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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