Re: Ex-Haitian soldiers threaten violence over back pay

"Capt.Doug" <Capt.Doug@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"An eye for an eye"
"Turn the other cheek"

Yes it IS. It is a set of rules that society uses to govern itself
accordingly. The scriptures may well have come from God, but to claim they
are not rules to guide us through our existence is ignorance

These phrases are in several versions of the Bible. As a child, I read the
Bible if only to see for myself why this particular book was held in such
lofty admiration. In it's pages I encountered this classic clash of
statements and many other things that a simple child would see as
hypocrisy.
The many countering statements bred distrust.

Now see for yourself Jesus's own concern about this same classic clash of
statements concerning religion practicing Jews who felt that they understood
the Law, and had in fact lived by it. It's commonly referred to as "The
Sermon On The Mount".

Matthew 5:17-48
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have
not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until
heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of
a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and
teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not
enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,
and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that
anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again,
anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But
anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember
that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in
front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come
and offer your gift.
25"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.
Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to
the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be
thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you
have paid the last penny.

Adultery
27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28But I tell
you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge
it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to
lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Divorce
31"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a
certificate of divorce.' 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife,
except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and
anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not
break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell
you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by
the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of
the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even
one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,'
'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on
the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue
you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone
forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks
you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are
not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your
brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Half of the Bible, the older testement, is more than 2000 years old. The
first millenium of the newer testement was an age of grace for many
peoples
who had never heard of JC. They couldn't accept him because they didn't
know
of him, and yet, Asian societies had a certain enlightenment.

The age of grace is characterized by the fact that Christ came and paid for
our sins. I will last until the day of his return, when we will no longer
be able to ask and receive forgiveness for our sins.

Your god surrounded me with persons who would try to take advantage of me.

It is not that God has surrounded you with evil man. It is called, the
effect of sin in the world, yourself included.

Romans 5:17-21 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of
one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence
might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Your god instilled in me a self-preservation mode called scepticism.
Therefore, because of your god, I can not blindly accept an unknown
quantity
as my savior. You should be able to explain that with some handy Biblical
references.

It is not called scepticism. It is called unbelief, and God did not instill
it in you. We are justified by faith, and the Bible declares that without
faith, it is impossible to please God. Another word for faith is trust, God
works in complete honesty, he cannot save you unless you want to be saved.
That's what faith is all about. If you do not trust him he cannot save you,
because in effect he will be kidnapping you against your free will, even if
it is to save your very own life. Even in Heaven you would then have a right
to say: I did not want to be here, you brought me here against my will. Just
like earth, heaven will become polluted with rebellious demoniacs, who rebel
against God. It simply is unacceptable. That's why when we pray our Lord's
prayer, Jesus taught us to say "may your will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven". Heaven is not a place for unbelievers.

but bottom line is that evangelicals piss me off. Don't help
others with the hope that they will accept your vision of god. Don't offer
help to others with the condition that they must view you as a Christian.
Help others JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN!

There is no quid pro quo. We do not precondition our help, we provide our
help in the name of our Lord, because we are not doing our own work, but the
work of the one who sent us, by saying to us: just as the father sent me, so
send I you.

Jules.


.

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