I know this isn't true of all Christians, but the majority seem to be preoccupied about what others do in their bedrooms.
I know those practices conflict with your personal beliefs, but noone is forcing you to do them or condone them, but why falsely claim they harm others or society when they don't?
Is the principle of live and let live anti-Christian?
2007-09-26 12:27:14 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes - this use to REALLY bug me.
I use to think, "Well, if the two are consenting...who really cares? No harm done there...right?"
And although I didn't necessary like the word "sin", yet I perceived sin as something that harmed others.
...of course now, as a Christian, I will at make an attempt to answer your question honestly and sensibly from a Biblical perspective...
I will never forget the first time I read the Bible. I was an atheist in college who sat down to prove the Bible and Jesus wrong...
Yet, when I got to the "Sermon on the Mount" - the "pinnacle" teaching of Jesus Christ - so succinct and powerful, all held within 3 relatively small chapters (Matthew 5-7), I was literally astonished. It was not what I expected, at all…
First, I was cut to the core by its extremely high – even unattainable - standard of "morality". For the most part, I saw myself as more "morally good" than most Christians I had ever met...and therefore, felt very "comfortable" in my standing...
Yet, then I read this:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery,' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." -Matthew 5:27
Of course, I could NOT stand guiltless before this standard! Who could? And the rest of the chapter didn't make me feel so "good" after all, either.
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Then in chapter 6, I found myself vehemently agreeing with Jesus, much to my surprise...about things I felt very strongly about...(Matthew 6:1-18):
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them...
"When you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet, as the hypocrites do...
"When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites...who pray to be seen by others...
"When you fast, don't look gloomy like the hypocrites, so that they may be seen by others...
I read these and was like, "YEAH! That’s right! You tell them! What a bunch of HYPOCRITES! Hey, wait...I was trying to prove this guy wrong...!?"
And then came chapter 7...
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged…
"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
And again, I found myself agreeing with this man called Jesus…and my spiritual awakening was at hand…
= = =
What does this have to do with your question? Everything...!
FIRST, there are MANY hypocritical Christians that are quick to see the "speck" that is in another's eye...while, they themselves have a "log" in their own eye.
Christian, or not...it always seems easier to see other people's mistakes, errors, shortcomings, failings, and “sins”...
And almost all people are prone to "gossip" about others...the "juicier" gossip, the better. And homosexuality has certainly become one of the juiciest topics of our day.
But what gripes me as a Christian, is the extreme focus that many other Christians have when condemning homosexuality. You can read many of my other answers about this issue. I ALWAYS shift focus to ALL sexual lust - whether as a man or woman...and whether for a man or women - as "fornication or adultery of the heart"…
And on this matter in particular, I have fought a long battle with my own sexual lusts...and this battle is STILL not over. Who am I to condemn a "homosexual", when I am constantly fighting my own sexual lusts! I am very happily married, yet I still find myself extremely tempted by inner lusts for MANY other women! What a “log” I have in my own eye!
So…what IS anti-Christian is to "condemn" others.
But as a Christian, I can make a right judgment in saying that lusting for another - whether of the same sex or opposite sex - is wrong and a sin, and is fornication or adultery of the heart. And I am no less guilty of sexual lust than any homosexual, only the object of my lust happens to be focused on the opposite sex.
SECOND, as we can see from the words of Jesus, "sin" has a MUCH different meaning than as simply something that "harms" another. When the Bible speaks of "sin", it is NOT talking about wronging or harming another. Instead, it is talking about doing something wrong according to God, who is to be our Judge. And God sees, knows, and judges even our heart - not simply our actions! This is obviously clear from the scripture I quoted above (and in the rest in the Sermon on the Mount!).
