Florida school district bans Bibles on Religious Freedom Day

[targus]

From targus basically saying that giving out bibles is a worthless endeavour unless one preaches to them trying to get that person into heaven. He puts all the emphasis on regeneration and totally forgets practical sanctification.

No, I am just wondering why some Christians think that they have to be controversal and confrontational about their evangelizing.

I suspect that it may have more to do with drawing attention to their organization than to soul winning.

I just happen to personally believe that one on one sharing of the Gospel is more effective than simply passing out Bibles wholesale.

 

[RAdam]

No, I am just wondering why some Christians think that they have to be controversal and confrontational about their evangelizing.

I suspect that it may have more to do with drawing attention to their organization than to soul winning.

I just happen to personally believe that one on one sharing of the Gospel is more effective than simply passing out Bibles wholesale.

Maybe they do have bad motives, I don't know. However, handing someone a bible is a very worthwhile endeavour. People need not only to be preached to but to read and study the bible. Both are needed. There's a whole lot more Christians who neglect to study their bibles than neglect to go to church and hear preaching. If someone is handing out bibles, I say good. I hope the people they hand them to will take the time to read them, it will do them a lot of good.

 

[targus]

Maybe they do have bad motives, I don't know. However, handing someone a bible is a very worthwhile endeavour. People need not only to be preached to but to read and study the bible. Both are needed. There's a whole lot more Christians who neglect to study their bibles than neglect to go to church and hear preaching. If someone is handing out bibles, I say good. I hope the people they hand them to will take the time to read them, it will do them a lot of good.

Great - but is it helpful to the image of Christians to insist on handing out Bibles on school property where the school board has expressly not granted permission to do so?

Are there no other places to hand out Bibles?

Must this group be notorious about their work - to the point of filing law suits?

 

[HankD]

This is a symptom (in an array of others of a disease which is spreading globally):

Amos 8
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.​

The disease : The Mystery of Iniquity. 2 Thessalonians 2.

HankD

 

[windcatcher]

I just love this type of hyperbolic baseless characterization of the opinions of others.

Holding the opinon that we are called to PREACH the Gospel not simply hand out Bibles equals "resenting the distribution of any protion of Scripture" in the mind of some.

Priceless. :love2:

Well..... if you liked that.... you'll love this:

I'm a female. God calls me to preach? That's a new one on me! But I can hand out Bibles and tracts. Clutz that I am.... I can also witness and testify... but feel an overwhelming inadequacy in oral verbal spontaneous communication.

Which comes first? The preacher or the Word? Without the Word the preacher has nothing. With the Word the preacher is prepared.

Some children may have a Bible in their home... but it may not be convenient for them to read. Some children may not have a Bible nor a Christian in their home: If may present a problem if they had to buy or steal one. Although I've passed out tracts.... I don't think any are nearly as adequate as the Bible.... and even if it is just one book of the gospel or the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs.... it has its place and if one receives the Word.... he then makes his choice and in that bears a responsibility for what he chooses to do with it.. as do we all when we hear it preached.... but then trash it or the preacher or only pick and choose what sounds good to us.

 

[targus]

Which comes first? The preacher or the Word? Without the Word the preacher has nothing. With the Word the preacher is prepared.

I am not saying that one should not give another a Bible.

I am saying that one on one is better than a mass distribution of Bibles.

How many times am I required to repeat this?

 

[windcatcher]

I am not saying that one should not give another a Bible.

I am saying that one on one is better than a mass distribution of Bibles.

How many times am I required to repeat this?

:laugh: Want a 'restart'?

 

[targus]

:laugh: Want a 'restart'?

Hey - here is an idea....

If handing out Bibles wholesale with no other sharing of the Gospel is so effective why stop there?

Why not print up a bunch of fliers with just www.biblegateway.com printed on them and drop them across the countryside from airplanes.

We would be a Christian nation in a matter of days... :laugh:

 

[windcatcher]

Hey - here is an idea....

If handing out Bibles wholesale with no other sharing of the Gospel is so effective why stop there?

Why not print up a bunch of fliers with just www.biblegateway.com printed on them and drop them across the countryside from airplanes.

