skyjoy00
New Member
Hi, I wrote a paper for my college English class concerning faith and would like some feedback/comments/thoughts on it as well if there is anything lacking or missing. This is a persuasive research paper and is not meant to offend Christians or any other persons. My goal for my paper is having an open mind towards other people. Before commenting please read the whole paper, again, so not cause a misunderstanding. Thank you so much!
Christianity: Compassion Through Understanding
Having different sexual orientations is a controversial topic in the Christian church and harsh judgment is put on the LGBT community within the church. Minority of Christians treat being part of the LGBT community as an unforgivable sin; all sin is equal to God and is no different from being an addict or telling a lie. The Christian community should foster understanding towards fellow sinners rather than casting them aside, their issues are seldom aided or understood. Narrow mindedness, the inability to grasp the sufferings of others and display compassion for our fellow man as well as the mindful destructive use and exploitation of others’ weaknesses, goes against Christian ethics.
In the past, there have been instances where scripture was put out of context to justify an individual or group’s own actions against another. Take slavery, one of America’s greatest sins, for example. According to History.com, slavery was initiated with 20, or so slaves arriving in Jamestown, Virginia; 1619, and continued throughout America’s Civil War (1861-1865), ending with over 3.9 million slaves that were immigrated into the United States. European settlers saw slavery as an opportunity, replacing indentured servants with a cheaper and more sufficient labor force, to monopolize plantation farming. America’s Civil War emerged between the North, who determined to have slavery abolished, and the South, who advocated slavery to cheaply dominate business, apathetic to the agony left in their wake. Slavery legally ended with the 13th amendment and slaves gained Citizenship, as well as the right to vote with the 14th and 15th amendments. However, after the Civil War, southerners found a way to maintain the grasp on ‘freed slaves’ by initiating new laws and rules such as sharecropping and Jim Crow Laws. Sharecropping put freed slaves in debt, and made it impossible for them to leave the plantations; Jim Crow Laws enforced legal racial segregation. (Slavery in America, 2009). They justified these laws with scripture, specifically Ephesians 6: 5-6; “5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart” (BibleGateway). Slave owners ignored Ephesians 6:9 stating, “9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him” (BibleGateway). The mistreatment of others is not justified by God. His word was twisted to justify mans’ actions and to abuse, God’s word is most definitely a sin. Maltreatment of others is mistreating God’s people and all are his children, it’s well to keep this in mind while approaching someone concerning their beliefs along with personal faith. Confronting someone regarding their beliefs is a delicate situation and should be handled by expressing understanding, explaining why this is important to Christians, and why, as a community, these convictions are upheld.
In addition to the exploitation of others, being part of the LGBT community and being an addict have more emphasis as a sin compared to swearing, or using the Lord’s name in vain. Why is that? Putting a number on sin can undermine an individual’s personal wrongdoings and in turn, they might feel obligated to criticize others based on the nature of and amount of others’ sins. How does this affect a person seeking redemption and forgiveness, or a non-christian looking for acceptance during their time of need? This is in relation to what Paul Gibbs describes, “In politics today, we see many people proclaiming their Christianity, but, unfortunately, I see far more of the former version than the latter. When our Christianity is used to oppress, marginalize or hurt others, it is not the Christianity of Christ. Nor is it when it is used to motivate imprisoning children, breaking up families or denying basic human dignity or rights to anyone” (Gibbs, 2018). Christians who set others to their standards cause a lack of understanding to those seeking forgiveness and, following, the person receiving harsh criticism might turn sour towards the beliefs that make them feel unworthy of forgiveness. No one has the same background or circumstance as another, who a person is, is characterized by how they were brought up and what they make of the world whether it be for better or worse. This mindset is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby through the character and narrator, Nick Carraway. Early on in the book, Nick remarks that he is “inclined to reserve all judgment” (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald). The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, set Nick up as an open-minded observer to his surrounding environment until the end when Nick comes to despise the other characters excluding Gatsby. By the end, Nick earned the right to judge the other characters, because he got to know them and witnessed them making poor ethical decisions. Having a narrow mindset inhibits someone from judging a person properly; through their actions and sense of morality.
