Posted by Dena on March 5, 2003, at 10:35:12
In reply to Lou's response to Jon and Dena's post » Dena, posted by Lou Pilder on March 5, 2003, at 9:41:19
Whew! I feel like I've just been slapped around! I must say that this type of thinking, Lou, really bothers me. It seems that you're very intent on finding something to be offended about. I can assure you from my position that no offense was intended in any way whatsoever. Jonathan can speak for himself, but I detected no such malice or offense in reading his posts.
He simply stated the historical perspective of two branches of Christianity. These are recorded facts, accessible to anyone. Neither he nor I made any statement of opinion regarding any group of believers, or any faith. We all come from different religious backgrounds. We all have various beliefs. Some of these different beliefs are in direct opposition to the beliefs of others. Are we supposed to pretend otherwise? Are we supposed to remain mute about what we believe, or what our different faiths teach? For me to deny what I believe out of fear of possibly offending someone, would make me become unfaithful to what I believe. Stating what we believe, stating what our various churches hold as doctrine, is simply free speach. When others state what they believe & what their particular church hold to be true, I have the CHOICE to be offended or not. I can either read what they wrote & think, "How interesting. I've learned something about someone else." or I can think, "What do they mean by that? Are they attacking me? Are they putting me down?" I have read countless statements on this board which are in direct opposition to what I believe, & in direct contradiction to what Jesus taught in the Bible (my own standard of belief). I have read many statements which belittle, ridicule or otherwise insult Jesus, the One I follow. I chose to pray for those who insulted Him rather than to retaliate or take it personally. Can't the rest of you simply take what you want from what you read & "throw the rest away"? I think we all, as adults, know the difference between making a statement & attacking another person.
I spent my time in "exile" thinking about what I'd previously posted & how it might have been insensitive to the beliefs of others. I spent some time praying about it. I concluded that I must be faithful to what truths have been revealed to me through the Bible, the Church, & the Holy Spirit, but that I must relate to all others in love. As a fallible human being, this is easier said than done, but I trust that God will guide & teach me. Mistakes will be made by all of us from time to time. Tolerance for all beliefs must include tolerance toward those who are Christians. Perhaps when each of us feels the stirring of offense, that would be a great opportunity for us to practice one of the highest of all virtues: forgiveness.
If what Jonathan & I posted to each other re. purgatory is considered offensive & therefore must be censored, then this message board is not the place for me. What good is a message board like this is everyone must walk on egg shells to be sure to only say things which are universally acceptable?
We are all different. Our beliefs are all different. Why not learn from each other rather than looking for ways to be offended?
Dena
poster:Dena
thread:200824
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20021227/msgs/206104.html