River Jordan said:
It's more like "I cannot violate my faith by participating in this one sin that I have decided is worth asking about and taking a stand on. Other sins? Meh. I won't even ask about those!"
Followed by head-scratching bewilderment over why people think of you as a hypocrite.
Actually, we should not participate in any sin.
And, as I said before, you are free not to participate in whatever sins you know about...in fact, I would recommend that you refrain from doing so.
For instance, I have never contributed to any televangelist asking for more money....no not even once. I have never bought their shoddy merchandise, nor have I recommended that anyone else do so.
Now, this may come as a shock to you, but, River....we do not live in a perfect world.
And every single one of us is guilty of some sin or other...whether we like to admit it or not.
I would be willing to bet that every Christian you know of, including yourself, has been guilty at some time in their lives of the dreaded sin of coveting...that is, jealously longing for something that doesn't belong to you....as in "I wish I had a car like that," or "Gosh, I wonder what it would be like to live in that beautiful house," or some such thing.
Now, I'm not asking you to confess any sins here in this thread....none of my or anyone else's business.
You mentioned the sin of gluttony at one point, as I recall....and I admitted to you that my weakness for food is, for me, a major problem, and yes, I have put on some weight in my old age, and I'm not happy about it, but I can't seem to kick the habit. I'm a food junkie. Pray for me.
And, fapeetsakes, if ever we meet face to face, I would ask you NOT to participate in my sin by offering to buy some fattening lunch...
Does that seem ridiculous? LOL, I suppose, if you are not a food junkie, it probably does, but I assure you, it is a very real problem...I had a "diet buddy" once who was more of a "fat buddy"....she and I both loved to stop at the local Dairy Queen for our favorite treat....hot fudge sundaes...with plenty of whipped cream. Needless to say, the diet didn't work...
It pained me deeply, but I could see that we were only helping each other to indulge in our sin....so I ended the relationship. Oh, we still talk, from time to time...but we do not "hang out" with each other as we once did. And we pray for one another. It is healthler for both of us, and for our families, this way.
Do you honestly think that Christians should support sin? Any sin, River, no matter what sin it is. Should we help some greedy televangelist buy a new jet, for instance, or help him to get a million dollars in donations, because he says that God will kill him if we don't? Of course not.
Should we, like my friend and I, support each other in our gluttony? Should I call her and offer to take her out on a junk food binge? It's tempting....but would it be right? No. And we both know that if we get together, our play date will include a binge lunch at a pizza joint, or a burger barn, or maybe some Italian restaurant...and a stop at the Dairy Queen on the way home. So we have agreed to limit ourselves in this regard, and we pray for one another.
Our gay friends need the same kind of help. If we love them, we do not support their sin...we help them to fight against it. Why? Because we know that, as Paul told us, those that practice those things, or who take pleasure in those who do them, will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
River, to a Christian, God's Word is final.
Do you understand?