And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma.
The the LORD said in His heart, 'I will
never again curse the ground for man's sake,
although the imagination of man's heart
is evil from his youth;....
Genesis 8:21
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked;
who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9
Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity, and in sin my mother
conceived me.
Psalm 51:5
The Bible is wrought through and through with the fact that man is evil, and is evil from his birth. Furthermore, man is evil due to original sin by Adam, carried forth unto his progeny. We cannot dismiss this fact, the Bible, the inspired word of God tells us that this is true. Therefore if man be evil from birth, and is totally depraved without moral goodness, a moral compass that leads us to live a life ordained by God, then we must not disbelieve for if we do then all we are saying is that the Bible is not true in everything that it speaks about. Man then just chooses what he wants to believe and discards the rest. We cannot ignore or ridicule this fact of man's nature, that it is fallen. It is this wickedness in man that twists and distorts their thinking and lures others into this same wicked thinking and actions. This sin, the fallen nature of man is inconsistent with a Holy God who cares for man, and has given to man how they should live for if they follow His advice their lives would be better, but their presuppositions, those of materialistic man, that which has infested the Church in many cases with this misunderstanding of man as told to us from God is simply; they do not believe the Bible. This is a serious matter.
Oh! Richard, stop, you are being pedantic, even a bit diatribe in your writing; things cannot be as bad as you write! Just look at all the Churches, all the people that call themselves Christian, those that say they love God and are trying to live a Godly life. Don't they count for something? Yes! But! Are they following the Bible, or are they following some leader who does not teach the Bible except to use it for their own ends and lure others into falsehood? Has there been a downward spiral over the years leading men and women, even our children, so that they believe in doctrines that are not Biblical? Some still teach that Satan is some red-horned being with a tail, superstitions that make the Bible stores to be fair tales. These excesses among believers attribute to discredit the reality taught in the Bible. Therefore, so that you will not just see me as mean, a person who has an axe to grind, that even as you may have had happen in your life that your family thinks of you only by seeing your past and not what has actually changed, that God is doing a mighty work in you so that you are becoming devoted to Him, and are attempting in every way to live the life God approves. My question is: will they actually take time to examine what they believe, their Church's position on abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, divorce, etc., or will they just continue in this downward spiral, a spiral that only continues to get worse as our children take this false teaching deeper into the dark chasm of sin, allowing their fallen nature to become ever the so more removed from God? Let us see if evil has found a place in the Church? Maybe not your Church, but unless you have checked; how do you know? Therefore, so that I am not accused of being harsh, pedantic, and just mean I will; list Christian denominational positions on
homosexuality: I think some of you will be surprised!
The Seventh-day Adventist Church:
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is
opposed to same-gender sexual practices and relationships on the grounds that
"sexual intimacy belongs only within the marital relationship of a man and
a woman." It believes the Bible consistently affirms the pattern of
heterosexual monogamy, and all sexual relations outside the scope of spousal
intimacy are contrary to God's original plan. (Annual Council of the General Conference Executive Committee (October 3, 1999). "Position Statement on Homesexuality". Seventh-day Adventist Church Statements. Retrieved 2012-April-06.)
Anglican:
The Anglican Communion has been divided over the
issue of homosexuality in several ways. The Church of England, the mother church of the Communion, currently maintains
(according to the statement Issues in Human Sexuality) that same-sex
partnerships are acceptable for laypersons but gay clergy are expected to be
abstinent. ("Human Sexuality". Church of England. Retrieved 26 August 2010.The Lambeth Conferencee of 1998 called homosexuality
"incompatible with Scripture" but this remains a purely advisory
guideline as there are no communion-wide legislative bodies in the Anglican
Church ("Resolution I.10:
Lambeth Conference Archives – 1998. The Lambeth
Conference. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
On the other hand, in 2003 the Episcopal Church, which is the
American body (province) of the Anglican Communion, approved Gene Robinson to the bishopric of the diocese of New
Hampshire. Bishop Gene Robinson is the first openly gay (non-celibate) clergy
to be ordained to the episcopate.(RICHARD VARA (11 January 2008). "Carey says Anglican Communion is in crisis.". Houston Chronicle.
Retrieved 26 August 2010).
The Anglican Church of New Zealand has
decided to allow homosexuals to become clergy.
Owing to the changing views regarding sexual morality of the Episcopal
Church USA, in 2009 the Anglican Church in North America
(ACNA) was formed as a conservative alternative to the Episcopal Church. Made
up of parishes and dioceses that have left the Episcopal Church and of
"Continuing Anglican" congregations, the ACNA claims to espouse a
traditional Christian view of marriage being between one man and one woman.
Baptists: the Southern Baptist Convention, the
largest of the Baptist denominations and the largest Protestant group in the
U.S., considers same-gender sexual behavior to be sinful, stating clearly that
its members "affirm God's plan for marriage and sexual intimacy – one man,
and one woman, for life. Homosexuality is not a 'valid alternative lifestyle.'
The Bible condemns it as sin. It is not, however, an unforgivable sin. The same
redemption available to all sinners is available to homosexuals. They, too, may
become new creations in Christ. (Position of SBC on sexuality in general).
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) officially regards homosexual conduct "as incompatible with
Biblical teaching(We are American Baptists',. American Baptist Churches USA. Retrieved 21 November
2009) however, there are a number of Baptist churches in the ABCUSA and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship that
have more inclusive views.(
Allen, Bob (30 March 2010). "Legal gay marriage pushes sexuality to the forefront for churches." Associated Baptist
Press. Retrieved 26 August 2010.)The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, a group of some 50 churches and
organizations, is committed to the "full inclusion" of gay and
lesbian persons in their churches.("AWAB Mission" The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists. 2006.
Retrieved 27 August 2010.
The historically African-American denominations of the National Baptist Convention have issued no public statements on homosexuality; however, the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. does not allow its clergy to officiate at ceremonies for same-sex
unions. (
Salmon, Jacqueline (19 August 2007). "Rift Over Gay Unions Reflects Battle New to Black Churches.". The
Washington Post. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
"Stances of Faiths on LGBT Issues: National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., Human Rights
Campaign. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
There is so much confusion among the denomination, within denominations, so how does a laymen attend to this problem? The read and believe the Bible just as the Bible states: PERIOD! Leave the Church that teaches anything but Authentic Biblical Faith! Read Romans and see what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write.
But we know that the
Judgment of God
is according to truth
against those who
practice such things.
Romans 2:2
Pray for those who will not heed God's word
Richard L. Crumb
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