Difficulties

LindaBerlin

Active Member
Nov 15, 2020
146
100
68
Berlin
✟13,095.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Divorced
For a long time I have been concerned with questions with which I have difficulties with regard to the way in which some Christians are thinking and acting. I would like to point this out in three cases that I am aware of:

1. Abortion

In the 1990s, a man broke into a clinic, killed a doctor and seriously injured a nurse. His reason? His Mormon wife (he was also a Mormon) no longer wanted a ninth child, so she wanted to have an abortion.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christians not accept the right of women to determine their own bodies? There is no verse in the Bible that forbids abortion.

2. Apostates

In a Catholic Church in Cologne, a pastor said that his church teaches many things that are contrary to today's knowledge, citing as an example the history of Galileo, as well as the doctrine of the Pope's infallibility. He was to be revoked, and was excommunicated and lost his profession as a priest.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christian churches refuse to admit mistakes in their teachings? Why do they excommunicate criticism to people who criticize, which is often justified?

3. Homosexuality

In an evangelical church in Bremen, a pastor preaches that homosexuals are child abusers and bad people. He is on trial (indictment: insult, incitement to incitement and incitement to violence because he considers homosexuals to be "deathable"). His Church has not taken any disciplinary action against him.
My difficulty:
Why are some Christians and their churches railing against homosexuals? At that time, the Bible understood homosexuality differently than we do today. The scribes of the Bible usually saw H. in connection with idol worship, shrine prostitution, and the renunciation of God. Loving homosexual relationships were not the focus of the authors.

I would be pleased if someone could respond objectively.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PloverWing

Friedrich Rubinstein

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2020
1,249
1,315
Europe
Visit site
✟173,391.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
1. Abortion
The Bible tells us that children are a gift of God. God is the one giving the human spirit, new life. Only God has the right to decide who lives and who dies. Abortion is mankind wanting to be God, deciding which life we want and which we don't want.

2. Apostates
You're right here, there are churches who value their traditions and the words of churchfathers higher than God's word, the Bible. A serious issue in today's churches.

3. Homosexuality
That homosexuality was understood differently in biblical times is a lie and an excuse made up by people who want to say "I'm Christian" without taking God serious.
God created man, male and female he created them. Sex is a delicate matter and God protected it by marriage. The Bible says absolutely clearly: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable" (Lev 18:22).
Homosexuality is a sin, and pretending that it isn't does not help the people who are on their way to hell. Today the definition of "love" is tolerance, but that's not the biblical definition of "love". Love means to warn people when they are going the wrong way, the broad road.
 
Upvote 0

Akita Suggagaki

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2018
6,880
4,987
69
Midwest
✟282,314.00
Country
United States
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Why do some Christians not accept the right of women to determine their own bodies?
Because that right ignores the right of the human person she carries.
 
Upvote 0

Albion

Facilitator
Dec 8, 2004
111,138
33,258
✟583,842.00
Country
United States
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Married
... I have difficulties with regard to the way in which some Christians are thinking and acting. I would like to point this out in three cases that I am aware of:

1. Abortion

Christians believe that murder is a sin. Obviously, it's supposed to be against the civil law, too. And science has long since passed beyond the excuse that the fetus is just a clump of cells, etc. Therefore, I don't see any reason to be amazed at the attitude of Christians about this one, even if you personally see nothing wrong about abortion.

Why do some Christians not accept the right of women to determine their own bodies?
They do! It's another person's body that is the issue when it comes to abortion.

2. Apostates

Why do some Christian churches refuse to admit mistakes in their teachings? Why do they excommunicate criticism to people who criticize, which is often justified?
You'll have to give us more than a generalization about one incident in Cologne before this can be answered. But even if this account was accurate about a priest being excommunicated, that doesn't make him an Apostate, yet it was "Apostates" that you supposedly were asking about.

3. Homosexuality

Why are some Christians and their churches railing against homosexuals?
The Bible condemns homosexuality. The Church is not "against" homosexuals as persons, however. But when you word every question like ''Why are some Christians..." that is not the same as asking about Christians in general or about the churches. There are dissenters in almost every human organization.

