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Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Oct 31, 2009 7:58:11 GMT -5
The following are Rev. Jim's answers to questions asked on YAHOO! ANSWERS, many of which were selected as "best answer". _____________________________________________________ Q: Why are people homophobic? I've never felt like homosexuals/lesbians/bis were immoral or unnatural, and I don't understand why some people think they are. I mean, I think it's more unnatural for someone to have to pretend they're straight just so that people can accept them. If you're a homosexual, what is immoral about that? How is it immoral or wrong to love someone just because they are the same gender as you? If you love someone, it shouldn't matter what gender you/they are. So, if any of you are homophobic or know any homophobics, why are you/they like that?A: The answer is in the word itself: "homophobia". A phobia is an unnatural and abnormal psychologocal fear of something. In this case, "homophobes" have an unnatural and abnormal psychological fear of same gender intimacy. Generally the reason for this is because sexuality is such a major part of our psyche, and the heterosexual is personally repulsed by the notion of intimacy with the same gender, and therefore they project their own view of sexuality on others. Many Southern Whites in the American South felt the same way toward the idea of White and Black intimacy - they had such loathing for Blacks, considering them a subspecies - that the idea of a White mating with a Black was as vile to them as a Human mating with an animal. Unfortunately, although the Bible is totally pro-gay and has not one single anti-gay verse in it, the Roman Catholic religion's anti-gay doctrine (just like their anti-contraceptives doctrine) developed because homosexuality (and contraceptives) prevented pro-creation, which meant less CATHOLICS in the world to serve and finance the pope and the financial bottomless pit of the Vatican. It had nothing whatsoever to do with holiness, but an air of holiness had to be given to it to validate it in the eyes of the people, and therefore Rome intentionally twisted a few totally unrelated Scripture verses in order to make it appear that God was also anti-gay (and anti-contraceptives). Sadly, this twisted doctrine played on the antigay biases of the people and continued at full force in the Protestant Reformation, so that now today the basic heterosexual phobia toward same gender intimacy is now being hidden behind the old twisted doctrine of Rome. Most folks of religious influence who are anti-gay will say that they are anti-gay - not because they are repulsed by it - but because GOD is anti-gay. However, we all may make note that there is no other "sin" which is treated with such verbally violent opposition coupled with extreme degradation toward those who "practice this sin" - which clearly demonstrates that the issue is not a religious one, but one of ignorant hate. - Rev. Jim Cunningham
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Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Nov 12, 2009 12:05:32 GMT -5
Q: Is it any wonder we as Christians have lost our credibility with our end-times speculations? I am a born again Christian myself and I believe we need to stop predicting future events, as this damages our reputation when they don't get fulfilled. This includes but not limited to: Trying to use the Bible to calculate when Jesus will return. Example: 1948+70=2018, or claiming divine message regarding such. Claiming to receive divine revelation as to how or when God will punish America. Trying to name the Antichrist (the Pope, Obama, President of Iran, etc.). What the mark of the beast will be (supermarket bar codes, computer chips embedded in our skin, etc.). Personal "prophecies" regarding one's own death or someone else's.
A: There are two things in particular which is making everyone hate Christians: anti-gay rhetoric and "the end is nigh" preaching. The problem with these two doctrines is that they have one goal - to make people turn to God out of fear.... "you better become straight or you will go to hell!!".... "you better get right with God because the end is about to come and all this terror will happen and you will be left behind!!!"
That is NOT the Gospel, and whoa to those who seek to frighten people into Heaven; because those who are frightened into Heaven can be frightened right back out. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are ALL equally sinners (whether gay or straight) and we are ALL separated from God and condemned to death because of it, but that God because of His great love for us has provided a way through His son to take away the sin and the condemnation and death, and by believing in HIM He will restore us to a perfect relationship with Him forever. No part of the Gospel says "Be heterosexual or you will go to hell!" No part of the Gospel says "The end is coming so go harikari and freak out and become religious quick so that you won't be left behind!!" ONLY ONLY ONLY faith in Jesus Christ - no deeds, no works - brings salvation, and the Church makes ITSELF look the baffoon to the world because the Church refuses to preach the Gospel GOD'S way, and therefore Paul rightly chastizes the Church when he said, "The name of the Lord is blasphemed among the heathen THROUGH YOU!" It is the CHURCH's own fault that the world turns against it with such hatred and mocking. The church has refused to "live peacably with all men", it has refused to "be ye subject one to another", it has refused to acknowledge Christ's own declaration that "My kingdom is NOT of this world".
Rev. Jim Cunningham King James Bible Ministries ____________________________________ RESPONSE FROM QUESTION ASKER: 6 out of 5 stars
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Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Dec 30, 2009 12:57:14 GMT -5
Q: Why does the Book of Proverbs encourage breast fetishism? Doesn't God know they are for feeding babies? Proverbs 5: 18-19 "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." At ALL times, wow. I can't believe this kind of stuff is in books children can read.
A: Since God invented breasts, it is He - not you - who will dictate their function.
The Scriptures here are refering to heterosexual men being faithful to their wives, and to seek the comfort of the wife's bosom which straight men seem to find there - rather than committing adultery or fornication. It is men - not God - who made sex a shameful and lustful thing.
Personally I don't see the fascination with droopy bags hanging off a woman's chest like two balloons, but hey, to each their own - and God obviously blesses the husband's comfort in them. I think the point is that God wants husbands to remember that God made his spouse as a special helper for him and companion in life, and that he is to absolutely respect that fact and treat his wife with love and her body with tenderness, not abusing or hurting her, mentally or physically - and especially that he should turn his desire to HER, and not to someone else.
