The two positions are indeed compatible. Someone is pro-life if he or she values human life and is against the unlawful taking of life. Someone is pro-gun if they believe that individuals in our country have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms for protection, and that taking a life in defense of myself or my family is a legitimate action for me to take. Such defense, even to the point of using lethal force in that defense is legitimate. Such action is a reasonable response to a threat against my life or the life of another, and holding the position that firearms should be allowed and protected under the laws of our land is, in and of itself, not contradictory to a pro-life stance. Under the circumstances given, such an action is a legitimate, lawful, taking of a life, though certainly a tragic one.
Pornography is a sad and terrible sin, and by its nature and physiology highly addictive. It is by no means a “victimless crime;” It leads easily, quickly, and almost inevitably to seeking greater physical expressions of the lust that it is designed to enflame, and has destroyed countless marriages. And all of this is available for free to anyone, regardless of age, with the most meager of internet familiarity and access to a computer, tablet, or smart phone.
Pornography is a sexual sin that is “addressed” by the church in the same manner as any other sin, through the grace of God in Christ, since it is a sin that God can and will forgive as freely and completely as any other. It is sadly a problem within the church as well as outside of it, and we address it through teaching, seeking repentance, and through the application of God’s powerful, cleansing word. First of all, you are operating on a fatally flawed assumption. You are not a good person. You may be a better person than some others, but that does not make you good. By assuming you are good you agree that there is some standard, one that you think you meet, and since you believe that you are meeting that standard better than others, and that makes you good, it must be a universal standard. The Bible presents the one universal standard – God’s law – and states in no uncertain terms that no one meets it, putting us under a curse, and exposing us to the just wrath of a holy God. Phrases that we all use, like “nobody’s perfect” shows that we know we’re really not that good at all.
You don’t need a “faith organization” you need forgiveness, and God offers it for free through believing in his son, Jesus Christ. What is guilt as it relates to faith? How can we forgive ourselves for something we regret?5/7/2016
The connection of guilt to faith is indirect. Guilt is a relationship to a law; either a subjective one -- I feel guilty, or an objective one -- I am guilty, whether I feel it or not. The main concern, as far as Christianity is concerned, is objective guilt. Because of sin, every person stands guilty before God. Faith, then, is a way, the only way, to alleviate that guilt. By placing faith, or trust, in Jesus Christ, our guilt in relation to God’s law is removed, graciously, absolutely and completely.
The idea of being able to forgive ourselves, a very questionable pursuit, pales in comparison with the need to have the holy God forgive us, something that is freely available – through faith. |
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