I would be pleased if someone could respond objectively.

You are welcome. :)
 
Upvote 0

chevyontheriver

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Sep 29, 2015
19,270
16,116
Flyoverland
✟1,234,180.00
Country
United States
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-American-Solidarity
For a long time I have been concerned with questions with which I have difficulties with regard to the way in which some Christians are thinking and acting. I would like to point this out in three cases that I am aware of:

1. Abortion

In the 1990s, a man broke into a clinic, killed a doctor and seriously injured a nurse. His reason? His Mormon wife (he was also a Mormon) no longer wanted a ninth child, so she wanted to have an abortion.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christians not accept the right of women to determine their own bodies? There is no verse in the Bible that forbids abortion.
Abortion is wrong. A woman has every right to her own body except to kill another body.
2. Apostates

In a Catholic Church in Cologne, a pastor said that his church teaches many things that are contrary to today's knowledge, citing as an example the history of Galileo, as well as the doctrine of the Pope's infallibility. He was to be revoked, and was excommunicated and lost his profession as a priest.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christian churches refuse to admit mistakes in their teachings? Why do they excommunicate criticism to people who criticize, which is often justified?
The Catholic Church in Germany is a hot mess at the moment, with dissenters in control. They seem to follow 'today's knowledge' rather than the eternal verities.
3. Homosexuality

In an evangelical church in Bremen, a pastor preaches that homosexuals are child abusers and bad people. He is on trial (indictment: insult, incitement to incitement and incitement to violence because he considers homosexuals to be "deathable"). His Church has not taken any disciplinary action against him.
My difficulty:
Why are some Christians and their churches railing against homosexuals? At that time, the Bible understood homosexuality differently than we do today. The scribes of the Bible usually saw H. in connection with idol worship, shrine prostitution, and the renunciation of God. Loving homosexual relationships were not the focus of the authors.
I think it is wrong to threaten, or even imply to threaten death for homosexuals. And not all homosexuals go after children, even if many have done so and continue to do so. People who do that should be put away in prisons. As a Catholic, we do not believe homosexual activity is acceptable, and yet we do not hate the homosexuals. Various Protestants hate homosexuals while others think homosexual activity is no problem, and some even agree with Catholics in hating the sin but loving the sinner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arc F1
Upvote 0

LindaBerlin

Active Member
Nov 15, 2020
146
100
68
Berlin
✟13,095.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Divorced
1. Abortion
The Bible tells us that children are a gift of God. God is the one giving the human spirit, new life. Only God has the right to decide who lives and who dies. Abortion is mankind wanting to be God, deciding which life we want and which we don't want.

Of course, children are a gift from God, and they deserve to be loved, protected, and cared for.
I want to tell you why I think it's up to every woman to decide for herself whether she wants a child or not, because NONE of the women make that decision lightly. There is often a lot of hardship and fear behind it.
Let us take my mother as an example.
Shortly after the end of World War II, she was raped by several dark-skinned French soldiers. She became pregnant, was not allowed to have an abortion, because in the Adenauer era this was forbidden. My sister was born. My mother could not give her love, neglected and often beat her for no occasion.
Years later, she met my "father," a GI from Idaho. She loved him, but he just wanted sex, and he left her when she got pregnant with me. My mother also wanted to abort me. It was forbidden to her.
I too was neglected and beaten, and my sister and I did not get any love. As a result, we were both unable to give or receive love.
From my point of view, it would have been better if my mother could have aborted both of us.
By the way, no quote from the Bible says that abortion would be forbidden. And what is not explicitly forbidden (by Bible or state law) is allowed.

3. Homosexuality
That homosexuality was understood differently in biblical times is a lie and an excuse made up by people who want to say "I'm Christian" without taking God serious.
God created man, male and female he created them. Sex is a delicate matter and God protected it by marriage. The Bible says absolutely clearly: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable" (Lev 18:22).
Homosexuality is a sin, and pretending that it isn't does not help the people who are on their way to hell. Today the definition of "love" is tolerance, but that's not the biblical definition of "love". Love means to warn people when they are going the wrong way, the broad road.

