I just have to say this

[chibizerox]

Guess you reap what you sew, eh? Poor smartypants...(jk)

[Arnobius]

I think the sensitivity of the subject is that most of us are here at CAA sincerely, even though our own ideas of what Christianity demands has some varation between denomination (Not intending to be theological or controversial here, just stating that we have some differences).

Because we are here sincerely I think we all tend to resent implications that we either are too strict or too loose in following Christ. Hopefully nothing I've said was taken as a condemnation of someone specifically. I'm trying to be general here, and say that the tone of discussing what is and is not acceptable in Christian behavior needs to be done in a way that is not seen as an attack.

[Locke]

I wonder if the 10 people viewing this are just refreshing to see if anyone else typed something...

[Nate]

I think the sensitivity of the subject is that most of us are here at CAA sincerely, even though our own ideas of what Christianity demands has some varation between denomination (Not intending to be theological or controversial here, just stating that we have some differences).

I agree, AH. And I think that's the point. You think that the language is bad, someone else doesn't. I think Romans 14 which I mentioned earlier says that pretty well.

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

If I consider every day the same, the Bible says that is okay. But someone might quote back at me "But the Bible says remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy." God is more concerned with our devotion to HIM rather than how we regard a day or use a word in our LJ.

To those who counter with "But the Bible says that if it causes a brother to stumble to stop doing it," that gets into a theological quagmire (heh heh...all right) that I won't even touch.

But ultimately AH hit the nail on the head. I respect the rules of CAA which is why I do not use such language here. I tend not to use language when I am in the presence of those offended by it. But on my journal, that's my journal. If you're offended by it, you can leave.

[ChristianKitsune]

But it's nots good to cause one to stumble....and I believe that if a non-christian sees a christian acting as the world.. WHAT does that say about US?! Seriously, I think there are certainly other ways of handling things.

And maybe its because I am young and believe this...but maybe not. But I think Sakura's Post as mentioned earlier...states it plainly. Why ask questions when it's right there...to me that's just rationalizing....

Sure, I am not perfect, I have let out a few bombs here and there...(i felt terrible for it... though)

Our Goal is to reach the world for Christ...but when we are acting like the world does...how can we reach the lost? When we are confused ourselves? (aren't we kind of like maps? OR a light in the darkness?)

I am sorry If I offended anyone...I am really not trying to... and I am not trying to be hateful about this either...so I apologize... If that comes across that way...

[Sakura15]

I agree with CR.

I dont want to repeat what she said. But, how will the world know we are different if we are acting just as they do? Now, there is no way I am perfect I struggle with letting my life reflect Christ, I know every Christian does.

God is more concerned with our devotion to HIM rather than how we regard a day or use a word in our LJ.

Yes, He is concerned. So, don't you think that means He's concerned with how we are potraying Him to the world? I do. It does matter what we say. I'm not saying that you shouldnt get upset if you are upset and just hide your feelings, but like CR said there are other ways and other words to handle it.

aren't we kind of like maps? OR a light in the darkness?

We are supposed to be like lights that shine in the darkness, yes. Of course there will be times when we will fall, we're human after all. But, that doesnt mean we should stay where we fall.

Again, I meant no offense to anyone by this, so if you were offended, im sorry.

[FadedOne]

mmm...interesting thread. no wonder there's 4 pages...so thankful that there's been no flaming though. (ryan i appreciate your humbleness here! and other people, appreciate your understanding. i know these differening opinions can be hard.)

Personal opinion...yeah, blogs definitely cannot be censored. I recognize the sentiment being worthy..... we should not acknowledge God with our lips and deny Him with our lives! And yea...i swear on my xanga. and i say stupid stuff sometimes, but i like to hope that overall i'm not denying Christ. still working on that.

As to chat? yeah...this topic makes me squirm 'cause i've been one of those people. I dont see anything wrong with the occasional off-color joke. but I know there's lines that can be(and usually are) crossed and we all need to be careful, 'specially myself. I have waaay too twisted of a sense of humor sometimes. and the way i write it off as well that's 'just the way i am' doesn't cut it Biblically. so yeah...good points.

We all do need to be careful what we do and say. Even w/o the whole idea of beinga witness. honestly that reason doesn't cut it for me 'cause i dont think the unsaved care if i'm a pretentious cannot-swear, cannot-take-a-joke Christian.(i'm NOT saying that's what that is..it's just how i feel when i'm 'good'. i'd rather be understanding and friendly.) However, I think that accepting alot of things as good fun and being cavalier about sin hardens our hearts. and THAT is truly scary. hence why i'm trying to change. not going to be a goody-two-shoes any time soon...ha, i dont think i know how. but i definitely want to reflect Christ with my actions and never 'settle' just 'cause i want to be cool.

so yeah...two more cents to add to the pool.

