Glorious Ruin

The Bible - My Views

I am writing this post to summarise some conclusions I have come to in my own personal walk lately and in response to a comment left on one of my posts about my opinion of a controversial bible verse.

The initial source of my conflict came from contradictions within the Bible that really bugged me. For example in Genesis God creates the world, and everything He creates is good, that is until He creates man. And He says that it is NOT good for man to be alone. So He created a wife for the man. Also in other passages of scripture it refers to how a chord of two strands is stronger than one of only one chord, implying that a married couple are stronger and better suited to handle life than a single person alone. However come the new testament and we find Paul declaring that it is better to remain unmarried.

My personal view on this is as follows: At the time of Christ there was a religious movement that advocated celibacy. There have been waves of this throughout history and it goes in cycles. For a time marriage is advocated and even having multiple wives and having lots of offspring is seen as good, and then the tide turns and sex is seen as being sinful and celibacy is seen as being the only way to a pure life. The celibate times in history have led to some horrendous attrocities. For example the witch hunting in the dark ages where women were singled out as evil and killed by the celibate priests who condemned the women's sexuality as being sinful. No wonder God said it was bad for man to be alone and celibate back at the creation of the world. Sex is part of who we are and it should be embraced, not rejected, and marriage is the safest place for sex to be exercised.

So, how has something ended up in the Bible that is in direct contradiction to what God Himself has said? Well lets take a quick look at the Bible. The old testament is the history of the Jewish people. It was passed down through the generations with each generation being taught to recite it word for word until it was put into written form so the final form is very similar to the original. Therefore the stories that are portrayed can be considered accurate. It is full of direct words from God from the prophets. Now the validity of the prophets could be questioned, are they really speaking God's word or is it just something they're making up. Well for me, what proves their validity is that first of all what they forsee happens, also they are in agreement with one another. I discount the mormon or islamic texts where only one man wrote the whole lot, because there is no way of proving he didnt just make it all up. However in the Jewish scriptures there is multiple sources who are in agreement and also what they prophecied about came to be.

We then look at the new testament. The first 5 books are written in the same manner as the old testament, they are just records of what was done and what was said by Christ and the early church. They are just a historical record and can be considered fairly accurate, especially since 4 sources are in agreement on the stories they tell. However we then have the letters to the churches. They are written mostly by Paul and are his personal opinions and advice to the early churches. Whereas everything up till this point is just history and records, this is someone's own personal opinion and is pretty much a sermon. Now every Christian should be aware that sermons should always be taken with a pinch of salt and referenced to what the rest of the Bible says to ensure that the human error element and personal opinions of the minister isn't warping the message being delivered. In the same way I think the new testament letters to the churches should be read with a pinch of salt and refering to the old testament to ensure that what is said does not contradict with what has gone before.

Another point that should be made at this point is that there are many gospels of different apostles and letters to the churches that never made it into the Bible during it's formation. Can the people who made the decisions as to what should be included be trusted to have made the right decisions? Over the next few years I intend to look out and read the other books that never made it into the Bible to find out what they said and why they weren't included.

So personally when I approach the Bible, I am willing to accept the old testament as being God's word, and the gospels of Christ, however when it comes to the letters to the churches I take them with a pinch of salt. If they are in agreement with the rest of the Bible then I will embrace what they say, but when they deviate from what I read elsewhere in scripture then I will chose to reject what they say. I dont think anyone should mindlessly accept everything that any book says, regardless of the religious importance of the book. Think about what you believe and why you believe it. Question everything. When your faith can stand up under that scrutiny then you know it is worth hanging onto and you will be able to share your faith much more convincingly with others.

When Religious Faith and Reality Clash

I've been thinking a lot recently about some of the things I was taught growing up.

As a child I was taught that if you prayed about something and followed God's direction in your life then everything will work out fine. But if you go and do your own thing and manage your life yourself with no regard for God, then your plans will fail and it'll all fall apart around your ears.

And yet as I've grown up and seen a little bit of the world I've seen situations where people have sought God's will and stepped out in faith based on guidance from God, only for the ground under them to cave away. I've seen Christian marriages that seemed so strong and sturdy fall apart. And I've also seen "sinners" and unbelievers planning their lives without God and making a decent go of it. They follow their own set of morals, live to be good people, have successful careers, a good family life and generally have good lives.

