to think many politicians who claim to be Christians and who say this is a Christian country really aren't Christians and would criticise the teachings of Jesus

[cakeorwine]

Lee Anderson saying this is a Christian country and complaining about some councils celebrating Ramada with lights.

"But let’s turn our attention back to traditional values for a second. The last time I checked Britain is a Christian country, it is enshrined in our law. So why is it that one of the most important religious festivals in the country is not proudly celebrated in the nation’s capital? Just like Labour, the Tories also refuse to stand up for Christian values it seems. Their candidate for the Westminster constituency said the lights were to be “welcomed” before paying trivial lip service to the promotion of other religions and their holy days. Under successive Tory governments British culture, identity, and values have ebbed away, and the rate at which they are doing so seems to be rapidly increasing.
Let me be clear, this isn’t an attack on Islam or any other religion. I firmly and absolutely respect the rights of individuals to celebrate their faith, but who in the establishment is standing up for the Christian values that made our country so great and revered across the globe? Can you honestly believe that if the shoe were on the other foot, a Muslim country would decorate its capital city with Easter decorations during Ramadan?"

'UK is Christian – it's time to demand our country back' | Express Comment | Comment | Express.co.uk

Farage saying that he has stopped going to church because of what someone said

"Mr Farage said: "I won't go to my local church, I won't go. I am christened and confirmed in the Church of England, all my family on both sides have been Church of England.
"I used to believe in it, I used to attend, not every Sunday but regularly during the year, I will not go. It is hopeless, they've given up, they've surrendered."
Nigel Farage reveals why he has stopped going to church: 'It is hopeless!' | Politics | News | Express.co.uk

I firmly believe that these two, as well as other politicians who claim to be Christian and to believe in Christian values would be the first to have Jesus locked up for his views. They would not understand the story of the Good Samaritan.

I say this as someone who is not a Christian but who can see what Jesus was trying to say about helping others and particular values.

I'm too tired to know if you're pulling me up or agreeing, sorry.
I'll be back later to see how thread progresses.

Christianity is not a secular moral code, as you seem to believe it is. It’s a religious doctrine whose core defining concept is salvation through Christ. The comforting thing for ( Protestant at least) Christians is that you are saved regardless of your deeds. You are saved by belief.

The character of Christ is not the meek and mild one people like you often want to portray. He is a complicate character. He was aggressive and attacking to those he did not agree with, calling them names. Which sounds pretty judgmental to me ( as indeed do you to those you dislike, such as Farage. You do understand that being non-judgmental means being non-judgemental to people you DON’T hold in high regard? After all, everyone in the planet can be non-judgmental to those they are sympathetic to. The challenge is being non-judgmental to those one is NOT sympathetic too. That story in the Bible about removing the plank from your own eye before criticising the mote in others? That applies to you, right now.)

Jesus also compared a gentile woman who asked to hear his teachings to a dog, to which she replied, ‘ even a dog can eat scraps from the table’.

I was also somewhat astonished to hear you stare that JC does not appear in the OT! The entire thing about JC to Christian’s is that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Messiah in the OT. For Christians, that is where he gets his spiritual authority from. It is an astonishing ignorance of Christianity to not realise this. The difference between Jews and Christians is that Jews believe the Messiah is still to come and Christians believe he has come.

And that line about treating your neighbour as yourself, is JC condensing the laws of the OT, not adding something new on top.

"I was also somewhat astonished to hear you stare that JC does not appear in the OT"

So am I - because if you actually read what I said, you would see that I said:

"Last time I checked, Jesus didn't feature much in the Old Testament"

But if you do want to talk about Old Testament and the New Testament - then Old Testament God seems very different to New Testament God. As if he had anger management lessons in between.

aith a lot but multiple posts show they’re hypocrites with very little compassion or tolerance for anyone. They’re anti abortion, life starts at conception people, but no shits given on threads about a very young child in a bad situation. A few years earlier they’d have been doing all they could to make the mother keep the child whilst in the womb, but now he’s here aged 4 needing help, they couldn’t give a fuck. It makes me sick.

I was brought up in Christian community, the people sure didn’t show many Christian values day to day. They were Christian on Sunday mornings, not the rest of the week. In that community there was probably a handful that consistently displayed Christian behaviour and I respected them for that.

In Christianity abortion is sinful because all the teaching is that life is a gift from God. He gives life he takes life. One of the commandment tells you not to kill. It's part of bigger picture and way of life, marriage, children and faith that God help you through.

Everything is based on the premise that you have faith and that whatever bad thing happens to you or you do with your hands God will help you through. If you have that level of faith, the solution would not be abortion.

And to you point about children who are then born and have terrible lives. Your assertion that Christians don't care is just not true. In this country alone, the church has helped millions of families through the centuries with education and health. Of course some Christian's are hypocritics but this is not how Christians built their countries. They built institutions to fight for the rights of the poor. We have had people of faith, artists, writers, lay people and even politicians fight for Christian values.It's always easy to forget this.

It’s not about the word count. The belief in a coming Messiah is a clear in the OT and JC is the fulfillment of that promise for Christians. The NT is littered with references to this to back up this claim and therefore JC’s authority. This was a foundational understanding of JC for the early followers of Christ. Your claim that JC ‘did not appear much in the OT’ is a clear indicator that you do not understand this, because you are trying to minimize this connection, that early Christians sought to bring forefront.

