Tolerance. There are few words that get under my skin as much as this one. Perhaps because it is such a fragile concept. Perhaps I'm not certain of the level of tolerance or intolerance I possess and practice.
I am reading a book right now that deals with the delicate balance of the freedom of religion/speech/assembly and restrictions that other countries have placed on this right. One quoted author defined intolerance as "the unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect contrary opinions or beliefs." This author continued to say that intolerance is degrading and is equivalent to being a bigot, whereas "tolerance was meant to establish peaceful coexistence with others."
That just didn't sit 100% well with me. First, I personally think that there are justifiable instances which call for intolerance if one is properly and strongly rooted in their core beliefs. For example, (but not to say that I was right) I posted a note of strong disapproval about a play that depicted a modern homosexual Christ figure. My beef is not with homosexuals themselves, rather, it is with the position that (a) pushes the idea that Christ could have been gay, or even tolerant, and (b) tells Christians that they are to stand down and allow this to happen (otherwise, we Christians are called "judgmental"). I have a difficult time remaining passive as my Savior is disrespected as such. Perhaps I am like Peter (see John 18:1-10).
Secondly, I don't accept the idea that the only way to coexistence is this woman's perception of tolerance. It is not ok that some claim to worship and serve the same God as I, the God of love, yet murder others in His name. No way. Such an instance does not yearn for tolerance. Was Christ tolerant when he drove out those who were wrong by using the temple as a marketplace? (see Matthew 21:12, 13). Absolutely not. The key to coexistence is loving one another, which cannot be replaced with mere "tolerance."
After all, parents love their children, but do they neglect to teach them when they are wrong? Not the good ones (Proverbs 13:24, 22:6). My position, therefore, is that intolerance should not be such a disgusting concept to society. Christ was intolerant at the temple, but was always loving and forgiving of others. Does forgiveness amount to tolerance? I think not. Otherwise, Christ's mission would become pointless - part of His teaching was that nobody is worthy on their own (in their current state) to inherit the kingdom of heaven, but that all should repent and follow Him. (Acts 2:38; John 14:6). In essence, "You are doing wrong; do something different."
But these are just my thoughts and opinions.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Thursday, November 04, 2010
God's Family - A Church
My first substantive post was pretty lengthy; my apologies. Just had to get it off my chest!
Just wanted to share a thought about a church and my view of the purpose behind it. "Church" is NOT a building, a worship assembly, or any other place to go to. One doesn't "go to church." A Church is one of God's greatest creations. Even though we do place a certain connotation of a building in a certain location that hosts a body of imperfect believers, it is more: it is a network, a community, a group of Christians that bond together and form relationships.
I would encourage/challenge each of you reading this to find more than one church family. This does not mean "go place membership at three different denominational congregations throughout the area." But it is not to be taken as a limit to with whom you engage.
I am a brother in numerous different sets of mutual believers that I share regular/periodic discussions with. In a single week, I have the privilege of discussing theology with my wife, the church congregation of about 500 that my wife and I placed membership at just south of us and the small group derived therefrom, my supervisor at work, numerous close friends, the Christian Legal Society at my law school, and another group of about 5 that share my faith at school but don't necessarily share a passion for CLS as I do. All of these groups (yes, I consider even my supervisor and I as a "group" - "where two or more are gathered, so there I am also..."(I apologize that I am not as refined as I should be in citing and quoting scripture...)) strengthen my understanding and give me better perspective. It is such a breath of fresh air to be able to do so. No, not all are of the same denomination as I (a commentary about denominations soon to come!), but I would actually argue that it gives me a broader perspective of the bigger picture.
After all, a unified church was what Jesus last prayed for. John 17:20-23. And edification is its purpose. 1 Corinthians 14:26.
Just wanted to share a thought about a church and my view of the purpose behind it. "Church" is NOT a building, a worship assembly, or any other place to go to. One doesn't "go to church." A Church is one of God's greatest creations. Even though we do place a certain connotation of a building in a certain location that hosts a body of imperfect believers, it is more: it is a network, a community, a group of Christians that bond together and form relationships.
