You know, last night I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 (4-13), which of course is known as the “love passage”. Anyway, I found myself very convicted by “It is not easily offended”. Not only this, but also, “Love keeps no record of wrongs”. I think I hit myself in the head to be honest. What you say is absolutely true. There is nothing wrong with being offended by truly unjust things, especially if those things are having to do with the kingdom of Heaven, not personal pettiness. But even so those offences shouldn’t sit around festering, which they will if they aren’t turned into action. On the other hand, also in the love passage, “Love is not proud, nor boastful, nor rude” (all of which tend to be offensive)…so, it obviously shouldn’t be our goal to offend. Even though it is true that sometimes one can offend by telling the truth, the timing, context, and manner in which these things are done typically all need to be appropriate and sensitive.
Something in particular comes to mind. In college, two of my mom’s best friends became pretty averted to one another: one of them was Baptist/Pentecostal, and one was Catholic (and she didn’t accept Christ as the savior nor did she believe in a Hell). Anyway, the first girl was constantly yelling at the other girl that she would believe in a Hell soon enough if she didn’t change her beliefs. While what she was saying was true, the manner in which it was done only made the other girl less likely to consider what the first girl was saying….
I think you’re on to something interesting with the kind of “offending” you’re thinking about though, the whole ”Happy December” idea. Just be aware that you may have to explain it to a lot of people for it to be fully grasped. I enjoyed reading your entry.
Love, in Christ,
Katie
Hey man. You don’t know me. But Katy directed me to your blog. I only read the “Happy December” paragraph. Nothing else. I agree ALL the way.
Well, I think that’s an impossible oath to fulfill, so it’s not one anyone should ever make. Of course, I’m not up on the latest debates over oaths versus whatever-the-heck-they-call-the-alternatives.
I’m such a pest, but what do the scriptures say? ;p
RYC? I dunno what that means. But yes, Adam from Blackshear Place. Whatever you heard, it’s probally not true, unless it was bad, then it probally was.
hey caleb (inside joke)… im going for the money haha.. ha WHOO ..good times
Yep, you’ve heard of Adam, and most of it is true.
every year the issue gets raised though about this “war on Christmas” as if those who are secular could even care about the issue. The even remote idea of persecution is a great rallying point for any religion and it is a waste of energy signifying nothing…
ryc on dan’s site: with regard to the michigan law about coercive abortions, two of the central provisions were that a man could not threaten to divorce his wife if she refused to have an abortion (that means the copulation took place while they were ****ing married) and a man could not threaten to move out of a shared domicile leaving the woman to pay for the entire domicile just to force her to have an abortion (which means common law marriage at the very least) neither of these situations is the sort faced by a casual couple having casual sex. not all abortions have anything to do with out-of-control-hormones of the boyfriend/girlfiend variety….
I just make sure to say “Merry Christmas” to people I know, so that if the chance so happens that they do not celebrate the holiday and are offended, they will accept my apology. It upsets me that people are offended by it, but I don’t think it’s so important that I need to become a pull-string doll that says “Merry Christmas” around each corner I turn.
I think an important thing to recognize about the whole debate is that the point of the phrase “Merry Christmas” is to have something nice to say to people that is standard. If I find that it isn’t being nice to them anymore then I think it is best to remain on good terms with them by fixing it by saying a quick “I’m sorry” and then telling them to have a happy season. The important thing is the relationship. Who knows, maybe if we all tried to stay on good terms with people they wouldn’t mind us wishing them to have a good Christmas, even when they don’t celebrate it. That makes sense to me. If I went to foreign country and a large group of people always greeted me in the name of their holiday I wouldn’t even mind saying the same back to them, so long as they were nice people. However, if I thought they insensitive bunch of jerks, like many people think Christians are, then I would probably end up getting exasperated and in turn complain that they greeted me in the name of a holiday I don’t celebrate.
I think.
I only read the first paragraph. I think we should all just say what we want: get rid of corporate policies. You want to say Happy Holidays, then so be it! It’s freedom of speech — say what you want, not as others think you should. Some days I say “Merry Christmas” others nothing at all. Does that make me a poor, bad Christian? No, it makes me human. It means I have more important things on my mind to worry about than what offends the gal behind the checkout counter.
dude i think zaboomafoo gets high off that stuff he eats before he becomes a puppet and starts talking
i was just thinking that or maybe its a combination of them all just getting high
in the immortal words of bob dylan “everybody must get stoned”
I agree. Evolution offends me, so I should just make a big deal out of it and get the people on capitol hill to change it. Ohhhhh, wait we lost the House majority. : (
Anywho, it seems today that minorities rule the world. I have nothing against minorities, just when they call me rascist. Cracker…. now that is rascist right there.
almost
Hi. Yeah, I know lots of people like screamo, but it’s just my opinion, I just do not like it. My friend had a screamo band at her sweet sixteen….oh lord. I took like, 3 aspirins. I do like a lot of the harder core stuff, don’t get me wrong…just all out screamo bugs me.
So have you ever seen Dashboard live? I just went last month. They’re awesome.
And yeah, Hilary Duff’s music can get really annoying. Her acting is fine, I don’t really judge it good or bad. I used to love her when I was around 12 and 13, and I don’t hate her now, but I get sick of her a whole lot quicker.
Comments (17)
Great entry!