We would be a Christian nation in a matter of days... :laugh:

Revisit post 2

Surely I can agree with you that nothing is better than 1:1 connection. Yet, however seeds are sown.... what matters is that they are. One person may be able to hand out hundreds or thousands of Bibles, some of which may prepare the ground for the sowing and taking root.... in the time it takes to win one soul to Christ who has never had the gospel.

I thought this was a debate for the courts and merely a discussion here. Apparrently it is polarizing.... a question of who has the best pov; an 'either' this or 'that' discussion ....... when both points are good and have merits and in a body of Christians... should be agreeably supported.

 

[HankD]

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/fe...istrict-bans-bibles-on-religious-freedom-day/

Maitland-based Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit Thursday to overturn a ban on Bible distribution on public school campuses in Collier County. According to the Liberty Counsel, the Collier County School Board allowed World Changers to distribute free Bibles to students during off-school hours on Religious Freedom Day, but now the school officials claim that Bibles do not provide any educational benefit to the students and the distribution should stop.

wow. that's all I can say.

Look, even on the surface of the issue they are WRONG about the educational benefit of the Bible!

The Bible is the oldest and best preserved book in history with 1000's of ancient manuscript witnesses, more than any book of antiquity, spanning 1000's of years.

Even apart from being the word of God it contains volumes of information about ancient civilizations, cultures and religions with minute details found nowhere else.

It has been a book which has done more to form and impact the sociology, philosophies and spirituality of both the eastern and western civilizations than any other.

If these educational leaders really believe that the Bible provides no educational benefit then it's no wonder that "Johnny can't read" with leaders such as these who have not the proverbial clue as to what literature of antiquity is important and of educational value.

HankD

 

[nodak]

One of my young'uns teaches high school English. One of the first things she was taught considering English lit is that you need to have great familiarity with the King James Bible. You don't have to believe it, don't have to always understand it, and if you are a Christian may prefer another translation, but the King James IS quoted and alluded to so much in English and American lit that you cannot possibly "get" what the author is saying without that working knowledge of the Bible.

And boy, would she correct that long run on sentence!

 

[Jon-Marc]

Great - but is it helpful to the image of Christians to insist on handing out Bibles on school property where the school board has expressly not granted permission to do so?

Are there no other places to hand out Bibles?

Must this group be notorious about their work - to the point of filing law suits?

The disciples were told that if they went into a city where the gospel was not accepted, they were to shake the dust off their feet as they left. We are not told to be obnoxious about spreading the gospel, or try to force it on those who make it obvious they want nothing to do with it. We are to go where the gospel will be accepted. Unfortunately, it's getting to the point where most people will accept anything BUT the gospel.

Most people have no problem with religion since they are mostly religious in one way or another, but what they don't seem to want is the truth of God's word preached to them.

 

[Revmitchell]

We are not told to be obnoxious about spreading the gospel, or try to force it on those who make it obvious they want nothing to do with it. We are to go where the gospel will be accepted.

And fortunately this is not what happened here. Others are trying to keep the gospel from reaching people who have not yet rejected it.

 

[ReformedBaptist]

It isn't the State of Florida that is banning the distribution of Bibles on the public school campuses - it is the Collier County School District.

The schoold district is operating within their authority to set rules about who can and cannot distribute literature on the school grounds.

If the citizens of the county disagree with it - they should replace the superintendent.



Students are not being prevented from sharing the Gospel with each other in this case.

They are preventing a non-profit group from coming onto the school property to distribute Bibles.



Actually that is not true.

There are trespass laws.

I am assuming that the distributions are happening near the school grounds, not on them. And county schools belong to the state, not the people.

In fact, I am forced by penalty of law to support them when I pay my taxes. This is the state robbing me of the fruit of my labor.

Secondly, when the laws of the state contradict the commands of God, we go with the commands of God over the laws of the state or nation. I will go out of my way to be as accomodating as possible. When I was in a state-run indoctrination camp (University) I shared the Gospel of Jesus constantly. I found appropriate means to do so in papers and classroom presentations and activities. Often, it was met with incredible hostility and anger. It was also meant with people whom it appeared to me God was calling to Himself.

It was not easy to stand for Jesus in such a way. And I think many don't because they care more for the praise and respect of men than of God.