I would encourage/challenge each of you reading this to find more than one church family. This does not mean "go place membership at three different denominational congregations throughout the area." But it is not to be taken as a limit to with whom you engage.
I am a brother in numerous different sets of mutual believers that I share regular/periodic discussions with. In a single week, I have the privilege of discussing theology with my wife, the church congregation of about 500 that my wife and I placed membership at just south of us and the small group derived therefrom, my supervisor at work, numerous close friends, the Christian Legal Society at my law school, and another group of about 5 that share my faith at school but don't necessarily share a passion for CLS as I do. All of these groups (yes, I consider even my supervisor and I as a "group" - "where two or more are gathered, so there I am also..."(I apologize that I am not as refined as I should be in citing and quoting scripture...)) strengthen my understanding and give me better perspective. It is such a breath of fresh air to be able to do so. No, not all are of the same denomination as I (a commentary about denominations soon to come!), but I would actually argue that it gives me a broader perspective of the bigger picture.
After all, a unified church was what Jesus last prayed for. John 17:20-23. And edification is its purpose. 1 Corinthians 14:26.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Election Day
First off, this is my second installment for the day, and no, it is highly unlikely I will even post once every day. Today, being the day you can cast your vote, just tugged at me and teased me enough to make a post about voting.
My view is that, as a follower of Christ, I have a responsibility to cast my vote. Jesus often refrained from political issues; why He did so is beyond my understanding at this point. To my best understanding, the times that He did address political issues was to reinforce the idea that God's law is above the laws of the land, but we are to respect and follow both. Matthew 22:21. To show my respect to both laws, I vote with the idea in mind that I can put my two-cents worth in to vote for an impact to affect potential laws that will coincide with the Higher Authority.
I see, for one example, the issue of legalizing abortion as a conflict of laws. God has chosen to bless someone with the gift of life. (You should know that I believe that God is in control and that everything He does is for a darn good reason.) Yes, I believe that a fetus or embryo (no matter what stage of life inside the womb) is alive - just because their skin has not yet been exposed to "the outside world" does not mean they are not yet "alive." In essence, choosing to terminate the life of this little person is, in my opinion, murder, and as a Christian, I cannot sit comfortably with this. It is my responsibility to stand up for what I believe in, otherwise, I am sitting passively by, allowing it to happen. Not cool with me. I cast my vote for candidates that will agree with me on that (of course there are multiple issues to consider for each candidate, so simply agreeing with this one view is not enough to gain my vote).
As a side note, here is where your opinion is greatly valued and requested: I think it is somewhat inconsistent to be for abortions but opposed to the death penalty, or vice-versa. To me, I see these two issues as similar. True, there are differing circumstances - the fetus has done nothing wrong, but the person sentenced to death has committed some heinous crime - but to me, both are terminating an opportunity. I always try my best to leave judgments and religious decisions up to God, as is the case here. I feel that it is not my place to say that a person does not deserve a chance to receive the gift of God (His love). Not everyone has accepted it, but it is my job as a Christian to make an impact. The man approaching the death penalty is the one that needs Jesus the most, and to terminate his life, to me, is saying, "You have had your chance. That opportunity to accept and receive the gift - you have wasted it to the point where you are beyond hope." I cannot sit in the judgment seat and strip that opportunity of him. I cannot deny the fetus an opportunity to be loved by others or to make a great impact on the world.
For some scriptural reference on death penalty and punishment, see Romans 13:1-4.
For scriptures on the life of the unborn, see Psalm 139:13 "for you knit me in my mother's womb" (how special is that!!!) and see also the disapproval of harming the unborn in Exodus 21:22-25.
What is your view on the death penalty v. abortion?
To wrap things up, my vote, as I see my Christian responsibility, is in the name of love for others. 1 John 4:19: We show others love because Christ FIRST loved us. Powerful scripture. Indeed, economic stimulation is important, but there is a bigger picture in life. The way we love others (by giving them a chance and to share Christian love) is simply more important than putting a dollar in a pocket (largely a greed issue).
This is my opinion.
