symptoms
Submitted by F.O.D. on April 14 1999 at 16:06:43
In reply to A subtlety Submitted by Jimf3 on April 12 1999 at 18:46:00
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Hi Jim, don't feel you're interrupting here. You're always welcome to drop by and bring up any questions that are on your mind or any spiritual thoughts that might be plaguing you. Let's see if I can make a go at understanding your subtlised irk. What you are saying, if I read you right, is that it is abominable to say that someone needs to be saved from some "sin", when that "sin" is not actually sinful at all. The example at hand is homosexuality. Most Christians say that a homosexual needs to repent of his sin of homosexuality, and this is a repugnant attitude to you, as you have expressed it previously: "why should I be condemned because I love?" Now, I will avoid arguing whether or not same-gender sex is "wrong" or not. You know I have traditionally supposed it is, but I can see your point, so maybe I have been traditionally wrong. But right now I have another point to make. I think part of the problem in talking about being "saved from sin" here lies in confusing the outward appearance of sin from the true heinous condition itself. Confusing the symptom with the disease. What I mean is that Christians often point fingers, looking at something someone does, and cry out "sinner! sinner!". But actually they are only looking at external superficialities, missing the point, and in missing they are actually calling certain things "sin" which were never sin at all. Dancing...listening to rock music...wearing shorts to church...wearing long hair...(and maybe being gay too?). But these Christians are deluding themselves about what sin is. They think that sin is something that you do. It is not, not completely, anyway. Certainly there are things we do that are sinful - cursing each other, ripping others for for our own gain, whatever. But sin itself is not what we do, it's something we intrinsically are. Shut off from God. I suppose that might be a cute way of defining it. That's why I think those who tell you "you have to be saved from this or that"..."you have to be saved from homosexuality"...they're frankly missing the point. You haved to be saved from being shut off from God. That's all. Nothing else. Well, just my opinion, as they say. I hope it gives another perspective on the matter. Love to you Jim, Fod |