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From: chappell@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Glenn Chappell)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Use of God's money
Message-ID: <Apr.18.03.27.53.1991.7381@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 18 Apr 91 07:28:03 GMT
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Organization: Math Dept., University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
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In article <Apr.17.02.47.50.1991.8595@athos.rutgers.edu> johnw@stew.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Warren) writes:
>I admire your attitude of not worrying what other people think (I'm not
>being flip), but Jesus didn't say:  "Don't pray on the streetcorner,
>unless you feel that you're not doing it with the motive of showing people
>how spiritual you are."  He said:  "Don't pray on the streetcorner."

Certainly. I agree that we should look at the specific things Jesus
said, and not just the general ideas behind them.

However, when doing so, we shouldn't ignore those "general ideas".

The verse about "praying on the streetcorner" (Matt. 6:5) is in a
section about doing things only to be seen (6:1 - 6:18). In His
introduction, He says, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of
righteousness' before men, to be seen by them...." (Matt 6:1 - NIV).

Yet, earlier in the same talk, He says, "...let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven." (Matt 5:16 - NIV).

Now, isn't this just a wonderful contrast? Chap. 6 says not to do good
things just because people are watching, and Chap. 5 says not to do them
only when people aren't watching. We are to do what is right, regardless
of whether people are watching or not. And *that* is an awfully good
principle to apply when praying in a restaurant (tempered with a few
thoughts from Romans 14 & 1 Corinthians 10....)

Finally, I might add that Jesus did not say, "Don't pray on the street
corner." He said "...do not be like the hypocrites, [who] love to pray
... on the street corners to be seen by men."

"How are we not to be like them?" is a good question to think about.

				GGC  <><