asaris

Well, I promised a longer post, and here it is. I've actually argued against some of these points in my first post, which you didn't really argue against (statements are not arguments), so if there's some repetition, you'll forgive me, I'm sure.

Why? We certainly teach that God is whole and complete in Himself, but why does this entail that he can't create? We teach that he freely creates; he didn't have to create, and wouldn't be less perfect if he hadn't created. But the availability of choice doesn't imply imperfection. There is more than one way to be perfect.

The Christian stance on homosexuality varies quite a bit. To the best of my knowledge, most denominations teach that, if homosexuality is an innate trait (and AFAIK, this is still an open discussion), it is not a condemnable offense. This is certainly the teaching of my denomination, that while it is not a sin to *be* a homosexual, it is a sin to perform homosexual actions. As it stands, I happen to agree with my denomination. I'm not condemning homosexuals, even 'active' homosexuals. Lord knows I've committed worse sins myself, and it must be a hard temptation to deal with. But, even though other interpretations are possible, it seems to me to be the clear teaching of scripture that homosexuals actions are wrong.

As far as the world being perfect, of course I don't think it's perfect. If it were perfect, I'd be making far more money than I am now . It was created perfect, but free will, etc. There's been plenty of ink spilled on this already, so I don't feel like I have to go into detail here.

As I mentioned before, God didn't create imperfect people. But more importantly, there are a few mistakes here, and these two statements are closely connected. It is indeed true that Christianity holds belief more highly than actions? Why is that? Because Christianity teaches that all of us would be condemned if we were judged by our actions. But it's not really true that it's through belief that we are saved, not if by belief you mean "Intellectual assent to a proposition". As James writes "You believe that there is one God - Good! Even the demons believe that, and shudder." When the scripture talks about believing in God and Jesus, it means far more to trust in them than anything else. What does this mean? Well, it means that anyone who is in hell is there by their own choice. If they were to turn to God for salvation, they would be saved.

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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."

"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche