Yes that is what our modern legal system is based on. Not the bible that's for sure. However it is not a perfect system of course. As noted in that commentary, the notion of "vengeance" and "Justice" can become blurry in an effort to sort them out.

The Jews hold a belief that ONLY the victim can truly offer forgiveness to the perpetrator of a wrong. I would agree with that idea.

Gods laws and Mans laws.2 different things.

Yes Quick, to be fair, we are speaking apples and oranges. Its not that you are wrong, many people take the commandments to be their own personal law but we are speaking of the actual modern day legal system in the United States.

Krimsa, I beg to differ there is evidence of Gods law everywhere. You just need to look. It’s in our court houses, All over Washington DC and just about everywhere. Our nation is a Christian nation at least for now. We were founded on Gods law.

Now I would say that man has done horrible things in the name of Christ. They were not truly following what God told us to do.

ROMANS 3:9 What then? are we better than they ? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

ROMANS 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Prove it.

"Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth."


Thomas Jefferson

Our great nation was founded on freedom of religion, because of religious oppression from the mother nation(s). I see us coming full circle and having to head off for the new world again to escape the religious bigotry this country has spawned. We were not founded on God's law. We were founded with a purposeful separation between God and law.

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State"

Thomas Jefferson

And another............Treaty with Tripoli

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

Krimsa,

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Draft for a Bill to Establish Religious Freedom in Virginia (1779).

by Thomas Jefferson

"Well aware that the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will, but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds; that Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments, or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, but to extend it by its influence on reason alone; that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time:"


He wanted to protect our religion not protect us from our religion. God wanted us to have a free will to make our own decision. He did not want to coers our decision.

2PETER 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

JOHN 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

ROMANS 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare
to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation! “God I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving
of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve, so
that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in you for salvation, and I ask that you will forgive me of my sins. I thank you for your wonderful grace and forgiveness.

It’s up to you. Find a good Christian Church and they can help. Not all church’s serve God not even Baptist church’s you have to see who they truly serve first.