Living a life based on what some or all of what the bible says cannot be anything but hypocritical.

They connected the story well, that's not a novel concept and doesn't make anything absolutely 'true'.

I have no doubt that the featuring of a Messiah is in the Old Testament.

But the words and teachings and values of Jesus are in the New Testament.

And I would hope that is where Christians get their values from - from the teachings of Jesus. In the New Testament.

Unless you believe that the Old Testament values and laws are also part of the values of Christianity?

I know this is a common comment, but I personally see it as reflecting a deep cultural, unconscious anti-semitism.

For someone who claims to value being non-judgmental and acceptance and tolerance, you might want to reflect on how it comes across to Jewish people to hear people from Christian traditions speak about some of their Holy Books and God in this way, especially as the comparison is clearly meant to show the superiority of the Christian God and texts to Jewish ones.

No idea why you felt the need to say this. Where do I make a spiritual truth claim?

I'm don't think I did suggest that, merely adding a comment to an ongoing thread.

Old Testament God killed a lot of people.

I think that's clear in the Old Testament.

New Testament God didn't kill that many. Correct me if I am wrong

Of course OT teachings are part of the Christian faith!!!

You are surely trolling now!!

The OT is part of the Christian Bible!!!! How do you not know this????!!!!

You are quoting a popular tv series to claim it’s not??!!!!! Dear God!!!!

There are some passages in the NT saying that certain Jewish laws no longer apply. But the OT is still and valued part of the Christian Bible and faith and you will hear it taught in Churches up and down the UK, and world.

I have another one for you:

Serenpidityjane

It is, that is core to Christianity. God loves you, Jesus came to save you but it's only through him and his teachings.

That's your Christianity. (Which has no qualms about immediately calling people who don't believe it "sinners". Talk about othering).

There will be other Christians who have a different view.

*It's not my version of Christianity, as far as I know I didn't write a gospel according to bicyclebrief.

It's what Jesus says himself. I'm not saying anyone is sinful, I'm saying Jesus tells us what is sinful. I'm just pointing out what these sinful things are according to his teachings.

How many times does he say that heaven comes only through him?

I'm not sure why people get so upset if they're not Christian and the don't believe in the definition of what is sinful according to a faith.

If this is not what the core message of Christianity is what is it according to you?*

It's about following the rules of the Old Testament.
Do you believe that you have to follow the rules of the Old Testament to be a Christian?

Because there are a lot of rules in there.

As exemplified in the videos.

Unless only some of the rules need to be followed?
And if so, which ones?

It's actually what people report a figure called Jesus to have said/done.

The Prom is about a gay teenager who is not allowed to go to the Prom because she is gay and the religious folk don't like it.

It exposes the hypocrisy of people who cherry pick the Bible.

Look, the simple fact is that people interpret the bible, or whatever their holy book is, or indeed any book at all, according to their own existing values and beliefs. People with socially conservative beliefs are conservative christians, people with liberal beliefs become liberal christians, people have used the bible both to defend and oppose slavery and both have had biblical justifications for doing so, feminists find feminisim in the bible (bit of a stretch) and even those believing in the modern trans beliefs are starting to argue for biblical support for this ( even more of a stretch).

So attacking the people for not being Christian enough does not show a good understanding of how these things work. The bible's a long book. Opinions are divided over its interpretation. I refer you to the sheer number of different churches that exist, and sheer volume and diversity of theological interpretation.

I do find it hard to hear a non- Christian berate Christians for not christening right ( and I'm not even a Christian myself), especially when you have such a poor understanding of what Christianity and its core beliefs actually are.

I do find it hard to hear someone being so judgemental about others for not following non-judgemental teachings.

I find your posts to show an unedifying combination of arrogance and ignorance OP.

I find your posts to show an unedifying combination of arrogance and ignorance OP

Because Farage and Anderson are hypocrites who would be the first to call for Jesus to be locked up?

Mysticlines
You are definitely trolling.

It's about following the rules of the Old Testament.
Do you believe that you have to follow the rules of the Old Testament to be a Christian?

Because there are a lot of rules in there.

As exemplified in the videos.

Unless only some of the rules need to be followed?
And if so, which ones?

Because Jesus came with a new covenant. He came to save the people of God who had strayed. He told us what was important to save our souls. Keep the commandments, no need for sacrifes ( he is the eternal sacrificial lamb) to love your neighbour etc. show us the way. He reset the rules.

Look, the Old Testament is part of the Bible, do you deny that? Being part of the bible, it still has authority for Christians and lectures and sermons are still given around its books and the values and theology within it. Its taught at theological colleges that train ministers.

There are a lot of rules in the OT, , different Christians churches follow different rules in the OT. You can look this up for yourself if you are interested.

As I said, there are passages in the NT relieving Christians of following some rules. You can look those up too, if you like.

Popular tv shows are just that. There are not source materials to evidence your understanding of Christianity.

Making stuff up and then condemning people for the stuff you have made up about them is never a good way to argue.

You are really not very ' let he who is without sin cast the first stone' are you?