Not a lie, but based on biblical scientific knowledge. Buy or borrow kittel's book series. It is called the "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament" and consists of 10 volumes. Here is the link to the purchase option:

https://www.amazon.com/Theological-Dictionary-New-Testament-Abridged/dp/0802824048

You quoted Leviticus. Do you even know what the word "abomination" means? Here is a little tutoring:

In the Hebrew language, "abomination (in German "Greuel")" is translated as "Toevah" (תֹּועֵבָה), which means that God abhors something, something that is unclean. Thus, this refers to a ritual impurity, not a moral sin, which would have to be translated as Hebrew "Zimah". The Septuagint correctly translates the word abomination with the word "bdelygma," which describes a ritual impurity, not "anomia," which stands for transgression and sin. Thus, a woman who menstruated, also called an abomination, is called unclean, and she was not allowed to enter the temple in this state, but she was not sinful because of it. Toevah is also often used to describe idolatry
For Jews, then as now, homosexuality has something to do with ritual purity, and by no means anything to do with sexuality, in relation to these two scriptures. These verses are part of the ceremonial law, not the moral law, which is also evident in the context of these two chapters. It was primarily a guideline for Jews, especially Priests/Levites.
Kittel proved in his book series that the Biblical quotations in 1. Corinthians and Timothy, who supposedly describe active and passive homosexuality, mean otherwise. Here is my summary from Kittel's book:

The two words intended to describe homosexuality are translated by Luther as "catamite" (Greek: Malakoi) and "Boy Abuser" (Greek: Arsenokoitai).
The King James version, the Bible available to all English-speaking Christians, translates Malakoi with homosexuals, which can't really have the meaning, because the word homosexuality only appeared at the end of the 19th century. Previously, it was believed that this word derives from "malakee", which means "masturbation". It was only when enlightened people realized that masturbation is not a sin, but has a useful function, that homosexuality was spoken of as meaning for this word. But what exactly did Paul mean by the word? No one knows. Elsewhere in the Bible, this word Malakoi is also used for people who are:

Soft, sicky, fig, tender/gentle, debauchery, or unreliable. It is needed for people who are undisciplined and morally weak, incapable of moral integrity and self-control, but nowhere is it placed in a sexual context.
But what does "Arsenokoitai" mean? English Bibles translate the word to "Sodomites", a word that used to be used incorrectly for homosexuals.
It is assumed that this word is composed of two words, "man" and "bed", where Bett was often the term for sex. However, it is not clear how the connection to the word "man" was seen. Was he an object or subject?

And it was not spoken by men, but ur a man. Was the man in bed with a woman or another man? Here's a small look at the word arsenokoitoi, as used by extra-bib authors:

The Philosph Philo used it around 35 A.D. to describe temple prostitution ((Philo, The Special Laws, III, VII, 40-42). Also in the 2nd century AD (Apology of Aristides, chapters 9 and 13).
In the 6th century, the then Patriarch of Constantinople, John Jejunator, wrote about anal intercourse between spouses, where this word was also used:
"In fact, many men even commit the sin of homosexuality with their wives." (Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca, 88:1893-96)

As I said, only in the 6th century, the word Arsenokoitoi was equated with homosexuality, which was understood to mean anal intercourse (also with women).
Some scholars believe that Paul created a name to refer to the customers of "the soft callboys." We could call them "dirty old men."
Others translate the word as "homosexuals," but never explained what that meant. In 1958, for the first time in history, a person translated this mysterious Greek word into English, and decided that it meant homosexuals, a word that does not exist in Hebrew or Greek. But this translator made the decision for all of us who put the word homosexual in the English-language Bible for the very first time.
In the past, people used Paul's writings to support slavery, segregation, and racial segregation. People still use Paul's writings to oppress women and limit their roles in the house, in the Church, and in society. Now we have to ask ourselves, "Is it happening again?" Is a word in Greek that does not have a clear definition used to reflect prejudices of society and to condemn the homosexual children of God?
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Andrewn
Upvote 0

LindaBerlin

Active Member
Nov 15, 2020
146
100
68
Berlin
✟13,095.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Divorced
Because that right ignores the right of the human person she carries.

