Jun 28, 2012 -- 2:38PM, Sigmund wrote:

Jun 28, 2012 -- 11:05AM, mytmouse57 wrote:

What exactly would a "Christian based law" be?

Christianity doesn't really come with a code of laws, as some other religions do. Like Buddhism, Chrisitianty is more of a religion of individual spirituality. It's not really one that included codified social laws -- such as in Judaism or Islam. 

Jesus really gave only one direct commandment -- "Love one another as I have loved you."

So, other than a mandatory Just-like-Jesus-love-fest ordinance, I fail to see how one could have a "Christian law" -- any more than one could have a Buddhist law. 

The Blue Laws that browbeaten referred to earlier is a good example.

Laws that might be written by some who identify as Christians don't count. Most of the "lawful" side of conservative religious American politics comes from the Old Testament -- Judasim. 

Again, specifically, what "laws" could come from the Teachings of Christ? His religion wasn't one of codified laws -- as Judaism and Islam were.

Therefore, again, to me, "Christian law" is an oxymoron. 

Jun 28, 2012 -- 4:13PM, browbeaten wrote:

Jun 28, 2012 -- 4:09PM, mytmouse57 wrote:

Jun 28, 2012 -- 2:38PM, Sigmund wrote:

Jun 28, 2012 -- 11:05AM, mytmouse57 wrote:

What exactly would a "Christian based law" be?

Christianity doesn't really come with a code of laws, as some other religions do. Like Buddhism, Chrisitianty is more of a religion of individual spirituality. It's not really one that included codified social laws -- such as in Judaism or Islam. 

Jesus really gave only one direct commandment -- "Love one another as I have loved you."

So, other than a mandatory Just-like-Jesus-love-fest ordinance, I fail to see how one could have a "Christian law" -- any more than one could have a Buddhist law. 

The Blue Laws that browbeaten referred to earlier is a good example.

Laws that might be written by some who identify as Christians don't count. Most of the "lawful" side of conservative religious politics comes from the Old Testament -- Judasim. 

Again, specifically, what "laws" could come from the Teachings of Christ? His religion wasn't one of codified laws -- as Judaism and Islam were.

Therefore, again, to me, "Christian law" is an oxymoron. 

Your response is disingenuous.  "Christian Law" is simply law establish by the moral aspects of Christians as they relate it to what the New Testament teaches them.  I.E. the bible doesn't approve of homosexuality, etc, etc.

Once again, laws that might be crafted by those who identify as Christain don't count in that regard.

The Bible as a whole does not approve of homosexulity -- I agree. And Jesus sure seemed to indicate man-woman marriage. However, Christianity is hardly unique in that regard.

Gay rights/marriage activism might find itself at odds with numerous religious traditions in that regard.

And Christians who might try to codify that into actual law would be following more of a Judeo-Islamic pattern. Because the Gospel of Christ Jesus has no codified law, and contains, really, only one direct commandment. 

The point you miss, Jesus never laid down, as a matter of social/religious law, a censure of homosexualiy, or anything else, for that matter. He might have indicated it was not good for the individual believer to engage in sinful behaivor. And Christians could thusly debate among themselves whether Christ in fact would have viewed homosexuality as sinful.

But He never codified any rules of conduct into a system of social law -- as was done in Judaism and Islam. He never said "if you do X, then Y shall be the censure and punishment by the law of the faithful."

So, again, I ask, can you give me a specific example of what "Christian law" would be?

Jun 28, 2012 -- 5:47PM, TemplarS wrote:

Jun 28, 2012 -- 4:20PM, mytmouse57 wrote:

So, again, I ask, can you give me a specific example of what "Christian law" would be?

Not only will I do that, I will here give you but one example of a law which  actually existed in the United States:

An 1879 codification of Maryland statutes prohibited blasphemy:

Art. 72, sec. 189. If any person, by writing or speaking, shall blaspheme or curse God, or shall write or utter any profane words of and concerning our Saviour, Jesus Christ, or of and concerning the Trinity, or any of the persons thereof, he shall, on conviction, be fined not more than one hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both fined and imprisoned as aforesaid, at the discretion of the court.

(Source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law_in_t..., which gives numerous other examples).

Wouldn't that be an example of codifying into civil law the OT (and therefore Judaism) prohibition on taking the Lord's name in vain?

Again, the Gospel of Jesus Christ contains no such specific prohibitions -- and only a single direct comandment, to "love one another as I have loved you."

So, once more, I contend, "Christian law" is an essentialy implausable oxymoron.

The town in which my daughter lives was dry. It just passed a vote to go wet.  

If Muslims tried to make a town stop selling alcohol, I can't begin to imagine the outcry.  However, no problem if Christians do it.

How do we know it is Christians?  My daughter and SIL didn't go to church the Sunday before the vote because they knew what the sermon would be.  A pastor in one church told the parishioners that their votes would be published in the paper and if they voted to go wet they would get kicked out of church (which also says a lot about the mentality and understanding of the constitution of that type of person as well...)

Jun 28, 2012 -- 7:37PM, TemplarS wrote:

 How can you say a law which specifically relates mentions Jesus Christ and the Trinity is not a "Christian" law?

The concept of a codified prohibition against taking the Lord's name comes from Judaism, not Christianity. 

All Christians did was give "Lord's name" status to Jesus Christ and the Trininty. 

Therefore, the principle of the ordinance was based in Jewish religious law, not the Gospel of Christ Jesus. 

As I noted before -- when American conservative or Calvanistic Christians try a universal "lawful" approach to religion, they are actually following a Judeo-Islamic pattern, not a specifically Christian one. 

Like Buddha Siddhartha, Christ Jesus brought teachings of individual spiritual reform.

His earthly ministry did not also include codified social religious law, as the ministries of Moses and Muhammed did. 

So, again, I assert, "Christian law" is an implausable oxymoron.