A Foolhardy Declaration Using Freedom of Speech
In this country of free speech, we are starting to see, more and more, the intolerant intolerance which is known as "tolerance".
The more people fight for "freedom of speech" and "equality" for minorities, and not for all people, the more we see people losing it.
I understand where they are coming from; I really do. From a Godless perspective, it is very easy to see.
I also understand where I, and so many others that feel frustrated, bitten down and like they're treading on thin ice, are coming from.
I am of sound mind and body. I am intelligent, without meaning to be arrogant about it, and I'm a Christian.
To many people, I am a threat, simply because they see what I believe as a threat. This problem lies with their perception, not with me.
I am not a nice person; by nature, and it shows rather frequently, I am selfish, arrogant, vain and self-interested. However, if you know me, I am unwavering in what I believe, attempt to love unconditionally, hope and bring hope to other people. This is tied in, and inextricable from, my faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as my Saviour from sin - my Hope, my Deliverer from all that I have been through and continue to trek through.
I understand that He is not this to everyone. That is their right of choice. I will not back down from declaring that this is what He is to me, why He is this to me and that I believe He can help and bring freedom to others. That is my right of choice.
I am tired of seeing and hearing people expect me to use social media to not think, to brainlessly churn out photos of food, cats, memes, gifs and Farmville/Candy Crush adverts.
We add "people" as "friends" and then don't treat them as people or friends. We sit back and turn our individual, intelligent, God-given minds into mindless, melting mush because it's easier than standing up and using free speech, getting bashed by intolerant tolerant people and paying the heavy price that they will causally bring down on our heads.
Today, I watched as I was attacked by (what must have been) an extremely sensitive person, who is probably very much afraid right now, because of a humourously-slanted post I put up about a Muslim colleague attacking Christianity, and my trying not to get involved in it.
I watched as two Christians posted that ethics and morality were not based on religion - ie, Christianity. While the knowledge of good and evil is found in everyone, there is still no one righteous. Man may do good works for his own satisfaction, but he will never reach the level of perfection required by a sinless God, and to say that the foundation for morality is not based in God - all good and all just - is nothing short of heresy. This is the watering down and wandering away from the faith that Christ talks about which will happen in the last days.
I do not, and never will, agree with pointless arguing. With people who genuinely question God, Christianity and my faith in a non-confrontational manner, who are looking for real answers, I will happily discuss what I believe and why I believe it, and consider what they say. Unfortunately, most of the time, the arguments are started by self-confident people who think they know it all, who are attacking my views to try and make me look stupid. Those arguments are pointless, endless and cyclic; they benefit neither party nor any of those reading it. It makes no difference to humanity and worsens the relationship between two people.
What I post is what I believe. People who like it agree with it. People who don't either don't see it, don't care or don't like it. There is no necessity for response unless something I post is actually dangerous or threatening to other people. (And I don't mean to conservative Christians who don't like seeing posts about victory over selfharming or pornography.)
I do not believe that all religions lead to God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Way, the Truth and the Life and no man comes to the Father but by Him, and there is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved from sin.
I do not and cannot commend good works as a way of reaching God. The only way that we are saved is by the grace of God reaching down to man who cannot save himself. Every other religion teaches that man can work his way from badness to God. Christianity teaches that God has already done the work.
Do I agree with Christianity? No. It is split, dissected, divided within itself over and over.
Why is it still standing? Because of the grace and mercy of God, Who understands that we are frail humans with quarrelsome and proud tendencies. Accepting the redeeming work of Christ at Calvary does not make us instant paragons of goodness.
Do I agree with all that has been done in the name of Christianity? No.
Neither do I agree with judging Christ by His followers' actions, as the world - and Christians - are so prone to do.
I follow Christ and seek Him and a personal relationship with Him - not through other believers, not through the church - through the Bible, which is His inspired Word written down by those who followed Him and through prayer, which is our communication to Him.
I identify as Christian because that is the closest thing for people to understand what I believe. Maybe it's time I start embracing it too, flaws and all.
I know the difference between disagreeing with homosexuality and homophobia. Most pro-marriage equality people - including Christians - do not. I was pleasantly surprised to find this article on the Internet earlier from an admitted pro-er.
I have a friend who is homophobic. They are scared of gays changing their way of life, of the minority controlling the majority and the way they react is through fear and hatred. When they find out a person is gay, they don't want to be anywhere near them and have gone so far as to wish them dead.
That's homophobic - fear of gays.
I disagree with homosexuality and have made no bones about that, though not well publicised for obvious reasons.
I am useless at apologetics, as has been admitted previously.