It is the woman, not the man, who has a child. The man only delivers the seed. And it is the woman who loves, educates, and cares for a child. The man usually, if at all, only gives the money. Most men leave their girlfriends when she becomes pregnant (my mother is a good example of that).
And so only the woman can and must decide whether she wants a child or not! whether or not she can or does not want to give the child what a child needs!
Many Christians are present even in cases where rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in danger, for the "protection of life". No one asks what the woman is going through! And Christian organizations leave these women without help when the unwanted child is born.
 
Upvote 0

tturt

Senior Veteran
Site Supporter
Oct 30, 2006
15,773
7,240
✟795,460.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Some Christians believe the Bible - even when our opinions are different beforehand. Then we chose His Word because of the reverance we have for Him. The following is a few of the Scrptures:

God has a plan for the time and place of our births:
-“And he made from one man every race of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted epochs and the fixed boundaries of the places where they would live;” (Acts 17:26)

He formed us:
-“For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb” Psa 139:13
-“Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?” Mal 2:10
-“The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” Job 33:4
"I will put ligaments on you, place muscles on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am Yahweh." Eze 37:6

He has a plan for each one:
-“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jer 29:11
-“And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose,” Rom 8:28
-“who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time eternal,” II Tim 1:9
-“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psa 32:8
-“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isa 58:11

Hope these help.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

LindaBerlin

Active Member
Nov 15, 2020
146
100
68
Berlin
✟13,095.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Divorced
@ tturt,
All these biblical quotations SAY NOT that abortion is forbidden. They speak only of the sanctity of life, and I would not disagree with that.
However, in life there are not only black or white, but also many shades of grey or colorful tones. Here are some reasons why women are aborting today, which I do not want to judge or condemn:

1. Women have no money to feed and dress a child, also because the child's father refuses to pay maintenance.
2. Women are raped, and want because of the emotional pain (the child will always remind them of the rape).
3. Raped children are forced to abort by rapists and relatives so that no one learns about child abuse.
4. Women have many children and cannot provide for another child. Most of the time it is men who want them to have a child against the will of the woman.

In the 1990s, there was a crime in Utah that killed a doctor and seriously injured a nurse. Why?
A Mormon woman who had eight children did not want to have a ninth child because she was overwhelmed with the children, and her husband was unwilling to support her. She went to the hospital for an abortion.
Her husband stormed into the hospital armed, took his wife, doctor and nurses hostage, and demanded that abortion be canceled. He got his will because the woman was forced to have the child by the man's lawyer. By the way, the husband was sentenced to only 10 years for "manslaughter" and had to be in prison for four years. His wife, alone with the children, without financial help, became homeless and had her children taken away from her. This is what justice looks like in the United States!
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Andrewn

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
Site Supporter
Jul 4, 2019
5,802
4,309
-
✟681,411.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Married
My sister was born. My mother could not give her love, neglected and often beat her for no occasion.

I too was neglected and beaten, and my sister and I did not get any love. As a result, we were both unable to give or receive love.

Many Christians are present even in cases where rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in danger, for the "protection of life". No one asks what the woman is going through! And Christian organizations leave these women without help when the unwanted child is born.

However, in life there are not only black or white, but also many shades of grey or colorful tones.
While we judge behavior, I'm certain that God looks at the heart and is able to understand all tones of color and shades of gray.

2Co 3:6 He also made us competent as servants of a new covenant—not of the letter, but of the Ruach. For the letter kills, but the Ruach gives life.

All I can say, is that I'm glad you're here and appreciate your input.
 
