[Mb-civic] Hear, Hear

[Ian]

Lyle:

Rather than get into a protracted discussion about Christian dogma etc., I will simply point out that your comments are at best disingenuous and at worst self-serving and hypocritical.

You "throw stones" at those who "cherry-pick" the Scriptures; i.e., those who believe only in "faith" (salvation, "saving"), while ignoring "works" (of faith).  Yet you are simply doing the reverse: you have "cherry-picked" those Scriptures that you want to believe apply - the "works" passages - and dismiss the passages that clearly state that Christ is the only way to salvation.  That is, you prefer to believe that your "good works," and your basic belief in a higher power (even if you call it "God"), are enough to get you to "the other side."  Yet although both Paul and James do in fact make it clear that "faith without works is dead," they also make it clear that "works" without faith - i.e., faith in Christ as the only begotten Son of God, as personal savior, etc. - are also dead.  Since you do not believe that, you are no better for all your "faithless" works than those you accuse of having "workless" faith.

Three Scriptures apply here.  "Judge not, lest ye be judged in equal measure" (i.e., by the same standard - and what you are doing is a picture-perfect example of how this passage applies); 
"He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone" (the spiritual equivalent of the old "people in glass houses" saw); and "take the log out of your own eye before you take the mote out of your brother's."

Feel free to criticize "phony" Christians, and organized religion in general.  But don't do it if you yourself are guilty of similar things.

Peace.
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