[Arnobius]

But it's nots good to cause one to stumble....and I believe that if a non-christian sees a christian acting as the world.. WHAT does that say about US?! Seriously, I think there are certainly other ways of handling things.

And maybe its because I am young and believe this...but maybe not. But I think Sakura's Post as mentioned earlier...states it plainly. Why ask questions when it's right there...to me that's just rationalizing....

Sure, I am not perfect, I have let out a few bombs here and there...(i felt terrible for it... though)

Our Goal is to reach the world for Christ...but when we are acting like the world does...how can we reach the lost? When we are confused ourselves? (aren't we kind of like maps? OR a light in the darkness?)

I am sorry If I offended anyone...I am really not trying to... and I am not trying to be hateful about this either...so I apologize... If that comes across that way...

Unfortunately not everyone perceives the meaning of the Bible the same way. One denomination opposes birth control, another says it is OK. One denomination thinks "This is my body" was meant literally and another does not. A third insists all alcohol is evil, while another disagrees

That's not to say everything is relative. I am in my tradition because I believe it to be true, and I am sure most people here would say the same of theirs. Ultimately it is God's meaning that matters, but using the Bible as the map or measurement is difficult when we don't all agree on the meaning among ourselves, and hence the division we have as Christians.

On CAA we agree not to debate these differences though, and it is a good thing I think for the peace of the community.

[Yumie]

God is more concerned with our devotion to HIM rather than how we regard a day or use a word in our LJ.

I see what you're saying Nate, but the thing that keeps coming back to me is this: our devotion to God should AFFECT what we say in our LJ. I'm not going to try to be your Holy Spirit or convict you or anything. But I think a good thing to consider is this something a lot of people have brought up, and that is: What makes us different from everyone else? What sets us apart, so that, just from SEEING us, people will say, "Wow, there is something different and interesting about that person. What is it?" It's our chance to make our lives testimonies to others. For instance, I don't date. Is there anything wrong with dating? Absolutely not. But you know what? EVERYBODY does it. And I don't. And when people hear that I don't, you can bet that they ask why. And when they do, I can say, "Because I'm a Christian, and I feel that God wants me to save myself physically and emotionally for my future spouse." By doing that, I can testify to my relationship with God. Is cussing wrong? I definitely won't be the one to make that call. But I will say that by doing it, we limit our testimonies to unsaved people, when I think that we should take EVERY opportunity we can to exude a different nature to them that makes them question. Just my two bits on the subject.

[Puritan]

I think you have an excellent point, CR. We need to try to keep our speech and our actions pure as an example and a witness to the world. This thread was not started to talk about minor turns of phrase that bother people, but was started to deal with vulgar or sexual references and jokes or swear words. On this subject, I think that is important to urge people to think about what they are saying. Vulgar speech and swear words do in fact have meanings, and often their meanings are things that Christians would not want to be talking about in such a flippant and crude manner. I think that holds for everyone, we need to think about what we are saying and try to keep our speech at a level that is pleasing to God. No matter how politely or crudely you are saying something, you should make sure that what you are saying is pleasing to God and a good witness to those around you. This can change based on who you are talking to to some extent, and certain things are acceptable to say some places and not acceptable in others. However, all of us must watch what we say to avoid being unchristian in our speech. All of us slip up, everyone makes mistakes, and often our worst speech is said with words that are polite and acceptable rather than with swear words. We need to watch everything we say, and try to make sure that all our conversation builds people up and is acceptable before God.

[ChristianKitsune]

this is gonna sound REALLY cliche and old...and totally 1997-1998...but...

What Would Jesus Do?

^^;

[Nate]

Unfortunately not everyone perceives the meaning of the Bible the same way. One denomination opposes birth control, another says it is OK. One denomination thinks "This is my body" was meant literally and another does not. A third insists all alcohol is evil, while another disagrees

That's not to say everything is relative. I am in my tradition because I believe it to be true, and I am sure most people here would say the same of theirs. Ultimately it is God's meaning that matters, but using the Bible as the map or measurement is difficult when we don't all agree on the meaning among ourselves, and hence the division we have as Christians.

On CAA we agree not to debate these differences though, and it is a good thing I think for the peace of the community.