Upvote 0

Akita Suggagaki

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2018
6,880
4,987
69
Midwest
✟282,314.00
Country
United States
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
It is the woman, not the man, who has a child. The man only delivers the seed. And it is the woman who loves, educates, and cares for a child. The man usually, if at all, only gives the money. Most men leave their girlfriends when she becomes pregnant (my mother is a good example of that).
And so only the woman can and must decide whether she wants a child or not! whether or not she can or does not want to give the child what a child needs!
Many Christians are present even in cases where rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in danger, for the "protection of life". No one asks what the woman is going through! And Christian organizations leave these women without help when the unwanted child is born.
I agree with all that but it does not change the fact (or my opinion) that the life in the womb should have a right to live.
 
Upvote 0

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
7,873
2,544
Pennsylvania, USA
✟752,319.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Upvote 0

Hazelelponi

:sighing:
Site Supporter
Jun 25, 2018
9,351
8,749
55
USA
✟687,097.00
Country
United States
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican
For a long time I have been concerned with questions with which I have difficulties with regard to the way in which some Christians are thinking and acting. I would like to point this out in three cases that I am aware of:

1. Abortion
In the 1990s, a man broke into a clinic, killed a doctor and seriously injured a nurse. His reason? His Mormon wife (he was also a Mormon) no longer wanted a ninth child, so she wanted to have an abortion.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christians not accept the right of women to determine their own bodies? There is no verse in the Bible that forbids abortion.

Thou shalt do no murder (Exodus 20:13) is one of the 10 commandments and is a moral imperative for believers.

Christians believe life begins in the womb (Psalms 139:13 and more verses) and Exodus 21:22-25 treats causing a miscarriage as murder. It must be noted the etymology of the word abortion comes from the Latin aboriri meaning miscarry.

As far as being able to have a family size of your choosing, many Christian denominations (protestant) allow for a married couple to use contraception in family planning. This means if a couple only desires to have 2 children they can do so. They just can't murder a child (aka have an abortion).

I'm not sure about Catholics in 2020 since I'm protestant.

It must be said that mormons aren't considered Christian, they are a heretical sect.

2. Apostates
In a Catholic Church in Cologne, a pastor said that his church teaches many things that are contrary to today's knowledge, citing as an example the history of Galileo, as well as the doctrine of the Pope's infallibility. He was to be revoked, and was excommunicated and lost his profession as a priest.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christian churches refuse to admit mistakes in their teachings? Why do they excommunicate criticism to people who criticize, which is often justified?

Galileo's observations contradicted the Aristotelian view of the universe, then widely accepted by both scientists and theologians.

It wasn't a small thing to go against everything everyone thought they know about the universe.

Why was he excommunicated? Because the church at that time had developed doctrine around what was known scientifically, so basically he was treated as an unbeliever in church teachings in the same way you would treat someone who might say they don't believe in global warming.

It must be said though, I'm not a Catholic and here is where I get into differences of opinion with Catholics myself, because they have doctrines that don't have anything to do with scripture.

3. Homosexuality
In an evangelical church in Bremen, a pastor preaches that homosexuals are child abusers and bad people. He is on trial (indictment: insult, incitement to incitement and incitement to violence because he considers homosexuals to be "deathable"). His Church has not taken any disciplinary action against him.
My difficulty:
Why are some Christians and their churches railing against homosexuals? At that time, the Bible understood homosexuality differently than we do today. The scribes of the Bible usually saw H. in connection with idol worship, shrine prostitution, and the renunciation of God. Loving homosexual relationships were not the focus of the authors.

I would be pleased if someone could respond objectively.

This Pastor is teaching a Biblical truth, aka that homosexuality is a sin. In Germany that is illegal to do i.e. teach in accordance with scripture.

The pastor said homosexuality was against the divine order of creation. This is a Biblical truth.

His further warning of a “homolobby”: saying “Everywhere the criminals [people living in sin] run around from Christopher Street Day. The whole gender mess is an attack on God’s order of creation, is devilish and satanic.

This is social commentary on the LGBTQ political lobby, framed with a Biblical worldview i.e. that homosexuality is a sin and against the created order.

I myself see the political lobby as a satanic attack on once Christian nations, but this doesn't mean the Christian doesn't love the homosexual, we actually do care about them whether or not they become saved.

