Quote:
Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
Hmmm, ok.
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*EDITTED**
After reading a lot of posts of here, I can certainly understand why a lot of people are cynical of us church folks and of organized religion!
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I don't know if you were referring to my post. Since you quoted me, I'll assume that you were.
Maybe I need to clarify. When I posted earlier today, I was running late for a final.
At my church (I only can only speak for my church, which is a large church), membership is handle by an auxilary. The pastor isn't involved. We open the doors of the church, those interested parties come down to the altar. They are paired one on one with a "counselor". This counselor completes paperwork by asking questions. Then the interested party is given info to read, and advised about the new member classes. New member classes are taught by one of our associate pastors.
If a pimp, a prostitue, a child molester, and homosexual come down the aisle when the doors of the church are opened, they get paired with a counselor. If they don't tell the counselor that they are a pimp, a prostitute, a child molester, or a homosexual, the counselor is not gonna perform a background check on them. Whatever their story, the counselor takes them at their word. New members class is where they are brought into the body of the church. That is where they are introduced to the different ministries that our church offers, and the associate pastor can talk to them one on one.
Many, many people who come down when the doors of the church are opened never attend new member class. Many people never get brought in to the body of the church. Many never offer their talents or skills by volunteering on an auxilary. Their names are on the church's books, but they don't attend church, or try to contribute to God's kingdom. They got mad when the Pastor preached about adultery; fornication; homosexuality; lottery...whatever. They've never been back. Or they come every week, just to say, "I belong to such and such church" or to put on their "Christian face".
That is why I said membership is administrative. Because many names are on the books, but the seats in the church are empty.
My issue with this whole situation is the Pastor
KNEW. He knew this couple was made up of two homosexual men who conducted themselves as a couple, the way a man and woman would conduct themselves. He knew they were living together. And still, he, a man of God, agreed to participate in a
spiritual ritual that symbolizes the sinner being washed clean and made new, the way John the Baptist washed Jesus, because he/she has decided to
repent and turn from his/her wicked ways.
THAT IS NOT RIGHT.
If a pastor baptised two men, and didn't know they were living together in a homosexual relationship, that's a whole different story. You can not be held accountable for what you don't know. But this pastor knew, and decided to do what
he wanted to do, anyway.
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