STARBUCKS COFFEE MAY NO LONGER FILL SOME CHRISTIANS CUP...

Let's not forget the vast number of Christian faithful who SUPPORT the right of anyone who wants to live in a loving and committed relationship to do so freely.

Rich, I'm not being judgmental. I know that there are those who are very liberal and open-minded to anyone who wishes or chooses their own lifestyles. Just as liberal as a person who wants to live out their livestyles as True Christians --they too also have the same liberty to do so.. But let me clarify that many Christians who are devoted to follow the teachings of Christ that teach against men becoming lovers of men and women lovers of women as an immorality against God's commandments especially when it comes to s*xual morals. This I think is why often AGAPE love and s*xual love; or desires of the flesh become misunderstood as the same, however a person still has their own lifestyle to live as he or she"chooses" to & DO freely. All our judgment will done by God who is always just in all our lives.

Dear MIISRAEL:

Thank you for your respectful comments.

However--I must take issue with your main point.

"But let me clarify that many Christians who are devoted to follow the teachings of Christ that teach against men becoming lovers of men and women lovers of women as an immorality against God's commandments especially when it comes to s*xual morals."

As for the teachings of Christ, Jesus, himself, said not one word referring to same s*x attraction or love or s*xuality. So for Christians who are devoted to the teachings of Christ to infer that he did teach something on same s*x behavior has no foundation. He did nothing of the kind.

As you know, the main prohibitions on same s*x attraction comes from Leviticus and Paul.

Leviticus contains a long list of many prohibitions and abominations that you and I would be hard pressed to follow them all...for example--eating pork and even touching the skin--(a modern day football) LEVITICUS 11:7-8.

Or touching a menstruating woman, or even sitting on a chair she has sat in, is a violation.
LEVITICUS 15: 19-20

Dear MIISRAEL:

Thank you for your respectful comments.

However--I must take issue with your main point.

"But let me clarify that many Christians who are devoted to follow the teachings of Christ that teach against men becoming lovers of men and women lovers of women as an immorality against God's commandments especially when it comes to s*xual morals."

As for the teachings of Christ, Jesus, himself, said not one word referring to same s*x attraction or love or s*xuality. So for Christians who are devoted to the teachings of Christ to infer that he did teach something on same s*x behavior has no foundation. He did nothing of the kind.

As you know, the main prohibitions on same s*x attraction comes from Leviticus and Paul.

Leviticus contains a long list of many prohibitions and abominations that you and I would be hard pressed to follow them all...for example--eating pork and even touching the skin--(a modern day football) LEVITICUS 11:7-8.

Or touching a menstruating woman, or even sitting on a chair she has sat in, is a violation.
LEVITICUS 15: 19-20

Or prohibitions on cutting the hair and beard of a man--and the requirement that "everyone that curseth his father or mother shall be surely put to death." LEVITICUS 20:9

The list of violations and prohibitions is too long and varied for anyone to follow.

Now--when it comes to homos*xual behavior--it is a verifiable fact that the IDEA and CONCEPT of homos*xuality did not occur to the human race until the mid- nineteenth century. That is when the term HOMOs*xUALITY first appeared.

Until then, same s*x behavior was exactly what we would understand today as an abberation and an abomination. Throughout history, both modern and ancient, homos*xual behavior consisted of pedophelia--adults on children and rape as a way of humiliation.

Everyone universally agrees that this manifestation of homos*xual acts are indeed abonimations, sinful and wrong.

BUT...what happens when two individuals of the same gender form powerful bonds of undying love that are so strong they seek to commit their lives to one another? The whole notion of same s*x love is nowhere addressed in any scripture, Old or New Testament.

Since the power of love is Jesus FIRST COMMANDMENT--LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU--this spiritual quality changes the homos*xual act and renders it something sacred--and certainly not sinful.

If homos*xual individuals were made by an omnipotent creator, then they are all children of God as much as heteros*xual people are.

The Bible often does not mean what the words literally say. Scripture is subject to interpretation--and one of the ways to understand scripture is to determine the intention of the writers. In the case of homos*xual behavior, since the concept was foreign to them, the kind of bad behavior the scripture rightly prohibits is not the same behavior that loving same s*x couples practice today.