One of the most striking scriptures to me is Psalm 51:4. David, the King of Israel, wrote this after he had stolen the wife of one of his soldiers...and basically raped her. From up on his lofty palace, David looked down and saw Bathseba bathing – naked, of course. David should have been at war with his army, but instead he was sitting around at his palace. Then, overcome by his sexual desire in seeing Bathsheba’s sexy body, he had Bathsheba brought to his chambers...and he had sex with her. Some would say it wasn't "rape", but I would disagree. In any event, she gets pregnant, as David greatly fears. He calls her husband home from war in hopes that he will have sex with his wife in order to cover up the fact that it was David who had impregnated her. Then, Bathseba's husband refuses to have sex with his wife because he is a good soldier who desires to return to war with his fellow soldiers. Seeing that his plan wasn't working, David finally has Bathsheba's husband killed by sending him to the front line of battle. In response to these evil actions, David cries out to God for mercy and forgiveness in Psalm 51. And in Psalm 51:4, he has the audacity to declare:
"Against You [God], You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight..."
Can you believe this?! Wouldn't you say that David "sinned" against Bathsheba and her husband?! How can he say that he “only” sinned against God?!?
It is "striking" because of the paradigm shift in what "sin" really is. It is NOT harming another so much as it is "doing evil in the sight of God", and this is because God alone is Rule-maker and Judge.
Now then, David did "harm" Bathsheba and her husband...and this was a great evil, but the "sin" is against the Rule-maker, who said, "Thou shall not commit adultery and thou shall not kill" - and David did both.
THIRD, while I really do NOT care what homosexuals do behind closed doors (two men I don't even want to think about it; two women I struggle not to think about it)...yet there is a sense in which the principle of "live and let live" does not hold for a Christian...
Let me explain...
Ezekiel 3:18-19 clearly states that if I do NOT speak out about what God has revealed to me, then I will be accountable for the blood of those I fail to warn!
People don't seem to like the analogy I use to explain this, and I confess it is not a "perfect" analogy (as no analogy is perfect, but only a means to help someone else understand a point)...but here it is:
I am on the bank of a peaceful river. I know that just around the corner, there is a huge waterfall that crashes to rocks hundreds of feet below. And then, on a boat, I see someone peacefully sunbathing, sipping on a margarita, reading a book, floating unawares towards the waterfall. Now then, I could just keep quiet and watch that person go around the corner and go over the waterfall to their death...but how evil and unloving would that be...?! Certainly, instead, I have a "burden" to warn that person...even shout out to them and tell them that they are headed for a waterfall. I would grab the Branch of a tree and hold it out for them to grab and be saved!
And it is CLEAR in scripture, that a Christian is charged by God to warn others. That is, it is my duty to warn non-Christians. I am commanded by God to warn others and to preach the Gospel and invite them to the salvation God freely offers by grace through faith in His Son.
So, a Christian is not to "worry" about what two consenting adults are doing behind closed doors. However, knowing that God is the Rule-maker...and God is Judge...we ARE to warn others of the consequences of their actions – even if their actions have no impact on my life. Not only am I compelled to love them and desire the best for them, I am also compelled to obey my Lord, who states that He will hold me accountable for their blood!
It is like a parent who fails to warn their young child that the stove is hot. When the child who doesn’t know any better, touches the stone and gets burned, one could argue that the parent was negligent in their duty of parenthood. (again, not a perfect analogy, but my meaning is clear)
This is why Paul states emphatically near the end of his ministry:
"Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God" -Acts 20:26-27
BUT, not only are we charged to "warn", we also are charged to "invite" - even in fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 3:10.
That is, we warn and invite BY proclaiming the Gospel:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. No one is "good enough" to go to heaven. We have all disobeyed the Rule-maker, thus we have all "sinned" in His sight. And He, as Judge, is to judge us according to our lives, which have been full of sin - lies, anger, lust, etc, etc, etc. And the just judgment of God for sin is punishment in hell. BUT, the good news is that God provided a means for ANYONE to escape this seeming unavoidable fate. Because of His love, mercy, and grace, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for the sins of those who believe in Him (so that God would still be declared just), so that through faith in Jesus Christ we are forgiven of our sins and declared righteous in the sight of God ("washed by the blood of the Lamb"). And through the washing of our sins away by His grace, no punishment remains for us – so there is no barrier to keep us out of heaven.
...and SO, I have just now warned you and invited you. By reading this, let it be known that I am innocent of your blood. I am not the one who judges you, I am merely the "messenger" who brought you this message, as if from God Himself. In other words, if you choose to reject this message and wind up in hell - do not look up to heaven in torment like the man in Luke 16...and say to me, "You KNEW the truth...WHY didn't you warn me...?"
