Liberal Christian?

[Sam Gamgee]

Hi there

I put my status as a liberal on my profile for a few reasons.

1) Anti-war
2) Gay folks are in the same boat as me (need Jesus)
3) Getting shot hurts- gun owners
4) Jesus was not a white supremacist- he was and is a coloured man
5) I dont have absolute truth- the truth is a person
6) I dont have a hidden agenda
7) God's word interprets me I dont interpret it
8) The pope/ pastor/ vicar/ head honcho is not infallible when he's wrong

I agree with absolutely EVERY item you have on there, which is what makes me a liberal.

I'd probably be even more liberal when I say this:

9) Killing is killing. If you're against abortion, you must be against the death penality.
10) The earth is our home and we are killing it slowly. We are using all it's natural resources and taking away the protection of our ozone layer. And "conservatives", which are equated mostly with Republicans are doing everything they can, politically, to remove federal legislation that protects our air and water.
11) Equal rights among ALL people is critical, regardless of skin color or sexuality or sex. A women has the right to be a priest if she's a woman of God. A gay man can be President if he has the capabilities. A black man can speak his mind and say that the response to New Orleans/hurricane Katrina was deplorable becuase the people of New Orleans were 95% poor, black people.


Notice that none of these items define my Christianity... They only define my political beliefs.

Politics and religion should be separate. And they are with me.

 

[intricatic]

I agree with absolutely EVERY item you have on there, which is what makes me a liberal.

I'd probably be even more liberal when I say this:

9) Killing is killing. If you're against abortion, you must be against the death penality.
10) The earth is our home and we are killing it slowly. We are using all it's natural resources and taking away the protection of our ozone layer. And "conservatives", which are equated mostly with Republicans are doing everything they can, politically, to remove federal legislation that protects our air and water.
11) Equal rights among ALL people is critical, regardless of skin color or sexuality or sex. A women has the right to be a priest if she's a woman of God. A gay man can be President if he has the capabilities. A black man can speak his mind and say that the response to New Orleans/hurricane Katrina was deplorable becuase the people of New Orleans were 95% poor, black people.


Notice that none of these items define my Christianity... They only define my political beliefs.

Politics and religion should be separate. And they are with me.

Drats, I guess I had better turn in my membership to the National Park Foundation because I've just read that I hate nature as a Republican. Why won't people tell me these things sooner before I donate money to these people?!?!?

 

[intricatic]

Hi there

I put my status as a liberal on my profile for a few reasons.

1) Anti-war
2) Gay folks are in the same boat as me (need Jesus)
3) Getting shot hurts- gun owners
4) Jesus was not a white supremacist- he was and is a coloured man
5) I dont have absolute truth- the truth is a person
6) I dont have a hidden agenda
7) God's word interprets me I dont interpret it
8) The pope/ pastor/ vicar/ head honcho is not infallible when he's wrong

But that's politics, not religion. I'm interested in the theological differences. I agree with most of this fun stuff you've stated except a few things:

1)God created the universe with absolute laws and absolute truths, and we, being fallen, can easilly misinterpret them. That means we may actually have many absolute truths.

2)Guns don't kill people, people kill people. I've never shot anyone with any single one of my guns, and I greatly enjoy shooting at targets. It's just another of my hobbies, and I don't appreciate being generalised with murderers and rapists. Thanks.

And to #8- You got that right mate!

 

[lismore]

But that's politics, not religion. I'm interested in the theological differences. I agree with most of this fun stuff you've stated except a few things:

1)God created the universe with absolute laws and absolute truths, and we, being fallen, can easilly misinterpret them. That means we may actually have many absolute truths.

2)Guns don't kill people, people kill people. I've never shot anyone with any single one of my guns, and I greatly enjoy shooting at targets. It's just another of my hobbies, and I don't appreciate being generalised with murderers and rapists. Thanks.

And to #8- You got that right mate!

Hi intricatic!


Thanks for your message.

1)What I was meaning is that Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the father except by me'- Jesus is the truth, not my opinions on something, or anyone elses.

2) Im not generalising you with rapists or murderers. Im just telling you that I dont like guns because Im a Christian


All my points were highly theological - if you look carefully

 

[lismore]

9) Killing is killing. If you're against abortion, you must be against the death penality.
Politics and religion should be separate. And they are with me.

Politics and religion cannot exist separately. What you believe influences how you act and what you say.

I believe in Jesus Christ. This influences how I behave.

