LAW 2

I think that in some instances the law can be determined or interpreted by us. The problem with this statement I see is in the word limited. When limited is used it means that there is no outside interpretation. There is no higher authority than the government set up for us in today’s society. We are bound to what our government decides and that is what we must be ultimately satisfied with, that is why the word limited scares me.

In a non-limited view, God can be present. God ultimately was our creator and thus is given the authority to create rules for us as humans. Throughout the bible he laid out laws that must be followed, like the Ten Commandments or other rules that he placed on us. In this case there are two separate but also the same laws.

God has created laws that we must follow. These laws are ultimately at the discretion of God to be interpreted and chosen. God laid out certain laws that must be followed. He also laid laws that are more like guidelines. One such example would be how God tells us to follow the governments that have been placed upon us. The clause in this law is that if our law goes against the law that God created we must not follow our government’s law and instead follow the laws that God set for us. God tells us that these governments will set up laws that will go against his will. He says that these laws will be created because of our sinful nature. The verse that supports this is in Timothy 1:9-11 which says “We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.”

The inherent problem with humans having the authority to interpret law is the problem of sin. We are sinful creatures and thus we make sinful decisions. This means that even when we try and make the best decision, it still might not be right because of our sin. We must ultimately just give God our promise to let him make the decisions on issues and to follow them with our full heart.

LAW

Sarah said that society creates laws and that is it. To refute this we should look at Genesis. God from the beginning of time has laid down laws that must be followed. The one rule that God gave to Adam and Eve was broken and so they were kicked out of the garden. God again establishes laws when he takes the Israelites out into the desert by giving them the Ten Commandments. The bible is our law. God not only created us, this earth, but he also created rules so that life would be possible. The bible tells us that we are to follow the laws of the established government unless they go against what the bible says. In 1 Peter it says, “Make Jesus your Lord proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order. It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of fools... Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.” 1 Peter 2:13-17 An example would be Daniel. He did not follow the rules that the king set up and instead, followed what God said to do in the bible. He was then saved by God and became an advisor for the king. God has set up rules that we must follow. By following these rules we not only give an example to others of how to act, but also we please God. People say that Christianity seems strict, but the fact is that we have rules so that we keep ourselves out of trouble.

Sarah says that society has the ability to create its own law. As a Secular humanists Sarah believes in what is known as "positive law" in where society creates their own laws and rules. In their eyes, their laws will create a society that will not have any problems. To keep the problems out, they continually change the laws so that they fit society better. By doing this though, they totally and utterly reject God and His laws.

Feminism

As Christian’s we view feminism as a way to change the contemporary family style. Feminism is changing the way that the family is taken care of. For example, females are now going to work in the work force instead of staying at home to take care of the kids. By doing this they are putting their kids into day cares, which has been shown to affect the child’s growth as well as their relationship with the mother and the father. Feminism is also affecting the way relationships are being held. Mothers are now spending so much time in the work force that they are neglecting the home, thus creating problems at home and leading to many more divorces than before. With this the child sees this and thinks that this is an acceptable way to take care of their problems. As Christian’s we are called to do certain things with certain traits that God gave us. Men love to work and have a job, where as mothers are great at relationships and are continuing to try and lengthen their relationships. Mothers are also called to nurture and protect the children and if they send them to day care they can’t do quite as good of a job at that. On the same lines, men are called to provide and be the little king. We are supposed to keep the family out of trouble. When someone does something wrong, it not only looks bad for the kid but also for the father who is the head of the house. He is supposed to be responsible just as Christ took responsibility for our sins on the cross.

The main problem I see in today’s society is that women like to be the little king and they were not meant to be that. I also see that the men let the women take that responsibility just as Adam let Eve take the little king spot. To fix this problem, men need to take responsibility and to take the wheel. For women they need to keep the men out of trouble and let the man take the lead. God made us in his image but with specific tasks that we would be better at so we should try and keep those roles normal.

Sexist? Homophobic?

Today, society’s idea of relationships and the roles of gender have changed from when it was first introduced in the bible in Genesis. We are driven by the thought that relationships are supposed to make us happy and that is it. The bible has a very logical way of putting how relationships are supposed to go.

The bible does not have a sexist view. In the beginning God created, women from man because man did not have an acceptable partner who could make him happy. God created women to complete man, not only in an intimate way, but also to complete man’s flaws. Things that a man can’t do a woman can do and vice versa. Men are to be the king but we are also supposed to guard the wife. The wife in return is to protect the family. Never get between a mom and her kid. That is true not only in humans but also animals. If we look at character traits of God that are shown in Genesis, not only do men have these but also women. The key is that women might be better at some than others and vice versa again.

To deal with the homophobe problem, I would say that Christian’s should not shun people who have made the decision to be homosexual. We are all humans who were created by God. God made all of us and we are to show his love. As Christians we are called to love everyone even the enemies. We can reach out to these people and show them the right way. Society has changed our mindset and soon if the say that gays can marry there will be not moral behind the word marriage.

That is how I would respond to people who think Christians and the bible are homophobic and sexist.