You’re Free to Disagree

Yesterday I received the following comment on my YouTube Channel attached to one of our sermons...Here is the comment:

Get over it and stop promoting hurtful discrimination against people - we are not living in the Middle Ages, Christianity does not rule the world anymore thank God.......imaginary crimes that do not exist except in the eyes of extremist religions. You are promoting discrimination, hatred and violence. Why don't you do everything the bible says??? Why don't you kill gay people, kill adulterers, prohibit women from speaking in church etc. etc. There is nothing holy about much of what the bible says, much of it is hurtful.

The truth is the Church teaches freedom. We are free to join Christ and we are free to depart from Him. The sad truth is there exist may who are trying to distract us away from Christ. Consider today’s Gospel Reading:

John 10:9-16 (RSV) - The Lord said, "I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.  And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd."

Don’t go through life naive about wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are real and they surround the Church. You are free to disagree with the Church, but that won’t stop the Church from proclaiming the truth.