Quote:
Originally Posted by Kidder
Scoreface, you revealed in the Avery thread how a tragic incident in your life led you to your faith and understanding of Salvation. I think it's terrific that you were able to find peace and contentment out of what undoubtedly was a difficult time in life and wish to share this source of comfort and enlightenment with others.
Where you lose me, and I believe many others on this forum, is where you enter under the pretense of a discussion or conversation, when in reality you arrive with a sermon, albeit very open to feedback and comments by anyone requiring further clarity.
Your beliefs are rooted entirely in your interpretation of the Scriptures you have adopted as truth. And while it is no crime to be confident in your position, you dissuade your audience by refusing to examine their position fully or fairly. And why would you? Your word is God's word, of which you have no doubt or desire to debate, for His is the truth of which you are certain.
To put it in a sporting metaphor (as this is a sports message board) you always have the home court. Others are invited to participate, but on your turf, with your refs and your rules.
Just so you know where I'm coming from, I grew up in a religious family, and graduated from a Christian University. I have friends and family that cover a wide spectrum; conservative, liberal, Christian, Buddhist, atheist, agnostic, etc. And I'm a homosexual.
So naturally it pained me a little to see you enter the Avery thread trumpeting your opinion as the Word of God. Again, there's nothing wrong with being confident in your interpretation and arguing your position. But don't delude yourself into thinking you're engaging anyone. You stick to home court. Your "discussions" are presented as fact and include homework for your readers (Read Romans 5, discover the story of Sodom). You have assumed conclusions based entirely on your canon, with apparently no influence from differing opinions. And the most egregious to me personally was in post # 175 where you said this in reference to same-sex couples:
I have no idea where you found the moral authority to stake this claim. Yes I realize you quoted Romans that shed light on human's inherent sinful nature. And more links to Scripture that labels homosexuality a sin. And then more Scripture that shows God has granted us free will. And from that you have concluded that homosexuality is a choice. Not even a distinction between the act and the orientation. Gays are gay by choice. For so it is Written. No regard for testimony from biologists, psychiatrists, or actual homosexuals. Of course not, because they're not Scripture, of which you've been bestowed the divine interpretation. Home court.
But you show yourself a caring person, lamenting the dismissal of Sportsnet's Damian Goddard for exercising free speech as you state in post #164:
I would reserve a word like "atrocity" for persecution such as the current anti-homosexuality bill of Uganda (a primarily Christian country) that seeks the execution of all discovered homosexuals, the "save our children" campaign of the '70s (spearheaded by Christian advocates) that sought to appeal an ordinance that prohibited sexual orientation discrimination and further deny homosexuals their human rights, or the mass murders of the pink triangle in Nazi-Germany.
These people use Scripture just like you to support their claims. As did those who persecuted people of different color or gender. Interpretations differ and evolve. You wonder why you have faced so much backlash for some of your propositions:
Everyone speaks for themselves. Everyone gets to share their opinion. But you claim to speak for a Higher Power... the Ultimate Power. And you ask people to engage you in discussion. How exactly would they do that?
You found Salvation, and you want others to join you in this experience. That's fantastic.
I would suggest your method of enlightenment is counter-productive. Because although you seek to share the word of God, your pompousness serves as an indignity to those who may be receptive of the message you wish to convey.
I know personally I've always been most inspired by those who let their faith do the talking, not those who talk for their faith.
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I guess if I wanted to quote all views of the matter, I'd still be working on it. I don't believe you're quoting all views of the matter yourself and representing a qualified rebuttal. Who can? If we tried, we'd still be here researching and pouring out countless hours trying to prove the other guy wrong.
Look, I respect the fact you attended a Christian University (but are anti-Christian?
) Or perhaps you prefer a more 'well-rounded' argument taking into consideration all the facts. Maybe my 'home court' is due to the fact that I opened the thread, but also welcomed discussion.
I'm still somewhat surprised of all people you, who attended Christian University, grew up in a religious family find place to attack what I stated. I sure haven't talked to homosexuals about the matter. I don't know any or haven't looked any up. Why should I? Should I look up people in bondage from every walk of life? They all have one common denominator: Condemnation. I will not quote any more Bible verses, since that appears offensive. However, the strength of sin is the Law, which was given to actually strengthen sin. Maybe you, as a scholar, realize that. Maybe you should realize that when the Gospel was preached in Acts, 3000 were saved in one day (by quoting Scripture, no NT canonized at that time). When the Law was given at Mt. Sinai, 3000 died!!!
Maybe this is the wrong forum to discuss such matters. I don't speak for myself. Do you think all the scripture quoted speaks for myself? I speak for Another. Have you truly invited Him to be your life? You know, the best part of that bingo card in another post is that Christ's free gift of salvation is the middle 'free' space and with it you can exclaim 'Bingo.'
To any who read this, when will your end come? How will you know you are saved? Are you going to base it on the relativism of the world or reach out to the loving arms of Christ. Remember, the outstretched arms are those same arms stretched out on the cross.