Look, I'm going to be honest: as much as I'm against fanatical Christians, it seems to me the secular world expects the "respectable" Christian to be someone who simply goes to Church on Sunday, prays in their bedroom, and keeps their faith to themselves. Anything more, even so much as wearing a cross around your neck, is "going too far" and "forcing your religion on others."
Sorry, but I don't feel comfortable about maintaining such "respectability politics."
Like, how is this any different from telling gay people that they should keep their sexual identities to themselves and not even mention their identity in the presence of others, even so much as wearing a rainbow-colored clothing item?
Gay people shouldn't be expected to live in the closet. And neither should Christians!
Sorry, not sorry.
@JCAlexandreWrites #religion
Staying in the closet and repressing your love is NOT in the gay Bible
However, expressing your religion in public and giving money to churches is expressly discouraged by the Christian Bible. So be free to express yourself if you're gay, but wear your crosses and go to church and spend the rest of eternity is pain and suffering
@justsaywhy @JCAlexandreWrites The scriptures (both testaments) do not discourage expressing your faith in public, but discourages doing so in order to be seen by others. Both encourage giving the Hebrew scripture even encourage giving a tenth, the Christian New Testament encourages giving but not under compulsion. Each is to decide on their own heart. The scripture also discourage greed as a form of idolatry and the love of money as the root of all evil.
@ChrisPierson @JCAlexandreWrites
I see you are making a very common mistake. Living your religion is not the same thing as displaying it. The Bible frowns on displaying your religion. You can meet with friends but when you start selling your faith to others you have lost Jesus
Giving money to, in today's age, billion dollar churches is what Jesus frowned upon.
Sadly, we could both spend all day citing conflicting verses in The Bible. We have to follow our own common sense.
@justsaywhy @JCAlexandreWrites OK. Let's not do that. However, I do know the difference between loving religion and displaying it. The term "selling" is perjorative, but if that's how you've experienced it from people I am sorry. Most churches in the US are actually around 65 members on average. You seen to be describing megachurches. If we were ever to meet or if you met some of the people at the church that I serve, you'd encounter people who are committed to loving their neighbor.
@ChrisPierson @JCAlexandreWrites
#religion
You must have a very magical following, indeed, for every church I've been to, and I've been to more than I can count, is filled with people there to be seen. The only exception is the Unitarians. I'm inclined to think there are multi-million dollar churches in almost every city in the USA and the majority of church goers go to those churches
Cheers
When is the last time a gay person knocked on your door and tried to convert you?
@JCAlexandreWrites Interesting perspective. I don’t expect Christians to live under cover but I also don’t expect to be intimidated into joining in, such as being told by my superior I had to attend a prayer breakfast, having a work meeting starting with a prayer, or being told in an interview that ‘this is a Christian family oriented workplace and you wouldn’t fit in here’. For me, wearing a cross is a non issue but dragging me into the picture is.