Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
I agree in part, but wouldn’t you agree that Jesus did align Himself with truth vs lies, honesty vs hypocrisy, righteousness vs unrighteousness, etc? And does not this forum somewhat force posters to take sides? If you may remember, at times I have taken a beating from both sides for trying to straddle a middle position, which I am convinced aligns with the truths of the Bible.
When you say there is “no Jew or Gentile,” that is INSIDE the church. But consider when both Jesus and the Apostles faced the deceit of Jewish leaders, did they not rebuke them, exposing their deceptions to the other disciples for their safety. Is not this also the mission of this forum to expose the lies of leaders at LSM?
When I left the LC, close friends of mine on both sides were exhorting me to “take a stand for the truth,” which was really their version of the truth, basically aligning with either the Anaheim or Cleveland factions. In that instance I did not take sides, or pick a party, like nearly all others did, but examined both platforms against the truth of scripture.
So this matter of “aligning in parties” needs context. Today we have parties and denominations based on leaders and doctrines, but the time is soon coming during the great tribulation, when as the scriptures indicate, we will only be divided as worshippers of Jesus Christ or worshippers of the Beast. My initial comments in this little discussion of ours only reflected certain policies (e.g. censorship) used today which will one day be also used by the Beast. The practice of censorship at LSM fits in with this.
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Political opinions differ and bring strife between people who ought to love each other as children of God. Jesus was aligned with the Father(John 10:30) and prayed "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:21)
As far as censorship goes, again, it's a matter of opinion. Censorship is practiced by the moderators of this forum. Their judgment may differ from yours and mine. Those that can't abide with it are encouraged to leave or are “cancelled”. I seem to recall that it was the desire of UntoHim that we avoid political discussion on this forum. One reason he said started Alternative Views was so that we could discuss politics there. Apparently, he concluded that that was a failure. So, again, I don't want to repeat that mistake.
The mission statement of this forum is "Our mission is to, in the words of the apostle Peter (1 Peter 3:15) “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect”. That's excellent! The mission of this forum is not ultimately on the past, but on the sanctification of Christ in our hearts now!
So, yes this is a place where people can discuss the local church movement critically. Since such discussion isn't allowed in the local churches, there is a need for it here. But, in keeping with the mission of the forum, there is also a need to forgive others and ourselves for what happened there and let it go.
The Lord taught us to pray, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Forgiveness is essential if we are to have a pure heart not occupied by resentment and hate. As the Lord said "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God." That's the blessing I seek. That's "the hope that is in" me said with "gentleness and respect."