Mega Church pastor: "slavery is the heart of what it means to be a true Christian”

I think the numbers killed (global history) by “atheist regimes” is similar to theocratic regimes. So not sure of your point. Authoritarian or theocratic governments kill people for one reason. To stay in power.

The pastor in question apparently loves him some Nazi symbology to threaten his neighbors, which should be shocking, but it’s not when you realize 95% of Germans in 1939 identified themselves Christians. I just want to know, how many were “real” Christians?

 

Yes "pride" is absolutely a sin. One many christians and non christians struggle with. But when you are convicted by the Holy Spirit and understand Jesus died on the Cross for your sins...you will view Life differently. I cannot make anyone believe Jesus died for their sins. God may or many not use my interactions to be the moment that turns someone to him. But it is God not me who would be making that happen.

Christians deeply care for those that choose not to follow Jesus. But it is on the individual to live the life they wish. And Christians are as tolerant as anyone. The idea that government defining marriage is tolerance is nonsense if you ask me. I do not care if two guys or gals want to live together outside my heart breaks for their salvation. You do not have to be a Christian to believe that "marriage" is between a man and woman either. But today there is definitely a push to redefine the definition of marriage. Mankind does not exist without Man and Woman. A defining reason as to why marriage was always defined between a man and woman in society. Just because one lives a homosexual lifestyle does not mean they are bad or someone you should avoid. At the same time society should support what was clearly designed as the way to procreate. Christians will absolutely follow the position that marriage should be defined as being between a Man and a Woman. Two creations...so similar/so different/so dependent. But that does not mean a Christian believes homosexuality should be illegal or not allowed.

 

My favorite is the “America is a Christian nation” excuse some of the nutbars use to justify increasingly theocratic laws.

Most of America’s early settlers and founders were Christian, that much is true. But they were Christians fleeing other, much nuttier Christians, in their homelands. We forget their lessons at our own peril.

 

I think you might be in the wrong thread.

 

Please do share where the threat of theocracy is happening. The only threat to our freedom recently was our government not allowing people to worship because of covid.

 

Let me double check. Nope.

 

Might want to check with the women who needed IVF in the state of Alabama, where the entire process is shutdown statewide based on theocratic fervor. That crazed judge literally cited the Bible in his ruling (pretty sure he’s supposed to cite the law and previous legal precedent, no?). The ordeal is explicitly theocratic. So crazy I’d hope even most of the so-called Christians even in a state like Alabama will course correct on it.

This is just the current example, obviously in several states those with theocratic tendencies were excited by the Dobbs ruling.

 

What does this thread have to do with Nazis? I think there was a thread that had to do with a pastor putting swastikas on Jewish grocery bags or something like that (I didn’t read it), but it appears that thread has been deleted.

 

Read the posts I was responding to? There’s your answer. A poster added “here’s another one” to the original topic.

Do we need a “pastors behaving badly” thread? Not really. But sometimes semi-similar incidents happen in groups so it makes sense to discuss together. No clue why the thread on that Nazi pastor was deleted, I never saw the thread. Guess it touched a nerve. "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "

 

I looked into that. According to Reynold’s and Axelrod’s Encyclopedia of Wars a whopping 6% of wars were ostensibly fought for religious reasons. I’m just pointing that where violence is in view, no one employs the No True Scotsman Fallacy like an atheist.

 

A couple of things.

First off, I agree with Q's "view of life" idea but I also think that it can come off sounding condescending when used in a discussion with non-believers. It depends on how you use it. Arguably, the concept is not exclusive to Christianity and actually holds true in a lot of contexts. For instance, two doctors can discuss a medical procedure in a way that a doctor and a layman can't because there are all kinds of nuances that a layman lacks the frame reference to understand.

Secondly, what do you mean by "pipeline to the Almighty?" John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 both sound like an exclusive "pipeline to the Almighty," to me. The New Testament specifically says that Judaism is obsolete and has been superseded. The New Testament doesn't mention Islam by name but instead gives a more general warning against false prophets. See Galations 1:8-9.

Thirdly, non-Christians like to throw around words like "pride", "humility", "love", "judgement", etc. without actually understanding what the Bible means by such words. Speaking the truth boldly isn't pride. Allowing untruths to stand unchallenged isn't humility. I suspect that you're conflating "pride" with "abrasiveness". Christians should absolutely seek to disagree without being disagreeable.

 

That's just indoctrinated nonsense, and oh my, how damn judgmental you are! I especially love the nonsense that "I can sin but will be forgiven if I give myself to Jesus". You've built this snug little glass house from which you can smugly throw your stones, convinced Jesus will forgive you.

Tell me, would your Jesus forgive the murderer who became reborn and gave himself over to Jesus, or would you murder him? I suspect your answer will be you'd murder him and leave it to Jesus to do the forgiving, overlooking Thou Shallt Not Kill.

 

Sorry. It was not a thread. It was just a link someone posted. My bad.
Carry on

 

Are you serious? You are awfully dismissive of others' beliefs. Your references to the New Testament, composed many decades after Christ's death, show nothing more than the earliest examples of Christians persecuting Jews. That Christianity is not what Christ preached. That Christianity as apparently practiced by you, Qgator and others has caused far, far more harm than good.

 

This defines the fundamental sin that curses throughout the religious orthodoxy. The failure to believe every syllable of their storybook condemns you to hell, or worse, depending on the period of history, to death or brutal attack.

Faith is a beautiful concept. Attacking others because they don’t share your commitment to your faith is an abomination. Every “Western” religion is founded upon the same basic “father,” Abraham, worshiping the one true and only G-d. Everything else that follows creates their own flowcharts of beliefs, but the core of that faith never waivers from Abraham. Yet, choose to believe the words of the wrong storybook in the wrong place at the wrong time, and catastrophe follows.

 

If we are going to say that Trump is not a Christian because of serial adultery, then the same standard should also apply to MLK. We can't have one standard for Trump because he is white and not a social justice icon and another standard for MLK because MLK is black and a social justice icon. If MLK's life reflects a man who lived a life enslaved to sexual sin, then that means he did not have the fruits of salvation. That would mean he is in hell, unless if he had some moment at the end of his life where he turned to God in repentance.

And not only that...MLK supposedly laughed while one his friends sexually assaulted another woman. I know it is heresy to compare MLK and Trump, but if we are talking about their track records with adultery and sexual sin MLK might outclass Trump in that regard.

 

You can disagree with it. However, know that it is not I who said it. Mr. Righteous, the only one who is righteous and deserving of such a title, said it himself. And the apostle Paul also said it. This is the clear teaching of the Bible:

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:16-18

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I guess it depends on what you mean by persecution. Show me, in the New Testament, where Christians had a Jew stoned. After that, show me where Christians had a Jew arrested. I think that Paul once shook the dust off his feet. Does that count as persecution?

Ok, then, what did Christ actually preach and where did you come by this knowledge of what Christ actually preached since you, apparently, didn't get it from the New Testament?

How do you measure that? What are you standards for "harm" and "good"? Before you answer the second question, I would just note that people often confuse the word "pain" with the word "harm" and the word "pleasure" with the word "good".

 

I mean yeah man. Ty you guys keep finding these random one-offs out of millions and act indignant when we say they arent Christians.

Guess what the guy in the FSU shirt who liked Florida when Tebow played there isnt really a Gator either.

 

I've read the New Testament once and parts of it many times. I own and treasure the Jeffersonian Bible. What most of the Christians here and elsewhere practice is not what Christ preached. Indeed, I will say with no reservation whatsoever that one who supports Trump is not a true Christian, but rather a cultist worshipping a false idol.