However, we care enough to speak truth too, and not sugarcoat sin. Just as we would call murder or lying a sin, so we call homosexuality sin.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
7,873
2,544
Pennsylvania, USA
✟752,319.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
@ tturt,
All these biblical quotations SAY NOT that abortion is forbidden. They speak only of the sanctity of life, and I would not disagree with that.
However, in life there are not only black or white, but also many shades of grey or colorful tones. Here are some reasons why women are aborting today, which I do not want to judge or condemn:

1. Women have no money to feed and dress a child, also because the child's father refuses to pay maintenance.
2. Women are raped, and want because of the emotional pain (the child will always remind them of the rape).
3. Raped children are forced to abort by rapists and relatives so that no one learns about child abuse.
4. Women have many children and cannot provide for another child. Most of the time it is men who want them to have a child against the will of the woman.

In the 1990s, there was a crime in Utah that killed a doctor and seriously injured a nurse. Why?
A Mormon woman who had eight children did not want to have a ninth child because she was overwhelmed with the children, and her husband was unwilling to support her. She went to the hospital for an abortion.
Her husband stormed into the hospital armed, took his wife, doctor and nurses hostage, and demanded that abortion be canceled. He got his will because the woman was forced to have the child by the man's lawyer. By the way, the husband was sentenced to only 10 years for "manslaughter" and had to be in prison for four years. His wife, alone with the children, without financial help, became homeless and had her children taken away from her. This is what justice looks like in the United States!

If the incident in Utah you refer to is the Alta View Hospital:

Alta View Hospital hostage incident - Wikipedia

then that happened in 1991. The perpetrator was sentenced to 35 years in prison & committed suicide there. I have no idea of what further misfortune Karen Worthington or her children had. I tried to research further info but could not find any.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

klutedavid

Well-Known Member
Dec 7, 2013
9,346
4,381
Sydney, Australia.
✟244,844.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
For a long time I have been concerned with questions with which I have difficulties with regard to the way in which some Christians are thinking and acting. I would like to point this out in three cases that I am aware of:

1. Abortion

In the 1990s, a man broke into a clinic, killed a doctor and seriously injured a nurse. His reason? His Mormon wife (he was also a Mormon) no longer wanted a ninth child, so she wanted to have an abortion.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christians not accept the right of women to determine their own bodies? There is no verse in the Bible that forbids abortion.

2. Apostates

In a Catholic Church in Cologne, a pastor said that his church teaches many things that are contrary to today's knowledge, citing as an example the history of Galileo, as well as the doctrine of the Pope's infallibility. He was to be revoked, and was excommunicated and lost his profession as a priest.
My difficulty:
Why do some Christian churches refuse to admit mistakes in their teachings? Why do they excommunicate criticism to people who criticize, which is often justified?

3. Homosexuality

In an evangelical church in Bremen, a pastor preaches that homosexuals are child abusers and bad people. He is on trial (indictment: insult, incitement to incitement and incitement to violence because he considers homosexuals to be "deathable"). His Church has not taken any disciplinary action against him.
My difficulty:
Why are some Christians and their churches railing against homosexuals? At that time, the Bible understood homosexuality differently than we do today. The scribes of the Bible usually saw H. in connection with idol worship, shrine prostitution, and the renunciation of God. Loving homosexual relationships were not the focus of the authors.

I would be pleased if someone could respond objectively.
Don't exclude the love of money.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
 
Upvote 0

LindaBerlin

Active Member
Nov 15, 2020
146
100
68
Berlin
✟13,095.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Divorced
To everyone:

First of all, I would like to thank you for your answers. I also noticed that most members of the forum seem to have little knowledge of the Bible. But that's not bad. In my life there was also a time when I didn't really know what was in the Bible. I had just chuckled at what Mormon leaders told me.
Summary of your posts:

Abortion forbids the Bible, although I have not been shown any evidence from the Bible.
Homosexuality is also forbidden according to the Bible. Although, as I have shown, in antiquity it was understood somewhat differently than it is today.
My advice: Buy or borrow the 10 volumes of Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Read it, it is the standard work for clergy. And if you're already there, buy or borrow the following books:

Fee, Gordon: The first epistle to the Corinthians.

