If God had wanted me to be accepting of gays, he'd have given me the ability to do so.

[buddysmellgood]

I don't question God. The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall put none above Him. Which is why I know that if it were part of God's plan for me to...

http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/if_god_had_wanted_me_to_be

[baldguy]

1. The Onion reporting real news again?

[buddysmellgood]

5. I just think this is so well written! And I really hate the gays!

[ZombieHorde]

2. If God wanted me to believe in him, he'd have given me the ability to do so. nt

[Rick Myers]

3. Wow!!! We live in a world where...

The Daily Show and The Onion are the only real voices of Truth...

[buddysmellgood]

4. Nice.

[kenny blankenship]

6. That is actually a doctrine with some Protestant sects. Faith is a gift from God

Luther believed that faith in God and the promises of redemption came from God. Some people would be offered this gift, some wouldn't. To those whom it was offered, belief in God and the reality of salvation was irresistible - for them it was impossible not to believe. The rest would find the promise of salvation impossible to accept without doubts or hesitation and they'd be going to Hell because the gift of faith had never been bestowed on them.

[ZombieHorde]

7. Interesting. nt

[buddysmellgood]

8. Thanks. I was not aware of that. That's really interesting. I wonder what that

means for Lutherans who feel God didn't offer them the gift?

[kenny blankenship]

10. Presumably they won't need sweaters or long johns where they're going.

Actually I don't know what current Lutheran doctrine holds. Better ask a Lutheran how that works. The older a church gets, generally speaking, the less they tend to insist on hard rules about who is going to Hell. However new sects spring up all the time deriving their attitudes from early Protestant thinkers - like our friends in the Fundamentalist and Evangelical branches. Newer Protestant sects like to advertise their adherence to strict ideas about right and wrong and Sin and the worthlessness of Man and the Almightiness of God and the ineffable Wonderfulness of Jesus's Love, which you'd better figure out how to win over to your side, unless you just like red hot coals up your colon.

[iris27]

9. Yeah, Lutherans have one f-ed up view of predestination.

I grew up Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and their official belief on predestination is quite twisted. No one can "choose" God of their own volition - it's entirely the Holy Spirit. The analogy often used is that you are, spiritually speaking, a drowning person - actually, already drowned and dead person - lying on the bottom of the ocean. Nothing they can do to save themselves. The ocean being original sin, I think. And that only outside action on God's part can save you.

YET, if you are not someone who has been saved, somehow your going to hell is still of your own volition and it is your own fault. I will never forget the little chalkboard diagram drawn by my theology teacher (an ordained minister) in my junior year of high school when he was expounding upon this concept..."God" with an up arrow, written above "Man" with a down arrow. Meaning God chooses you for salvation, but people choose their own damnation.

In retrospect, that :wtf: moment was probably my first step on the road to atheism...


Edited to add: I'm not sure what other divisions of the Lutheran church believe for sure, but for the other two divisions in America, I'd guess that Wisconsin Synod also believes this (since they still won't even let women vote in church matters!) and that ELCA might be a little less harsh. But LCMS at least, believes this strongly and considers it somehow a weird point of pride and superiority over other Christian denominations that believe you "choose" or "accept" Jesus.

[DontTreadOnMe]

11. very funny!

I had to write that one down! thanks.