Growing up I was taught that non-christians are all miserable and desperate for God to fill the aching void in their lives, and yes, I've seen plenty of people who fall into that category, but I've also seen plenty of people who are happy and complete. Well balance individuals who have found their own path in life and are content, happy and at peace.

I understand the destructive nature of sin and how it can ruin lives, but I have also come to realise that the idea that becoming a Christian makes every all shiny just doesn't wash, and inversely that being a non-christian isn't so bad.

And I know I'm not the only person to think these thoughts. Psalm 73 speaks about the "prosperity of the wicked". How they "have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills." The author responds with "Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning."

Now I appreciate that people who do wrong ARE punished for what they've done, but I no longer believe that by following God and being a "good little christian" I'll gain a better life, or that being a non-believer means you're "wicked" and will be destroyed. There are many decent unbelievers who do well for themselves based on honest principles. Maybe in time I'll take on the mindset of the rest of the Psalm and change my tune, but for now I remain sceptical.

The Believer's Creed

After my conversation with my friend earlier today I stopped and took stock of my situation. I have been overwhelmed with confusion about what I believe and was swamped with all of the doctrinal arguments that us christians dont seem able to agree on. So I figured a good place to start would be to go back to the basis of Christian faith and to check whether I still believe that. So I turned - here - to the Apostle's Creed, which clearly lays down the basis of Christian faith and I read what it had to say. The Apostle's Creed is as follows:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to Judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Reading over this creed was such an affirming exercise. I can honestly say that I believe in all of the above, I am still a Christian, despite what some people may say. And it's encouraged me to pursue my faith and to work out my salvation to the best of my ability. Just remembering that God is for me and not against me has been such an encouragement. It's so easy to get caught up in the details of "religion" and to lose sight of the basic foundations of our faith.

My God and My Boyfriend

I am a Christian. My boyfriend is not. Back at the start of our relationship I considered this fact, I prayed about it, and I figured it was ok because he was encouraging me to be a better Christian than most Christian's I knew. I really felt that I had the green light from God. It seemed right. I had the faith to believe that one day he will become a Christian; I believed in both him and God that it was possible and it would one day happen.

That belief in them has not changed. I still believe that one day something will click for my boyfriend and that he'll see things he was unable to see before, and he will comprehend things that at present are beyond comprehension. So what am I blogging about?

In the last 5 months, between me and my boyfriend getting together and now, I have slipped away from God. This has nothing to do with my boyfriend I might add, and more to do with my own laziness and my busy university schedule. In that time doubts have crept in. Every guy I've been involved with before now God has asked me to dump. That is fair enough because they were all useless boyfriends and the wrong match for me. But this trend has got me second guessing God, and now I just assume that He's going to ask me to dump whatever boyfriend I now have. However this boyfriend is the person who I really believe that I'll spend the rest of my life with.

This is understandably really tough for my boyfriend to understand, and my skills at explaining things don't help. But basically my mind has run away with itself in the time that me and God have spent apart, and instead of viewing Him as the God who loves me and who gives me good things, I've somehow managed to get this view of Him as the God who loves to take good things away from me. And now when I try to come back to Him and start again on our relationship I just cant get over this fear of what He might ask me to give up.

Part of the problem is that I've somehow come to figure that as soon as there is something that we are unwilling to give up, God will either ask us to give it up or take it away altogether. This is all a "test" to see whether we truly put Him first in our lives. Now I do believe that God has to come first, but does that honestly mean every time we get attached to something we have to give it up? And where did I get this theology from?

And what's most annoying about this whole thing is that right now everywhere I turn it's like "dump your boyfriend" but I don't know if that's God actually talking to me and telling me that or just my imagination getting a bit overexcited there. I'm thinking the latter, but is that just because I want to?

Do you see my problem? I hate this constant second guessing. It's driving me nuts. But I'm definitely not going to dump my boyfriend when I'm so confused like this. To be honest I don't plan on ever dumping him and I told God as much last night. Heck, I can't lie to Him, He sees right through me. So for now I'm going to keep working on both relationships. After all, I believe that God's big enough to work around our mistakes, so even if me and my man being together is a mistake I'm confident that it can still work out in the long term.

