If you tell someone that what they're doing is wrong, does that mean you hate them? That seems to be the popular opinion concerning the religious demographic. Sure, every once in a while you come across a "christian" who shouts hate from the rooftops. But anyone who actually takes the time to read what Christ said will get a different picture. To be sure, the Bible is uncompromisingly clear in saying that homosexuality, addictions, lust, etc. are perversions and sins, but Christ also advocated a "love the sinner, hate the sin" philosophy. The reason that real Christians speak out against homosexual relationships and the like is because they love gay people. The whole idea behind Christianity is to save people from going to hell and give them a relationship with a loving God instead. If we really hated gay people, we would keep silent and let them go to hell. That is the absolute worst thing that could happen to anyone according to a Christian.
Many people think that the old "love the sinner, hate the sin" philosophy is just a way to weasel out of being called a hatemonger. The truth is that that principle is one of the most basic operational rules of Christianity. It is required, and without it, no one can say that they are a follower of Christ. The best example that I can think of to illustrate this concept is the account of the adulteress who was about to be stoned by an angry mob. The religious leaders who were leading the mob asked Jesus if he would throw the first stone. They knew that the Old Testament Law required the death penalty for adultery, and they were trying to make Jesus out to be a heretic for disobeying the law. This is when Jesus said, "Let him who has no sin throw the first stone." Turned out that no one threw a stone. This is important because it lets us know that we have all broken God's law at one time or another, multiple times, in fact. In other words, since we are all criminals, we don't have the right to punish other criminals. After the mob dispersed Jesus told the woman that her accusers were gone, and then said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more." This tells us that although we have broken the Law, Christ wipes our record clean. However, we are also told not to break the Law again in the future. The problem is that anyone who has tried to live by God's standard soon finds that he is incapable of keeping the Law, no matter how many chances he is given. So what is the point of trying? Trying IS the point. One of the absolute essentials for pleasing God is to come back to Him no matter how many times or how hard you fall. Always strive to do your best, but be forewarned that your best will not be enough. That is why we need Him in the first place.
One more thing, and then I'm done. I mentioned earlier that we should not punish people who do wrong, because we have done wrong ourselves. That relates to the verse which says, "Judge not, lest you be judged." The thing I want to clear up is what the Bible means when it says, "judgement." It means judgement in the sense of punishment, as in, the Lord will one day deliver judgement to the earth. It means you don't kill someone for committing adultery, or beat up or insult someone because they're gay. If you want to do those things, it means you are hating the sinner, and that has horrible consequences for both the judged and the judge. It doesn't mean that you can't tell someone they're wrong in order to keep them from going to hell. No Christian in their right mind would believe the Bible tells them to do that.
I can't speak for all the so-called christians who say that God wants to wipe homosexuals from the face of the earth, but I can speak for myself and say to all terrorists, abortionists, porn addicts, homosexuals, murderers, rapists, etc.: God loves you, and He has something wonderful for you if you will only believe in Him.
Many people think that the old "love the sinner, hate the sin" philosophy is just a way to weasel out of being called a hatemonger. The truth is that that principle is one of the most basic operational rules of Christianity. It is required, and without it, no one can say that they are a follower of Christ. The best example that I can think of to illustrate this concept is the account of the adulteress who was about to be stoned by an angry mob. The religious leaders who were leading the mob asked Jesus if he would throw the first stone. They knew that the Old Testament Law required the death penalty for adultery, and they were trying to make Jesus out to be a heretic for disobeying the law. This is when Jesus said, "Let him who has no sin throw the first stone." Turned out that no one threw a stone. This is important because it lets us know that we have all broken God's law at one time or another, multiple times, in fact. In other words, since we are all criminals, we don't have the right to punish other criminals. After the mob dispersed Jesus told the woman that her accusers were gone, and then said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more." This tells us that although we have broken the Law, Christ wipes our record clean. However, we are also told not to break the Law again in the future. The problem is that anyone who has tried to live by God's standard soon finds that he is incapable of keeping the Law, no matter how many chances he is given. So what is the point of trying? Trying IS the point. One of the absolute essentials for pleasing God is to come back to Him no matter how many times or how hard you fall. Always strive to do your best, but be forewarned that your best will not be enough. That is why we need Him in the first place.
One more thing, and then I'm done. I mentioned earlier that we should not punish people who do wrong, because we have done wrong ourselves. That relates to the verse which says, "Judge not, lest you be judged." The thing I want to clear up is what the Bible means when it says, "judgement." It means judgement in the sense of punishment, as in, the Lord will one day deliver judgement to the earth. It means you don't kill someone for committing adultery, or beat up or insult someone because they're gay. If you want to do those things, it means you are hating the sinner, and that has horrible consequences for both the judged and the judge. It doesn't mean that you can't tell someone they're wrong in order to keep them from going to hell. No Christian in their right mind would believe the Bible tells them to do that.
I can't speak for all the so-called christians who say that God wants to wipe homosexuals from the face of the earth, but I can speak for myself and say to all terrorists, abortionists, porn addicts, homosexuals, murderers, rapists, etc.: God loves you, and He has something wonderful for you if you will only believe in Him.