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Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Dec 30, 2009 12:58:33 GMT -5
Q: Is calling the scriptures "The Bible" unscriptural? Where in the scriptures in the word "Bible"? And I know "Bible" is English for "biblia" or books, but then where does it call the scriptures either "the books" or "biblia" or "Bible"? If the scriptures call themselves just the "scriptures" or "the word" or "the words of this law", etc, why do so-called "Bible believing Christians" call it by a different name???
A: The word BIBLE merely means "book". The Bible has always been called THE BOOK (i.e. the "bible"). And the Bible DOES IN FACT refer to itself as THE BOOK several times (look up "book" in any Strong's Concordance).
Since the word "bible" is a generic non-religious word for "book", thus we call the collection of Scriptures "the HOLY Bible" (the Holy Book).
"Bible" is just an English form of a foreign word, just as "JESUS" is an Englishized form of Yehoshua" and "church" is an Englishized word for "Ecclesia/Synagogue".
Study to show yourself approved unto God, and you would then not have such questions.
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Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Dec 30, 2009 13:00:21 GMT -5
Q: Christians: If I will be judged the way I judge, does that mean there is another way to be saved? Matthew 7:1-2 "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." So if I am going to be judged the same I judge, and what "measure" I "mete" out to others will be laid upon me, does that mean if I judge no one for anything, just let everything go and don't worry about it, God will let me off the hook, too? In fact, what if I take it further, and actually *reward* people who do things that otherwise would have been judged harshly? Hey, this could be a whole new religion! I predict some alleged follower of Jesus is going to quote Paul at me. lol
A: Whoa! It does NOT say that you will be judged THE SAME WAY that you judge, but that you will be judged FOR WHAT YOU JUDGE OTHERS WITH.
In other words, if you condemn others for being a glutton, YOU will be judged and condemned as a glutton with the condemnation YOU gave others. If you condemn someone else as a liar, you will be condemned as a liar with the same condemnation YOU gave. If you condemn someone for eating peanuts, you will be condemned as a peanut eater with the condemnation you desired for the other person. If you don't like homosexuals and in your selfrighteous arrogance you condemn someone for being homosexual, YOU will be condemned as a homosexual with the condemnation you condemned them with.
If you judge (i.e. condemn) ANYONE for ANYTHING - whether it is for something that is evil or for something YOU perceive is evil but isn't, you will be condemned with the same charge and condemnation that YOU make against someone else!!!
We are commanded to judge (know the difference) between what things are good and evil as they are defined by Scripture - but we are not permitted to Judge (condemn as guilty) other PEOPLE, because we are all equally guilty of sin and all sins are punishable by eternal death. Therefore if you, a sinner, dare to presume the authority of God (who alone has power to justify and condemn) you will be condemned for the same thing you condemned someone else. There is no such thing as a HUMAN making righteous condemnations - such an act is a SELFRIGHTEOUS usurpation of GOD who ALONE has power to condemn.
No person who follows the Word of God has authority to declare condemnation on another person. There is one who does this, and he is called Satan - the accuser.
It's very simple to understand. What's the problem here?
Rev. Jim Cunningham
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Post by Rev. Jim Cunningham on Jan 17, 2010 10:49:10 GMT -5
Q: Should the U.S. be criticized for helping Americans in Haiti first?
A: WITHOUT QUESTION, what has happened in Haiti is heartbreaking! Aside from the deaths and injuries, the lack of water and food and toilets and shelter, three million people are now homeless refugees in their own country. Everyone, except the cruelest and most evil person, feels pity and agony for these fellow human beings. The world, and particularly the United States, has come to their aid in an unprecedented fashion. In fact, America did not even respond this quickly and this substantially when disastered occured in its own land to its own people.
Yet I am now hearing protests against America for multiple reasons - Americans are spending too much time rescuing Americans, America isn't moving quickly enough, America isn't opening its borders to allow an influx of injured refugees, etc etc. One man in Haiti said to a reporter, "The united States won't allow us to send these injured people to hospitals in America, so we have been FORCED to send them to other countries."
I do not understand this. First of all, Haiti is a sovereign country. It is not the responsibility of the United States. The United States is in no way obliged to do ANYTHING to aid ANY nation but its own. The United States, out of its great and generous heart, gives freely while itself is in great financial trouble of its own and its Citizens are suffering the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. No one ever says "Thank You" to the United States, they just seem to think the United States is there to give them a hand out when ever anyone asks. It is because of the loving hearts of American citizens (not the government) that the United States blesses other nations, like Haiti - and Americans for decades have been working to help Haiti. It seems now that Haiti has become so accustomed to foreign aid that it takes it for granted and thinks they have a RIGHT to it.
And now America is being treated as though Haiti is America's child and that America is RESPONSIBLE for Haiti's salvation, that America is obliged to surrender all of her resources. There are HUNDREDS of nations in the world - why does AMERICA have to take in all the refugees and the injured. America is already suffering great internal turmoil caused by the massive amounts of poverty stricken refugee immigrants from the Caribbean and Latin America, who milk the American economy and deprive natural citizens of their own money through taxes and jobs.
I'M NOT SAYING that we shouldn't help other nations. We SHOULD. We are not OBLIGED TO, but we SHOULD, out of decent humanity, which most of the world seems to lack. But it's time Americans are COMMENDED for their endless good deeds to the world. No one has any right to criticize America for not DOING enough when America is not obliged to do any thing at all!
Remember what John F. Kennedy said: "MY FELLOW CITIZENS OF THE WORLD - ASK NOT WHAT AMERICA CAN DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT TOGETHER WE CAN DO FOR THE BETTERMENT OF MAN." America is not the world's mommy. It is not the world's savior. It is a friend to those who will be friendly.
Don't you think that it is time that people stop demanding of America and start being GRATEFUL for anything that Americans, out of the goodness of their hearts, willing give?
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