He Does Not Disgrace Us
Fred Phelps does not disgrace Christianity. He can't disgrace us because he has nothing to do with us. Christianity seeks to perfectly harmonize absolute love and absolute justice without diluting either. (Perfect Love and Perfect Justice became one and the same at the cross.)
Even those who do not inherit eternal life are loved by God. The thought of anyone being in Hell causes me no joy, and it causes God no joy either. A lost soul is the greatest of tragedies and there is no reason for anyone to rejoice. In the end all will get what they truly desire and those who want nothing to do with God will get what they want, but will be unable to enjoy it. God does not rejoice over the damnation of a lost soul and neither should we; He grieves for a beloved child lost forever, and we should grieve for them too. "As I live saith the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33: 11)
'Reverend" Phelps shows that he does not have God's character when he rejoices over a lost soul, assuming the soul truly is lost in the first place. He wants people who don't share his beliefs to die. That kind of reminds me of another group. Perhaps that group and not Christianity is his spiritual home.
The principle of "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner" is not a copout. It is at the heart of the Christian's relationship with those outside of the Church. If circumstances require us to kill, we do so with a grieving heart, weeping for the one that we are forced to kill. An execution is not something to celebrate, but a time for reflecting on our own lives and the lives of those around us.
Some think that Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner is impossible because you cannot hate the sin without hating the sinner but that is not true. Anyone who has ever loved an alcoholic or a drug addict knows that sometimes you cannot truly love a person without hating something about them, something that is destroying them.
There are things that we should hate, but all of these are impersonal things, such as immorality, lies, unbelief etc., impersonal evils that seduce and mislead our fellow humans.
Reverend Phelps needs to read the entire Bible, not just the passages that he chooses.
Even those who do not inherit eternal life are loved by God. The thought of anyone being in Hell causes me no joy, and it causes God no joy either. A lost soul is the greatest of tragedies and there is no reason for anyone to rejoice. In the end all will get what they truly desire and those who want nothing to do with God will get what they want, but will be unable to enjoy it. God does not rejoice over the damnation of a lost soul and neither should we; He grieves for a beloved child lost forever, and we should grieve for them too. "As I live saith the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33: 11)
'Reverend" Phelps shows that he does not have God's character when he rejoices over a lost soul, assuming the soul truly is lost in the first place. He wants people who don't share his beliefs to die. That kind of reminds me of another group. Perhaps that group and not Christianity is his spiritual home.
The principle of "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner" is not a copout. It is at the heart of the Christian's relationship with those outside of the Church. If circumstances require us to kill, we do so with a grieving heart, weeping for the one that we are forced to kill. An execution is not something to celebrate, but a time for reflecting on our own lives and the lives of those around us.
Some think that Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner is impossible because you cannot hate the sin without hating the sinner but that is not true. Anyone who has ever loved an alcoholic or a drug addict knows that sometimes you cannot truly love a person without hating something about them, something that is destroying them.
There are things that we should hate, but all of these are impersonal things, such as immorality, lies, unbelief etc., impersonal evils that seduce and mislead our fellow humans.
Reverend Phelps needs to read the entire Bible, not just the passages that he chooses.
posted by shoprat at 7:44 PM
11 Comments:
Exactly!
I don't know who this person is, but how can you select only certain passages and not the others ...... uh ... never mind, I hust realized there are a few so called "religions" that do that. Twist history to meet their needs and not learn the lessons that were intended.
Thank you for denouncing Phelps. It proves to me that you a a "real" Christian and not just another moral condemner.
Jesus was down there talking with the prostitutes, thieves, and other ne'er do wells... that's where the real action is if you want to save some souls, not in church where everyone wears their Sunday best.
To sit in silence is to approve...
You know Rebecca posted on him awhile back. I had been meaning to do a post on him as well. A commenter on Rebecca's post talked about reading wikipedia's research on him. It is very, very scary!!!
I have been thinking of doing a post and exposing a lot of it. I knew he was psycho but I had no idea. This guy literally didn't graduate from college because they wouldn't let him stay unless he would seek psychiatric help and he wouldn't. His church isn't a church but a complete cult. He severely abused his children and is a drug/alcohol abuser. He is suspected in a murder, etc...
It made a lot more sense about a "Reverend" who preached a message of hate. I despise how he has hurt many, many people and claims to do it in the name of God.
One of my best friends is a sex addict and an alcoholic. I feel for him and it hurts me horribly to see what he is doing to his family and to himself, but I love him. Perhaps I would feel much differently about him if I were married to him. Maybe its easier to love the sinner when we don't get closer to them than we should or when we don't let them hurt us. Before I met him, I was scared to death to be around anyone who wasn't pristine. I'm still trying to reach a balance in my life. Thanks for giving me food for thought today SR.
Exactly! The Bible never tells us to rejoice over the lost - or to decide whether or not they're lost. This guy has nothing to do with what Christianity or Christians stand for.
jgf I agree completely too :-)
abf He is an idiot who shows up celebrating at the funerals of soldiers, and his motto is "God hates fags"
tim I will speak the truth as I see it but I am too aware of my own sin to freely condemn others.
lmc I look forward to seeing what you have.
lp I too care about people who are determined to destroy themselves and it is hard.
n,s Unfortunately he shows up in Michigan just a little too often.
rebekah, sometimes it is hard not to rejoice over the lost, especially someone who kills a child but we must struggle with this.
Shoprat - thanks for putting things in perspective. All too often, the bad apple is presented as the rule instead of the exception. He is a soul who has lost his way.
"He is an idiot who shows up celebrating at the funerals of soldiers, and his motto is "God hates fags"
Ok, now I know who your talking about ... total idiot is an understatement.
Phelps of course is a Democrat and a friend of Al Gore. As LMC, points out his Westboro Church is a crazy cult and he provokes cops to arrest him so he can sue them for harassment. Not a nice man.
I meant to add that most of your Christian posts go over my heathen head but this post gave me a lift. Thanks.
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