Is Christianity a religion of "No?"

[Sketcher]

Is Christianity a religion of "No?" Lately I've been thinking of all the CF threads having to do with the, "thou shalt nots" of the faith. Sometimes it seems to me that we spend a whole lot more time as Christians, leastwise here on CF, thinking and talking about what we are not supposed to do rather than what we are supposed to do as Christians. Ethos is a two-edged sword including both the immoral and the moral, or said otherwise, that to avoid and that to embrace.

I think of a college roommate who I thought was one of the most moral persons I had ever met, except that he had never been to church and knew nothing about Christianity. It begs the question, if we as Christians get all the "thou shalt nots" right could we still fall short because we fail to embrace the positive ethos of Christianity...those positive things that we are supposed to do if we are to walk in the way of Christ?

I think there is more to the faith that just avoiding sin. What does it mean to you to walk in the way of Christ other than avoiding sin, and how do you operationalize that in your life or your church?

I try to make it a point to love people. As in, say "yes" to helping them when I can, schedule time to serve, and to treat people the way I wish I had been treated growing up.

 

[Junia]

Good topic...

The answer is Love...

Love delights in doing what pleases Him.

Joy comes from walking in His will daily with a crucified heart and watch Him move and do more than you could ask or think.

His Loving voice leads us into truth and obedience for our own good.

Loving lives dedicated to Him do not need Law, because they are tuned into His heart and know what pleases Him.

This is the relationship He wants - not servants following rules, but friends hearing Him.

I

Couldn't agree more

 

[durangodawood]

The Law brings Death. Jesus brings life thanks to His forgiveness.
Law followers are back-sliders that can still be saved.

What Does the Bible Say About The Law?

So there were generations upon generations of people for whom death was the only or best possible outcome?

 

[seeking.IAM]

They are interesting questions, aren't they? How do we as the body of Christ do God's work in this time and place? And why do we spend so much bandwidth talking about what we shouldn't do rather than what we as the Church should do?

Is there a higher purpose to being a Christian beyond saving ourselves from Hell? If that is all there is, it seems rather self-serving.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Is Christianity a religion of "No?" Lately I've been thinking of all the CF threads having to do with the, "thou shalt nots" of the faith. Sometimes it seems to me that we spend a whole lot more time as Christians, leastwise here on CF, thinking and talking about what we are not supposed to do rather than what we are supposed to do as Christians. Ethos is a two-edged sword including both the immoral and the moral, or said otherwise, that to avoid and that to embrace.

I think of a college roommate who I thought was one of the most moral persons I had ever met, except that he had never been to church and knew nothing about Christianity. It begs the question, if we as Christians get all the "thou shalt nots" right could we still fall short because we fail to embrace the positive ethos of Christianity...those positive things that we are supposed to do if we are to walk in the way of Christ?

I think there is more to the faith that just avoiding sin. What does it mean to you to walk in the way of Christ other than avoiding sin, and how do you operationalize that in your life or your church?

Thou shalt not = doing a positive thing...

Just because the not is there doesn't mean your not doing a positive act. If you are not murdering, then what you are doing is at the least more positive.

If your not setting up other Gods before God, your putting God first - that's doing something positive.

Thou shalt not is just as positive as thou go forth and do...

 

[seeking.IAM]

If you are not murdering, then what you are doing is at the least more positive.

You could be sitting in your room all day eating Cheetos. It may be better than murder so it's at least neutral, but let's not kid ourselves that it is positive or what the Church is called to do.

 

[Hazelelponi]

You could be sitting in your room all day eating Cheetos. It may be better than murder so it's at least neutral, but let's not kid ourselves that it is positive or what the Church is called to do.

Murder is something not done in love. It's like creating a category called hate crime - all murder is hate based so all murder is a hate crime.

So if your not acting in hate, then your operating toward your neighbor by a different standard - one that doesnt act out in hate...

No, sitting around all day eating cheetos isn't doing God's work on earth... but that's not much of a topic on which you'll find lively discussion because we all agree...

There has to be some level of different idea's for discussion to ensue, and this is a discussion forum...

 

[FireDragon76]

Virtue has positive qualities, not merely the absence of something perceived as bad.

 

[Joni Steele]

Is Christianity a religion of "No?" Lately I've been thinking of all the CF threads having to do with the, "thou shalt nots" of the faith. Sometimes it seems to me that we spend a whole lot more time as Christians, leastwise here on CF, thinking and talking about what we are not supposed to do rather than what we are supposed to do as Christians. Ethos is a two-edged sword including both the immoral and the moral, or said otherwise, that to avoid and that to embrace.

I think of a college roommate who I thought was one of the most moral persons I had ever met, except that he had never been to church and knew nothing about Christianity. It begs the question, if we as Christians get all the "thou shalt nots" right could we still fall short because we fail to embrace the positive ethos of Christianity...those positive things that we are supposed to do if we are to walk in the way of Christ?