You know, last night I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 (4-13), which of course is known as the “love passage”. Anyway, I found myself very convicted by “It is not easily offended”. Not only this, but also, “Love keeps no record of wrongs”. I think I hit myself in the head to be honest. What you say is absolutely true. There is nothing wrong with being offended by truly unjust things, especially if those things are having to do with the kingdom of Heaven, not personal pettiness. But even so those offences shouldn’t sit around festering, which they will if they aren’t turned into action. On the other hand, also in the love passage, “Love is not proud, nor boastful, nor rude” (all of which tend to be offensive)…so, it obviously shouldn’t be our goal to offend. Even though it is true that sometimes one can offend by telling the truth, the timing, context, and manner in which these things are done typically all need to be appropriate and sensitive.
Something in particular comes to mind. In college, two of my mom’s best friends became pretty averted to one another: one of them was Baptist/Pentecostal, and one was Catholic (and she didn’t accept Christ as the savior nor did she believe in a Hell). Anyway, the first girl was constantly yelling at the other girl that she would believe in a Hell soon enough if she didn’t change her beliefs. While what she was saying was true, the manner in which it was done only made the other girl less likely to consider what the first girl was saying….
I think you’re on to something interesting with the kind of “offending” you’re thinking about though, the whole ”Happy December” idea. Just be aware that you may have to explain it to a lot of people for it to be fully grasped. I enjoyed reading your entry.
Love, in Christ,
Katie
Hey man. You don’t know me. But Katy directed me to your blog. I only read the “Happy December” paragraph. Nothing else. I agree ALL the way.
Well, I think that’s an impossible oath to fulfill, so it’s not one anyone should ever make. Of course, I’m not up on the latest debates over oaths versus whatever-the-heck-they-call-the-alternatives.
I’m such a pest, but what do the scriptures say? ;p
RYC? I dunno what that means. But yes, Adam from Blackshear Place. Whatever you heard, it’s probally not true, unless it was bad, then it probally was.
hey caleb (inside joke)… im going for the money
haha.. ha
WHOO
..good times
Yep, you’ve heard of Adam, and most of it is true.
every year the issue gets raised though about this “war on Christmas” as if those who are secular could even care about the issue. The even remote idea of persecution is a great rallying point for any religion and it is a waste of energy signifying nothing…
ryc on dan’s site: with regard to the michigan law about coercive abortions, two of the central provisions were that a man could not threaten to divorce his wife if she refused to have an abortion (that means the copulation took place while they were ****ing married) and a man could not threaten to move out of a shared domicile leaving the woman to pay for the entire domicile just to force her to have an abortion (which means common law marriage at the very least) neither of these situations is the sort faced by a casual couple having casual sex. not all abortions have anything to do with out-of-control-hormones of the boyfriend/girlfiend variety….
I just make sure to say “Merry Christmas” to people I know, so that if the chance so happens that they do not celebrate the holiday and are offended, they will accept my apology. It upsets me that people are offended by it, but I don’t think it’s so important that I need to become a pull-string doll that says “Merry Christmas” around each corner I turn.
I think an important thing to recognize about the whole debate is that the point of the phrase “Merry Christmas” is to have something nice to say to people that is standard. If I find that it isn’t being nice to them anymore then I think it is best to remain on good terms with them by fixing it by saying a quick “I’m sorry” and then telling them to have a happy season. The important thing is the relationship. Who knows, maybe if we all tried to stay on good terms with people they wouldn’t mind us wishing them to have a good Christmas, even when they don’t celebrate it. That makes sense to me. If I went to foreign country and a large group of people always greeted me in the name of their holiday I wouldn’t even mind saying the same back to them, so long as they were nice people. However, if I thought they insensitive bunch of jerks, like many people think Christians are, then I would probably end up getting exasperated and in turn complain that they greeted me in the name of a holiday I don’t celebrate.
I think.
I only read the first paragraph. I think we should all just say what we want: get rid of corporate policies. You want to say Happy Holidays, then so be it! It’s freedom of speech — say what you want, not as others think you should. Some days I say “Merry Christmas” others nothing at all. Does that make me a poor, bad Christian? No, it makes me human. It means I have more important things on my mind to worry about than what offends the gal behind the checkout counter.
dude i think zaboomafoo gets high off that stuff he eats before he becomes a puppet and starts talking
i was just thinking that
or maybe its a combination of them all just getting high
in the immortal words of bob dylan
“everybody must get stoned”
I agree. Evolution offends me, so I should just make a big deal out of it and get the people on capitol hill to change it. Ohhhhh, wait we lost the House majority. : (
Anywho, it seems today that minorities rule the world. I have nothing against minorities, just when they call me rascist. Cracker…. now that is rascist right there.
almost
Hi. Yeah, I know lots of people like screamo, but it’s just my opinion, I just do not like it. My friend had a screamo band at her sweet sixteen….oh lord. I took like, 3 aspirins. I do like a lot of the harder core stuff, don’t get me wrong…just all out screamo bugs me.
So have you ever seen Dashboard live? I just went last month. They’re awesome.
And yeah, Hilary Duff’s music can get really annoying. Her acting is fine, I don’t really judge it good or bad. I used to love her when I was around 12 and 13, and I don’t hate her now, but I get sick of her a whole lot quicker.
Well, one man’s truth is another man’s fiction.