Two of the finest and most faithful Christians I know are both married in same s*x relationships. Here in New York it is legal--and the world hasn't collapsed yet. You could not ever meet finer human beings. One couple has a family with two children. It is a strong, loving and stable family of loving faithful Christians.

So let's take another look at this issue from the standpoint of Christ's Universal and Unconditional love for his all his children.

BELOVED. LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER; FOR LOVE IS OF GOD; AND EVERY ONE THAT LOVETH IS BORTN OF GOD AND KNOWETH BOD. FOR GOD IS LOVE.
~ 1 JOHN 4: 7-8

Additionally.. God also teaches True Christians to not be part of revolts and oppostions against the law of the land. Having no part in actions in seditations is listed as works manifested of the flesh. Yet Christians are to apply fruits of the Spirit.


Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleaness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variations,, emulations, wrath, strife, "seditions," heresies..
Galatians 4:18-20
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. Galatians: 4: 22-23

Rich, I respect you and those are excellent pointers you've made. As this is as I understand a teaching and learning experience for us both. I have no doubt that Christ's love is for all who will come believe and follow him. The love he gave is unconditionally love free for all mankind. Never once I have read that "to love was a sin," only that s*xual acts are immoral if it not carried out according to the commandments given from God. Thus, to love strongly in bond men or women of the same gender is not wrong at all from a pure heart. The acts of the flesh and burning desires of s*xual passions is what I'm understanding is when & where the immorality sets in.... And with great respect, our bodies are temples of the Lord which does not live in bodies of the flesh, but bodies of the Spirit. Having put on Christ destroys our desires of the flesh and no longer are we part of a fleshful bodies which continually does what its used or wants to do. We put away the old man, the flesh and the newness of Spirit which is from God. Duly, we can choose to be lovers in s*xual ways, it is open to anyone who wishes to do so. With true following in Christ we are no longer part of having immorality of s*xual actions as part of our bodies.

I decribe love of another person perfectly befitting to God, and this love is one that is totally Spiritual not of the flesh. Noteworthy, with God living in men love is without boundaries, but the separation is cut away when men are still in love with wants of flesh. You cannot serve God and mammon.

I feel this is an excellent discussion Rich. Again, Please know...I am liberal to any person choosing how he/she wishes to express love for another, but I being one who lives by Spirit I attempt to make my own lifestyle a body whereby the Spirit of God has taken away desires of the flesh in order that I live by the Spirit and connectively keeping ways of the Spirit I am in denial of self.

Most prestigious I thank you in strong love which is pure and from my Spirit.

You know.."There is nothing wrong with the coffee, but it is within the milk of love that has gone from hearts of men"-- {Hugs}

MIISRAEIL:

Beautifully said...

It is all about "the milk of love!"

And nobody should forget--that is Christ's firwst commandment.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

To add to Miisrael's description of s*xual immorality, here's a note I came across in The New Oxford Annotated Bible, on Romans 1.26-27.

"Although widely read today as a reference to homos*xuality, the language of unnatural intercourse was more often used in Paul's day to denote not the orientation of s*xual desire, but its immoderate indulgence, which was believed to weaken the body (the due penalty)"

@ Steve thanks for finding this passage...It shows appropriately how even God gives men and women over to their reprobated minds to do those things which are not convienient to the Spiritual body, which Paul vidicates are unrighteous acts which is written as vile affections.

@ Irma, You've made an excellent point as far as business and the 1st ammendment. Which I have no disagreement. I've actually learned more about how businessess and government laws constitutes for equality among all people. & That's Excellent to know too.

Starbucks may need to have another look at the First Amendment to see how this also applies to BVBOE...it is illegal to single out a specific group to discriminate against, ect. (smile)

@MIISRAEL, the man, woman matter cvomes under the constutitional law of the right to 'individual privacy'...statbuck's is a matter taken up already by our laws of the land against 'discrimination' not individual privacey but PUBLIC BUSINESS SERVES LISCENSES CONTITIONS TO PRACTICE SERVING THE PUBLIC AT ALARGE. (SMILE)

...OOPS AND THIS POST HAS been a teaching moment fo rme also...thanks all...(smile)