I know that Christ fulfilled the keeping of the Old Testament law.
I know that people use the excuse that we are not under law, but under grace.
I also know that if suddenly we're discounting Leviticus 20:13 - "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them," then we need to discount Leviticus 20:15 - "If there is a man who lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them" under that same standard.
Am I proposing we start stoning adulterers? No! You can go to John 8:7 for that: "But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'"
All I'm saying is, if you are discounting Biblical standards and turning to your morality, get rid of your prejudices against paedophilia and bestiality. Why? Because fifty years ago, we had the same prejudices against homosexuality.
By atheistic standards, morality is subjective.
Since we have legalised first homosexuality and then homosexual marriage, child protection issues have soared through the roof. Why? Because now the paedophiles will be fighting for the same rights. And so will the others.
Don't believe me? No, of course you wouldn't. You wouldn't have if you'd been born fifty years ago either.
My most antagonistic attackers on gay rights have been Christians and straight atheists. Some of my staunchest defenders on Biblical standards have been people who classify themselves as gay. To me, they're people. People with a sin nature just like mine but struggling with a different kind of sin.
(Before you attack me on the above, I know from firsthand experience about the negative influence of paedophilia. Thanks.)
I am pro-gun rights.
To quote the much hated saying, "People kill. Guns don't." It's the same as with the "tolerance" thing. Really tolerant people don't flare up at every single thing that could be taken as an insult. They stop, think about the situation and the ways it could've been taken.
I believe that if you had a test (which of course, at some point, would fall into government hands and would be an unfair test :P ) to check mental health and aptitude, courses to ensure you knew the correct way and licence for usage of a gun, then an armed civilian population would be a good thing.
Would the murder of Lee Rigby have happened? No.
Would the Charlie Hebdo shootings have happened? Far fewer would've died.
The restaurant in Australia - would those people have died if they had been able to take out the gunman hours before - one armed man against how many armed people?
I don't believe in shooting for the hell of it, no. Where there is serious risk of loss of life, ie., an immediate, present and recognised threat to another and innocent person's life such as a knife to the throat, a gun to the head, strangulation, stabbing, etc, there should be legitimate reason for that usage.
Do laws stop criminals having guns? No.
Do they stop good people having guns? Yes.
What happens when bad people get guns and good people don't? I think we're looking at it.
Yes, there will be mistakes. What on this planet doesn't have those? Weighing balance, gun rights is a legitimate action for protection in severe times.
I do not believe the entire world will come to Christ, especially before He returns to take those of us who believe in Him as Saviour and Lord home to Heaven in what is called the rapture. I grieve very much and pray very hard for the souls of my unsaved relatives, but I believe that my life as an example is the witness I am called to bear.
And I'm human. I falter. I make mistakes, and bad ones. I do wrong, say wrong, hurt people, and I so wish I didn't. But I do, because I am human with a sin nature that I cannot get rid of as long as I am mortal.
I don't believe in forcing Christianity down strangers' throats. I know other people have found differently, but I also know that people have seen Christ in my life and come to me asking questions. I believe that God opens doors for me to talk about my faith to others. I also believe in expressing what I believe, openly and clearly.
Posting on my Facebook wall, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me,'" and posting on a Muslim's wall the same quote are two entirely different things.
The one is my Facebook wall, expressing my belief. The other would be a deliberate attempt to provoke an argument, unless previously and provably invited to do so.
This is, of course, unlike the prevalence of Islam promoted in the UK. No other religion imposes its belief system on a nation like Islam has been doing over the last twenty years.
Yes, look at it. Halal food. Halal meat is sold in almost every store. Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Somerfield, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, KFC, Nando’s and Subway have all sold halal meat without telling customers.
Fish and chip shops by the score sell halal meat with no alternative option. The only way that one can tell is by looking for the Arabic script. To be honest, I don't look.
If we as Christians know that meat is sacrificed to idols, we are not supposed to eat it. Halal meat is sacrificially slaughtered to Allah, who to Christians (not Chrislam; Christians) is a false god.
Is this offensive to Muslims? Yes.
Is this offensive to Christians? Yes.
Who complains louder? Muslims.
Who gets their demands met? The ones who the government know will complain the loudest and have no hesitation at using force to get their demands met.
Sharia law. How long ago was it that the Archbishop of Canterbury said that Sharia law should be enforced in the UK ON A LEVEL with British law? So we should enforce a law in this country (that is, illegally, already enforced in some areas) that recommends stoning for adultery and chopping off hands for stealing?
I thought we were going for human rights and equality?
