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Another discussion here reminded me of this....
Now, to supply full disclosure, I'm a conservative/traditional Christian and this applies not only to theology but also to morality. I am strongly pro-life, pro-family..... I was a virgin (until my wedding night, wink/wink) for moral reasons. I am opposed to state recognized same-gender "marriage" (although not necessarily "unions"). I'm fairly Victorian, lol. BUT, Christian moral conservatives get criticized a lot - from Christians and non-Christians alike - often for being hypocritical. And I think they have a point.
We can be VERY selective about our "sins" that bother us. Winking at some..... being HORRIFIED by others. For example, I remember being just a small boy and making one such observation. Our family (like many Church families) went out to eat after church every Sunday. One of our faves was an all-you-can-eat buffet called "HomeTown Buffet." The food was acceptable, fast, easy and pretty cheap. LOTS of church folks went there after church (you could tell). And they would often PILE their plates to overflowing..... stuff themselves with a plethora of desserts..... going back so often one thought the restaurant paid THEM by the trip. And SOME of these folks were..... how to say this nicely........ abundant in mass. Now, even this boy knew that gluttony was a sin. One the Bible talks quite a lot about. And my parents taught us kids that to overeat is a sin. This struck me at HomeTown Buffet as a kid because Mom reminded us 3 kids of that every time we went - we were not to make more than we needed to be just full. She's even add, "Don't eat like a snake - you'll get your next meal." But I witnessed all these CHRISTIANS consuming tens of thousands of calories. Huuuummmmmmmmmmmm. I eventually learned: gluttony is a sin winked at in modern Christianity. I've come to accept that (can't say I like it but I too have learned to not be offended or especially to notice). But the Bible does specifically call it a sin.
On the other end of the spectrum, there's SOME things sexual. Yes, I think the Bible has some pretty clear stuff to say about this (it made it into the Big Ten which gluttony only sorta did). But SOME of this stuff is on the SUPER BAD "abomination" list. WAY, WAY worse than killing oneself with cigarettes or with 4000 calories a day of Hostess Twinkies (I admit, they ARE one of God's greatest gifts). But even this is.... well..... variable. Two guys living together out of marriage is worse than two heterosexuals living outside of marriage. An unwed girl having sex is WAY worse than an unwed boy having sex ("Boys will be boys"). A pregnant girl may be shunned - without even a seconds thought about the father (who may have raped her!). A Dad visiting a porn site is....well.... it happens, but his high school son, that's a Fast Pass to hell! We call them "ADULT films" which just means morality means they should be hidden from the kids (doesn't that, by definition, make them unadult, shouldn't adults be MORE responsible, MORE moral?).
I TRY to at least be an equal opportunity condemner (especially to the one in the mirror). And I TRY at least to do what I say (even if that means I say..... um...... less). But to ME (just me), a LOT of this is attitude. In that waving a self-righteous, all-holy finger at others.... and not acknowledging 3 are pointed back at self. I suspect THAT is what the critics are criticizing (and rightly so). The "Holier than thou" attitude that puts others down in hopes that self can rise up by stepping on them. And I think the critics notice the inconsistencies (as I did, even as a young boy) and are criticizing that (and rightly so). And perhaps the critics are noticing something..... we claim to have all this motivation and strength.... okay.... why is there so little evidence that we are taking advantage of that, that all that actually makes a big difference (um.... they are right about that, too..... that's the sin that most bothers me about myself, the sinfulness I seem to tolerate in myself). Maybe if we just spent more time looking in the mirror...... looking at the log in our own eye......
During that 15 years or so between puberty and marriage..... when I remained a virgin..... eventually, I could count on one hand the number of virgins I knew my age (and I wouldn't need all my fingers). I had a girl think I was either just weird or gay. But the ones who knew it (and they were few since I did not "publish" this) just accepted it as part of me. Because while I at times made my morality known ( with "this is how it seems to ME... this is how I see this... this is what seems right to ME" NOT "This is what YOU should think, feel, do...."), I did it without finger pointing. If people ASKED, I told them..... if THEY brought it up in conversation, I said my view/heart/morality..... not that I'm better, cuz I have my sins. At least I TRIED to have that attitude.
I have two male friends. They've lived together for about 12 years now, and while it blessedly has never come up, I assume they are not chase. Do I share their morality? No. Do I need to preach a Hellfire and Brimstone sermon at them? No. Actually, they are two of the nicest guys I know.... and have never once brought up their "orientation" or "activities", it's never remotely even come up. They probably have embraced a morality I don't share...... frankly, I suspect I have some moral things about me that they don't share (I don't either). Now, if they insist I approve of their choices, agree with their morality on that point? We may then have a problem, but I don't expect that.
THAT should liven things up around here..... have at me.
