Guess who

Jim Brown said:

Guess what famous living American recently answered the following questions in the following (IMHO) exceptionally refreshing and very open manner. No fair using Google, unless of course you are stumped and give up. But don't post a Googled-guess please.

Jim

Q. A lot of people point to the Bible for reasons why gay people should not be in the church, or accepted in any way.

A. Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.

Q. Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). How can you remain true to an exclusivist faith claim while respecting other faith traditions?

A. Jesus also taught that we should not judge other people (Matthew 7:1), and that it is God who judges people, so I am willing to let God make those judgments, in the ultimate time whenever it might come. I think 'judge not that you be not judged' is the best advice that I will follow. Maybe it is a rationalization, but it creates a lack of tension in my mind about that potential conflict.

There are many verses in the Bible that you could interpret very rigidly and that makes you ultimately into a fundamentalist. When you think you are better than anybody else -- that you are closer to God than other people, and therefore they are inferior to you and subhuman -- that leads to conflict and hatred and dissonance among people when we should be working for peace.

Q. Should we approach the Bible literally, or metaphorically?

A. When we go to the Bible we should keep in mind that the basic principles of the Bible are taught by God, but written down by human beings deprived of modern day knowledge. So there is some fallibility in the writings of the Bible. But the basic principles are applicable to my life and I don't find any conflict among them.

Jim Brown said:

Guess what famous living American recently answered the following questions in the following (IMHO) exceptionally refreshing and very open manner. No fair using Google, unless of course you are stumped and give up. But don't post a Googled-guess please.

Jim

Q. A lot of people point to the Bible for reasons why gay people should not be in the church, or accepted in any way.

A. Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.

[COLOR="Blue"]Just because Jesus did not mention homosexuality in his earthly ministry, does not mean he approved it or now it is no longer sin. Actually, Jesus did reiterate the proper role of male and female and that marriage is between one man and one women from the time of creation of man and woman. Further, people are not condemned because of any one particular sin, people are condemned because they are sinners. Unrepentent sinners condemn themselves in thier rebellion and unbelief. Homosexual sex is a sin according to Jesus and anyone who does not repent and belive in Christ as Lord and Savior will pay the penalty of sin, which is death, eternal death. Carter is completely wrong in this unbiblical answer.[/COLOR]

Q. Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). How can you remain true to an exclusivist faith claim while respecting other faith traditions?

A. Jesus also taught that we should not judge other people (Matthew 7:1), and that it is God who judges people, so I am willing to let God make those judgments, in the ultimate time whenever it might come. I think 'judge not that you be not judged' is the best advice that I will follow. Maybe it is a rationalization, but it creates a lack of tension in my mind about that potential conflict.

There are many verses in the Bible that you could interpret very rigidly and that makes you ultimately into a fundamentalist. When you think you are better than anybody else -- that you are closer to God than other people, and therefore they are inferior to you and subhuman -- that leads to conflict and hatred and dissonance among people when we should be working for peace.

[COLOR="Blue"]The question is flawed to begin with since it is a partial quote out of context. Had the rest of the context been included, the question could be answered in context. As such, Carter did not even attempt to answer and instead went off on some rant about judging other which does not even relate to the question in anyway or the verse quoted. What a hoot![/COLOR]

Q. Should we approach the Bible literally, or metaphorically?

A. When we go to the Bible we should keep in mind that the basic principles of the Bible are taught by God, but written down by human beings deprived of modern day knowledge. So there is some fallibility in the writings of the Bible. But the basic principles are applicable to my life and I don't find any conflict among them.

[COLOR="Blue"]While Carter's 'approach' to the bible may be acceptable, his view that it is fallible is clearly wrong. The fact that the writers did not have modern knowledge in no way makes the words fallible or in error. Rather, there is just more work for the modern reader to understand the author, his audience, and the culture at the time of writing. Most are lazy in there attempt to understand the bible in context and therefore often put themselves in error, not the other way around.[/COLOR]