tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post6646756398026647774..comments2024-03-28T12:16:43.334-07:00Comments on Winging It: News Weakly - 10/8/2016Stanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523232247971115247noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post-49738211341176892162016-10-09T06:43:00.891-07:002016-10-09T06:43:00.891-07:00Well, then, let me make it clear. And I quote, &qu...Well, then, let me make it clear. And I quote, "What I was saying was <b>not</b> that it is wrong to bring legal action here." I am not saying they're wrong.<br /><br />I'm trying to figure out how a Christian obeys God and obeys the authority God has placed over us -- two mandates for all followers of Christ. There is a spectrum of types of things here. When, for instance, the government assigns taxes, we <i>know</i> that Jesus said, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's" in regards to paying taxes. He did <i>not</i> say, "We need to fight the Man in the area of taxes. We need to stand for our rights." On the other end, when the government says, "You cannot share the gospel with others," as they did to the apostles and as they have to some Christians today, we know that we are directly commanded to preach the gospel and make disciples, so here is an area in which we would need to disobey the authority God has placed over us. Where does "public prayer at a football game" fall in that spectrum? Is defiance of human government obedience to God in this case?<br /><br />I believe that too many American Christians are confusing "my rights" with "commands from God" and see this as a Christian requirement to defend their First Amendment rights by means of legal action and even breaking the law if necessary. I personally don't think that "my right to use the PA system at a public football arena for a prayer" ranks with the commands of God. That's all I'm saying here.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523232247971115247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post-74983871504424694582016-10-09T02:37:00.830-07:002016-10-09T02:37:00.830-07:00Can't praying in a public venue be seen as lov...Can't praying in a public venue be seen as loving your neighbor? It wouldn't be a hill to die on, but couldn't be argued that living Christ in public is loving our neighbors? Granted, I'm fairly certain that isn't the case for the referenced incident, but it has the potential to be a beacon for Christ. As long as it isn't like the Pharisees, public prayer could be a means of getting people interested. <br /><br />I agree, to fight it legally is an American thing, not biblical, but to me, the way you write about these types of topics(using legal means to keep man given rights) comes across as saying they're wrong to fight for those things. Could be a failure in medium, but that's how it sounds.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08443810898475961105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post-62078508238730087332016-10-08T18:10:42.144-07:002016-10-08T18:10:42.144-07:00We are told to "love your neighbor." &qu...We are told to "love your neighbor." "Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor." (1 Cor 12:24) We vote for the best leadership we can in order to get the best we can for our neighbors. That's what we're supposed to do.<br /><br />However, what I was saying was <i>not</i> that it is wrong to bring legal action here. I'm saying that loving your neighbor is not the same as fighting for your rights. I'm saying that fighting to defend our rights is an American thing, not a Christian thing. I'm saying that those who use legal action to preserve our rights are not doing it out of obedience to Christ. Not that it is <i>disobeying</i> Him. It's just a different direction, a different point, a different aim. Many Christians see it as "We must obey God rather than man" and this is not that.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523232247971115247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post-71495762901249275162016-10-08T13:06:08.663-07:002016-10-08T13:06:08.663-07:00How does differ from it being my "Christan re...How does differ from it being my "Christan responsibility" to vote, that some claim?<br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08443810898475961105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post-41738530023717037642016-10-08T11:12:24.271-07:002016-10-08T11:12:24.271-07:00To take legal action to protect a legal right is a...To take legal action to protect a legal right is a function of a citizen. It is not a function of a saint. I don't mean to say that Christians are not citizens. What I'm saying is that when we go to court over things like this, it can only be as Americans, not as Christians. It isn't "Because I'm following God." It's "Because I'm an American."Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523232247971115247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30006406.post-19650874249965661772016-10-08T09:45:58.777-07:002016-10-08T09:45:58.777-07:00Is taking legal action to gain a legal right wrong...Is taking legal action to gain a legal right wrong in your opinion? As long as they don't pray against the rules, they're still submitting to the authority over them, but just like everyone tells me, it is my responsibility as a Christian to be active in politics, are not my legal rights part of that? <br /><br />When do politicians not change statements based on audience? You think they actually think about what their writers tell them to say?<br /><br />So, instead of Science as the definer of truth, "what I believe" is. Not all that surprising really. The only mode of natural Man is, "I will be like the Most High". For a while, Christian morality in this country have them pause, but then they were able to trot out Science to try to defend their actions. Now that that's failed them, whatever they want to believe despite the evidence is what is true.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08443810898475961105noreply@blogger.com