A
AndyF
Guest
Code:
The speaker steps up to the podium, "I'm Gay". In his "Aww-shucks, gee wizz" manner he blushes.
I listened and I heard it all before. The symptoms are the same, and at least we can count on the predictability of the phases of this manifestation.
In my thoughts I was shouting out in frustration “Your NOT the sin”, “You have NOT become what you did.” ,“This is just the run-of-the-mill temptation, and we even know the demon. He’s the one described in Rev 3:15-19.”
What is occuring is that he is being tempted for the first time. Comes in two parts, secondly convince the victim it is a condition not an affliction, (subtlty being his area of expertise), with the assistance of secular opinion of course, firstly, suggest and allow him to delight in the thought of the act.
Code:
Of the two creatures, temptor and temptee, there is certainly one that the condition applies, and he attempts to convince his charge that he also is conditioned, that he **IS** gay, and is this permanent state.
St. Thomas Aquinas gives us a clue and says they are caught in their condition.
"The fallen angels are obstinate in evil, unrepentant, inflexibly determined in their sin. This follows from their nature as pure spirits, for the choice of a pure spirit is necessarily **final and unchanging**".
Christ quickly comes to the side of those who he can do something about, those afflicted by temptation, as he cannot redeem those who have chosen to be conditioned.
Code:
The conclusion is that man can choose to throw off this temptation, one of the most difficult as it feels like *a good*, and Thomas helps us see that because man is NOT in condition, he is NOT an abomination, but the temptor surely is.
Andy
(I had trouble cutting and pasting this from my other post, so I may have picked up a frame or two, so forgive the bad formatting.)