 

[intricatic]

Hi intricatic!


Thanks for your message.

1)What I was meaning is that Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the father except by me'- Jesus is the truth, not my opinions on something, or anyone elses.

2) Im not generalising you with rapists or murderers. Im just telling you that I dont like guns because Im a Christian


All my points were highly theological - if you look carefully

I do look carefully, but I see politics. As for the guns comment, does that mean that one must not like guns in order to be a Christian? I would never want to use my guns on another human, but that dosn't mean they don't serve other practical purposes (such as that of a hobby, or for employment advancement - class D liscensing can be rather profitable in the security field). Am I missing some inherent evil there that is merely subtle?

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Drats, I guess I had better turn in my membership to the National Park Foundation because I've just read that I hate nature as a Republican. Why won't people tell me these things sooner before I donate money to these people?!?!?

It is a fact that conservative Republicans are much less concerned about nature than liberal Democrats.

I know since I'm a civil/environmental engineer by trade and I work daily in protecting the environment. I've seen the budget cuts at the EPA by GWBush's administration. I've seen the forced retirements of people at FEMA, EPA, Army Corps of Engineers, and the other agencies involved in protecting our environment. I've seen GWBush's administration modify the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act so that corporations have an easier time polluting our environment.

So, yeah... You may not hate the environment, but the political party you are involved with doesn't really care about the environment.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Politics and religion cannot exist separately. What you believe influences how you act and what you say.

I believe in Jesus Christ. This influences how I behave.

Good point.

 

[jasperbound]

Politics and religion cannot exist separately. What you believe influences how you act and what you say.

I believe in Jesus Christ. This influences how I behave.

Me too. That's why I'm a somewhat Libertarian conservative.

However, I am not so arrogant or self-righteous that I believe that my party and ideology are God's chosen ones. Indeed, although I'm officially a Republican because I see the Republican Party as the best choice for the world (the Libertarian Party goes too far for me), I understand that other Christians might disagree, and it doesn't mean that they are less Christian than I.

 

[FivePointCalvinist]

e

 

[tulc]

e

Welcome to CF FivePointCalvinist!!
tulc(care to expand your post a little bit?)

 

[FivePointCalvinist]

Welcome to CF FivePointCalvinist!!
tulc(care to expand your post a little bit?)

Haha, I said something uncharitable, and then when I went to delete it later, it wouldn't let me. So I replaced the uncharitable thing with a random vowel.

 

[tulc]

Haha, I said something uncharitable, and then when I went to delete it later, it wouldn't let me. So I replaced the uncharitable thing with a random vowel.

Well it WAS a very friendly looking "e"!
tulc(greatful for the delete option!)

 

[saami]

Liberal Christians are different depending on which liberal Christian you talk to. Their main belief is that of whether certain parts of the Bible should be taken literally, or even whether they should be taken as TRUE or not. They often don't believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and if they do they usually take most of what's said to be completely symbolic or parable instead of being as it says.

Any yes, before anyone asks I am a conservative. And no, I'm not a fundamentalist (using the general context of the word). I believe that God's Word is inerrant and can be taken as a historical document and (mostly) literal teaching. I don't assume that God was talking in riddles when He wrote the Bible, I assume He was talking to His people as you or I would talk to each other, but on a much grander scale.

'Shady

so since you are "mostly" taking the Bible literally you are only partly taking it literally - not different from us Liberal Christians - just a matter of degree. We however take the whole counsel of the Word seriously - and see the accent of Christian faith and behavior not on works of the law - (following rules) but on the grace and mercy of God won for us by Christ - and so we act out our love by passing it on - "do unto others as we sould have them do to us"

 

[saami]

I guess many would call me a liberal, while others would see me as pretty conservative. I guess it's just a matter of perspective, but generally people who are seen to be conservative, will for example show great support for Israel and oppose abortion and gay marriages etc.

so 3/4 or more are liberal!

 

[saami]

Drats, I guess I had better turn in my membership to the National Park Foundation because I've just read that I hate nature as a Republican. Why won't people tell me these things sooner before I donate money to these people?!?!?

nope - just runand enjoy them before they are logged out, dug up or drilled

 

[saami]

Surely you know by now that all fundamentalists have a direct line to God and therefore can't possibly be wrong?

I suffered from that addiction - but I'm sober now.

I believe in the one day creation account Genesis 2:4 "now in the day..." no plants, no animals, just YHWH playing in the mud forming ish the "earthling" from ishah the "earth."