nbcrusader said:
You have been claiming a sole right to proper Christian ethics - a loose summary of Christianity. You've consistently avoided the examination of Scripture and seem ready to discount passages as inconsistent (thus, should be ignored) if they do not meet your summary level beliefs. I prefer the open mindedness of looking at all of Scripture and have asked you to join me in doing so. Thus far, that has been avoided.
No, I have not been claiming a sole right to proper Christian ethics. Please quote the passage where I say that I´m above everyone else. If you really think so, that makes me sad because you have totally misunderstood me. I never said I´m better than you. You are entitled to your opinion like I am. What I want to express is serious criticism. That would not work without critisizing.
However, like I said, I like to pace my discussion partner. I have not attacked anyone personally in this thread, I was just criticizing the American Christian Right. If my wording is still too offensive for you, consider that I´m not throwing you in the cart of the extremists of the Christian Right on TV.
Sure, capital punishment wasn´t invented by the Christian Right. But whereas I have little ground to critisize someone who is not Christian because this is just his opinion, I have reason to critisize a Christian, because we´re in the same group. Say, poster XYZ who is not religious is all for capital punishment, there will be a lot of counter arguments by other people that I can repeat.
The point I want to make is that according to my Christian values capital punishment is morally wrong (with the exception of tyrannicide that I quoted). This includes criticism for other Christian views, but I never said was above everyone else. Also when say "This doesn´t make you a good Christian in my eyes", it does not mean that I am better than you - it just means that I hold a different view and that I think your moral is flawed.
You, on the other hand, keep insisting that I sit on a throne of self-righteousness.
I am not giving a loose summary of Christianity. I hold the opinion that some passages of the Bible are contradicting other passages of the Bible. I am just as openminded as you when I am looking at all the Scripture, but there are things I do not agree with and never will.
I think I can understand where you´re coming from; for someone who believes in every word of the OT my arguments must sound like heresy.
Who destroyed the temple?
nbcrusader said:
I believe I am free to respond to anyone who quotes my prior posts. If this discussion were to be just the two of us, then we should take it to PMs.
emails, I don´t use PMs. Would be an alternative because maybe one can be more natural instead of "trying to save his face". Also, we would not be bound to the Forum/ FAQ rules.
nbcrusader said:
Take a long look in the mirror before you even THINK of suggesting a personal attack.
That sounds like a warning. Do you want to scare me?
I have the same right to point out a personal attack like everyone else in this forum. If your above post, in which you accuse me of being self-righteous, is not a personal attack, I don´t know what is. I never said you were self-righteous, but pointed out the hypocrisy of certain conservative Christians. I stand by my opinion (but it is nothing more than an opinion, and you need to understand that) that the ongoing discussions about gay marriage or capital punishment have been instrumentalized by conservative Christians, but have nothing to do with (my) Christian values. The only exception I make is the abortion issue - while I think every woman has the ultimate personal right to decide on that issue (and I will not elaborate further in order to not derail) I find it to be a Christian value to be positive and encouraging towards new life, and to have a certain respect for creation.
nbcrusader said:
And give me the courtesy of a response to my questions instead of dismissing them all as false statements.
I do. In return, I´m asking you to give up your claim that I am self-righteous. Don´t put me into that box, that´s just a cop-out. I´m not putting you into the box of the extreme Christian Right either.
I am just reflecting the views of many Christians.