- Josiah
Now, to supply full disclosure, I'm a conservative/traditional Christian and this applies not only to theology but also to morality. I am strongly pro-life, pro-family..... I was a virgin (until my wedding night, wink/wink) for moral reasons. I am opposed to state recognized same-gender "marriage" (although not necessarily "unions"). I'm fairly Victorian, lol. BUT, Christian moral conservatives get criticized a lot - from Christians and non-Christians alike - often for being hypocritical. And I think they have a point.
We can be VERY selective about our "sins" that bother us. Winking at some..... being HORRIFIED by others. For example, I remember being just a small boy and making one such observation. Our family (like many Church families) went out to eat after church every Sunday. One of our faves was an all-you-can-eat buffet called "HomeTown Buffet." The food was acceptable, fast, easy and pretty cheap. LOTS of church folks went there after church (you could tell). And they would often PILE their plates to overflowing..... stuff themselves with a plethora of desserts..... going back so often one thought the restaurant paid THEM by the trip. And SOME of these folks were..... how to say this nicely........ abundant in mass. Now, even this boy knew that gluttony was a sin. One the Bible talks quite a lot about. And my parents taught us kids that to overeat is a sin. This struck me at HomeTown Buffet as a kid because Mom reminded us 3 kids of that every time we went - we were not to make more than we needed to be just full. She's even add, "Don't eat like a snake - you'll get your next meal." But I witnessed all these CHRISTIANS consuming tens of thousands of calories. Huuuummmmmmmmmmmm. I eventually learned: gluttony is a sin winked at in modern Christianity. I've come to accept that (can't say I like it but I too have learned to not be offended or especially to notice). But the Bible does specifically call it a sin.
On the other end of the spectrum, there's SOME things sexual. Yes, I think the Bible has some pretty clear stuff to say about this (it made it into the Big Ten which gluttony only sorta did). But SOME of this stuff is on the SUPER BAD "abomination" list. WAY, WAY worse than killing oneself with cigarettes or with 4000 calories a day of Hostess Twinkies (I admit, they ARE one of God's greatest gifts). But even this is.... well..... variable. Two guys living together out of marriage is worse than two heterosexuals living outside of marriage. An unwed girl having sex is WAY worse than an unwed boy having sex ("Boys will be boys"). A pregnant girl may be shunned - without even a seconds thought about the father (who may have raped her!). A Dad visiting a porn site is....well.... it happens, but his high school son, that's a Fast Pass to hell! We call them "ADULT films" which just means morality means they should be hidden from the kids (doesn't that, by definition, make them unadult, shouldn't adults be MORE responsible, MORE moral?).
I TRY to at least be an equal opportunity condemner (especially to the one in the mirror). And I TRY at least to do what I say (even if that means I say..... um...... less). But to ME (just me), a LOT of this is attitude. In that waving a self-righteous, all-holy finger at others.... and not acknowledging 3 are pointed back at self. I suspect THAT is what the critics are criticizing (and rightly so). The "Holier than thou" attitude that puts others down in hopes that self can rise up by stepping on them. And I think the critics notice the inconsistencies (as I did, even as a young boy) and are criticizing that (and rightly so). And perhaps the critics are noticing something..... we claim to have all this motivation and strength.... okay.... why is there so little evidence that we are taking advantage of that, that all that actually makes a big difference (um.... they are right about that, too..... that's the sin that most bothers me about myself, the sinfulness I seem to tolerate in myself). Maybe if we just spent more time looking in the mirror...... looking at the log in our own eye......
During that 15 years or so between puberty and marriage..... when I remained a virgin..... eventually, I could count on one hand the number of virgins I knew my age (and I wouldn't need all my fingers). I had a girl think I was either just weird or gay. But the ones who knew it (and they were few since I did not "publish" this) just accepted it as part of me. Because while I at times made my morality known ( with "this is how it seems to ME... this is how I see this... this is what seems right to ME" NOT "This is what YOU should think, feel, do...."), I did it without finger pointing. If people ASKED, I told them..... if THEY brought it up in conversation, I said my view/heart/morality..... not that I'm better, cuz I have my sins. At least I TRIED to have that attitude.
I have two male friends. They've lived together for about 12 years now, and while it blessedly has never come up, I assume they are not chase. Do I share their morality? No. Do I need to preach a Hellfire and Brimstone sermon at them? No. Actually, they are two of the nicest guys I know.... and have never once brought up their "orientation" or "activities", it's never remotely even come up. They probably have embraced a morality I don't share...... frankly, I suspect I have some moral things about me that they don't share (I don't either). Now, if they insist I approve of their choices, agree with their morality on that point? We may then have a problem, but I don't expect that.
THAT should liven things up around here..... have at me.
- Josiah