My view is that, as a follower of Christ, I have a responsibility to cast my vote. Jesus often refrained from political issues; why He did so is beyond my understanding at this point. To my best understanding, the times that He did address political issues was to reinforce the idea that God's law is above the laws of the land, but we are to respect and follow both. Matthew 22:21. To show my respect to both laws, I vote with the idea in mind that I can put my two-cents worth in to vote for an impact to affect potential laws that will coincide with the Higher Authority.
I see, for one example, the issue of legalizing abortion as a conflict of laws. God has chosen to bless someone with the gift of life. (You should know that I believe that God is in control and that everything He does is for a darn good reason.) Yes, I believe that a fetus or embryo (no matter what stage of life inside the womb) is alive - just because their skin has not yet been exposed to "the outside world" does not mean they are not yet "alive." In essence, choosing to terminate the life of this little person is, in my opinion, murder, and as a Christian, I cannot sit comfortably with this. It is my responsibility to stand up for what I believe in, otherwise, I am sitting passively by, allowing it to happen. Not cool with me. I cast my vote for candidates that will agree with me on that (of course there are multiple issues to consider for each candidate, so simply agreeing with this one view is not enough to gain my vote).
As a side note, here is where your opinion is greatly valued and requested: I think it is somewhat inconsistent to be for abortions but opposed to the death penalty, or vice-versa. To me, I see these two issues as similar. True, there are differing circumstances - the fetus has done nothing wrong, but the person sentenced to death has committed some heinous crime - but to me, both are terminating an opportunity. I always try my best to leave judgments and religious decisions up to God, as is the case here. I feel that it is not my place to say that a person does not deserve a chance to receive the gift of God (His love). Not everyone has accepted it, but it is my job as a Christian to make an impact. The man approaching the death penalty is the one that needs Jesus the most, and to terminate his life, to me, is saying, "You have had your chance. That opportunity to accept and receive the gift - you have wasted it to the point where you are beyond hope." I cannot sit in the judgment seat and strip that opportunity of him. I cannot deny the fetus an opportunity to be loved by others or to make a great impact on the world.
For some scriptural reference on death penalty and punishment, see Romans 13:1-4.
For scriptures on the life of the unborn, see Psalm 139:13 "for you knit me in my mother's womb" (how special is that!!!) and see also the disapproval of harming the unborn in Exodus 21:22-25.
What is your view on the death penalty v. abortion?
To wrap things up, my vote, as I see my Christian responsibility, is in the name of love for others. 1 John 4:19: We show others love because Christ FIRST loved us. Powerful scripture. Indeed, economic stimulation is important, but there is a bigger picture in life. The way we love others (by giving them a chance and to share Christian love) is simply more important than putting a dollar in a pocket (largely a greed issue).
This is my opinion.
Reason for my Blog
I understand that a blog isn't always the most practical vehicle for discussion. My dilemma, though, lies in Facebook. I love to use Facebook to connect to others and discuss things, but the problem is that there is only limited space. I feel like I have many thoughts that are hindered by a word limit. It is difficult enough as it is to try and round up the thoughts that are bouncing around in my head! But there are some things I feel the need to get off my chest, and there are some instances where I simply post in order to seek opinions.
I always encourage and welcome discussion. I invite you to start discussions with me regarding my posts on my blog on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/cody.robinette
So here is the basis of my blog: As an advocate for Christ and a student in law school, I feel the need to find a certain balance in my life, particularly since I have chosen a career path based on law. My aim for this blog is to express my thoughts and pose questions on God's law, the United States or State law, and the way that the two mesh. Additionally, I will occasionally aim to simply make a comment on my thoughts about religion and church.
Thank you in advance for your support. I pray that I can mutually induce growth.
I always encourage and welcome discussion. I invite you to start discussions with me regarding my posts on my blog on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/cody.robinette
So here is the basis of my blog: As an advocate for Christ and a student in law school, I feel the need to find a certain balance in my life, particularly since I have chosen a career path based on law. My aim for this blog is to express my thoughts and pose questions on God's law, the United States or State law, and the way that the two mesh. Additionally, I will occasionally aim to simply make a comment on my thoughts about religion and church.
Thank you in advance for your support. I pray that I can mutually induce growth.
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