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From: hutch@shark.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Arguments from Silence: Golden or just Yellow?
Message-ID: <1319@shark.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 21:45:26 EST
Article-I.D.: shark.1319
Posted: Wed Apr  3 21:45:26 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 03:42:01 EST
References: <771@pyuxd.UUCP> <1349@akgua.UUCP> <814@pyuxd.UUCP> <1988@sdcc6.UUCP>
Reply-To: hutch@shark.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 70
Summary: 

In article <1988@sdcc6.UUCP> ir278@sdcc6.UUCP (Paul Anderson) writes:
>
>
>I can't believe all you people! Arguing over what is or
>isn't "Christian". Many people hold that the Jews killed
>Jesus. He rose, right? It looks like he's about to get
>killed again, not by crucifiction, but by being forgotten.

Even though "many people hold" that the Jews killed Jesus, they remain
wrong.  The Romans killed Jesus, by crucifixion.  The Jews had no law
which permitted them to execute anyone for heresy.  That is basically
the charge which they levelled, and they cornered Pilate into using the
default Roman mode of execution by threatening to riot.

>This Mr. Black, with whose history I am not entirely familiar,
>is just a man, like everyone else. People can acclaim what he says,
>people who call themselves "Christian", but that doesn't make what
>he says or does "Christian"...it just makes these people idolators.
>A "Christian" is a follower of Christ, right? So it doesn't matter
>what Black, Falwell, Hitler, etc. say: what Jesus teaches us is
>the "Christian" thing to do. 

Non-Christians (at least on this net) are convinced that the claim to
be Christian is sufficient, that the opinion of the political entity
which is the body of Christians has no bearing on the matter.

>And what he teaches isn't very difficult...keep the commandments
>(there are only 10, each can be summed up in a sentence, although
>they can be translated differently . . . i.e. "don't (thou shall not)
>steal" = "don't steal someone's dignity"), be honest, earnest, and
>nice to people, even if they aren't nice to you. People who call
>themselves "Christian" tend to violate these rules the most greatly...
>do you think Jesus likes that? You heard what he said about hypocrites.

That's not all he taught.  Being "nice" isn't necessarily loving
someone, y'know.  And we are commanded to love our brother (agapao, the
kind of selfless love that was once translated as "charity" before that
word got its bad connotations) as we love ourselves, and to love the
Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength.  Those are the only
"summaries" which were made.  So, is it "nice" to refuse to let a
person, for whom you are responsible, go wandering the streets at
night, looking for a party in which to get bombed?  Not at all, it's
very rude, but it may be LOVING to do so.  (Yes, I know, there are
limitations to this.)

We are commanded to oppose evil, and to tell the truth, and to keep
the Name of the Lord Holy.  Those things are not consistent with
allowing a person who is at best horribly ignorant and mislead, at
worst demonic, to claim that lies are truth, that the Lord does evil,
to profane His Name by associating lies with it.

>Stick with God. Be nice. Be charitable. Don't worry about people
>like Black, inquisitions, anti-semitism, these folks will get their
>chance to shape up, and you can help them, but if they don't, they'll
>get theirs...Jesus has already promised us (Revelations) that things
>will be rough, but it'll all come out for the better in the end.

But I HAVE to oppose them, and it IS sticking with God to do so!
Sure, things will GET NASTY EVENTUALLY, but I am living NOW, and it
is my duty to work against people like Black, against the shame of
the methods of the inquisitions, against anti-semitism.  Sure, they
will get their chance to shape up.  BUT!  If I don't tell them they
are wrong, then HOW will they know?  God doesn't necessarily do a
Damascus number on every living person who opposes His will!  He gives
us the great privelege to share in His work.

>Paul Anderson
>ucbvax!decvax!sdcsvax!sdcc3!sdcc6!ir278

Hutch