Finally, if the non-profit group as you call it rejects the Bible being distributed at their school, it says more about the society than it does the non-profit group. It says that that school and that society has rejected Jesus Christ. Then someone says, well, what if they wanted to come and distribute Korans? How would you feel about that? I would hate it. The Koran is not the Word of God, and Allah is not God, nor is Mohammed a prophet. It is a false religion and a false God. Only the true religion of Jesus Christ, and the true Word of God the Bible, and the true God, Jesus Christ, should be promoted.

And if I get labeled a bigotted narrow-minded Bible-thumper for that, so be it. This people, this nation, was founded by those who loved the Bible and loved Jesus Christ. There was a day in this land when you could not hold a public office unless you believed the Bible to be the Word of God. Now our public offices are full of religious moralists, papists, pagans, sodomites, agnostics, atheists, mormons, et. And one can hardly find a true born again child of God among them.

I am amazed at those who claim the name of Jesus and say they love the Bible and Jesus, yet have bought, so it seems, wholesale into the pluralism and himanistic ideas of the unregenerate sons of the devil.

 

[targus]

I am assuming ...

It would have been good if you would have first read the article before forming an opinion on the subject.

From the first sentence in the OP...

"... a ban on Bible distribution on public school campus"

Not near - on school property.

Did Jesus advocte breaking the law? I don't think so.

These people have plenty of other places to hand out Bibles. Why are they insistent on doing so where they expressly do not have permission from those who God has set in authority over the school property?

 

[Winman]

It would have been good if you would have first read the article before forming an opinion on the subject.

From the first sentence in the OP...

"... a ban on Bible distribution on public school campus"

Not near - on school property.

Did Jesus advocte breaking the law? I don't think so.

These people have plenty of other places to hand out Bibles. Why are they insistent on doing so where they expressly do not have permission from those who God has set in authority over the school property?

Targus, what would you do if the government banned handing out Bibles or or religious materials anywhere?

We had a missionary from China in church two weeks ago. Handing out Bibles or even mentioning the word God is forbidden in public. A missionary can be immediately deported, imprisoned, or even executed.

There are state run churches that are regulated and closely monitored by the government. Outside of this, all other forms of Christian worship are forbidden by law.

So, would you obey the government in a situation like this?

Peter and the other disciples were forbidden to preach Jesus, but disobeyed.

Acts 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

 

[targus]

Targus, what would you do if the government banned handing out Bibles or or religious materials anywhere?

That is a different situation - and not the current situation.

Why is it so important to be handing out Bibles on this particular school property?

Bibles can't be handed out from the public sidewalk in front of the school?

What is the fixation/fasination with handing out Bibles on this particular school property where the school board - who was put in authority by God - has decided that is not what they wish to allow?

If this group want's to change the situation why don't they replace the school board at the next election?

 

[HankD]

It would have been good if you would have first read the article before forming an opinion on the subject.

From the first sentence in the OP...

"... a ban on Bible distribution on public school campus"

Not near - on school property.

Did Jesus advocte breaking the law? I don't think so.

These people have plenty of other places to hand out Bibles. Why are they insistent on doing so where they expressly do not have permission from those who God has set in authority over the school property?

Also read my previous post Targus.

My beef is what they said about the Bible.

the school officials claim that Bibles do not provide any educational benefit

Even from a secular and/or atheistic point of view, the Bible is a valuble book of ancient world history, sociology, culture, religions, ethnic customs, etc., spanning 1000's of years (please go back and read my previous post)...


HankD

 

[targus]

Also read my previous post Targus.

My beef is what they said about the Bible.



Even from a secular and/or atheistic point of view, the Bible is a valuble book of ancient world history, sociology, culture, religions, ethnic customs, etc., spanning 1000's of years (please go back and read my previous post)...


HankD

Since it is the school board that is making this decision - the thing to do would be to replace the board at the next election.

 

[ReformedBaptist]

It would have been good if you would have first read the article before forming an opinion on the subject.

From the first sentence in the OP...

"... a ban on Bible distribution on public school campus"

Not near - on school property.

Did Jesus advocte breaking the law? I don't think so.

These people have plenty of other places to hand out Bibles. Why are they insistent on doing so where they expressly do not have permission from those who God has set in authority over the school property?

I actually mis-read the article. I made an assumption. So, your haughty attitude is not needed.

God's Law is above man's law. When the laws of state or nation are opposed to the Law of God, no one is obligated to obey the laws of men rather than God. Such has always been the contention of true Christians.