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There is much controversy in our culture today surrounding Christian businesses being forced to photograph gay engagements, bake cakes or provide flowers for gay weddings, or rent rooms to gay coup...
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I humbly submit that a truly tolerant (free and moral) society would not through coercion, force a certain class of it's citizens to violate their religious convictions, that said. What we have before us is an illusion (deception) of tolerance which really is totalitarian control at it's core, exercised through coercive persuasion or modern day political correctness....Mark 13:5 This republic was founded on a legal percept given by God which is that under the law we the people are all equal before the law. Today there are some special interest and thus protected classes, that are more equal than others for political and supporting indulgences paid to the propagators of tolerance. Mark 13:13 Christians are the only group that must bow their knee at the altar of tolerance, to and for those who are are not tolerant in their own hearts, as the intelligentsia leaders and media mocking label them "flat Earth people" Mean while every other crackpot or ideologically correct mischievous idea is revered as pure genius, even though it may contradict all logic and common sense. It's the duty of the Christian solider to stand at his posting for what is right and true, until we are relieved of duty or our Lord's return...1 Cor 16:13 "He who marries the spirit of the age will soon be a widower".....Dean W.R. Inge In the Lord's freedom and true tolerance.........warrior on
Refusing service to people the service provider FEELS is undeserving of their agency is not new, neither is this attitude confined to a small group of recent notoriety. Even people who have suffered this kind of humiliation can find the temerity to mistreat the one they FEEL queasy toward. I'm not surprised however, I only wish I was. In his letter to the church at Rome the apostle Paul describes to us "The Marks Of A True Christian". Romans 12: 14-21. (I don't buy the term "TRUE christian" as if there is another kind but I'll endure for this purpose). Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.... associate with the humble... do not be wise in YOUR OWN opinion. Repay no one evil for evil.... If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live PEACEABLY with ALL men.... do not avenge yourselves.... if your enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty give him a drink.... do not be overcome with evil, but OVERCOME evil with GOOD. Scriptures of this kind present a problem for the political minded "christian", and means nothing at all to the unbeliever. The political minded "christian" has actually changed places with the one who is the focus of this narrative and is persecuting the sinner or the socially unacceptable persons and not the other way around. The unbeliever couldn't care less what the apostle Paul was told to tell the church. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 2 Cor 6:14 Believers are light and righteous not because of our lifestyle but because of our belief (dependence) on The Lord Jesus Christ. Unbelievers are in lawless darkness not because of their lifestyle but because of their denial of The Lord Jesus as Lord of their lives. There are a great many squeaky clean, very moral GOOD people who are unbelieving atheists who no one, calling themselves conscientious "christians"will refuse service to. See above scripture; Avoid communion with unbelievers, remember? He didn't specify lifestyle the way the scripture is used by many to ratify their political-spiritual bias. Paul tells the church to "abhor what is evil". This is not a COMMAND to show disapproval for people but to REGARD (think of) evil in a certain way for the purpose of keeping the church from falling prey to the same enemy of our souls. Spiritual arrogance is unbecoming and dangerous and also counterproductive to our mission. The people who refuse service to same sex couples are only doing what has been done, only the persons being refused are different. There are good reasons, in my opinion, to refuse to do business with people and none of the reasons I'm referring to refers to people of a GROUP... those who.... etc... Nowhere does The Lord instruct His people to mistreat people. We must be careful who we yoke together with.
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