Do I hate Muslims? Absolutely not. Some of my favourite people are Muslims. My favourite manager ever was one of the cutest, sweetest and funnest people I have ever known. One of my favourite people at work is a Muslim girl who comes over to me for a hug, and gives me a hug, every time we both need one. She's one of the sweetest people I know.
Do I like them in spite of their religion? No. Their religion is part of their make-up.
Do I think they don't grasp the full meaning of Islam? Yes. And yes, I have studied Islam and am reading the Qur'an.
Am I Islamophobic? No. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
Do I believe Islam to be wrong? Yes.
Am I afraid of what those who take Islam to its fullest extent can do? Yes. So are most Muslims who want a peaceable life.
Does God shape my worldview? Yes, He does.
Is God the reason I am still alive? Very much so, even if you wish I wasn't.
Am I using my right to freedom of speech? Yes.
Am I hurting or threatening anyone? No.
Am I going out and expressing my views on someone else's posts, wall, social media with intent to start an argument, use force to change them or hurt their feelings? No.
This is an expression of what I believe, and a statement.
This is who I am. I post regularly, I speak unorthodoxly, attempt to love unconditionally, stand for the unaccepted and am 100% in love with Jesus.
If you don't like anything about this, or that I post, feel free to get rid of me at any point.
I don't like fake people, I don't like liars and I don't like spies.Take me or leave me be. If you cannot accept me as I am, then you may go your separate ways. I believe we have a lot to give each other as humans. The people who attack me, well. I'm really starting to wonder.
What people take and feel emotionally about this is the issue. This is what leads to people losing their jobs, their livelihood and increases fear and rebellion.
I can control my actions and decisions. I cannot control the emotional overreaction of those around me. Reactions are either positive or negative - what we are watching in the intolerant tolerant is a negative reaction, controlled by fear - exactly what they accuse us of. Either that or blind hatred for disagreeing.
You cannot change what I believe by arguing. You cannot change it by battering or threatening me. You cannot change it, period. You can alter and twist and distort the reality of it, but it is no true change.
You can only stop it by killing me. Because, you see, until the end of the world there is someone who believes differently. Don't get me wrong; I wish people could get along. I also know we never will because we are all different and believe different.
And to create 'the whole of humanity with the face of Mr Finch?
Call me old-fashioned, but I like things the way they are.'
Here I stand; I can do no other.
In Christ alone,
Siân
The more people fight for "freedom of speech" and "equality" for minorities, and not for all people, the more we see people losing it.
I understand where they are coming from; I really do. From a Godless perspective, it is very easy to see.
I also understand where I, and so many others that feel frustrated, bitten down and like they're treading on thin ice, are coming from.
I am of sound mind and body. I am intelligent, without meaning to be arrogant about it, and I'm a Christian.
To many people, I am a threat, simply because they see what I believe as a threat. This problem lies with their perception, not with me.
I am not a nice person; by nature, and it shows rather frequently, I am selfish, arrogant, vain and self-interested. However, if you know me, I am unwavering in what I believe, attempt to love unconditionally, hope and bring hope to other people. This is tied in, and inextricable from, my faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as my Saviour from sin - my Hope, my Deliverer from all that I have been through and continue to trek through.
I understand that He is not this to everyone. That is their right of choice. I will not back down from declaring that this is what He is to me, why He is this to me and that I believe He can help and bring freedom to others. That is my right of choice.
I am tired of seeing and hearing people expect me to use social media to not think, to brainlessly churn out photos of food, cats, memes, gifs and Farmville/Candy Crush adverts.
We add "people" as "friends" and then don't treat them as people or friends. We sit back and turn our individual, intelligent, God-given minds into mindless, melting mush because it's easier than standing up and using free speech, getting bashed by intolerant tolerant people and paying the heavy price that they will causally bring down on our heads.
Today, I watched as I was attacked by (what must have been) an extremely sensitive person, who is probably very much afraid right now, because of a humourously-slanted post I put up about a Muslim colleague attacking Christianity, and my trying not to get involved in it.
I watched as two Christians posted that ethics and morality were not based on religion - ie, Christianity. While the knowledge of good and evil is found in everyone, there is still no one righteous. Man may do good works for his own satisfaction, but he will never reach the level of perfection required by a sinless God, and to say that the foundation for morality is not based in God - all good and all just - is nothing short of heresy. This is the watering down and wandering away from the faith that Christ talks about which will happen in the last days.
