At 10:50 AM 24/02/02 -0600, Lucy Masters wrote:
>Jan:
>
>I'm ashamed of you for calling me un-Christian. That's a very
>un-Christian thing to do.
>
>As I said in an earlier post to Adrian, I find the Bible scandalous in
>many respects. Were I to quote from it, I'd find myself endorsing all
>manner of offensive tribal action.
How do you want to be a Christian without accepting the Bible as the Word
of God?
>We just have different perspectives, that's all. You think the United
>States is a terrible place, and I think folks have a better life here than
>in most places I've visited.
USA has a greater discrepancy between rich and poor than anywhere else in
the world.
>. I see nothing "un-Christian" about capitalism, nor do I see anything
>"un-Christian" about some folks having a higher standard of living than
>others. This is basic human behavior - reward and punishment - depending
>upon behavior.
That is another un-biblical statement. The Bible tells us that we are all
guilty and worthy of punishment. Thaat is why our Lord died for us on the
cross.
> I don't think that communism and socialism and other economic systems
> that force the sharing of wealth are more Christian than a system where
> folks raise their standard of living based upon their hard work.
Did you study the system the Lord gave to Israel in the Old
Testament? Israel did not follow the rules (did not take proper care of
the land and the poor) and had to go into exile.
There are other systems than just "capitalism", "socialism", "communism."
>Where do you travel? Look at the difference between rich and poor in
>Africa, South America, the Arabian peninsula, and many other places. Our
>maid (from Mexico) was living in a cardboard box over there. Now she
>lives in a white frame house here in the states - the highest standard of
>living she has ever had. "Poor" folks in this country have tremendous
>benefits.
To my knowledge the blacks in the USA are still not treated like the
whites. (And it could be better here as well. Though we have blacks and
whites living in our street, and blacks, whites, East-Asian etc. going to
our church.)
Quote from "Themelios", vol.27. no.2, Spring 2002:
". . .when I look at American society in general, I am left with profound
doubts about the depth of much American Christianity. The rates of
abortion are tragically high; the ubiquity of drugs eats at the fabric of
society; unbelievable levels of deprivation and poverty stand side by side
with vast wealth and opulence; the awful urban violence easily (and
ironically, given American help in the province) eclipses that of Ulster in
numbers of dead and wounded; and glib political blasphemies drip constantly
from the lips of politicians who consistently identify the American way
with God's way. . . ."
Then some good things are said about church-going in America in comparison
with Great Britain.
>Lucy
You complain about "my complaints.." Well, I am sorry if I sound like I am
complaining. I just wanted to point out that the ASA is a Christian
affiliation. True, many different churches and communities are represented
here. The fact that we have again an extensive discussion on Genesis shows
that we want to live by the Bible, even when we disagree. Your remarks
about the Bible do not sound very christian to me.
Jan de K.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Feb 25 2002 - 10:26:17 EST