• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

Of course you know about the religious right...

Bradskii

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Aug 19, 2018
23,276
15,941
72
Bondi
✟376,161.00
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
Federal taxes go to lazy poor people who won't work and don't live like I think they should.
Why is it that I see less Christian compassion and generosity of the soul in a Christian forum than I do almost everywhere else?
 
Upvote 0

Hazelelponi

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Jun 25, 2018
11,799
11,206
USA
✟1,042,300.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution

Yes but we are completely ignoring the fact of biology these days...

And the fact is no one person is just one thing...

Not all little girls want to dress in dresses or have their hair done. It doesn't stop them from being girls because girl is something immutable.

How a girl acts isn't. Same for boys.

Suddenly acting like biology itself is something we can or even should "cancel" is just ridiculous really. Reeks of ego.
 
Upvote 0

RocksInMyHead

God is innocent; Noah built on a floodplain!
May 12, 2011
9,161
9,902
PA
✟432,964.00
Country
United States
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
I'm sorry, what does any of this have to do with where "cis" and "trans" come from linguistically?
 
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others

I say, if it's being argued in the public forum to convince a heterogeneous citizenry, then it should be argued in secular (dogma-free) terms. The fact that politically left Christians can argue for Christian principles on secular terms is, however, not a minor distinction. It is a fundamental difference in the way one understands the nature of Christian faith, i.e., is it exclusionary and individualistic or is it inclusive and oriented around the common good. So, yeah, some might lose their "Christianity card" because they're wrong and have missed the function of love, but they are still included because, imo, God and goodness are better than that.

I would rather Christians argue for policy from a dogma-free stance not only because the more people who agree the more likely it's fitting, but because I'm tired of seeing humans that aren't very good at being human sell their politics in the name of Christ.
 
Reactions: DaisyDay
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
Why is it that I see less Christian compassion and generosity of the soul in a Christian forum than I do almost everywhere else?

I think it's often resentment and fear, masquerading as righteousness. Nietzche's critique has value. This is not the kind of Christianity that takes up a cross and dies to self. It's the kind that has something to lose, something for which to fight (self, greed, pleasure, whatever). This is a self-indulgent Christianity with enemies it need not love.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
I've never known of a conservative right church that didn't assist the poor and needy. But there's a difference between helping and enabling. And the left doesn't seem to recognize or admit that line exists. Also contrary to a strong commandment from Christ (Matt 6:1-4), the left boasts a great deal about their acts of charity. They seem mostly interested in scoring secular points for themselves. Also the virtue signaling "we care more than the right" is a cover for their discouragement of repentance and seeking and promoting holiness. They look upon holiness with distain and rally against it. Because holiness is seen as unloving because it doesn't support carnality. It's bad because it doesn't praise those who choose to practice iniquity.

Yes, Jesus told us to help the poor, but he also told us to seek and promote holiness. The left wants to showcase the former and replace the later with a love of carnality.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
But there's a difference between helping and enabling.

What is grace but a divine enabling of humanity? It is amazing how Christians will accept grace for which they claim they are unworthy but will begrudge food to the hungry for whatever reason. Did they sin in creating their own poverty? So. Did we sin in needing grace? Will they change after being helped so that they need no more help? Maybe, but so. What Christian doesn't need more grace? Mercy is not reserved for the righteous or those who keep up their books. Holiness with a closed hand is simply self-righteous greed.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
What you're saying makes no sense, because conservative churches feed people on a daily basis. I live downtown in a city with a large homeless population and A: I see them being fed by conservative churches all over the place. And B: is see discarded remains of food strewn all over the place by those who are being given food. Meaning they obviously are being given more than enough to eat.

Also on top of that there are many Christian missions that house and clothe the needy and homeless that are run, helped and financed by the Christian right.

I think you're just going along with an obvious lie that conservative churches and aren't feeding and caring for people.

The real complaint against the conservative Christian right from the left is they don't condone and support carnality. I think that's the kind of so called "love" they see lacking. But for some reason they go on about an imaginary refusal to feed people.
 
Upvote 0

BCP1928

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2024
8,831
4,464
82
Goldsboro NC
✟264,805.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
That would do well in a sermon, but as an argument against government assistance to the poor it is a failure, primarily because of the usual straw-manning of "the left." If you want your argument to be persuasive you have to argue against the actual position held by your opponent.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Like the junkies I see in convince stores all the time buying junk food with taxpayer money cards? They buy sugary junk food with tax payer money to curb their addiction pangs between fixes. And I see the population of them growing at an alarming rate. They're not being helped, they're being enabled to eventually kill themselves with an overdose.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others

I would say what makes no sense is being willing to feed the poor through church programs but not through taxes. If they are not against us, they are for us. If the government can do it better than churches, and they can, what's the problem?
 
Reactions: Sif
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others

I agree that the pendulum can swing too far and become unhelpful to both individuals and communities. What is needed is adjustment not a wholesale rejection of helping via tax revenue. I think what we have seen in places like Portland are beginning to change because it was a mistake. We need a wiser approach, but no church org is going to be able to reach real need as well as government.

The only thing stopping Christians from doing better than government is our disunity. if we could ever get it together, forget it. Your complaint should be not about a helpful govt but about a fractured church that denies its own unity in Christ.
 
Reactions: DaisyDay
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
I would say what makes no sense is being willing to feed the poor through church programs but not through taxes. If they are not against us, they are for us. If the government can do it better than churches, and they can, what's the problem?
Why are they supposedly against feeding the poor through taxes? What's the nefarious agenda?
 
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
There's a pop-up saying I have to subscribe to read the article.
You don't believe in welfare, right? These are your people.
I don't believe in welfare being exploited.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Sorry but I see too much community unity between churches to buy that. I think what's really meant is unity in supporting what the left supports. I think what's keeping Portland from becoming worse and the rest of the country from becoming like Portland, is the resistance the left is experiencing from the right.
 
Upvote 0

public hermit

social troglodyte
Site Supporter
Aug 20, 2019
12,527
13,340
East Coast
✟1,049,321.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others

There is so much Xn unity that what I'm saying is too hard to accept? You're incredulity is absurd. When the church takes care of the poor, the government won't have anything more to do with it. The poor are waiting. You've got the talking part done. Pfft.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
28,075
15,219
PNW
✟977,943.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
What is the church not doing that it should be doing in assisting the poor?
 
Upvote 0