[net.religion] More on reasons for not accepting

david@ssc-vax.UUCP (02/14/84)

John Hobson replies:

> David, I'm sorry, but I don't follow you.  You say in the first
> paragraph "You don't have to give ANYTHING up to become a Christian;
> God wants you the way you are", in almost the next breath you say 
> "A homosexual knows that, if he accepts Christ, he will be asked to
> give up his sexual preference."  This is certainly giving something
> up, expecting perpetual celibacy (for someone who is not sexually
> attracted to women).
> What if, as you say, we "assume that he sincerely believes that
> there is nothing wrong with homosexuality."  Then he would be going
> against his beliefs to reject homosexuality.  This would make him
> different from what he truly is, but you say that God wants him as
> he is.  It would be also be hypocritical, which God most assuredly
> does not want.  

Perhaps I did make make my point clear enough.  I think you are confusing
"becoming" a Christian and the results of that conversion.  If we were already
perfect, we wouldn't need God's grace.  So everyone who becomes a Christian
has some fault.  But God is going to make some changes to those who have
given their lives over to Him.  This is *after* accepting Christ.  

When I say I want an old car from a junkyard, my purpose is to fix it up
into a classic 19xx T-bird.  I do not mean I want the car "as it is".
My intention is to change it into something beautiful.  But I have to accept
it "as it is."  We are like the car in the junkpile.  God wants us as we are,
but intends to change us.  God does not ask us to change first (we haven't got
that kind of goodness, anyway). 

> As far as your third reason for not accepting Jesus goes, I think
> that what I have just said is an answer to it.  I would add a fourth
> reason, far more cogent:
>	4) anger that a loving God would not accept homosexuals, but
>	condemns them for something over which they have no real
>	control, i.e., sexual preference.

I'm not sure I buy this.  It denies God's life-changing power over the person
who gives his life to Jesus.  If a person is truly angry at God because He
condemns them for something over which they have no control, they must also
believe that God has no power to change them (or, they believe God *does* have
the power to change them and they don't want to be changed.  But this was one
of my earlier reasons, remember?).  If they don't believe God can change them,
then I would suggest they have the wrong picture of God.  But I will add this
to my list of reasons.

P.S. I am not sending this to net.motts; my purpose was not to condemn
     homosexuality, but to find reasons for not accepting God.
 
	-- David Norris        :-)
	-- uw-beaver!ssc-vax!david