Does God teach discrimination?

Shamgar · Post by **Shamgar** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:02 am

Why would Chrsitians disobey Caesar's laws that say not to discriminate? Does God teach discrimination? Yes.

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micatala · Post by **micatala** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 5:39 pm

Are you going to address the issues and questions I have raised or are you going to give up and drop even the pretext of debate in order to continue hurling insults?

jerickson314 · Post by **jerickson314** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 11:31 pm

Whoa! I just looked at this old thread, and it is Shamgar who is taking passages way out of context! For instance, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 should almost never be quoted as such. It is better quoted with verse 11. That is:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (WEB) wrote:Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God. Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.

Thus, homosexuals can be forgiven, like all other sinners. They, too, are capable of heaven through Jesus Christ.

From the reasearch I have done, it does look like the word translated "homosexuals" does indeed refer to a man who has sex with another man. However, it does NOT refer to a man who is attracted to another man. I examined some of the claims of mistranslation in this thread on another forum.

And in response to the top question, the answer is NO. The Bible does teach us to love everyone. And I find no place where under the New Covenant we are called to discriminate against anyone for conditions they cannot control. It appears that same-sex attraction may be a situation someone cannot control. However, this is certainly not the case for same-sex behavior. Nonetheless, even for such people we are called to "love the sinner, not the sin."

Now, the issue of how this relates to politics is a more difficult question.

Nirvana-Eld · Post by **Nirvana-Eld** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:57 pm

Yea this is definately an old post but I have to say that I agree with micatala on ALL points of this argument. Shagmar just dodges questions by making rude cartoons about people and their opinions. Also taking the Bible out of context does not help your case at all.

StephS · Post by **StephS** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 10:01 am

Nirvana-Eld wrote:Yea this is definately an old post but I have to say that I agree with micatala on ALL points of this argument. Shagmar just dodges questions by making rude cartoons about people and their opinions. Also taking the Bible out of context does not help your case at all.

It's attitudes like the one of the person who started this thread that drove me away from organized religion.

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:14 pm

StephS wrote:
Nirvana-Eld wrote:Yea this is definately an old post but I have to say that I agree with micatala on ALL points of this argument. Shagmar just dodges questions by making rude cartoons about people and their opinions. Also taking the Bible out of context does not help your case at all.
It's attitudes like the one of the person who started this thread that drove me away from organized religion.

Of course, it's not god who teaches discrimination, but people who choose to read specific things into scripture. It's possible to justify nearly anything on the basis of what people want to think god says.

micatala · Post by **micatala** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:35 pm

Jose wrote:
StephS wrote:

Nirvana-Ed wrote:Yea this is definately an old post but I have to say that I agree with micatala on ALL points of this argument. Shagmar just dodges questions by making rude cartoons about people and their opinions. Also taking the Bible out of context does not help your case at all.

It's attitudes like the one of the person who started this thread that drove me away from organized religion.

Of course, it's not god who teaches discrimination, but people who choose to read specific things into scripture. It's possible to justify nearly anything on the basis of what people want to think god says.

One of my favorite preachers described this as people picking out a bullseye and then using the Bible selectively to draw the target around the bullseye.

Mattevt · Post by **Mattevt** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:58 am

I thought I'd bring this thread back into view. It looks like Shamgar has been silenced by jerickson's post. It's much harder to support your position when you are caught blatantly quoting out of context. I'd like to thank Jerickson for giving me something to think about...any other comments?

Shamgar would you like to step up and defend your apparently battered position.

questioner4 · Post by **questioner4** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:59 pm

It's people like Shamgar who make Christians look bad. He sure isn't a very good representation of his faith. In fact, it's people like him that turn people off of Christianity. He sure is very rude, hateful, and judgemental. Jesus is about love, compassion, and kindness, no?

micatala · Post by **micatala** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:57 pm

questioner4 wrote:It's people like Shamgar who make Christians look bad. He sure isn't a very good representation of his faith. In fact, it's people like him that turn people off of Christianity. He sure is very rude, hateful, and judgemental. Jesus is about love, compassion, and kindness, no?

Yes, I would agree with you. There are these sort of 'competing dynamics' within the Bible and Christianity. On the one hand, we are to cling to and defend the truth. These directives, when found in the Bible, are often given to people whose faith is weak, new, or otherwise 'under threat.' Examples include the early Hebrews as well as early Christian churches.

On the other hand, we are directed not to be judgmental, particularly of other believers. Romans 14 says "who are you to judge another man's servant. It is to his own master that he stands or falls."

Some Christians are so focused on 'standing up for the faith,' that they forget that their words and actions serve as 'reverse evangelism,' actually driving people away from the faith.

As I noted to Matt in a PM, I don't think we will see Shamgar again. Of course, this does not mean that we cannot continue the discussion/debate without him.

Cathar1950 · Post by **Cathar1950** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:04 pm

One of you said it best. God does not teach discrimination people do.
Of course I find the Bible lacking as a guide to what God says or thinks.
I don't belive it is reveled but inherited religion OT or NT. In fact I think I will quit calling the OT the OT and start calling it the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian writings. I suspect anything that Paul wrote or taught or anything attributed to him. This would include almost all of the Christian writings. In this I side with the Nazarenes and the Ebonites. In the Hebrew writings wearing red was a "sin". I don't see any one advocating stoning people wearing red ties. How about those red states? I live in red flannel town so It would be a mess on red flannel day. I want to sell stones with little scripture on each one.