[PLUG-TALK] Defense of marriage...
Michael Robinson
plug_1 at robinson-west.com
Fri Feb 27 05:03:09 UTC 2009
No, religious freedom means that I have a civil right to live by a
moral code based on religious principles.
>I don't think that's what "religious freedom" means. I think it means
>the legal/civil right to _practice_ whatever religion you want in
>whatever way you want as long as such behavior doesn't violate any
>laws. Religious freedom is about _practice_ and actions taken, not
>about a moral code.
A moral code is practiced, otherwise, it is meaningless.
Faith without works is dead. Separation of church and state
means that that which is of a religious nature, marriage for
example, should not be defined by secular government. As far
as the comment that religious freedom should be limited by
civil law, where is that in the Constitution? If you can't
handle the God honest truth about what marriage is and where
you stand with that truth according to what you practice and
profess, don't ask the civil government to justify you.
> If you end up in hell for abusing the institution of marriage,
> it won't be my fault. I am trying to warn you that your moral
> judgment is seriously impaired.
>Actually, it will be partly your fault. Let's assume there is a Hell
>and it is a sin to "be married" but purposefully avoid having children
>and God doesn't believe your sorry for such sin and, hence, these
>people go to Hell.
I didn't make it a sin to disobey the will of God, to reject ones
vocation in life. Only the overly proud person thinks that he/she
knows better than God what to do with his/her life. To sin is to
break your relationship with God. For the people who go to hell
for abusing marriage, I am not encouraging their behavior. I am
not materially involved. I can not be at fault.
God is aware of everything people do. His relationship with us is
the relationship of a good father to a child. God is: responsible
for every person he has created, endlessly merciful, ready to guide,
and deserving of obedience. God wishes to live in every man and
every woman. Satan wishes to keep God out of people's souls and
burn them.
It is a sin to ask God to marry you and then refuse to have all
the children He wants you to have. That may be one child, seven
children, zero children, two children, or some other number of
children. Refusing to have children when you are more than
capable of supporting 1 is no way to treat your Father.
Hell is where people who hate God go. Hell is eternal fire that
never consumes the burning person. Imagine what it feels like to
burn the tip of your finger. Now, consider what it would feel like
to burn across your whole entire body and not lose feeling for
eternity. Hell is a real state of being, ask the saints who have
been given a quick tour of it what it is like.
>You, Michael Robinson, have a responsibility to spread the word of God
>(particularly the stories of Jesus and how all one must do is confess
>to one's sins, accept Him, and do one's best given this crazy world).
>However, you, like Pastor Fred Phelps, by choosing condemnation and
>hard-line rhetoric, solidify your audience _against_ you. I.e. your
>rhetoric is so over the top, obviously fallacious, polarizing, and
>repugnant that you drive away the sinners. You throw road blocks up
>between the sinners and Jesus. You help _prevent_ their contrition and
>confession. I.e. you're doing Satan's work for him!
Stop right there. Hate the sin, love the sinner. I haven't
condemned anyone. Religious tradition concerning: marriage,
God's law, and the laws of nature make it abundantly clear
that it takes: 1 man, 1 woman, and the one true God to make
a marriage.
Failing to admonish the sinner involves a lack of charity.
If you know your brother in Christ is sinning and you fail
to even pray for his conversion, you are turning your back
on Christ as well. What would you have me do? Tell the
sinner that he isn't sinning against God. Who is Fred
Phelps? As far as the comment that telling a sinner he/she
is sinning will keep the sinner from confessing, I don't
accept that notion. If in trying to tell a sinner the
truth I harden him against it, that wasn't my intention.
I cannot change the laws of God. I can to some extent
influence the laws of man though and I will, as much as
possible, keep them compatible with God's law.
I voted against Obama and I'm proud of that vote. In four
years time, I will vote against him again. I will vote
against him because he does not respect human life. I will
vote against him because he will not protect the institution
of marriage. I will vote against him because he is piling
debt on future generations that is probably not benefiting
the economy at all. I will vote against him because he is
not doing enough to bring a hydrogen economy on line.
A line has to be drawn when it comes to marriage. Marriage
must be defended from those who will redefine it to erase
sexual complementarity and take away marriage's God given
dignity. The dignity God gave to marriage at the wedding
of Cana when He elevated it to a sacrament. Men and women
are created in two gender forms with the necessary gifts
and skills, gifts and skills that are to be shared, that
make conceiving and raising children possible.
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