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| Okay... I know how most Christians feel about "judgment" and I don't
always tend to follow along with the conclusions drawn from the Gospels
on the issue.
1) People often confuse judgment with criticism,
but the two are not the same. Judging is simply the act of weighing
something against a standard; for the Christian, that standard is
Christ. When seen in that way, it is clear that something can be judged
"lovely" just as easily as it can be judged "evil."
2) When Jesus
talks about the "plank and the splinter," He doesn't say, "Don't point
out the splinter in your brother's eye for any reason, because that's
not your place." What He actually says is, "first take the plank out of
your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother's eye." In other words, if you see someone else who needs help,
first you need to get right with God yourself - THEN, and only then,
can you help your brother get right, too.
2a) Jesus did not say,
"Don't judge at all," but rather, "As you judge, so shall you be
judged." Yet the entirety of the Bible cements the fact that we will be
judged in the end (as in the parable of the sheep and the goats). So is
Jesus really saying, "If you judge you will also be judged"? I do not
believe so. I believe the meaning of this verse is, "If you judge
unfairly, you will also be judged unfairly; but if you are fair and use
Godly wisdom in your judgments, you will also be judged in such a
manner."
3) Jesus instructs us on the proper way to judge: not by
actions, but by the fruit of those actions. "Watch out for false
prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people
pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every
good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree
cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the
fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt. 7:15-20) if
the fruit of a person's actions and words are fruits of the spirit, (if
they draw people closer to God, rather than further away) then we ought
not to judge the action itself as wrong - whereas if the fruit is evil
we are right in judging their actions as wrong.
When Jesus sent
out the Apostles, He said, "That which is given as authority unto me, I
give also unto you." If Jesus is God, He has the authority to judge -
therefore we, too, have not only the ability, but the mandate, to judge
with Godly wisdom and discernment. To do otherwise would be to ignore
sin and evil and wickedness in the world, and hinder the cause of Christ. | | |
| Even though I'm already getting what I want - time with my husband - since everyone else in my family has posted a list, I'll do the same.
Good Eats and Everyday Italian on DVD
Cast iron cookware
A Belgian waffle maker (circular) with a metal chassy (not plastic)
A CD of hymns
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree
And for those who don't do shopping, I would not object to gift cards to:
Wal-Mart
Bed, Bath and Beyond
Best Buy
... More as I think of it.
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| Hey y'all, I'm home, safe and sound - perhaps more importantly, my kitty is safe and making plenty of sound, not the least of which is hissing. Oh well, she'll settle in soon enough. We made it in time for elections - not that my vote did a bit of good (none of the measures or people - except Davis - I voted for or against went my way. Oh well.) More and more I find myself believing that democracy is the highest form of tyranny. As Boortz put it, democracy is three wolves and a sheep arguing over what's for dinner. Mercifully, we do not live in a pure Democracy, but a Republic with a democratic process. Yet more and more, citizens are asked to forget about the republican part - the representatives, checks and balances, consent of the people - and only think about the democratic part, which more or less says that whatever the majority wants, the majority gets. No doubt, most Christian readers find themselves nodding in agreement. But here's the thing: You're not exempt. The majority of Americans are Christian, or at least identify themselves as Christians. Yet this does not give Christians the right to legislate from the pulpit anymore than an atheist judge can legislate from the podium. I'm sure you know the issue to which I am refering, as it was on ballots in, as I recall, 15 states this past mid-term election. And it's not only that one, but any number of issues. And I know, many will point the finger right back at me and say, "Well, you're a Christian, and you oppose abortion. Abortion is a religious issue. So is gay marriage, so how can you be noncommital on one and against the other?" Because abortion is not a religious issue. It is an ethical issue, no different than any other kind of homicide. We do not have laws against murder because murder is against the principals of Christianity, but because murder is against the very virtues of human rights, against the laws of nature, against the safety of society, and against the rights defined by the US Constitution. Although the Constitution recognizes that rights are granted by God, it also protects the lives and the rights of those who would deny He exists. And since the Declaration of Independence affirms that all men are created equal, and endowed with inalienable rights, we can safely conclude that the rights enumerated in the Constitution cannot be conditional rights, dependent on anything - including age and location, the very status upon which laws legalizing abortion rest. I do not oppose abortion because I am a Christian; I oppose abortion because I am a human being, and abortion hinges upon the premise that basic human rights - to life, liberty and property - are rights granted by government, and not by the very virtue of humanity itself, which was presicely what the Founders wrote the Constitution to gaurd against when they affirmed that rights are granted by God, recognised by government, and enjoyed by the governed. On the issue of gay marriage, I can find no such nonreligious, Constitutionally-based argument. Even though I am a Christian, and I believe that homosexuality is sinful, I cannot bring myself to put it on the same ethical plane as issues such as abortion, income taxes (which are inherently evil), government welfare, and all other forms of tyranny. I simply cannot see how legalization of gay "marriage" in any way restricts my Constitutional rights. Now if they want government subsidies, that's another issue for another day. Now, I've met people from just about every side of this issue - from heterosexual Christians who support gay marriage, to gays who oppose it. But so far, no one has explained to me how, or why, they have reached the conclusion that gay marriage is wrong on a Constitutional - whether federal or state - level without using religious arguments. Isn't this what Christians are supposed to oppose more than any other party? We actively seek for the removal of the religion of humanism from the government, from schools, from the news - and good for us! But we are so hesitant to ask the same of ourselves, to question our motives, to ask the hard questions. Is this merely a symptom of groupthink - or have we really become that which we oppose? | | |
| Alright, here's the deal: phone and internets get cut off on the 31st, I'm heading out on Nov 3rd, so I should be in VA on around the 9th... ish.
Still pretty busy, just giving the ol' heads up. If anyone in VA / DC wants to hang out, leave a message on AIM for my new #
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| Hey y'all, sorry for the lack of updates... we're getting the house ready for moving day in a couple of weeks. Yup, it's finally happening - John's driving to Texas, I'm on my way to Virginia till his training is done. I'm kind of excited but more sad to not see my hubby for 5 months. But, at least he's not in Iraq or Afghanistan, and it's only for 5 months - pfffpht, we've done five months before!
Anyway, he's telling me I "have" to eat something today *pfffpht*, updates as I get 'em!
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