Render unto Ceasar ...
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Brian Veazey
Published: May 20, 2008
Referring to Pastor H. D. Lopez’ essay in Sunday’s Culpeper News, “Culpeper community needs to come together, stop alienating each other”: In concert with his previous works, I am led to believe his Bible is missing a page or two. He writes as if he’s never read or heard Matthew 22:21.
Brian Veazey
Culpeper
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Posted by ( PM ) on May 27, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Laws were disobeyed in the 60’s—the laws were morally wrong and therefore were cast aside. So yes, it is ok to disobey laws if they are contrary to higher morality.
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Posted by ( senseit53 ) on May 27, 2008 at 4:04 pm
PM, so in your OPINION it is OK for people to purposefully ignore laws, steal jobs. Since when is obeying the laws considered to be immoral? Sounds like drug dealers, prostitutes and everyone doing illegal acts should continue to look for your support of their illegal activities. Or is it JUST the Hispanics? If so, that would make you a racist.
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Posted by ( PM ) on May 23, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I stand by what I said—your perspective is neither moral nor Christian and cannot be justified by scripture.
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Posted by ( senseit53 ) on May 23, 2008 at 3:57 pm
PM, twisting words around sounds like a typical tactic used by people when logic fails. What I meant is exactly what I wrote. The morally correct thing to do is to obey the laws. Speaking out about something is NOT a morally incorrect thing to do…it’s our right as citizens. Even illegals have that right, although they don’t bother, they just CHOOSE to ignore our laws and our borders. I have no “irrational fears”. I see an invasion of WELL over 12 million people who don’t even intend to obey our laws and I speak out. I personally hear many illegals talk about not needing to obey our laws because this is/was their country to begin with, and I speak out about that. I see liberal immigration/entrance quota’s (over 2 mil/yr.) indicating that w/ patience the legal way into this country is wide open, but illegals ignore that as well! I see numerous reports, including the CBO report that shows the cost of this invasion and I speak out. If that makes me a racist or non-christian, it’s ONLY in the eyes of you liberal pro-illegal people who have your own questionable reasons for backing this ILLEGAL, IMMORAL invasion.
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Posted by ( PM ) on May 22, 2008 at 5:55 am
Senseit53 says—“It’s the morally correct and Christian thing to do..“ Presumably he means to speak out against those who are here illegally. If he believes that then he has little understanding of what it means to be a Christian or what is morally correct! Give me a break, don’t try to use scripture to justify your irrational fear of someone who is different.
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Posted by ( senseit53 ) on May 21, 2008 at 4:36 pm
How about the 10 Commandments? “Thou shalt not steal.“ They sneak into this country stealing jobs from Americans and LEGAL Immigrants. “Thou shalt not bear false witness.“ They get most of those jobs by falsifying documents or lying about SS#‘s. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors possessions.“ That is what this illegal invasion is all about! Obeying the laws of the land is what Jesus’ “Render unto Ceasar” comment was all about. It’s the morally correct and Christian thing to do regardless of your interpretation of the Bible!
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Posted by ( R Dawkins ) on May 21, 2008 at 8:41 am
Your tongue-in-cheek attack on Pastor Diaz-Lopez (not Lopez) misfires.
Your reliance on Matt. 22:21 is shaky, if not entirely misplaced.
The question posed to Jesus was not “Is it lawful to pay taxes,“ a question about government authority in general, but “Is it lawful to pay taxes to CAESAR?“
The temple authorities and scribes, who were in collaboration with Rome, endorsed to tribute tax to Caesar; those who opposed Roman rule also opposed the tax. This opposition was sedition, a crime.
Had Jesus answered the question with a simple “Yes,“ he would have been endorsing Roman imperialism; a “No” would have subjected him to arrest for sedition.
Jesus asked for a coin (apparently he didn’t have one) and asked whose picture and inscription was on it. “Caesar” We also know from history that the inscription read: “Tiberius, son of Divine Augustus,“ an offensive coin on two counts—it carried a graven image and named Tiberius as divine. Double blasphemy.
Then Jesus said: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.“ The Greek word for “render” used here, “apodidōmi,“ can mean to sell, to pay a debt, or to return.
So the response is enigmatic. It evades a trap, and leaves open several interpretations.
The coin comes from Caesar, so give it back to Caesar.
Nothing belongs to Caesar, all belongs to God, give it to God.
So while this is a fascinating story, it’s hard to say that it proves much.
At least it gives the Christian an option to say that if Caesar is Hitler, or Stalin, or the Burmese government, he or she can read this story to negate his or her duty to that particular Caesar.
It might even give the American Christian the opportunity to say that the law of this country is subordinate to the law of God. The argument is being made with regard to abortion and gay marriage, why not immigration laws?
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Posted by ( J Billings ) on May 21, 2008 at 7:25 am
But it looks like he might have read Luke 10:25-37 and Acts 5:29.
Please read and follow Luke 10:37.
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