Harrison, R K: Leviticus : an introduction and commentary

Noth, Martin: Leviticus : a commentary

It will help you to better understand the passages about "homosexuality" in the Bible. By the way, I'm bisexual.
 
Upvote 0

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
7,873
2,544
Pennsylvania, USA
✟752,319.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
I would think if moral laws were so hard to understand over centuries of time then no basic understanding would have been possible. I can read Leviticus 18, Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20 & Romans 1 & should be able to see a consistency in what is sinful or not. What is different is that in between these are the Sermon on the Mount in which repentance is the remedy for sin ( Matthew 4:17). Christ tells us what is sinful in Matthew 15:1-20; the golden rule ( Matthew 7:1-12), the basic commandments ( Matthew 19:16-19), the 2 great commandments ( Matthew 22:36-40), charity & prayer ( Matthew 6:1-15) etc. are our prescriptions for sin.

People will always fail one another ( Romans 3:23, Matthew 24 etc.). The Gospel calls us to be different but tribulation is always around us ( John 16:33). This was understood in the OT even ( Amos 5:14-15 etc.).

A record of Christian community from about 100 AD clearly expresses abortion as an example of murder. What did they know? Jeremiah 1:5 is generally understood as pro life. Abortion cannot be secularly banned, a woman’s life must have priority etc. Yet, if it is not preached against, it just goes on & on. “Keep abortion safe & legal” is the mantra; well consider individuals like this: Kermit Gosnell - Wikipedia
then there are the segregation & sterilization policies of the hero of pro abortion movement Margaret Sanger ( in her own words):The Public Papers of Margaret Sanger: Web Edition

Want to help save the world from overpopulation? See Exodus 20:14
 
Upvote 0

LindaBerlin

Active Member
Nov 15, 2020
146
100
68
Berlin
✟13,095.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Divorced
Lukaris, I myself would have almost been aborted, as would my sister Regine (Gina). My mother's reasons were different. With my sister because she was raped after the end of World War II. And with me, because my mother felt overwhelmed. No money, no support, and above all the vicious looks of the Germans.
Our childhood was marked by verbal and physical violence. and, when my "father" entered into our lives, sexual violence was added, because he raped us all.
Regine and I often wished we were dead at the time. Wish we had our mother aborted us.
At the age of 14, after I had made public the sexual abuse of my "father" in Pocatello, Idaho, and no one believed me, I had; I had shot my "father" for fear of what he would do to me. Because he would have killed me.
If we had been aborted, none of this would have happened.
By the way: I have no regrets about killing this human cockroach, which was called my "father". Under the same circumstances, I would do it again!
 
  • Prayers
Reactions: Andrewn
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
7,873
2,544
Pennsylvania, USA
✟752,319.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Lukaris, I myself would have almost been aborted, as would my sister Regine (Gina). My mother's reasons were different. With my sister because she was raped after the end of World War II. And with me, because my mother felt overwhelmed. No money, no support, and above all the vicious looks of the Germans.
Our childhood was marked by verbal and physical violence. and, when my "father" entered into our lives, sexual violence was added, because he raped us all.
Regine and I often wished we were dead at the time. Wish we had our mother aborted us.
At the age of 14, after I had made public the sexual abuse of my "father" in Pocatello, Idaho, and no one believed me, I had; I had shot my "father" for fear of what he would do to me. Because he would have killed me.
If we had been aborted, none of this would have happened.
By the way: I have no regrets about killing this human cockroach, which was called my "father". Under the same circumstances, I would do it again!

Although I am unqualified to provide any comfort or counsel to what you have suffered, your life & that of your sister are sacred.

I believe there are Christian counselors who could help you in regards to healing and salvation.

Perhaps:

Counseling Services and Referrals - Focus on the Family

or

Counseling


https://www.betterhelp.com/start/?u...eEAAYAiAAEgKKnvD_BwE&not_found=1&gor=start-go.
 
Upvote 0