God's love shown from an unbeliever

Well after getting upset yesterday about what was said I emailed the guy who said it and told him how I felt. I kinda figured that if he found out that he had upset me that he would be all "wow, i'm sorry i didnt mean to do that". Well no such luck. He stuck to his guns and his conviction that I'm living one foot in the world and one foot in the church and am therefore condemned to hell. I was going to get into a religious debate with him because part of me craves the approval of others. But I've grown up a bit over the years, and now I appreciate that my faith is between me and God. I think what made this difficult is if a stranger said those things to me i'd laugh in their face and ignore them, but since it was someone I care about it really hurt. So I've just vowed to no longer talk to him about my faith or my relationship with God. I know where I stand with God, God knows where I am, and nobody is going to take that away from me.

Last night I had a really long chat with my boyfriend about it. Now I'm guessing that my boyfriend is one of the things that the guy was referring to about me "living with one foot in the world" because I'm now dating a non-christian. However after talking to that christian I was completely put off of everything christian related. But my non-christian boyfriend encouraged me to be the best christian I can. Now what does that tell you? Sometimes God works in mysterious ways, and I've come to discover that sometimes non-believers are of more use to Him than believers because they're not on a religious high-horse.

I mean dont get me wrong, I'm really happy for my christian friend that he's so fired up for God and stuff. And I honestly wish him all the best in his ministry. but at present i just dont see how his methods can be so overly effective if all he does is upsets people and alienates them to the faith. a lot of christians need a kick up the arse, but so many of us need a helping hand and an encouraging word along the way. Some of us have already been kicked to the ground, what is kicking us further going to achieve?

So it wasnt the holy christian who shamed me into being a better person, it was the fellow sinner who had the grace and compassion and love to speak the words of encouragement that i really needed. that is the kind of inspiration that will encourage me to prove my christian friend wrong and to be the best christian that i know how, wherever my feet may be.

Racism

I like tackling tough topics on this blog. I don't think I've covered racism before, and I think it's about time I did.

I have been accused of being racist recently, and I can understand why someone would come to that conclusion, however I don't think that I am.

I am a firm believer that everyone on this planet is equal, however we are not the same and we do not have the same abilities. For example men and women are equal, but it is a scientific fact that men are on average physically stronger than women. However that does not make women inferior, it just makes us different. To claim that women are just as physically strong as men in the name of political correctness is stupid.

Recently a scientist got into serious trouble for saying that black people are, on average, not as intelligent as white people.

I do not think he was being racist and I do not believe that he should have been punished for what he said.

Racism is ignorance. It is hatred of what is different and what you do not understand. He was not expressing a hatred towards black people. He was expressing the findings of his research. He was speaking the truth. We live in a free country where freedom of speech is supposed to be encouraged, and yet someone gets fired from his job for presenting the findings of his research. No wonder scientists only present results that the world wants to hear!

If anything, by understanding how we are different we can learn to live together in closer harmony. After all racism is mostly the fruit of ignorance. We don't know anything about them, therefore they are scary, and we don't like being scared, therefore we hate them. The only way to break that cycle is to remove the ignorance. Inform people of how they are similar, how they are different and how they can work together.

Saying that on average black people are less intelligent than white people, it is not racist, it is a statement of fact. It is what you do with that fact that matters. If you then use it to discriminate against black people, to stir up hatred towards them, to bully and harass them, then that is racism.

We already know from sports that on average black people are more athletically inclined. Everyone knows that "white men cant jump". And when it comes to music white people cant come close to having rhythm like the blacks do. I admit that openly, white people are not as good at athletics and music as black people. So why is it such a big deal if black people aren't as good at academics? They have other things going for them. Just like women might be weaker than men physically, but we have other strengths, such as sensitivity.

What if this scientist's findings really are true? What if there really is a trend where black people are less intelligent? Surely it is worth investigating why? Maybe it is simply because their minds work differently and they need different teaching techniques? That could be a huge help to schools if they could identify ways to help black students to excel at their studies. We've already discovered that different races are more prone to different medical conditions and therefore need special treatment in some areas, why shouldn't our brains work differently?

Personally I believe that his findings are correct. Take five minutes to look around the world. Civilisation started in Africa. And yet, despite having a head start on the rest of us, African society is miles behind the rest of the world. To me this raises a whole bunch of questions.

