Wednesday,September 17, 2003

Confusion reigns on issue of Jesus and his 'tolerance'

Ms. Dixie Eska-Thedra [Letters, The Citizen, Aug. 20] is laboring under some serious misconceptions about Christianity and Jesus Christ Himself.

First, she wonders how the behavior of certain Christians affect others. The answer is simple: as Christians, we are part of the Body of Christ. Each member is affected for good or bad by the actions of the other. When one of our members harms himself or others through sin, we are all saddened and hurt. Therefore, we wish to help that member avoid sin by reaffirming God's law while we are also extending forgiveness.

Second, Ms. Eska-Thedra says that we have the right to interpret the Bible any old way we want. Well, this may be true, but it also leads to false interpretations. In the case of homosexuality, there is not one single verse, chapter, or word which would indicate homosexuality is morally acceptable, much less same-sex marriage. To "interpret" the Bible as giving approval to homosexuality is the equivalent of saying night is day, black is white, and 2 plus 2 is 5. You may not agree with the Bible, but it is simply wrong to say that it condones homosexuality by any stretch of the imagination.

Third, Ms. Eska-Thedra makes the unbelievable statement that "Christ taught absolute tolerance in the face of his world's own bias."

He did no such thing. Christ never "tolerated" sin. He did forgive sin and call for repentance. He also advocated loving our neighbor and our enemy, but never said that that meant "tolerating" their sins. Sin is a rejection of Christ, so it simply makes no sense to say Christ would "tolerate" it.

Lastly, Ms. Eska-Thedra wonders what business is it of ours as long as someone is happy or whether or not they go to hell. Well, that is the crux of the matter.

Christianity teaches that engaging in any sin diminishes happiness and jeopardizes heaven. Call me crazy, but I actually do care about the happiness and eventual destination of every human being's soul. In fact, Christ commands me to care. I could go the way of Ms. Eska-Thedra and stop caring about my fellow man, but then I wouldn't be much of a Christian, would I?

Trey Hoffman

Peachtree City, Ga.