“Non-Christians Are Like Animals in spirit”(quote)???

[Yusuphhai]

Yesterday(Sunday) in Beijing China I heard a preaching of a church of Protestantism. The preacher said:”The difference between Christians and Non-Christians is like the difference between Human and Animal.

I was very astonished. And communicated with an Elder of that church about this issue privately. He insisted that the authority of the preaching platform was given by the Holy Spirit and could not be doubted, and also this opinion (“Non-Christians Are Like Animals in spirit”) was from the authority.

I personally think one of the worst tragedy of mankind is that some people think all the others outside their circle as “NOT HUMAN BEING in spirit”.
If you like, anyone can talk about your feelings about this issue.

 

[Blayz]

Well, humans are animals, so the statement makes no sense.

Also, and this is just one atheist's opinion, when your church is telling you you are not allowed to doubt it's time to find a new church.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Non-Christians Are Like Animals in spirit

I wouldn't think a non Christian would be any different from anyone else. They will be judged by God, just like everyone else.

 

[bobsterInJapan]

Sounds pretty wacko to me. Animals are not created in the image of God, whereas people are, Christian or non-Christian. So your so-called Spirit-led preacher is contradicting the Bible, and therefor is not Spirit-led in regard to that statement. Preachers make mistakes.

 

[ebia]

Yesterday(Sunday) in Beijing China I heard a preaching of a church of Protestantism. The preacher said:”The difference between Christians and Non-Christians is like the difference between Human and Animal.

I was very astonished. And communicated with an Elder of that church about this issue privately. He insisted that the authority of the preaching platform was given by the Holy Spirit and could not be doubted, and also this opinion (“Non-Christians Are Like Animals in spirit”) was from the authority.

I personally think one of the worst tragedy of mankind is that some people think all the others outside their circle as “NOT HUMAN BEING in spirit”.
If you like, anyone can talk about your feelings about this issue.

Well, humans are a subset of animals, and Christians are a subset of humans, so I guess that's sort of right, but not in the way he meant.

Run very fast from any church where the leader says "the Holy Spirit told me so don't question it". That's not a church, it's a cult.

 

[driewerf]

Yesterday(Sunday) in Beijing China I heard a preaching of a church of Protestantism. The preacher said:”The difference between Christians and Non-Christians is like the difference between Human and Animal.

I was very astonished. And communicated with an Elder of that church about this issue privately. He insisted that the authority of the preaching platform was given by the Holy Spirit and could not be doubted, and also this opinion (“Non-Christians Are Like Animals in spirit”) was from the authority.

I personally think one of the worst tragedy of mankind is that some people think all the others outside their circle as “NOT HUMAN BEING in spirit”.
If you like, anyone can talk about your feelings about this issue.

De-humanizing certain groups of people is a very dangerous step toward physical violence. The nazis dehumanized the jews before the Holocaust ("Untermenschen"). The Hutus dehumanized the Tutsis before the Rwandese genocide ("cockroaches"). The franquist Phalange labelled the Republicans as "Red vermin". The Spanish republicans of the 1930's.

Is this preacher Chinese? Ask him then how the Japanese saw the Chinese during the socalled "rape of Nanking". As fully human?

Now if this church is doing the same: what will the consequences be?

 

[Yusuphhai]

Yeah all the members are Chinese, including me (Messianic Chinese Arab).

If someone(whether a “non-Christian” or not) is like a animal does not mean All the non-Christians are like animal in spirit. The category is quite different. There is no any scripture to prove the opinion of the title.

The opinion of the title would put All non-Christians to the opposite side, and brings danger to all kinds of configuration of Christianity. And so on all mankind are hurt.

 

[LargeTrout]

I think what you're Pastor was meaning was than non-Christians are *spiritually dead*, whereas Christians are "alive in Christ". I was taught this while I was a Christian. Your Pastor seems to be saying the same thing but more crudely (and somewhat offensively). I was taught, as a Christian, that animals do not have souls - only humans do. Essentially, in Christian theology, humans have a spirit, soul and a body. Christians are spiritually alive and non-Christians are spiritually dead (because of sin). Both Christians and non-Christians have a soul (and body of course). The difference is purely spiritual.

Of course, what your Pastor was saying went a little beyond this theology. It's hard to really tell whether he was deliberately being offensive or not without knowing what the rest of the sermon was about.

 

[Yusuphhai]

I think what you're Pastor was meaning was than non-Christians are *spiritually dead*, whereas Christians are "alive in Christ". I was taught this while I was a Christian. Your Pastor seems to be saying the same thing but more crudely (and somewhat offensively). I was taught, as a Christian, that animals do not have souls - only humans do. Essentially, in Christian theology, humans have a spirit, soul and a body. Christians are spiritually alive and non-Christians are spiritually dead (because of sin). Both Christians and non-Christians have a soul (and body of course). The difference is purely spiritual.

Of course, what your Pastor was saying went a little beyond this theology. It's hard to really tell whether he was deliberately being offensive or not without knowing what the rest of the sermon was about.

The preacher is not a pastor, he is very young. Maybe he graduated from a theological Seminar not long. He said the sentence just before the Communion(Holy Bread Ritual). I think he wanted to emphasize how high Christians are and how low non-Christians are. I forget the detail that he preached, but he is truly offensive to judge. He must think what he judges is quite right because of his theological education background.

If a non-Christian is like a animal just because of his sins, what is the relationship with human if a "Christian" commits worse sins but he does not think those as sins? Dead in spirit means "like a animal" or a sinner?

 

[Gracchus]

All humans are animals, but not all Christians are non-Christians. So, I disagree with the proposition.

 

[Paradoxum]

It sounds really bad, but he could just be emphasising the place of Christians before God, as children of God.

 

[Cuddles333]

Animals are not unregenerates. Meaning that they are not capable of becoming more and more and more depraved like humans. So the statement is an offence to the animal kingdom.

Also, I might add, an animal's soul or spirit is exposed (or developed), and lives on after the death of their physical body.... if they are nurtured in love by a humans.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Yesterday(Sunday) in Beijing China I heard a preaching of a church of Protestantism. The preacher said:”The difference between Christians and Non-Christians is like the difference between Human and Animal.

Dehumanizing others makes them easier to kill. This preacher may not realize it, but he is laying the groundwork for violence.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Animals are not unregenerates. Meaning that they are not capable of becoming more and more and more depraved like humans. So the statement is an offence to the animal kingdom.

Agreed.

 

[Freodin]

I don't agree with this statement, and I find it highly offensive.

Not because of my disagreement - I don't believe in any "spiritual difference" between Christians, non-Christians and non-humans.

But I know the position of this kind of Christians regarding animals... something "lower", "lesser" than themselves. "Mere" animals. "Just" animals. "Only" animals.

To be placed in such a category is offensive.

 

[OneWithTime]

The spiritual difference in a Christian and non Christian is none simply. I believe in the singularity of god and his power, I believe in worship, praise, praying, unachievable peace and happiness.
The spirituality of a Christian and non Christian do not differ at the basic core of their soul. This sounds more like an insult if anything