Dear Pericles...'thankyou' for biting and taking the juicy bait :)

The posture I provided was quite deliberate in seeking to evoke just the response you gave.

The reason for this is key to understanding the difference between Christian doctrine and practice from a certain 'other' faith.

It all hinges on one major idea.

DOES divine retribution occurr in THIS life...or the next?
In direct connection with that basic idea is this:

"Are Christians called upon by the Bible to visit the divine punishments on unbelievers in THIS....life?"

Now..It's Bible study time for you and I..and here we go.

1/ Doctrinal/Biblical foundation.
a) Romans indeed specifies that those who distort the grace and law of God deserve death. It does not however encourage Christians to be the instruments of such punishment. I defy anyone to find a verse in Romans which would suggest this. In fact P, you could just 'go the extra chapter' and read the beginning of ch 2 (remember the 'chapters' are not inspired and the thought continues in the next chapter) Have a peek please.

2/ From the same author..Paul..we find this:

II Thessalonians 1:8

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thessalonians+1&version=NIV

//He (God) will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.//

You might feel a tad uncomfortable with those words, considering that sadly... at this stage at least, they (the punishment bits)mean 'you'. But the key questions are

'when' will this punishment occur? Answer.."when he comes"
'who' will carry it out? Answer.."God"

You might do well to read Matthew 24 in this connection too.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+24&version=NIV

Before you cry 'unfair'... please read this:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+9&version=NIV

V14 to end.

Boaz, you are an absolute hoot.

>>The posture I provided was quite deliberate in seeking to evoke just the response you gave<<

Of course it was, Boaz. Of course it was.

So, what delights have you in store for me... let's take a look.

>>It all hinges on one major idea. DOES divine retribution occurr in THIS life...or the next?<<

Oh.

So when we read "God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death", this punishment is taking place... in the next life?

How does that work?

Oh, wait a moment, here comes the good bit.

>>Romans indeed specifies that those who distort the grace and law of God deserve death. It does not however encourage Christians to be the instruments of such punishment.<<

Oka-a-a-y.

So Romans tells us that God prescribes a punishment, but that He then delegates the implementation of the death penalty to a third party?

A somewhat distasteful - some might even say cowardly - form of outsourcing, wouldn't you agree?

What else have we?

>>"He (God) will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus"... 'when' will this punishment occur? Answer.."when he comes" 'who' will carry it out? Answer.."God"<<

But haven't we already ascertained that these folk have already been murdered, through God's delegated authority to a terrestrial agency?

And it's clear that the only punishment He has in mind at this point is a form of exclusion... "shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power". Big deal. You're already dead at that point, remember?

Look Boaz, I don't particularly want to make fun of your belief system. But you do say the most ridiculously provocative things under its banner, which to an outsider looks remarkably like throwing massive rocks while living in a transparently fragile glass house.

You stop your blatant whack-a-mozzie antics, and I'll keep schtum about those comical inconsistencies in your particular version of your own chosen religion.

Sharia law advocates that homosexuals be thrown off a cliff
and if they survive they should then be hanged.
http://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/iran-two-young-men-to-be-thrown-off-cliff/

Whereas Christianity merely advocates that homosexuals be shunned from society and made to feel that they are abnormal abominations until they choose to throw themselves off a cliff or hang themselves.

Unless they join the clergy that is.

CYC stands for "Christian Youth Camps", and that is the purpose of the camp site. The Staff are trained in youth activities and cater especially for the development of Christian Youth. A gay or lesbian conference does not conform to that criterion, and there are dozens of conference centres that do allow conferences with any purpose.

The militant Gay community deliberately confront Church institutions in an attempt to take legal action. Their agenda in this area is not new. Sincere persons are not involved in confrontations.

Dear Pericles

You:
//So Romans tells us that God prescribes a punishment, but that He then delegates the implementation of the death penalty to a third party?//

Not a 3rd party....He Himself... at the time of Christs return.

That was the primary point I was seeking to make.

I realized though that in many of my posts I've pointed out divine retribution in this life, in the old testament, and I suspect we are not immune to some providential chastizing in this age too..but it isn't spelled out so not much point in speculating on that.

Christ 'came' as Savior...he WILL come again..as Judge.

"He" will take care of unrepentant homosexuals and adulterers equally.
Divine Justice is not gender specific.

BUGSY'S point...

//Whereas Christianity merely advocates that homosexuals be shunned from society and made to feel that they are abnormal abominations until they choose to throw themselves off a cliff or hang themselves.//

It's not about 'BEing' but DOing.

Notice the extent of the following. (not limited to homosexuals)

29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Bugsy (Pericles)..do you fit into any of those ?

As for me..I can pick a few which would fit me in my carnal moments. Fortunately we have the ministry of the Holy Spirit to remind us when we stray..that's the process of sanctification. One that does NOT include or relate to me is this one "but also approve of those who practice them"