bad for another, whose conscience leads him differently. And it is an appalling thing to stumble a person with a weak conscience. So, we get sound guidance based on biblical principles and are left to work out our stance. We are encouraged to grow to spiritual maturity and stand before God as individuals.
2007-08-10 16:52:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A church is not a dictatorship, for goodness sake! Different churches have different standards, but, as far as I know, there isn't any church-imposed penalty for not living up to them...
So, yes...we rely on our own, God-given consciences to make decisions about
Smoking cigarettes...I used to, but I managed to quit. In my humble opinion, it is one thing to harm your own body...but it is definitely a no no to harm others...
Driving race cars...Hey, if you can do it, and enjoy it, why not? Just do it on the track...not out in the street, where you could hurt other people.
Sky diving...I never heard of a church with any restrictions about sky diving. Come to think of it, I've never heard of a church with restrictions about driving race cars, either.
Fighting for the freedom...is NOT a "religious cause". Fighting for one's freedom is NOT on a par with fighting for God. God is more than capable of defending Himself, and He does NOT NEED anyone killing anyone on His behalf...
Using one's "faith" as an excuse to kill is the worst sin against God there could be...and this is equally true whether it is a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or anyone else who claims to use their religion as an excuse to kill.
No, my church does not dictate my every thought, word, and deed. But, if I love my God, I will definitely consider how my actions reflect on Him...
Do I make my Father proud of me?
Or...
2007-08-09 12:13:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think almost every church does not take a stance against people doing any of those four things, except there may be some discouragement of smoking. However, for a long time, many churches were invested in the tobacco industry.
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2007-08-09 11:01:34 · answer #6 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They tell us smoking is bad of course, but they don't take a position on the other three things
2007-08-09 11:04:24 · answer #7 · answered by Matthew 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