I, too, have enjoyed reading this thread. I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus died to save ALL people, but it's like a gift on Christmas. Someone can give you the greatest present ever, but it's up to you to reach out and accept it.
I attend church every week. I don't go to look at other people and see what they're doing wrong. I go because God has told us to remember to meet together with other believers. It is always an encouraging time for me, even when the speaker highlights one of my sins as wrong. It encourages me to know that God loves me just the way I am, but He isn't content to leave me that way.
For those who say the church is full of judgemental hypocrites, I would like to point out that just because we are Christians, it does not mean we are perfect. The Christian life is a journey- away from what we were- to becoming more like Christ.
True, Christ said to "judge not lest ye be judged," but He also said we would know people by their "fruits." You can tell what kind of person they are by the things they do, the words they say, and the way they live their lives. God loves ALL people, but He does not always love what they do. |