lynx wrote:
> Mark T wrote:
>
>> "lynx" wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>> No Christian follows what Jesus says in the bible when I ask them ...
>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>> Jesus said in Matthew 5:42, "Give to him that asketh thee, and from
>>>> him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." May I have your
>>>> house and car and may I borrow your most prized possession?
>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>
>>>
>>> Perhaps it's implied that the request stems from genuine need.
>>>
>>
>>
>> The passage says nothing about genuine need ... only a request.
>>
>
>
> Well if you're going to apply a strict literal interpretation, and you
> accept that Jesus did say this, then you only have the conclusion that
> Christianity imposes impossible demands on us available to you, which
> then begs the response, so why even bother trying to live a christian
life?
>
>
>
Jesus said many things which appear to us to be impossible. eg about
moving mountains by faith, about selling all your possessions and giving
the cash to the poor. There is no way you can rationalise them away no
matter how hard you try.
That is why I object to those people who pick on homo***uals as the only
ones living lives of sin and not changing that as a matter of course.
So why bother even trying, you ask? It is a very good question, one of
the best in fact. And I don't have a good answer. Its rather like the
problem of evil, much discussed, but there are no clear answers.
If God forgives our sins (if we repent), then why don't we just keep on
sinning, then repent just before we die (cf Augustine)? And if we're
worried about being hit by a bus, then we must repent at every possible
op****tunity, while also knowing that we are liable to sin just before
the bus hits anyway. That way is the "good life" scenario, but its
pretty problematic anyway, as most sins are sins of omission, not
commission, and there is no guarantee of heaven. This is why the church
got into such problems in the Middle Ages, when the priests thought that
they had some influence over this and could guarantee a trip to heaven
for the right consideration.
My take is that it is asking the wrong question. Being a christian is
about belonging to God's kingdom, called the Kingdom of Heaven in
Matthew, and it is firmly here on earth. Its rewards are also found on
earth, and come from the way you live and the life you lead, not as a
reward in the afterlife.
Chris
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