Whew!!!! I just slogged through the pages of arguments...err.."discussions" from the weekend. What an interesting thread.
I have some observations for the major players that I wanted to share with them.
Arunma, let the racism thing go. Racism is wrong, everyone agrees. It's also a problem, everyone agrees with that too. No one has said or implied otherwise, so in many ways, you're beating a dead horse. What racism is not, is a characteristic of every caucasian. In fact, as a caucasian, I have definitely been a victim of racism, instead of the stereotypical oppressor. I find it ironic that the support for racism is the alledged suffering of racism. No wonder it just keeps going!! One assertion in the thread that I wholeheartedly agree with, is that if Jesse Jackson and his type would stop aggravating it, racism would be nearly defunct in this country. Unfortunately, I have seen far too many people who revel in the misguided view that they are "victims". That mentality has got to go!! Bear in mind that any racism Mr Jackson has endured does not validate or legitimize his ideology. Two wrongs still don't make a right. Just remember that despite what pop culture tells you, every white man is not out to get you.
MC1171611, I have several observations for you. Please just think about them, and give them an honest consideration.
First is something my wife is almost continually telling me, "It's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it." Never fear, I would never suggest you compromise, but what I am suggesting is that you evaluate your approach. Did Jesus tell the woman at the well that she was an ungodly, wicked, harlot of a woman? She was, so He technically would have been "right" (as in correct) to tell her those things. But He didn't approach it like that, instead He gently showed her the truth of her sin, while conveying His love for her person.
Secondly, is that perhaps you stick to one topic at a time. Having fourteen arguments on the table at once is confusing, at best. Not only is it confusing, it dilutes any validity presented because no one is able to focus on it. By all means, let's talk about all fourteen topics. Let's just do it in a decent and orderly way, so that all parties involved can lucidly participate. There is a lot of room in cyberspace, we don't have to fill it up all at once.
Thirdly, is the suggestion that you utilize a bit more patience. It won't hurt anything to not answer instantaneously. Wait, think about your reply, its stregths and weaknessess, dare I say pray about it, and when you have comprehensive answer, then put it up. A great chess player, when talking about the game, said "When you see a good move, wait. Look for a better one." This little truism most certainly would apply to this forum.
Fourthly, try to approach the scripture from a holistic view. Do you know who Ron Comfort is? I once heard him say that "the best commentary on the Bible, is the Bible." A good example of this is the book of James. If the only book of the Bible we had was James, I'm quite certain we would see many more people who believed they could work their way to heaven. However, when we evaluate the book of James in regard to the rest of the teachings of the New Testament, we can see that James is specifically addressing a Jewish audience, well grounded in the Old Testament, and is a development of their OT understanding and practice. The rest of the NT is what allows us to understand salvation by grace through faith alone. If we take James at it's initial impression, we would have an inaccurate picture of God's plan. When we take James through the lense of the REST of the Bible, we see that true faith will have works. That's a rather lengthy example, but unfortunately, you have done a similar thing numerous times, and thereby weakened the support for perfectly defendable positions. To sum this suggestion, don't utilize verses out of context or in isolation. It weakens any credibility you may have had, and is certainly not rightly dividing the word of truth.
Lastly, consider the admonition from Paul to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth." I'm sure you know that the connotation of this charge, is to behave yourself in a manner which will not enable your church to say, "he's just a kid." I have noticed that you have taken a lot of flak in this thread for being seventeen, and to be quite frank with you, you have deserved it. You have presented yourself as arrogant, hostile, aggressive, caustic, immature, and downright militant. Because you have been, in essence, throwing impulsive, poorly thought out, temper tantrums of weak support for your numerous assertions, you have given anyone who can read English an opportunity to legitimately say, 'he's only seventeen." Actually, you have come accross more like a thirteen year old, to be honest. If you sincerely want to dialogue with fellow believers, and find out how beliefs differ, etc., you are in the right place. If all you want to do is be argumentative, you're still probably in the right place, but unfortunately, you will profit little if at all from the exeperience.
Notice I have not said you were right, wrong, or otherwise in your positions. I'll let you speak for yourself. I would simply urge you to be more logical, hospitable, and mature in your interactions with people you don't even know, especially when they are most likely brothers in Christ.
Please accept these observations in the spirit with which they are given.