• How did the black people get enslaved in the first place?
• Why did they not develop technology? China was making gun powder and Europe was discovering electricity, and Africa was... what were they doing?
• Why did they not develop transportation the way we have? Where were their adventurers and explorers? (Well obviously there were some who explored enough in the first place to make the rest of us, but why didn't the rest of them follow suit?)
• Why are African politics so screwed up? Why is there so much corruption where a few people exploit many?

I think if we can find answers to some of these questions we'll be able to start really having an impact on world poverty. Now some of these questions may have already been answered (I do not claim to have done any research in this area). To me though there has to be a reason why they haven't kept up with us, and I don't believe that slavery is entirely to blame. I doubt it helped their development, but many civilisations have been subject to slavery and have managed to still make something of themselves. If we can find out the reasons why the world is the way it is, then we can understand better how to fix it.

On a little aside. Isn't it ironic, that millions of years ago black people left Africa, they moved north and settled, they evolved and adapted to their new environments. Their noses changed to handle colder climates. Their skins faded as they no longer needed the protection from the sun. Then thousands of years later they returned to Africa and made slaves of their ancestors. We are the same race, the human race. We have the same ancestors. So even if someone ain't quite so smart as us, we should still love them like family, because that's what we are. (Heck my sister ain't as smart as me, and I'm not being racist when I say that. It's just a statement of fact. I still love her.)

Choices

A wise man once said it is impossible to please everyone all the time. However we are complex beings, and I think it is also impossible to completely please yourself all the time as well. It is impossible to be everything that you may want to be in this life, and to do everything that you may want to do. Life is full of choices, and every time you choose to have one thing you also choose to go without something else. Choices are more than just picking an option. You also have to weigh up whether you'll be content going without whatever you have to sacrifice, it's a case of weighing up the cost of each decision. If you make a decision without thinking it through chances are you will regret it later, but when you think it through and have looked at the alternative and chosen to sacrifice it, then in the future, when you find yourself looking at it longingly then you'll be much more able to stand firm in you're initial decision.

I think that's one of the problems with marriage these days. People fall in love and think "oh i want to marry this person". They dont think the decision through and think about what that means. They dont think of the fact that it means they have to be faithful during the hard times. They dont think it means compromise. They rush into it without weighing up exactly what they're going to give up. For those who have weighed it up, and made that choice not just to marry someone, but to give up all others, they will not be tempted nearly so easily.

I have no idea if I'm managing to explain this in a way that makes any sense, but i hope that you get the jist of what i mean. There are some decisions that i've made, that altho at times i want to go back on them, i know they were the right decision, and so i can stand firm. other decisions i have not thought out properly, and now later on, i find myself questioning them.

Goodbye to my Piercings

Previously on my blog I have explained my point of view on tattoos. Last night I had an awesome conversation with a couple from my church, and I endeavoured to show them that I have not just justified my tattoos because I wanted to get them, but that I have honestly thought it thru and I have come to reasonable conclusions. My aim in the conversation was not to win them round to my way of thinking, but to demonstrate that I have thought it out properly and am not just some crazy kid running around getting tattoos without thinking it through.

Well after the conversation I was thinking about what was said on my way home on the bus. My friend had pointed out that surely tattoos are just a form of self mutilation. To which I explained my view that I see tattoos more of an art form, something that can be used to glorify God and to speak truths about Him and His character and what He has done for us. (I wont go into all this here because this isnt really what this post is about). Anyways, on the bus on the way home I was thinking about what she'd said, and I kinda chuckled to myself as I thought of some of the mutilation type stuff that is on the go these days that she's probably blissfully ignorant of. I was thinking to myself "she thinks this is mutilation, she needs to see those pictures!" One of the things I was thinking about is some of the rather extreme piercings that are around these days. As I got thinking about what differentiates piercings and tattoos I got thinking about the fact that a tattoo can speak of something good, like glorifying God, whereas a piercing, in absolutely no ways can actually have any purpose, other than being a piece of metal rammed into your body.