May you choose wisely.
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Grace and peace in Christ!
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2007-09-26 17:59:22 · answer #1 · answered by yachadhoo 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't worry about others, but I don't want any part in the bedroom activities either. In a way this is true for anyone that if you don't agree to another's behaviors (as it relates to morality) then you distance yourself somewhat. It may harm society if anything is in excess including trying to convert every person into chrisitanity. It will create more wars and havoc. I practice "live and let live" as long as they are not hurting others. I am lenient about others; I stay away from their company or not get close but I will do what I think is best for myself. That is all that matters really, to God. I can't harass others.
2007-09-26 12:36:43 · answer #2 · answered by Pansy 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
People living in sin do effect others and society. It teaches young children around you that doing this is ok, and permissible. It is harming both of the people involved. Society as a whole becomes more and more permissible as people continue to just allow things to be, and not to take a stand against the sin and corruption.
2007-09-26 12:33:23 · answer #3 · answered by lovinghelpertojoe 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It's really very simple if you will just pay attention. If you believe something is harmful, then if you care about people, you will not want them to do it. If you don't care about them, then you won't care if they do something harmful. Get it?
I am a serious Christian, and I am concerned about people doing things that are harmful to them. At the same time, I do respect people's privacy. I don't go around asking people if they are doing sinful things behind closed doors. But if they advertise it publicly, guess what, it's now public information and I have every right to comment on it. If you don't want people talking about it, you should have kept it to yourself.
If a man walks into my church acting flamboyantly gay, I will treat him with the utmost respect and courtesy. Inside I may think he's acting ridiculous, but I know that I act ridiculous in other ways at times. LIVE AND LET LIVE. But if he starts telling me that he wants to get married in my church, or starts hitting on me, or talking about his private sex life, I have every right to express my opinion of his remarks. Don't I? I'm not prying into his life. It was his choice to make his views and intentions known to me. Once he does so, he has no right to tell me to be silent about it.
2007-09-26 12:41:43 · answer #4 · answered by Agellius CM 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Dont take this the wrong way, but I dont care what you and your buddies and wives and girlfriends and boyfriends and hookers and a variety of household pets and farmyard animals do in private, but when you go public and try and get my kids or my neighbours kids involved then the situation changes for the worse for you and you would not want that to occour, lot of hunting accidents among drug dealers and predatorys round Pine Bluff Nebraska.
2007-09-26 12:35:14 · answer #5 · answered by Alan S 2 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Noone was the lead singer of Hermans Hermits.
What two concenting adults do in the privacy of their homes, I couldn't care less about.
2007-09-26 12:30:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
They are control freaks, they force themselves to live under a fear of death, and invent a wonderful heaven to comfort themselves, then they fear for us too, its not enough to screw up their own life with fear, they feel obliged to screw up ours with the same paranoid fear and want to inflict the idiot rules onto us, so we too are saved.
Personally if they are right, (and I doubt it, but if they are) and there is a heaven and hell, I do not want to share it with them, because they will bore the ar-se off me telling me 'I told you so'... so I don't want to be saved.
2007-09-26 21:06:52 · answer #7 · answered by DAVID C 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because most of them do not confine it to their bedrooms, they carry their perversions in public, hence the Gay Rights marches. I mena you do not see hetrosexuals marching for the right to do their thing in public. But then perhaps thats not a bad idea imagine the media attention that would be generated.
2007-09-26 12:32:30 · answer #8 · answered by cowboy_christian_fellowship 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Regarding persons, I do not. But things that happen in the bedroom have a way of spreading out into society at large. Right or wrong, like it or not, that's the truth.
2007-09-26 12:31:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 3⤋
What consenting adults do amongst themselves is their own business, however all should be aware of the consequences of desecration of the flesh, and of adultery, and of fornication.
2007-09-26 12:30:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
If I didnt have to vote on it...then I'd say yes dowhatchulike...but when you put gay marriage on the ballot and ask me to VOTE to 'YES-condone the sin' or 'NO-oppose the sin'...then you're throwing me in the bed for a moral pillow fight.
2007-09-26 12:36:51 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