I think there is more to the faith that just avoiding sin. What does it mean to you to walk in the way of Christ other than avoiding sin, and how do you operationalize that in your life or your church?

Christianity says " no" to bondage to sin. It says "yes" to Joy and Peace.

 

[public hermit]

All the commandments of "Thou shalt not..." could never cover as much territory as the simple commandment "Thou shalt love." But it's much easier to delineate what one shouldn't do, and harp on that, than it is to take the risk of doing something wrong in the pursuit of love. And, if all I care about is my own salvation, why would I take that risk?

If my focus is on what I shalt not do, then I don't have to navigate the treacherous territory of figuring out what love would do to others, as it presents itself in each moment. In fact, if I concentrate on the simple list of what I shalt not do, I don't even have to care about others. In other words, I don't have to do the hard work of love.

 

[FireDragon76]

All the commandments of "Thou shalt not..." could never cover as much territory as the simple commandment "Thou shalt love." But it's much easier to delineate what one shouldn't do, and harp on that, than it is to take the risk of doing something wrong in the pursuit of love. And, if all I care about is my own salvation, why would I take that risk?

If my focus is on what I shalt not do, then I don't have to navigate the treacherous territory of figuring out what love would do to others, as it presents itself in each moment. In fact, if I concentrate on the simple list of what I shalt not do, I don't even have to care about others. In other words, I don't have to do the hard work of love.

Which is one reason I am suspicious of Christianity as a force for good in the world, at least as it has been discussed on this forum in general. The basic narcissism of personal salvation viz a viz legalism is left unaddressed.

 

[public hermit]

Which is one reason I am suspicious of Christianity as a force for good in the world, at least as it has been discussed on this forum in general. The basic narcissism of personal salvation viz a viz legalism is left unaddressed.

I don't blame you for being suspicious. It seems to me Christians should be selfless, and perhaps many are just that. But this Christian culture in which I live is anything but selfless. It is self-centered, self-righteous, and selfish. I don't claim to exempt myself from that critique, either. Narrow is the way, I suppose.

 

[timothyu]

If my focus is on what I shalt not do, then I don't have to navigate the treacherous territory of figuring out what love would do to others

To promote the goodness of one way of life is to give examples of bad ways and how the good way (love) counteracts it. When one way is shown to obviously trump the other way, it is easier for a choice to be made as to which is the better system and which should be followed. It isn't enough for God to say do or don't. Our self determining nature must decide for self. Other animals do instinctively what they were hard wired to do.

 

[public hermit]

To promote the goodness of one way of life is to give examples of bad ways and how the good way (love) counteracts it. When one way is shown to obviously trump the other way, it is easier for a choice to be made as to which is the better system and which should be followed. It isn't enough for God to say do or don't. Our self determining nature must decide for self. Other animals do instinctively what they were hard wired to do.

I agree. I'm not denying the need to explicate what shouldn't be. I'm pointing to the error of making that one's focus, which is endemic in too many representations of Christianity.

 

[timothyu]

I'm pointing to the error of making that one's focus, which is endemic in too many representations of Christianity.

It encourages finger pointing?

 

[public hermit]

It encourages finger pointing?

Clever.

 

[hedrick]

I think the problem is that Christians say it's not, but in practice what people hear is in fact just no. Some of it is that it's the no's that get the most publicity. But reading broadly in CF does make it sound that way.

Jesus was a lot more concerned that people show positive things than that they not show negative ones. A lot of Christians seem to think our main goal is to get rid of sin, when our major goal is actually to bring love to others and spread the kingdom. Sin is relevant as a barrier to that.

 

[zippy2006]

Is Christianity a religion of "No?"

I have always liked this quote from the Dominican, Simon Tugwell:

It is truly our whole set of appetites that must be involved in our Christian growth. We shall not succeed in loving God the more, just because we succeed in loving creatures less. As St Thomas says, it is no way to give glory to the Creator to despise his creation. We must allow a healthy wanting to be formed in us through all our diverse experience of life, with the Holy Spirit working inwardly to turn it all into ‘ordered love’ (cf. Cant. 2:4 Vulgate).

Though we may, from time to time, have to brake firmly to stop ourselves rushing headlong into silly satisfactions that will only militate against the final, total satisfaction of beatitude, we must not make braking a whole way of life. It is more important, eventually, to know how to say ‘Yes’ to a desire than to know how to say ‘No’. At the end we shall have to surrender ourselves utterly and recklessly and without any inhibition to the overwhelming attractiveness of God, and in so doing also to surrender ourselves with all that we are to the glorified perfection of all that he has made.

-Simon Tugwell, The Beatitudes: Soundings in Christian Traditions, 80​

 

[WrappedUpinHisLove]

It's a religion of YES

Yes to eternal life
Yes to freedom from sin
Yes to hope peace well-being

All things are lawful but not all things are helpful

 

[Aussie Pete]

The promises of God are yes and amen in Christ our Lord! 2 Corinthians 1:20