I think most regular Christians would probably doubt that this particular man has the proper mindset to be truly Christian. He calls himself that because he was raised that way, and maybe follows some of the rituals. It obviously doesn't make him a true Christian. Jesus had the same problem with the Pharisees. Holier than thou, they thought they were. Jesus never failed to show how wrong their thinking was. I think the Westboro Baptist church, for one, is adopting ways of proceeding that should take them right to hell if their acts were to be judged by godly standards. They are the ones perverting the messages of their supposed spiritual leader (I mean Jesus). A lot of this is a problem of 'pots calling kettles black' (in French we say 'the hospital mocking charity'). There was a parable about that, wasn't there?
The US Episcopalian church, which is an offshoot of the Anglican Church (Church of England) 20 years or so ago had a staunch 'No Gay Policy', which turned into 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - today there are a couple of LGBT Bishops, plenty of LGBT Priests who are in service to the church - openly.
Several years ago a Church came out with an ad that pointed out the hypocrisy of being a 'christian church' that excludes a group of people. that ad struck a cord with many denominations who pretended affront at having the splinter in their eye pointed out. That one ad did a lot of cause many churches to reevaluate their stance on LGBT and question themselves if they are doing Christ's Work by picking and choosing who can and cannot worship.
In 2011 the Presbyterian church ordained its first openly gay priest. 2013 the Lutherns elect their first openly gay bishop... these sort of news items demonstrate that in the 21st century the churches are on a massive path of change and acceptance of LGBT in whole.
When a Church puts its stamp of approval on a thing, its laity suddenly change their opinion on the matter to reflect Church Doctrine/Authority.
Tilting at the individual bigot does no good. You need to be patient and make suggestions to the Church itself - its authoritative body, its Bishops, Cardinals, Head High Gurus if you want to have a real chance of addressing the anti-LGBT rhetoric.
Most Christians actually don't care about LGBT issues. They are annoyed that its being made into a big deal, they are tired of the arguments, and really exhausted with politicians who throw it out there to hide their own bumbles and policies that they don't want to talk about.
There are plenty of 'Gay Christian' websites out there. I suggest you find a few and start talking to LGBT Christians, those who are staunch believers and who have reconciled the anti-LGBT thing with their own faith.
You will find that many know many real Christians - people who are loving and tolerant and actually strive to be 'Christlike' in their dealings with others on earth.
Unfortunately the media never covers those Christlike people, and their voice is quiet while the voice of haters is amplified.
The more vocal few, those who get all the headlines and sound-bites are those who are anti-LGBT like the Phelps group. But then even decent christian folk have grown weary of all of that hate and are denouncing Phelps and Company as being anything but 'Christian'.
I'm not sure. Thing is a lot of people say things on the net that they'd never say in real life in public as the social consequences could be too severe. That is it's conceivable that you know and like this person in real life (say from work) and would never suspect these are his sentiments.
However, there are many...and the reason Westboro is reviled isn't because they're anti-gay but because they're anti-American (no one cared about them for over a decade, not even when they crashed Matthew Shepard's funeral, until they started crashing soldier funerals and THEN mainstream Christianity rose up, along with the KKK, and said "they're not with us" which should tell you that therefore mainstream Christianity AT BEST doesn't care about homophobes, and perhaps silently applauds them).
I used to think they were a minority because I couldn't see how so many people would care. And then the events of 2004 happened politically and I reassessed my views (including in checking best sellers, etc, that like elections show what the MAJORITY believe), saw that no, bigotry is the rule among Christianity, not the exception. Luckily the 2012 election has given me cause to think that after some introspection, or at least checking priorities, that attitudes toward us are really changing in this Christian nation, and I'm uncertain how deeply rooted such bigotry is now.
Back in late 2004 I came under a death threat by Christian terrorists that the deputies told me to take seriously and I was able to get a CCW permit in California (in a place where cops are as loathe to hand those out as they are to hand out one of their teeth), and so I began going to the firing range again (this was after every state that voted on amending their constitution against gays passed by a majority vote and they were feeling good about themselves), and I heard the most disturbing things, and that's just including the people who were upstanding citizens, saying the most hateful things about gays, one saying he considered it justified self-defense to shoot a gay drinking at a public water fountain as gays spread AIDS.
And one, who assumed I was a Christian heterosexual by virtue of the fact that I had a gun (I kid you not! I didn't correct his view about me, either) warned me to shoot to kill against any lesbian Pink Pistols (which ironically I happened to be one, not that I let him know that). And why? Because of this:
That may be FOX but back then it was THE MOST POPULAR News show (no, it's not satire, for those of you outside the States)...so mainstream, yeah.
Funny how the 'Christian' the OP talked to on that online forum was quick to resort to swearing and childish, vulgar language. They do realise that its a sin to curse and use foul, abusive language don't they? I am sure that violates a number of Biblical passages, if they were as devoted as they claimed they should be able to hold their tongue and phrase their words more carefully.
In my life, from what I have seen, heard, and witnessed....
"Christians" of ANY religion use religion as a cover for hate, murder, thievery, rape, torture, etc...
If YOU dont live they way THEY tell you to live, your just a piece of shit that they need to scrape off their shoe.
Burning clinics, torturing kids/elderly, calling people vile/offensive names, spitting on people, setting fire to people/their homes, murder, theft, harassment, and just all forms of mental and physical brutality....two faced hypocrites, liars, cheats, alcoholics, drug addicts, pimps, whores, sluts, child abusers, wife beaters, black market baby sellers, hate mongers, pedophiles, and the list goes on.
I can count the number of "good christians" I have met in my life on one hand.
Someone posted a reply on another thread about genocide. Well, I will say this much......you get rid of religion on this planet, and things will definately get better.
I know lots of lovely Christians. They only wana be nice to people and stuff. I think its that place that was founded my atheists and became Nazi Christian (USA)
The problem with religion is its a battle between which religion will rain supreme. People just fail to understand there is more than one way of thinking. We can politely disagree or just respect each other i mean seriously. All i know is the gay bashers and hard core religion fanatics are the people I don't need in my life. I have people I love and care about, those are the only type of people I want to associate myself with.
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