I do not, and never will, agree with pointless arguing. With people who genuinely question God, Christianity and my faith in a non-confrontational manner, who are looking for real answers, I will happily discuss what I believe and why I believe it, and consider what they say. Unfortunately, most of the time, the arguments are started by self-confident people who think they know it all, who are attacking my views to try and make me look stupid. Those arguments are pointless, endless and cyclic; they benefit neither party nor any of those reading it. It makes no difference to humanity and worsens the relationship between two people.
What I post is what I believe. People who like it agree with it. People who don't either don't see it, don't care or don't like it. There is no necessity for response unless something I post is actually dangerous or threatening to other people. (And I don't mean to conservative Christians who don't like seeing posts about victory over selfharming or pornography.)
I do not believe that all religions lead to God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Way, the Truth and the Life and no man comes to the Father but by Him, and there is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved from sin.
I do not and cannot commend good works as a way of reaching God. The only way that we are saved is by the grace of God reaching down to man who cannot save himself. Every other religion teaches that man can work his way from badness to God. Christianity teaches that God has already done the work.
Do I agree with Christianity? No. It is split, dissected, divided within itself over and over.
Why is it still standing? Because of the grace and mercy of God, Who understands that we are frail humans with quarrelsome and proud tendencies. Accepting the redeeming work of Christ at Calvary does not make us instant paragons of goodness.
Do I agree with all that has been done in the name of Christianity? No.
Neither do I agree with judging Christ by His followers' actions, as the world - and Christians - are so prone to do.
I follow Christ and seek Him and a personal relationship with Him - not through other believers, not through the church - through the Bible, which is His inspired Word written down by those who followed Him and through prayer, which is our communication to Him.
I identify as Christian because that is the closest thing for people to understand what I believe. Maybe it's time I start embracing it too, flaws and all.
I know the difference between disagreeing with homosexuality and homophobia. Most pro-marriage equality people - including Christians - do not. I was pleasantly surprised to find this article on the Internet earlier from an admitted pro-er.
I have a friend who is homophobic. They are scared of gays changing their way of life, of the minority controlling the majority and the way they react is through fear and hatred. When they find out a person is gay, they don't want to be anywhere near them and have gone so far as to wish them dead.
That's homophobic - fear of gays.
I disagree with homosexuality and have made no bones about that, though not well publicised for obvious reasons.
I am useless at apologetics, as has been admitted previously.
I know that Christ fulfilled the keeping of the Old Testament law.
I know that people use the excuse that we are not under law, but under grace.
I also know that if suddenly we're discounting Leviticus 20:13 - "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them," then we need to discount Leviticus 20:15 - "If there is a man who lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them" under that same standard.
Am I proposing we start stoning adulterers? No! You can go to John 8:7 for that: "But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'"
All I'm saying is, if you are discounting Biblical standards and turning to your morality, get rid of your prejudices against paedophilia and bestiality. Why? Because fifty years ago, we had the same prejudices against homosexuality.
By atheistic standards, morality is subjective.
Since we have legalised first homosexuality and then homosexual marriage, child protection issues have soared through the roof. Why? Because now the paedophiles will be fighting for the same rights. And so will the others.
Don't believe me? No, of course you wouldn't. You wouldn't have if you'd been born fifty years ago either.
My most antagonistic attackers on gay rights have been Christians and straight atheists. Some of my staunchest defenders on Biblical standards have been people who classify themselves as gay. To me, they're people. People with a sin nature just like mine but struggling with a different kind of sin.
(Before you attack me on the above, I know from firsthand experience about the negative influence of paedophilia. Thanks.)
I am pro-gun rights.
To quote the much hated saying, "People kill. Guns don't." It's the same as with the "tolerance" thing. Really tolerant people don't flare up at every single thing that could be taken as an insult. They stop, think about the situation and the ways it could've been taken.
I believe that if you had a test (which of course, at some point, would fall into government hands and would be an unfair test :P ) to check mental health and aptitude, courses to ensure you knew the correct way and licence for usage of a gun, then an armed civilian population would be a good thing.
Would the murder of Lee Rigby have happened? No.
Would the Charlie Hebdo shootings have happened? Far fewer would've died.
The restaurant in Australia - would those people have died if they had been able to take out the gunman hours before - one armed man against how many armed people?
I don't believe in shooting for the hell of it, no. Where there is serious risk of loss of life, ie., an immediate, present and recognised threat to another and innocent person's life such as a knife to the throat, a gun to the head, strangulation, stabbing, etc, there should be legitimate reason for that usage.
Do laws stop criminals having guns? No.
Do they stop good people having guns? Yes.
What happens when bad people get guns and good people don't? I think we're looking at it.
