Quote:
Originally Posted by Naked_Rectitude
We can examine homosexual attraction. The Christian view (or a popular one) is that you don't simply aim to "stop sinning", but you focus on having faith in Christ and being born again. Born again meaning that you "give" your life to Christ and decide to follow his will, and enter in a relationship with God. So you are dying to yourself, your flesh, and are made alive in the spirit, being born again and living for Christ.
In this view, Christ changes your character as you now walk in the spirit, and not in the flesh. You will naturally become more like Christ and your inclinations to sin will decline. Many will attest to this and will credit it to their victory over addictions, as I do.
So there is a subtle difference between simply not sinning, and being changed to not want to sin. Again, heaven is not about simply "not sinning" but faith in Christ which will result in you not sinning.
This is another clear example of fear culture that's inset deep within the core of Christian faith. What you seem to be saying is that you should subdue and crush any strong feelings and not embrace them. Obviously I'm not agreeing that if you get the urge to murder, you should probably fulfil the urge, but you're basing your judgement of homosexuality being not of God based on a ancient book where one of the many fundamental problems is: its ambiguity. It is so vague and self-contradictory on so many issues that it is useless as a moral compass. By the careful selection of passages taken out of context, the Bible can be represented as supporting any and every cause or standpoint you can care to name.
One day we will outgrow religion as we've outgrown our belief in and dragons and unicorns. One day we will just accept our mortality, and get on with the business of living and doing the best we can for others.
'Becoming more like Christ' pretty much just translates to 'Live in fear that if you do not change you will go to hell', imo.
Naked_, you've stayed clean because you want to live a happy and positive life and you know that you wouldn't if you kept using. It's so clear 'God's faith' or whatever you want to call it was just your subconscious telling yourself: YOU NEED SOMETHING TO KICK YOU IN THE ASS AND CHANGE FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND FOREMOST YOU.
That's one of the great (limited) uses for religious faith, it can inspire many to do the 'right' thing, the moral and righteous thing. Then again, on the flip side faith in doing something because you think it's right based on religious faith has caused many deaths and grief for families in our history.
The night is dark and full of terrors is not a way to live life
It all comes down to a good set of morals, then you don't need to have faith or pray, everything will sort itself out when we die. If nothing happens, nothing happens, if you go to heaven, great! Just don't live life in fear of doing something wrong that upsets a moral code that was written x,xxx years ago that would send you to the most horrible places you could possibly imagine. Children are scared of the Bogeyman, not big boys like us.