As I thought that through it just struck me that I got my piercings, especially my lip one, out of a desire to fit in with one group of people and to seem cool, and to offend another group of people. My reasons behind my actions were totally wrong. I was putting far too much of my identity into my appearance, rather than my character and personality. And sitting there on the bus I just knew that it's time the piercings came out. I always knew that I'd take my lip piercing out eventually, I just didnt think it'd be until I graduated. And I didnt just stop at the lip, I've also taken out my ear-rings too.

You see, I dont believe that piercings are necessarily sinful in themselves, but maybe our attitudes and motives about them can be. however I think everyone has to decide where the line sits for them, ie whether they'll allow ear piercings, nose, belly button, lip, tongue....wherever they draw the line for themselves. And for me, I've chosen to draw the line at none. simply because i dont feel i can justify pointless self mutilation. i mean i've got enough self inflicted scars already! i dont need ones with bits of metal in them!

Sex Outside of Marriage - What's the Issue?

well talk about a title to get ur attention! but the title aint just for attention grabbing, i'm actually gonna talk about it too! shock horror, a christian talking about sex, what would my mother say!

to take a little look at what the bible says: In old testament law it states that if you commit adultery then you're sinning. Christ takes this a step farther in the new testament and says that if you commit adultery in your heart then you're sinning too. He says:

Adultery

27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matthew Chapter 5)

The whole concept that Christ introduces to the law is that it's not what you DO that matters, it's your HEART ATTITUDES. So what's so wrong about adultery? It's defiling sex, distorting it from what God originally intended it to be. But what is it meant to be?

Well that's where you have to go back to what sex was created to be. On a basic level it's to create babies. so that's where the basic, one man, one woman formula comes from. The capacity that that was to be used in is marriage. Why? because when you make a baby, you must then provide it with a safe environment to grow and develop in. nothing is more stable than a family unit with a mother and father who love each other. However He also created us to be feeling, emotional, loving creatures. So He gave us a bit of a bonus from what He gave the animals, He also gave us the ability to enjoy sex and for it to be a truly awesome experience. for example did you know that the clit is the only part of the body that was created purely for pleasure, it has no other function but to provide pleasure. guys dont have that advantage as all of their nerves are functional, tough luck guys :P However God also knew our capacity for getting hurt, and for hurting each other, so He set down some guidelines, guidelines to protect us from harm, not to deprive us from pleasure.

So what is adultery? in it's basic form it is a married person having sex with someone outside of the marriage. it's pretty obvious why that's so bad, cheating destroys the family unit, and is pretty damn hurtful to the other partner. so when it says that the whole law is summed up in the sentence "love others" that's where that comes in. If you're acting in love you wouldnt commit adultery. however adultery is also used to include general sex outside of wedlock, so it includes fornication. sex outside of marriage is bad because if a baby does happen to come along, there is no stable unit for it to be brought up in, there is no commitment between the two parties.

however there is a whole other side to the sex thing than the simple baby making thing. God's word remains the same throughout time, when He said no sex outside of marriage, He knew that one day we'd have effective birth control in place that means sex can be had without the risk of babies. the other reason why sex outside of marriage is wrong, is because more happens when we have sex than just a simple physical act, there are also spiritual, emotional and mental implications. for example, from my own wealth of experience, and trust me, i've had plenty, i have had a few pleasurable sexual experiences. it felt great. however, that was only on a physical level. for the most part, no matter how wonderful the sex has been, it's ended up hurting in the long term. sex is more powerful than we give it credit, and it affects us more than we like to admit. i know people who claim to have had purely no strings sex, they have fuck buddies, but i'm pretty sure that if you were to ask them, they'd have to admit that there was something more there. yes we have the desire to explore our sexuality, but i know that personally, when i've had sex with someone an internal link is formed. and even if i knew the sex meant nothing it still hurts when that person then moves onto someone else. combine that link to the fact that i've never actually loved any of these people and you get a whole bunch of confusion and hurt. i've found myself attached to people who i didnt love, making ending certain painful/difficult/confusing relationships even harder!

so why the whole marriage thingy? well it's not about the marriage ceremony itself, it's about the commitment, this person says "i'll stand by you for the rest of our time on earth, i'll never leave you, i'll never give up on you". it's in this state of total commitment that God meant for us to truly explore and enjoy sex. because only in this total security can you fully give yourself to someone else and fully enjoy sex in the knowledge that you need never be jealous of someone else, that they will never move on and leave you hurting, and without the horrible confusion that surrounds casual sex. you can rest completely secure, knowing where you stand! my dad has often told me that the best sex that he's ever had in his life (bear in mind that he was a US Navy Diver, he's had plenty!), but the best sex was with my mom. because he loves her, and they're committed to each other. to me, that speaks volumes for the reasons for marriage. pity i was so stupid as to have to go test the theory myself! if only i'd listened to him!

