In Reply to: Re: very true...but many...most of us...except a few monks etc.. posted by Skep on December 16, 2009 at 17:06:34:
Just going by the number of 1 billion so called (nominal) Christians worldwide is not really sufficient to establish what the stance of a (one)follower of Christ, a disciple...thus a Chirstian really should be towards the environment/nature/creation...and OT2 had summed it up nicely, why would someone destroy the creation of his heavenly father?...on the other hand many so called Christians---and there I'd have to be careful of not accusing others and not including myself---do a lot of "partying"...Jesus changed the water into wine and in that and other instances he seemed to differ a bit from John the baptist (kind of monkish lifestyle, going into the wildernis, a bit like Elijah too)...you can allow yourself to enjoy creation (my take from Bible reading, meaning, you don't have to flee into the desert, rather not, but getting the good news to the people)...the "earthly garden"...but in destroying it, you destroy the basis for your own living here and that of the offspring...only that Christians know, that time will be up here some day anyway...but to me it's also not good stewardship, it means people are wastefull...Christians included
and there is no justification for a selfish lifestyle as a Cristian..I am against the "gospel of affluence"...which is basially derived from the old testament.
Although I rather like to have it somewhat warm in the wintermonths and am mainting a lifetyle which should be way above the poor in the world and that's where I am reflecting myself on ways to get rid of old habits, things accustomed to ....I thnk,that's where one could take the discipleship further..it seems to me.That's where I argued, that few are really willing to do what it says or takes.At the same time dieing to yourself doesn't mean to kill yourself, to make room for others...that'd be another perversion.
But one thing I like to point out too: I believe God made His creation for us...as His creatures and even if your/our child destroys a toy or so, you are ultimately loving the child but you also instruct/correct that child.
Frankly I observed in your's and Thinkers analysis/pondering too little mention of the
kind of people...the powerful...the wicked..who just lust after power/fame/money...it's one source/sign of all evil 1.Tim 6:10
Even if modern engineering took vastly place in the countries of the world, which favoured Christian faith, nevertheless one has to discern, whether the mighty, powerful, rulers etc. really embraced the Christian faith....sometimes (when I personally tried it) rather oftentimes (I assume) you look in vain for quotes of those people at the top, which would out them as believers in Christ.
So two mistakes can be made...one you mentioned, that Christians don't behave according to their name or proclaimed faith =&gn; watered down Christianity (TF had it poisoned), Christian label, but the contents not really matching too much the expectations
(but who am I to point the finger at anyone, we all have to appear before he judgement seat of Christ)
The second is blaming Christians for things, they haven't done or rather nominal Christians or in many cases wicked people in western/westernised countries...exploiting the earth to their own profit.Their deeds should be looked on seperately.
Of the bat I know of very few professing Christians, who have bigger economic empires in Germany...one of them helped TF in the beginning with shoes for free...which was mentioned also in the letters.
And one part of Christianity/ christian lifestyle is to profess publicly in whom you believe.When they wanted to give Europe a sort of constituition, the fist draft had no reference to God or Christianiy...which led to protests; just to show, which direction things are going and have actually gone for centuries..besides the mingling of politics and church-affairs..historical facts...but I won't get into it now, where Christianity failed to draw the line...in my studies of church-history, I'd say the mistake happened quite early