Not a trap. I disagree with Russ' conclusion concerning blessing of the U.S. by God.
But you don't state your position. Neither do you argue against Russ' stated position.
What is his stated position? He doesn't give specifics, just some generalized our-country-is-moving-away-from-God whining.
I consider it an inconsistency in his position. He believes that U.S. laws should line up more with Biblical Law. Does this include the First Amendment to the Constitution or not?
Why didn't you simply ask? Russ' complaints are about recent events, and the amendment you mention isn't recent, so it doesn't look at all to me like he was complaining about it.
However, the fact that the founders of this nation specifically deny Christianity an exclusive position, shows that the move away from God is not recent. In colonial times, prostitution was legal, slavery was legal, and killing native Americans was not a prosecutable offense. Would you or Russ consider that society as closer or further from God than we are today?
What about you? Do you agree with the statements that Russ made in post #40834? Do you feel that I am misunderstanding his position concerning U.S. law?
In spite of all your efforts, I really doubt you or anyone else misunderstands Russ.
Really? Then, what is is position? What specific problems is he concerned about? Which laws does he feel indicate this recent move away from God?
Besides, I'm more interested in hearing how wonderful a utopia we can fall into under your dream plan, which evidently is not to follow God's instruction. I am confident you won't be able to produce biblical support for any such position.
I never claimed that a utopia would result from any plan that I had. I didn't say we should not follow God's instruction. Russ, and you, claim that we should enact laws that follow God's instruction. What instructions, specifically, should the U.S. codify into law?
Biblical support for any plan of mine would be:
Leviticus 19:18
Matthew 7:12
If you do agree with Russ' position about aligning U.S. law with Biblical law, what specific things, that are currently legal, do you believe should be made illegal?
I don't disagree with much of what Russ said. I do disagree with Straw Russ. Funny how that works out, ain't it?
Except you have merely claimed that I created a straw Russ. You have not supported that claim. Which words of mine created a straw Russ?
In summary, since you're not here advancing a position of your own, or addressing an actual position taken by anyone else, your activities seem analogous to a vandal with a can of spray paint in an art gallery. You're not here to contribute; you're not here to appreciate what others contribute.
Actually, I am here to have people define their claim. Charles Stanley's quote claims that we allow less moral television than in the 1950's. Does that mean we are less or more moral now than then. Were husbands more or less abusive to their wives and children? Was prostitution more or less rampant then? Were there more or less unwed mothers per capita then than there is now?
What is the yardstick being used by Charles Stanley, and those that agree with him, to determine that the U.S. is in worse shape biblically now than in the 1950's, 1850's or 1780's?
Saying it is worse is not the same as showing it to be so.
From message #40723:
God is holy, so surely He doesn't approve of all the actions sanctioned by our laws. Yet He has been patient--and we've been blessed beyond measure. But the Father's patience won't last forever (Neh. 9:30). America must repent of its choice to disregard His precepts.
Did Charles Stanley believe that God sanctioned the First Amendment or that He has been patient for 226 years?
Did Dr. Stanley mean that we should repent of the First Amendment?
Can the attempt to remove Jesus from the public square have anything to do with our crumbling values? Perhaps. A country that takes prayer out of schools and government meetings can easily drift from godly ways. We have even debated removing "In God We Trust" from our currency and "one nation under God" from the Pledge. What's more, our nation is sometimes so accepting of "all religions" that Christians are persecuted for believing Jesus is the only way (John 14:6)
Jesus is removed from the public square? Where? Except it government buildings, where? Which Christians have had to go into hiding? How many churches in your town have been closed by the government? How many government sponsored anti-Jesus protests have been conducted in front of your church? For that matter, how many anti-Jesus protests have been conducted in front of your church at all?
Does Dr. Stanley have to broadcast from a secret studio and over a hidden transmitter like Voice of America in communist countries?
What form has this Christian persecution taken? What indications do you have that it is a government sponsored persecution?