Though I hate to quote an entire post and not really add anything meaningful, I agree with you completely, AH. Different denominations hold to different interpretations of Scripture, and as such it's going to be hard to convince someone that they are doing something wrong if they interpret the scripture differently (birth control and alcohol consumption are prime examples of this). To say "This verse says plainly using this word is wrong" is fallacious because a person (like me) could hold to a different interpretation. So anyway, yeah.

EDIT:

[quote="Kitchan"]this is gonna sound REALLY cliche and old...and totally 1997-1998...but...

What Would Jesus Do?

^^]
Probably say "Why are you debating this on an internet forum instead of volunteering at a homeless shelter or nursing home?" >.>;;

[Arnobius]

[quote="kaemmerite"]Probably say "Why are you debating this on an internet forum instead of volunteering at a homeless shelter or nursing home?" >.>]
Good point... Jesus always did have a habit of turning those "either or" questions into something completely unxpected that forced people to rethink how they saw God.

[ChristianKitsune]

..that's not what I meant.

[Sakura15]

I think what CR meant is, would Jesus swear?

[ChristianKitsune]

I think what CR meant is, would Jesus swear?

exactly.....

[Steeltemplar]

I personally think that swearing is not a great thing. In truth, it is crude and sounds uneducated. That being said, it's not a mortal sin. Literally. It's not. It's venial, I'm pretty sure. But that's beyond my point. What I am saying is that it is a minor infraction.

Given that it is such, I think that unless the swearing is of epidemic proportions, a public thread is not the appropriate response to it. One should instead, if feeling the need to speak to their brother or sister in Christ about the issue, take that person aside privately and give them a friendly suggestion that maybe they should clean up their language. That would be how this should be handled, to my mind. And the person is much more likely to listen then.

What is happening here, from what I see, is a very public criticism that, because it is public, draws in yet more criticisms from a number of people. No matter how nice you set out to be about this, it is going to seem antagonistic to some othewise good Christians. There may be no particular target here, but that doesn't mean that no one will be bothered if it turns into a mass rebuke.

I know that this thread means well. MSP, I don't doubt that you are not trying to be judgemental or accusatory. You're not that kind of guy and I know that. I just invite everyone to think about the situation and how you would feel if you happened to be on the receiving end of such a mass condemnation, even if you were not named. Put yourself in another's shoes.

[Bobtheduck]

And I think Kae understood that, but Jesus would rather us do what was right in helping people out rather than argue something like this on a message board... And, personally, I think Jesus would use words people view as "evil" if the best thing to say in that case involved those words, and for in some cases it would. It's why he was violent with the money changers and why he called that woman a dog (to call someone a dog in that day was worse than calling someone a MFer in English) Jesus was provocative, but it was all in love. It was in love, wanting to bring out her faith, that he actually insulted her. It was in love, for the people they were bringing down and love for his father, that Jesus overturned the money changers tables, and I think doesn't one of the Gospels even say he went in with a whip? Love isn't always a "friendly" thing.

[Nate]

I think what CR meant is, would Jesus swear?

I don't know. But you know, a lot of people who knew Jesus when He was on Earth were absolutely shocked and appalled that Jesus met and ate with tax collectors and Gentiles.

EDIT:

And I think Kae understood that, but Jesus would rather us do what was right in helping people out rather than argue something like this on a message board...

Ding ding ding! You win the fifty-two dollar question!

[Mr. SmartyPants]

And I think Kae understood that, but Jesus would rather us do what was right in helping people out rather than argue something like this on a message board... And, personally, I think Jesus would use words people view as "evil" if the best thing to say in that case involved those words, and for in some cases it would. It's why he was violent with the money changers and why he called that woman a dog (to call someone a dog in that day was worse than calling someone a MFer in English) Jesus was provocative, but it was all in love. It was in love, wanting to bring out her faith, that he actually insulted her. It was in love, for the people they were bringing down and love for his father, that Jesus overturned the money changers tables, and I think doesn't one of the Gospels even say he went in with a whip? Love isn't always a "friendly" thing.

Yes, however we must also understand that we must focus on our own problems for spiritual growth. Your not going to say "lets not talk about your problems with lust, just go out and feed people at a homeless shelter." While it is good to work for Christ, our own faults are needed to be overcome for spiritual growth.

[Rogie]

And on that note, I'm just going to go ahead and close this. Those who agree will only continue to agree and those who disagree will only continue to disagree. It's getting us nowhere.

I would like to thank those who offered the few well-thought-out comments in this thread. Maybe we should all reread this thread a couple of times and think/meditate on service and our relationship with Christ, not to mention our relationships with our fellow Christians.