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Replies: 14
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All-In [26968]
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The flag thing is a real 1 Corinthians 8 issue to me.
Jun 22, 2015, 4:06 PM
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You can look up the Scripture if you want, but I'll sum it up. Paul has heard from the Corinthian church that some new Christians are offended that their brothers are partaking of the meat that had previously been designated for sacrifice to false gods.
Paul's message is this: we know it's just meat. These false gods are not real. But some of your brothers, for whatever reason, have trouble with the connection between the meat and those gods. If somehow, eating this meat causes your brother to fall, then was the meat worth it? After all, it's just meat. Paul said "if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."
Hey, Confederate flag supporters. I know what the flag means to you, and I know you're not racist. But there are a lot of people who don't see it that way. In the end, is having that flag on the State House grounds really worth it? Take an unabashed stand for things that really matter in life. But in things that don't, how about defer to your fellow man, to whom it may matter a great deal.
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Oculus Spirit [79429]
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If you keep deferring to your fellow man, eventually
Jun 22, 2015, 4:11 PM
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you're going to become their doormat.
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All-In [26968]
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That's why it's important to be able to discern what things
Jun 22, 2015, 5:02 PM
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really matter, and what things don't. We should never defer on the things that matter.
To some people, it may be important to them that the flag be on the grounds. I am not telling them not to stand for what they believe. My suspicion is that if most folks will really look deep down, they could not honestly say that it really matters.
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All-In [42169]
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Is that all this is to you?
Jun 22, 2015, 5:44 PM
[ in reply to If you keep deferring to your fellow man, eventually ] |
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Just fight it to be stubborn because you don't like our state giving in?
With all due respect, that's childish. Fighting something just because you don't want to give in--regardless of the cause--is just immature. Sorry.
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110%er [6219]
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Re: Is that all this is to you?
Jun 22, 2015, 5:47 PM
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^^^^THIS.^^^^
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All-In [28802]
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Was the government mandating they eat the meat?
Jun 22, 2015, 4:15 PM
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Because, if not, then there's a political question here that's different than the scriptural one.
Beyond that, I'm not so sure that the best way for a government to make decisions is to only listen to the people who seem to care the most. I do get what the scripture is saying there, and I generally live according to that principle in order to keep the peace. But, if we make the principle absolute (which I don't think you're necessarily saying we should do, and I don't think that's the way we're intended to interpret the scripture), then we'd get that the best way to keep everyone happy is if we just don't care about anything. From that point of view, it's very difficult to find a reason to tell those who do claim to care why what they care about actually doesn't matter much.
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All-In [26968]
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To me it's not really a political issue.
Jun 22, 2015, 5:04 PM
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If the people, on the whole, decide they don't want the flag there, the political part of it will follow naturally. I think that's what's happening.
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All-In [28802]
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Isn't that what politics is?
Jun 22, 2015, 5:23 PM
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What I'm saying is that there's a question of "the good" involved, and there's also a question of legitimacy (ie. who gets to make governmental decisions reflecting the good). Either of these things will always be involved in politics.
In your response, you say the question of who gets to say what to do with the flag will be decided by the people "on the whole," but wouldn't that mean taking a vote? And on what principle should people decide to move the flag or not? That's the kind of stuff I was trying to get at. If we just say, "well, it doesn't matter much to me, but it does matter to somebody else, so let's take it down," then we're not really evaluating the reasons for it being there in the first place.
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All-In [26968]
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I have not yet heard anyone give a real reason
Jun 22, 2015, 5:31 PM
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why it should be there.
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All-TigerNet [13190]
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Well it's obvious why it was put there
Jun 22, 2015, 9:53 PM
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Based on my knowledge of 1961.
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CU Medallion [58415]
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It's perfectly understandable why black people find it
Jun 22, 2015, 4:51 PM
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offensive, and it's perfectly understandable why so many white southerners don't. The problem is, neither side seems to grasp that or be willing to give any legitimacy whatsoever to the other side. It is legitimately offensive to black people because it is indeed a symbol that once was carried into battle by an army that fought to preserve the institution of slavery in a war in which the primary objective was the preservation of the institution of slavery. White southerners do not appreciate being labeled as racists simply for seeing the flag as more than a racist symbol (and it is more than that), and they deserve to have a prominent place of honor for their ancestors, who were for the most part very honorable people in spite of being on the wrong side of the slavery issue.
I think if people were reasonable, a compromise could be reached which acknowledged the sin of slavery and the role the Confederacy played in it, while at the same time getting rid of the divisive symbol that is the flag, and having a memorial that addresses the contradiction while honoring fallen confederates who died honorably for their sovereignty. Too many on both sides have their heels dug in however, and both sides need a boogeyman so they can dig in even deeper.
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Oculus Spirit [93668]
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Well,
Jun 23, 2015, 6:06 AM
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have you quit eating meat yet?
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All-In [26968]
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Not in a literal sense, of course...
Jun 23, 2015, 9:06 AM
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Because my eating meat is, as far as I know, not giving anyone trouble.
But I have applied this principle to my life an a few occasions. There are things I don't do, not because I think they are inherently sinful, but because my doing them could hinder my fellow Christian's walk with God.
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CU Guru [1147]
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whoa
Jun 23, 2015, 10:32 PM
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that is a really good perspective.
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All-In [34108]
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+1***
Jun 24, 2015, 3:47 PM
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