so yeah, sex outside of marriage is bad because it's depriving us from the awesome goodness that could be ours if we just waited. our past relationships affect us more than we'd like to admit, and i'd be lying if i didnt admit that my past sexual experience now hinders my ability to form healthy relationships now. i've broken something that was meant to be good, and now my only hope is that God can fix it again...and praise God He can! I look forwards to the day when I can have sex within a loving committed relationship. and I just hope i can wait till then and not make things even worse in the meantime!

Standards

I've been thinking quite a lot recently about standards and the laws of this country. Someone asked me if I was against gay marriage. My Christian upbringing said yes, but then I stopped myself and questioned, am I just saying yes because it's what I've been told to say, or am I honestly, personally, against it? And to be fair, I think it's important to think about these kinds of things, especially when elections can be won or lost depending on people's stance on such topics.

Here is the results of my musings.

• I believe that God created man and woman to have heterosexual relationships in a married context as a basis for the family unit. A setting in which children can be reared with both male and female role models, leading to a more balanced individual.
• I also know that we live in a fallen world. And this means that:- even the most heterosexual of relationships does not necessarily guarantee a stable environment for the upbringing of children. Many people are born homosexuals (we are sinful at birth, we've all got our own personal sin that we have to deal with) and for these people it's natural to love people of the same sex. And with divorce rates as they are these days the family unit is under attack, with more and more children being raised in single parent households anyway.

So it can be seen that the ideal situation is man, woman, marriage, kids. However we do not live in an ideal world.

So how do we deal with living in a fallen world? Well first off we have God's law. In God's law we can clearly see right and wrong laid out plainly for us to understand. We have the Bible as a standard by which we can live our lives.

However, this is where it starts to get difficult. To what extend should God's law be the basis for the laws of our countries?

Let me put it this way, how would Christians in the West feel if their countries took on the laws of say Communism? or Islam? They wouldn't like it. Why? Because they would be expected to live contrary to their own personal standards and beliefs.

So why do we Christians expect non-Christians to live by our God's law? Yes I believe that God's law is perfect and right and the best way to live your life here on earth. But I also know that God never forces Himself on anyone. It is a personal choice whether you want to follow His way or not. So why do we try to force our values on the rest of the world?

Yes, I firmly believe that within the church the laws of our God MUST be upheld and honoured. For example leaders should be chosen according to the guidelines stated in God's word. Ministers and people in places of authority should not be in a gay marriage. Neither should the church have any part in gay marriages, ie no gay marriages should be carried out within church buildings.

However there is no reason for us to expect gay couples to obey God's law if it's not a standard that they acknowledge as having authority in their own lives. We cannot expect non-believers to live by the standards of a God that they do not even believe in. To them the Bible has no authority or meaning.

So do I support gay marriage? Not within the church, no, but non-Christians can do what they want within the law of the land in which I live. If anything I'd rather that gay couples commit to one person and have a more stable relationship than them sleeping around and spreading hurt and pain in broken relationships.

This applies to everything really. Abortion, gay adoption, pornography and gambling laws and so so many more issues. All these things might be controversial topics within the Christian community, but the way I see it, we Christians should live by God's standard, so for Christians abortion, pornography and gambling are wrong. However, we cannot expect the world around us to live by our standards just because we say so! So how about we lead by example? We show the world that our way is the better way by living it out for them all to see. The decision to follow Christ is a personal one, and we cannot force it upon others, and living by His law falls under that decision.

(p.s. I would like to say that I do not think that we should give unbelievers free reign to do what they want, there are some things that we as Christians should and must take a stand against in our countries, such as corruption, all forms of abuse, and crime, however I think we need to pick our battles more carefully, so instead of putting so much focus into gambling for example put some of that focus into child abuse for example. At the end of the day we are commanded to obey the laws of the land in which we live, but for us Christians God's law should be foremost in our hearts)