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Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
Are you implying that you are not tolerant of the methods of how someone else lives and chooses how to bring up their children in their own lifestyle and belief system?
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In some cases, yes. I do not believe it is respect to allow for the freedom of action of the ones who happen to be adults, and not allow for the freedom of potential of the ones who happen to be young. A balance of the two is necessary.
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Surely someone who is requesting that other people be accepting of YOUR lifestyle and belief system. Just because they are under the "Christian" faith does not mean that they have the same beliefs as you. They may have similarities but again, each ministry is free to choose how they decide to interpret the bible and interact with each other and their own community.
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As i said, i expect to talk. and i expect to listen. in the cases in which i disagree, i will let that be known. i am not starting a war here...i am stating my conscience.
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Or someone like myself who does not have the same faith base as you? My ethic is to be questioned? All I am saying is live and let live. Not my place to force my opinion. I don't think what they are doing is right but it is not my place to try and convince them otherwise.
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Your ethic of parenting is not really the question at hand. I'm willing to be quite trusting that people have their lives figured out until i see evidence to the contrary. in this case, these reports and this kid's blog seem to be pretty clear evidence that these parents do not know what they're doing. And since we do happen to share the project of Christianity, it's my place to contest what that idea means. They in turn push back the other way...
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I don't see why you have a hard time with accepting the fact that someone else CHOOSES what they feel is best for their child and their family that is well within the rights and guidelines set forth in the US Constitution and US Judicial system.
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I'm not interested in the law. I'm not pursuing legal options. No lawsuits filed. I am making public statements that this behavior is not in keeping with the revelation of Christ. It's not a legal question to me in the least. It's about making a stand for what i beleive to be important about my faith, and contesting what has come to be known as the Religious Right in this country. it is an artificial hegemony, a product of bad memory. not so long ago, the religious ones were the leftists and activists. and the pendulum will most likely swing back at some point. i'm doing my best to keep those memories alive, to remind folks that the project of Christianity has multiple centers, and is never defined by one party or theology. what we believe matters, and being critical of our theological assumptions is not just a nice thing to do for the sake of the mental work out. it is our duty to avoid idol worship, and the seeking after of false gods.
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You cannot seem to understand that it's THEIR choice to believe that not whether or not you believe it or disapprove of it. It's not yours to decide, it may be yours to have an opinion but again not yours to force someone else to believe.
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Simply put, i disagree with this statement. I am not forcing anyone to beleive. I don't have a gun to their heads. I'm not using coercive power to put kids in re-education camps of shame. I'm not all but kidnapping these poor kids and telling them that God hates them, using the threat of the worst torture in creation to make them afraid of who God made them to be.
I don't buy the ideology of moral relativism. I am a theological liberal in many ways, but in many i am quite conservative. I believe in grace, that God's news for us is one of profound freedom. But to see the light is to know that we have been in darkness, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am not so proud as to say i always know the truth. but this is not an excuse for inaction in the face of what i believe to be contrary to the Gospel. My obligation is to speak up, to resist as i can, and to do so loving those who oppose me, seeking always their freedom from the service of the idols of fear and death, to humbly accept that i too am imperfect and that i must repent of my failings.