A protester might argue, without judgment, sinners wouldn’t acknowledge their sin and would lead a life of unrighteousness. In society, people have their own opinions and the right to voice them, the argument remains that it’s not acceptable to abuse others with harsh words or claim they need to be punished for how they feel. Similarly, “One of the greatest stumbling blocks to Christianity, especially among those who are drawn to the idea of a loving, compassionate God, is the Bible’s teaching on judgment” (The Compassionate Truth About Judgment, 2015). Being a part of the LGBT community might or might not be a sin, but treating all with compassion and understanding as well as having an open mind should be first, thereby withholding judgment on how another is currently leading their life. It is our duty as Christians to point souls into the direction of God and to teach them as well as ourselves the path of righteousness, love, and charity.
Loving one’s neighbor and loving one’s enemy means to understand that everyone’s circumstances are different and that it’s impossible to control all that happens in life. Christians must withhold judgment, have an open mind, and assess oneself first before pointing fingers at others. Allowing people to see Christ within the Christian community by demonstrating the love and compassion God extends to His children on earth will lead the multitude towards the path of righteousness. Illustrated by Readhead, “Being a good neighbor is a one-person movement first of all. Then in company with others, our efforts are multiplied, and like the Biblical account of the feeding of the multitude by Jesus and his disciples we all start sharing till all are fed. This is when the miracle takes place” (1999). Loving fellow sinners enough to give them compassionate judgment will bring endless rewards towards oneself and the people surrounding them.
Works Cited
“BibleGateway.” Ephesians 6 NIV - - Bible Gateway, [www.biblegateway.com/passage/?searc....com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6&version=NIV).
Gibbs, Paul. "Letter: Christianity of the World Vs. Christianity of Christ: Salt Lake Telegram." Deseret News, Nov 02, 2018. ProQuest, Cape Fear Community College library: Proxy server login.
History.com Editors. “Slavery in America.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 12 Nov. 2009, [www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery](http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery).
Readhead, Ross. "Miracle of Loving One's Neighbour: [Final Edition]." Expositor, Oct 16, 1999, pp. B5. ProQuest, Cape Fear Community College library: Proxy server login.
Sauls, Scott, et al. “The Compassionate Truth About Judgment.” The Gospel Coalition, 20 May 2015, [www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/...icle/the-compassionate-truth-about-judgment/).
“The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, [www.enotes.com/homework-help/great-...y-why-does-f-scott-fitzgerald-present-357960)
Christianity: Compassion Through Understanding
Having different sexual orientations is a controversial topic in the Christian church and harsh judgment is put on the LGBT community within the church. Minority of Christians treat being part of the LGBT community as an unforgivable sin; all sin is equal to God and is no different from being an addict or telling a lie. The Christian community should foster understanding towards fellow sinners rather than casting them aside, their issues are seldom aided or understood. Narrow mindedness, the inability to grasp the sufferings of others and display compassion for our fellow man as well as the mindful destructive use and exploitation of others’ weaknesses, goes against Christian ethics.
In the past, there have been instances where scripture was put out of context to justify an individual or group’s own actions against another. Take slavery, one of America’s greatest sins, for example. According to History.com, slavery was initiated with 20, or so slaves arriving in Jamestown, Virginia; 1619, and continued throughout America’s Civil War (1861-1865), ending with over 3.9 million slaves that were immigrated into the United States. European settlers saw slavery as an opportunity, replacing indentured servants with a cheaper and more sufficient labor force, to monopolize plantation farming. America’s Civil War emerged between the North, who determined to have slavery abolished, and the South, who advocated slavery to cheaply dominate business, apathetic to the agony left in their wake. Slavery legally ended with the 13th amendment and slaves gained Citizenship, as well as the right to vote with the 14th and 15th amendments. However, after the Civil War, southerners found a way to maintain the grasp on ‘freed slaves’ by initiating new laws and rules such as sharecropping and Jim Crow Laws. Sharecropping put freed slaves in debt, and made it impossible for them to leave the plantations; Jim Crow Laws enforced legal racial segregation. (Slavery in America, 2009). They justified these laws with scripture, specifically Ephesians 6: 5-6; “5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart” (BibleGateway). Slave owners ignored Ephesians 6:9 stating, “9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him” (BibleGateway). The mistreatment of others is not justified by God. His word was twisted to justify mans’ actions and to abuse, God’s word is most definitely a sin. Maltreatment of others is mistreating God’s people and all are his children, it’s well to keep this in mind while approaching someone concerning their beliefs along with personal faith. Confronting someone regarding their beliefs is a delicate situation and should be handled by expressing understanding, explaining why this is important to Christians, and why, as a community, these convictions are upheld.