Bingo

Sunday
Dearest ya'll here,
Wow! For a christion chat; this being my first here-new- I am amazed at how ya'll talk to each other!
I grew up in a wonderful christen home and Thankful for this. I also have gone to ministry school. I do not memorize or even always remember the exact words fron the bible. I know my heart containes the love and my head the knowldege that has been given us(as those with other beliefs have for their hearts and minds)and we as followers of the word are responsible for spreading the news so to speak, not just in, preachin' and teachin' but by our actions as a whole like in song or prayer, walking the talk etc. what I have seen and learned is there is/are people put there who really need the scripture boldly delivered to be heard or sink in and that great!, As long as it is not taken out of context, for it was given by the holy spirit to be interpreted by man as a guide to continue and learn to support our growth as believers as a whole, not tearing down
or insulting one's beliefs It was only sperated in verse later on down tha way for our understaning to make it easier to read and study so when we read a book like matthew it should be read as a whole to have the proper meaning and then use your wisdom you have and the knowledege of discernment to know what is truly there and being given unto you/us If for some reason you do not truly understand the word it maybe because you are or have not reached that level of understanding in your growth as a beiver and that iss why is is imporatant to have others interaction similiar to here -right idea very wrong attitudes which call fleshiness,
and the word calls free will which is wonderful when we are in and under his will he will and always has corrrected us when we are wrong similiar to the stories you refered to those are correction's he made for just like when our own children look tous for help guidance and streth of support in their activities and life and we turn away, scold, punish, sacrifise, give blessings to, praise them, love them, become angry at them because they were not walking in our will they were doing it their way which sometimes comes around just as we do when we are wrong and the light bulb comes on and if we try to correct , apologize, for it or just wish it away , cn not always do that that is why forgiveness is so important for oursevels especially for if we walk without forgiveness and joy and praise we can not be truly blessed just like people-us have held a grudge I can see their missery need to be let go, even though they may never forget (even though you may try) even burry with our lusts of the flesh-eatin' ice cream , whole carton sometimes!lol but that what our flesh wants to and we let it! and then what he apologize to god for feeling guilty or overdo somewhere eles trying to make us feelbetter when all we have to do is let go and man! ,god I screwed up and I need to forgive myself! and get on with the program wallerin' worrin' is neg and lets other bad things in like lust of the flesh again! so we just have to walk in love and forgiveness giving and receiving and praise etc for everything to fall into place. w
With our help and prayers and yours and our support of each
other things usuaully come around Soo I learned to pray in hs will to receive my gifts and blessings -fixer-upper's
I still struggle at times with my flesh-hard onmyself at times overdoing it not saying no etc. yet he still blesses me and has saved my life a few times Besides if Someone has an oppinion of what is being said here or litterially (bible) and they disagree it is ok because hashing -brainstormin'it out sometimes has to take place but....It can be done in love compassion and understanding becasue we are all learning just like school k-6 7-9 -9-12 etc and band and choir for praise (thank goodness for that freedom) different levels of knowledge and understanding and we need to respect that as chrisiten swe should know better from what we have been taught by the word Not everyone is milk or meat we need vege's too! just no Fries on the side!
Any way I appreciate this opportunity and don't want to sound or come across as upset or too? whatever becasue I am not all I know is that walking in -as much as possible and sharing and praying -giving of one's self is satisfying the flesh when it is helping someone else here as I have gathereed some new insight here reading. So I pray we all have very blessed lives and unity but only we can do it- just like when the flesh is trying to give up something it rebells and our children can't fix it, unite it, we have to want to, for it to become one or united or together forever as one etc etc. this is what our faith, is all about God created us because he was lonely and wanted communication just like us most of us when we get lonely we try to fill that void with something -anything from going somewhere to seeing someone communication, relationship that is why we have churches, buildings, to-gather together to-get him(god), and that way we hopefully won't loose faith and or hope. God is in everything, "church can be two or more, uplifting inside or outside who cares as long as we are together uplifting and supporting our fellow ones and the light drws the unbeleivers into our fold of protection for the "milk" support they need mental physical emotional etc. I praise God for everything and if someone does something I think is not right or action , bless them lord! for they just being ignorant send labors across their path to...whatever the situation and it alwys works!!! may take time, maybe a liftime of the 2hounds chasing you, angeles protecting you from someone elses command but as long as someone one person is praying for it the chances are great Everthing I have shared, tried to simplify, has come from my heart and head together from my own life and seen happen or shared in the blessings of whatever it was So please pray for your enemies, keep them close so you may help them, like the saying, keep youfriends and keep your eneimes closer and don't let the right know what the left is doing works everytime! weel, for me anyway
Love the world today and know that you are loved always and forever and to walk in that love,
sincerely, marie xox
this a fun sight and have enjoyed litterly in first min of signing making friends all over the nation Thanks, we can never have too many! I had two here when I moved, now all of ya'll !
Time to hit the early morning hay! be blessed,
(Please excuse errors tried to correct -no spell ck?? can't seem to find it my eyes are litttle blured lol I'v bee up 70 hours minus 2 and 2 for sleep and last night only slept few so now it is almost 4 am and I think I'm sleepy and nooo caffiene just awake like on a manic maybe so maybe why so long windedly typed sorry just feel like the die-hard battery goin an going and god is good to me because a week ago I almost left this world so whatever plans they must be good bevause this is not the first time but I am healed now just finish trimming myself up anybody have some hedge clippers??? xox
xox
txblubon46

The Founding Fathers, rarely practiced Christian orthodoxy. Although they supported the free exercise of any religion, they understood the dangers of religion. Most of them believed in deism and attended Freemasonry lodges. According to John J. Robinson, "Freemasonry had been a powerful force for religious freedom." Freemasons took seriously the principle that men should worship according to their own conscience. Masonry welcomed anyone from any religion or non-religion, as long as they believed in a Supreme Being. Washington, Franklin, Hancock, Hamilton, Lafayette, and many others accepted Freemasonry.

The fact that the Founding Fathers supported the free exercise of any religion has never been in question here. If it was, I missed that. Clearly Thomas Jefferson was a Deist however. As were several of the Founding Fathers.Some were Freemasons also such as George Washington. historian, Robert T. Handy, "No more than 10 percent-- probably less-- of Americans in 1800 were members of congregations."

This is not actually a "Christian Chat" This forum is called General Religion and it is designated for the discussion of any religious belief or topic. It is also open to debate provided no personal attacks are made. That is why it might appear to get a little rough at times. People's beliefs are open to discussion however.

If you are looking for a Christan specific chat amongst other Christians only, then when you signed up, if you selected "Christian-Other" on your profile you should see "Christian Singles" forum listed. Welcome to the boards.