Deon Unthank - 27 April 2008 08:24 PM

TonyRush - 27 April 2008 06:54 PM

Deon Unthank - 26 April 2008 12:09 AM

I have to disagree with you again. Being offended is not a choice, any more than having your feelings hurt is a choice.

Huh?  LOL—getting your feelings hurt is a choice, too.  Did you not know that? 

Thanks,
Tony

All I can say is that I have NEVER said, “I think I’ll be offended by that, or I think I’ll have my feelings hurt.”

Fair enough....but isn’t it true that you HAVE been in a situation where someone said or did something that might have otherwise offended you and—instead—you chose to respond by saying, “I’m not going to let that bother me.” or “That person is (probably having a bad day / doesn’t have all the facts / is trying to get a rise out of me) and you decided to just let it pass without any emotional reaction on your part?

Now, I will concede that most people don’t do that.  Most people are a victim of their own emotional reactions.  They’re just knee-jerking their way through life with no real sense of self-determinism.

But my point is that there ARE lots of people who simply don’t choose to live that way.  They don’t go through life “getting offended” when other people behave in a way that they don’t agree with.  They might disagree....they might even speak out against it....but that’s not the same as saying that they were personally offended.

With that being said, I guess you’re just a better man than I.

Not at all.  It’s just an area of study I’ve been interested in for several years.  There’s an important distinction between “reacting” and “responding” to something.  And this topic of “being offended” is something that falls within that concept.

So, anyway....as all this relates to drinking, this whole concept of trying not to offend one’s brother requires some boundaries.  Because you and I both know that there are some people that are going to be offended just because we’re debating this issue.  Some people choose to get offended just because you might not believe the same way they do. 

Or because you don’t do the Lord’s Supper every week.
Or that a woman wears pants.
Or that you have something other than a “red letter KJV 1611” in church.
Or that you eat at restaurants that serve alcohol.
Or that you swim in a swimming pool while members of the opposite sex are also in the pool.

My point is simply that there are so many wide and varied beliefs out there, it’s not possible to live in such a way that would offend no one.  Why?  Because the choice to be offended is on THEIR part, not mine. 

Thus my own choice to not worry so much what other people think about the way I live.  If God and I are happy with my behavior, then I don’t worry to much if the overly-religious crowd likes it or not.

Tony

[quote author="Bible"]1COR 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Tony, how do you feel about this verse?

God’sMusic - 28 April 2008 01:40 PM

[quote author="Bible"]1COR 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Tony, how do you feel about this verse?

Actually I’m a vegetarian so I don’t have any particular hiccup about Paul’s choice. 

But, to answer your question, I think it’s clear from the language that Paul is giving his personal choice, not a mandate to everyone else.  (Much like when he said that he preferred not to marry.) I don’t think he’s saying that all Christians need to become vegetarians just because there is someone somewhere who’s offended by the idea of eating meat.

And, as a practical application, though, I think my beliefs about alcohol reflect this verse.  I’ve already stated that if I were having dinner at a restaurant with people whom I suspected might be offended by me ordering a drink...I wouldn’t do it.  It’s not that big of a deal so why put them in a situation where they might choose to make an issue out of it?

Tony