Yes, there will be mistakes. What on this planet doesn't have those? Weighing balance, gun rights is a legitimate action for protection in severe times.
I do not believe the entire world will come to Christ, especially before He returns to take those of us who believe in Him as Saviour and Lord home to Heaven in what is called the rapture. I grieve very much and pray very hard for the souls of my unsaved relatives, but I believe that my life as an example is the witness I am called to bear.
And I'm human. I falter. I make mistakes, and bad ones. I do wrong, say wrong, hurt people, and I so wish I didn't. But I do, because I am human with a sin nature that I cannot get rid of as long as I am mortal.
I don't believe in forcing Christianity down strangers' throats. I know other people have found differently, but I also know that people have seen Christ in my life and come to me asking questions. I believe that God opens doors for me to talk about my faith to others. I also believe in expressing what I believe, openly and clearly.
Posting on my Facebook wall, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me,'" and posting on a Muslim's wall the same quote are two entirely different things.
The one is my Facebook wall, expressing my belief. The other would be a deliberate attempt to provoke an argument, unless previously and provably invited to do so.
This is, of course, unlike the prevalence of Islam promoted in the UK. No other religion imposes its belief system on a nation like Islam has been doing over the last twenty years.
Yes, look at it. Halal food. Halal meat is sold in almost every store. Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Somerfield, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, KFC, Nando’s and Subway have all sold halal meat without telling customers.
Fish and chip shops by the score sell halal meat with no alternative option. The only way that one can tell is by looking for the Arabic script. To be honest, I don't look.
If we as Christians know that meat is sacrificed to idols, we are not supposed to eat it. Halal meat is sacrificially slaughtered to Allah, who to Christians (not Chrislam; Christians) is a false god.
Is this offensive to Muslims? Yes.
Is this offensive to Christians? Yes.
Who complains louder? Muslims.
Who gets their demands met? The ones who the government know will complain the loudest and have no hesitation at using force to get their demands met.
Sharia law. How long ago was it that the Archbishop of Canterbury said that Sharia law should be enforced in the UK ON A LEVEL with British law? So we should enforce a law in this country (that is, illegally, already enforced in some areas) that recommends stoning for adultery and chopping off hands for stealing?
I thought we were going for human rights and equality?
Do I hate Muslims? Absolutely not. Some of my favourite people are Muslims. My favourite manager ever was one of the cutest, sweetest and funnest people I have ever known. One of my favourite people at work is a Muslim girl who comes over to me for a hug, and gives me a hug, every time we both need one. She's one of the sweetest people I know.
Do I like them in spite of their religion? No. Their religion is part of their make-up.
Do I think they don't grasp the full meaning of Islam? Yes. And yes, I have studied Islam and am reading the Qur'an.
Am I Islamophobic? No. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
Do I believe Islam to be wrong? Yes.
Am I afraid of what those who take Islam to its fullest extent can do? Yes. So are most Muslims who want a peaceable life.
Does God shape my worldview? Yes, He does.
Is God the reason I am still alive? Very much so, even if you wish I wasn't.
Am I using my right to freedom of speech? Yes.
Am I hurting or threatening anyone? No.
Am I going out and expressing my views on someone else's posts, wall, social media with intent to start an argument, use force to change them or hurt their feelings? No.
This is an expression of what I believe, and a statement.
This is who I am. I post regularly, I speak unorthodoxly, attempt to love unconditionally, stand for the unaccepted and am 100% in love with Jesus.
If you don't like anything about this, or that I post, feel free to get rid of me at any point.
I don't like fake people, I don't like liars and I don't like spies.Take me or leave me be. If you cannot accept me as I am, then you may go your separate ways. I believe we have a lot to give each other as humans. The people who attack me, well. I'm really starting to wonder.
What people take and feel emotionally about this is the issue. This is what leads to people losing their jobs, their livelihood and increases fear and rebellion.
I can control my actions and decisions. I cannot control the emotional overreaction of those around me. Reactions are either positive or negative - what we are watching in the intolerant tolerant is a negative reaction, controlled by fear - exactly what they accuse us of. Either that or blind hatred for disagreeing.
You cannot change what I believe by arguing. You cannot change it by battering or threatening me. You cannot change it, period. You can alter and twist and distort the reality of it, but it is no true change.
You can only stop it by killing me. Because, you see, until the end of the world there is someone who believes differently. Don't get me wrong; I wish people could get along. I also know we never will because we are all different and believe different.
And to create 'the whole of humanity with the face of Mr Finch?
Call me old-fashioned, but I like things the way they are.'
Here I stand; I can do no other.
In Christ alone,
Siân
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)