Part of a local bulletin board discussion.
I would think the comments mentioned were to me so I will answer
them.
"Let's see here we are having a discussion about relig[i]on
in the personals."
I didn't know that I even mentioned the word 'religion'. As I
have been sharing with Jay, if you talk about God it's religion
but if you talk about anything else it isn't. As I told Jason,
believing that you came from a monkey is religious, very
religious. Evolution is a religion based on humanism that we are
our own gods. Jesus did not say he came to give religion but
life.
You then said, "It seems to be that you all get a little huffy
if someone doesn't agree with your views." Once again, nobody is
mentioned but I will take it for granted that I am the 'you all'
being addressed. As I have been sharing with Jay about the
importance of words. As I said earlier, I am taking for granted
that this whole message is to me. The dictionary says, "huffy-
easily offended, touchy, arrogant, blustering". All I have been
sharing is truth and I haven't been easily offended, touchy,
arrogant, or blustering. All that I did was share a few things
regarding sex but since our views are different, I guess that I
am religious and huffy but what facts is that based on, who
knows?
Then you said, "While we are on the subject of religion,
doesn't the scriptures say that we should accept others for who
they are and respect their beliefs even if we don't agree w/
them!"
Well, I guess that we are on the subject of religion now
since you got on it. Then you asked didn't the scriptures say the
above. Jesus came to set people free from sin, he did minister to
people right where they were at but he came to free them not to
tell them that they were all right where they were. He didn't
respect other beliefs when they didn't line up with what he knew
was truth because that is not respect. He said that he was the
way, the truth, and the life. He didn't say that all religions
are the way, the truth and the life. He just mentioned himself
without anyone else included.
Then you said, "Anyway you think about when you argue about
anything because you don't agree w/ it you are disrespecting each
other's opinions. I'm not saying that you shouldn't express your
views. You just shouldn't try to put your views on other people.
This is my opinion, feel free to give me yours."
Disageement is not hate, nor is it having disrespect for
someone. I guess that a person could have disrespect for
another's opinion by disagreeing if he is rude, impolite, etc. in
the discussion. Maybe! People are continually putting their views
on other people, we are social creatures and social creatures do
that kind of stuff. Some views are true and some are not, we need
to be willing to check things out. If a person knows that he has
the Answer to life, then he would most assuredly put his views on
others since he got it straight from the View Maker. God is the
one who gave the correct view, most people know that when a view
contradicts another view then both views are not right. You said
that was your opinion and told me to feel free to give mine. I
appreciate the offer. I know that people are looking for
something in life and they are looking in many places, whether in
sex, in money, in popularity, in body building, in anything to
give them contentment, fulfillment. There is a God-shaped vacuum
within each person, God created us with an inner longing for him
and we will never be totally at peace with ourselves or others
until we come to know the One who created us. Paul was on Mars
Hill and he saw a statute erected to the unknown God and that was
the God that Paul preached, his name when he came in human flesh
was Jesus Christ. He has given fulfillment to millions and his
word is truth just as he is.
You made this statement also, "I don't expect to have anyone
try to push their religious views on me, since I don't push mine
on them."
I see from this that you are telling me that you have
religious views, you just don't push them on people. This lines
up with what I have been telling Jay also, the world is religious
and only the one true religion will truly satisfy if I must use
the word religion. The other part that I want to deal with in
that sentence is 'push'. 'Push' implies a negative conotation but
the definition also has some good meaning for push- 'to continue
with, follow up, to extend, to urge the use, to practice.' I just
used some that I thought could fit what I am doing if someone
wants to use the word, 'push' concerning what I am doing. I do
want to continue on, to follow up with people that I minister
life to, I want to urge them to give the Lord a chance in their
lives. Sharing Jesus and his offer of eternal life with people is
not 'pushing' religion. Like the term that I hear every once and
a while, 'Don't shove your religion down my throat." And all I am
doing is sharing what the Lord is doing in my life, that is far
from shoving. Shove normally implies force and I sure don't force
anyone to hear me. As the days get darker and darker and mankind
goes deeper into sin, the more that we will see the words change
to justify what they are doing.
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