I feel your pain AMP. I myself think religion and politics are the worst two subjects to discuss with your own immediate family, let alone people you don't know on a message board, where you cannot even tell by inflection or facial gestures how someone is talking to you. It is nerve racking to say the least.
Besides we are all a little to froggy here on CF. Our faith(Christian faith that is) is constantly being clobbered by the media, by so called experts, and even by fellow bretheren of the faith. The world wants to tell us that abortion is okay, practicing homosexuality is okay, and a number of things that clearly are wrong in God's eyes.
But through the ages even the believers have been fighting about who is right and who is wrong. The answer to who is right and wrong is: yes. Now we all have different questions to fit that yes answer, does that make our questions wrong? Nope. We just look at things differently. We are different people. We battle with forces not of flesh and blood, and that force is not in here amongst Christians, our enemy is out there.
We are all parts of one body with none being more important than the other(For even as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same function, so we the many are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another. Romans 12:4-5). Maybe we the protestants are the toes and feet, the Orthodox the legs, arms, and hands, the CC is the torso. Shouldn't we celebrate being a part of the body rather than try and amputate vital parts? What can the torso do without the legs and the legs without the feet?
What is sad is that some will say no, we are the chest and they are the feet or that we are the legs, and they are the feet. Does it really matter? One thing I believe we all share is that God will judge us by our hearts not by our affilitations with a certain Church. Putting that belief into work is easier said than done, and even after this I am likely to fall into the same old trap again.
I imagine the devil has a heyday in places like this, when potential Christians come in here (the forums in general not into the OBOB) and see us all fighting over stuff like we do. I for one am sick of feeding the monster. It makes no sense for any of us to let pride interfere with our calling. We are all proud of our faiths, but this fight isn't ours it is Gods.
I can't imagine God is too happy with any of us right now and I am sincerely going to ask God to forgive me..
Heavenly Father, Most High God, There is no other for us to go, because you hold the truth of life, death and salvation in your Holy and precious hands.
I come to you today in my weakness, in front of my brothers and sisters here on this board, asking you for your forgiveness, for my continuing disregard for your command to love my neighbor as my own self. My wanton disregard for your command, my sinfullness demands payment, and the wages of sin is death. I thank you my Holy God, that your son took my sin on that cross with Him that day, and that His death is in fact payment for that sin. Holy God, remind me that when I sin, I am in fact adding another blow from the hammer to the nails that pierced your Holy flesh. As your servant David said: " Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I confess my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done evil in Your sight; that You might be justified when You speak, and be clear when You judge. "
Hear my prayer oh Lord...
In Jesus name I pray this for me and all who believe in your name,
Amen.