In addition to the exploitation of others, being part of the LGBT community and being an addict have more emphasis as a sin compared to swearing, or using the Lord’s name in vain. Why is that? Putting a number on sin can undermine an individual’s personal wrongdoings and in turn, they might feel obligated to criticize others based on the nature of and amount of others’ sins. How does this affect a person seeking redemption and forgiveness, or a non-christian looking for acceptance during their time of need? This is in relation to what Paul Gibbs describes, “In politics today, we see many people proclaiming their Christianity, but, unfortunately, I see far more of the former version than the latter. When our Christianity is used to oppress, marginalize or hurt others, it is not the Christianity of Christ. Nor is it when it is used to motivate imprisoning children, breaking up families or denying basic human dignity or rights to anyone” (Gibbs, 2018). Christians who set others to their standards cause a lack of understanding to those seeking forgiveness and, following, the person receiving harsh criticism might turn sour towards the beliefs that make them feel unworthy of forgiveness. No one has the same background or circumstance as another, who a person is, is characterized by how they were brought up and what they make of the world whether it be for better or worse. This mindset is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby through the character and narrator, Nick Carraway. Early on in the book, Nick remarks that he is “inclined to reserve all judgment” (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald). The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, set Nick up as an open-minded observer to his surrounding environment until the end when Nick comes to despise the other characters excluding Gatsby. By the end, Nick earned the right to judge the other characters, because he got to know them and witnessed them making poor ethical decisions. Having a narrow mindset inhibits someone from judging a person properly; through their actions and sense of morality.
A protester might argue, without judgment, sinners wouldn’t acknowledge their sin and would lead a life of unrighteousness. In society, people have their own opinions and the right to voice them, the argument remains that it’s not acceptable to abuse others with harsh words or claim they need to be punished for how they feel. Similarly, “One of the greatest stumbling blocks to Christianity, especially among those who are drawn to the idea of a loving, compassionate God, is the Bible’s teaching on judgment” (The Compassionate Truth About Judgment, 2015). Being a part of the LGBT community might or might not be a sin, but treating all with compassion and understanding as well as having an open mind should be first, thereby withholding judgment on how another is currently leading their life. It is our duty as Christians to point souls into the direction of God and to teach them as well as ourselves the path of righteousness, love, and charity.
Loving one’s neighbor and loving one’s enemy means to understand that everyone’s circumstances are different and that it’s impossible to control all that happens in life. Christians must withhold judgment, have an open mind, and assess oneself first before pointing fingers at others. Allowing people to see Christ within the Christian community by demonstrating the love and compassion God extends to His children on earth will lead the multitude towards the path of righteousness. Illustrated by Readhead, “Being a good neighbor is a one-person movement first of all. Then in company with others, our efforts are multiplied, and like the Biblical account of the feeding of the multitude by Jesus and his disciples we all start sharing till all are fed. This is when the miracle takes place” (1999). Loving fellow sinners enough to give them compassionate judgment will bring endless rewards towards oneself and the people surrounding them.
Works Cited
“BibleGateway.” Ephesians 6 NIV - - Bible Gateway, [www.biblegateway.com/passage/?searc....com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6&version=NIV).
Gibbs, Paul. "Letter: Christianity of the World Vs. Christianity of Christ: Salt Lake Telegram." Deseret News, Nov 02, 2018. ProQuest, Cape Fear Community College library: Proxy server login.
History.com Editors. “Slavery in America.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 12 Nov. 2009, [www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery](http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery).
Readhead, Ross. "Miracle of Loving One's Neighbour: [Final Edition]." Expositor, Oct 16, 1999, pp. B5. ProQuest, Cape Fear Community College library: Proxy server login.
Sauls, Scott, et al. “The Compassionate Truth About Judgment.” The Gospel Coalition, 20 May 2015, [www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/...icle/the-compassionate-truth-about-judgment/).
“The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, [www.enotes.com/homework-help/great-...y-why-does-f-scott-fitzgerald-present-357960)
