At this point I must parse Charlotte’s 22 side dishes as she begins to make the fallacy which I mentioned at the beginning of part 1 which discredits the overwhelming majority of all of her arguments from impotent outrage. These are the texts that seek to apply Old Testament laws to Christians. We will group these at the end since it is at the end of her “sermon” that she lays it out in toto.
Let us continue:
4) Ever watch these Christians on television and notice how their bowed heads uniformly shake amen while some evangelist goes on and on in prayer for a ******* hour? Well, repetitious and monotonous praying is in violation of Matthew 6:7. “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” [expletive censored]
Strictly speaking, if she wants to condemn repetitive prayer based on this text all I can say is AMEN!!! (I did that myself here).
However, her reasoning is faulty. The text states “when ye pray, use not vain repetitions_for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”Yet, her example is twofold:
1) Christians who bow their heads and while I am not sure what “shake amen” is I suppose that it is a word picture for nodding whilst saying amen numerous times: this is not repetitive prayer; “amen” denotes repetitive agreement with the various portions of the prayer that they are hearing.
2) The evangelists goes on and on in prayer yet, a long prayer is not condemned it is a prayer that is repeated over and over like a mantra. This is her example, a long prayer, she does not even state that it was repetitive. She wants to condemn it for being “monotonous” yet, the texts says nothing about monotony. There is a complete thought which indicates that the reason that “they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” is because they are employing “vain repetitions.”
5) Christians are not supposed to take their disputes before non-Christian courts or judges. (“If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?” — 1 Corinthians 6:1 NIV) How interesting! Considering that state is separate from church all courts are supposedly “ungodly”. Does this stop Christians from tying up the supreme court with law suits concerning school prayer, abortion, or numerous other absurdities? Hell no it doesn’t, and my taxes are paying the ******* bill for their hypocrisy! [expletive censored]
Apparently, Charlotte does not know the difference between the Constitution’s “Establishment Clause” and a letter written by Thomas Jefferson but in any regard she may think that she is shaming Christians but she is 2,000 years later as in that very text Paul stated v. 5, 7, 8, “For I speak to your shame_there is already on the whole a failure among you_you do wrong and defraud.”
6) Christian women are supposed to dress discreetly (“…that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire” –l Timothy 2:9 RSV; and “Let not yours be the outward adorning of braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing”— 1 Peter 3 :3). Violations of these rules are too numerous to mention. Just visualize Tammy Faye Baker’s mascara laden eyes and gold encrusted wrists.
This is certainly a good point to which, again, we can say AMEN!!!
7) Here is perhaps the mother of verses ignored: “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) and “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged, condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). I have yet to meet a Christian who has not judged my atheism. The whole world is chalk full of judges, juries, voters, employers, teachers, etc. which are all constantly judging others.
This succinct comment is saturated with fallacy. To begin with; are we really to not judge? Anything? In any way? At all? Ever? How could we judge that the text means?This is another very, very common misconception which arises when people such as Charlotte conveniently selectively quote self-serving portions of texts, she is removing a text from it context to make a pretext for a prooftext.
But first, let us ask whether she missed noticing that two previous texts that she quoted stated, “Judge for yourself” and “dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?” Well, then; let us just say that this is not only hypocrisy but contradiction. Or is it?
Before resolving this issue let us note that even if we grant her misconception it is illogical to apply it to a whole world that is “chalk full of_all constantly judging others” because the whole world is not Christian.Note that Charlotte quoted Matthew 7:1 but if she had read as far as the very next verse her misconception would have been remedied. Perhaps, she did read it but chose not to quote it so as to not let meddlesome facts get in the way of good a nice side of propaganda. In any case, let us read from v. 1 all the way to v. 2,
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged; with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Obviously, judge not is in reference to the manner in which you yourself will be judged, v. 3-5 makes this clear,
And why do you look on the splinter that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull the splinter out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast the splinter out of your brother’s eye.
I guess that in calling Christian hypocrites Charlotte was quoting Jesus!
Or consider Luke 6:37,
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Jesus makes this point all the clearer when He, Himself, commands us to judge,
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24).
Paul also elucidates this point in writing,
Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who judges; for in that in which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge do the same things (Romans 2:1).
Furthermore, we are clearly called to discern, test, and judge, prophets, spirits and all things,
“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1st Corinthians 14:29).One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is “discerning of spirits” (1st Corinthians 12:10).
“Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1st Thessalonians 5:19-22).
Thus, we cannot judge according to appearance nor judge a person’s motivations since only God knows the heart,
for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts (1st Chronicles 28:9).
Above, Charlotte had missed that Jesus calls us to judge our own conflicts rather than going before the courts,
And why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? For as you go with your adversary to the judge, give pains in the way to be set free from him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer cast you into the prison. (Luke 12:57-58).
Moreover, we are called to judge doctrine and hold false teachers accountable by making them known by name,
But if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them (Romans 16:17).
And their messages will spread like cancer. Hymenaus and Philetus are of this sort (2nd Timothy 2:17).
Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works (2nd Timothy 4:14).
I wrote to you in my epistle no to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person (1st Corinthians 5:9-13).
Thus, Charlotte’s atheism may be judged as it denotes a falsehood and Christians are allowed to pass judgment within the parameters laid out in the Bible.
And so we will trod on next time-stay tuned.