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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 2, 2015 9:13:56 GMT -5
On the larger topic, not to get too into politics, but it baffles and angers me that what constitutes the current vocal Republican party somehow represent themselves as the "Christian" party when their words and platform are not very Christlike. Many of them are Christian in the sense the Crusaders were. Not quite the "love your neighbour and turn the other cheek" type. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 9:47:24 GMT -5
Those people come in greater numbers on one side than the other more often than not though.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 9:50:05 GMT -5
I don't literally think that "nobody" questions these things, but I do have to wonder how prayer, study and fellowship changes what this god was purported to have done in the texts. Once you learn that stories taken from older sources were incorporated into the Bible and attributed to Biblical characters, how can you believe any of it? You know what would have been far more useful for "God" to have imparted on his chosen people beyond the Ten Commandments? Some basic information on the presence of germs, virus' and other microscopic organisms. I doubt many Christians spend much time critically analyzing the Bible in that way. That's what I really meant. Biblical literalism among seminary school graduates, theologians, and basically any demographic known for studying the bible on an academic level is much less common than biblical literalism beliefs among those of faith who have not. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jul 2, 2015 10:03:43 GMT -5
I don't literally think that "nobody" questions these things, but I do have to wonder how prayer, study and fellowship changes what this god was purported to have done in the texts. Once you learn that stories taken from older sources were incorporated into the Bible and attributed to Biblical characters, how can you believe any of it? You know what would have been far more useful for "God" to have imparted on his chosen people beyond the Ten Commandments? Some basic information on the presence of germs, virus' and other microscopic organisms. I doubt many Christians spend much time critically analyzing the Bible in that way. That's what I really meant. Biblical literalism among seminary school graduates, theologians, and basically any demographic known for studying the bible on an academic level is much less common than biblical literalism beliefs among those of faith who have not. I'm aware of this, unfortunately, particularly in the South, one doesn't get the chance to meet many educated theologians. Legitimate theologians are a rare breed and they're certainly not teaching your average Church going citizen the details. Still, at the core of their belief, is the same concept of god. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 10:18:27 GMT -5
Yeah, I have a feeling a lot of the seminary school graduates who aren't biblical literalists themselves keep that part out of their sermons too often.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 2, 2015 10:22:51 GMT -5
I don't literally think that "nobody" questions these things, but I do have to wonder how prayer, study and fellowship changes what this god was purported to have done in the texts. Once you learn that stories taken from older sources were incorporated into the Bible and attributed to Biblical characters, how can you believe any of it? You know what would have been far more useful for "God" to have imparted on his chosen people beyond the Ten Commandments? Some basic information on the presence of germs, virus' and other microscopic organisms. I doubt many Christians spend much time critically analyzing the Bible in that way. That's what I really meant. Biblical literalism among seminary school graduates, theologians, and basically any demographic known for studying the bible on an academic level is much less common than biblical literalism beliefs among those of faith who have not. That is quite true! Back when I was a devout Catholic my grandmother, who was also quite the believer, gave me a subscription to a journal called "Bible studies" (in French). I was amazed to read articles by Vatican scholars who studied the literary origins of the old testament, not for one minute pretending that Moses had actually written the deuteronomy or some such. That's where I first learned of the two traditions that gave the contradictory accounts of the world's creation in Genesis, and that a large part of the Bible had probably been written to stoke a nationalistic spirit among the Jews returning from their exile in Babylon. And none of that kept these scholars from being Christians. It doesn't make me less the atheist, but it shows that it is perfectly possible to have faith and to analyze scripture (or the world around us) intelligently without being afraid of the truth. (Many of the great evolutionists were priests, for example, which doubtless puzzles many American biblical literalists). |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 10:42:59 GMT -5
Yeah I actually learned about that fact from a friend of mine who went to seminary school with the intention of being a preacher. he's still a Christian, but has an academic education on the bible that couldn't possibly allow him to be a literalist. he learned hebrew and read directly from scans of old scrolls and stuff. Learning things like language nuances and context of the time really changes that stuff. He isn't a preacher today though, somewhere along the way he became a hippie and an activist and now works for the ACLU.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2015 11:23:34 GMT -5
Just got back from my neurologist. After nine months of terrifying uncertainty, I am now expected to make a full recovery. I cant tell you all what this means to me. It's easy to conceal the cognitive issues I've been experiencing on an online forum, but my reality has been quite different.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 12:18:43 GMT -5
Thrilled for you, shax. Just too tired to adequately convey how much (surgeon's visit was this a.m. -- perfectly routine).
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Post by impulse on Jul 2, 2015 12:27:14 GMT -5
Glad you hear that, Shax, and glad to hear your surgery was uneventful, Dan.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 12:32:31 GMT -5
With all the walking wounded we seem to have it seems Joss might be the poster child the the typical CCF member these days...  -M |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2015 13:16:52 GMT -5
(surgeon's visit was this a.m. -- perfectly routine). That's fantastic, Dan! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 14:25:28 GMT -5
Thrilled for you, shax. Just too tired to adequately convey how much (surgeon's visit was this a.m. -- perfectly routine). Nice to hear this Dan, and thanks for this update! So Encouraging!  |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Jul 2, 2015 14:43:36 GMT -5
Just got back from my neurologist. After nine months of terrifying uncertainty, I am now expected to make a full recovery. I cant tell you all what this means to me. It's easy to conceal the cognitive issues I've been experiencing on an online forum, but my reality has been quite different. Thrilled for you, shax. Just too tired to adequately convey how much (surgeon's visit was this a.m. -- perfectly routine). Glad to hear ya'll are both making positive progress. |
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Post by the4thpip on Jul 2, 2015 16:26:44 GMT -5
There'll always be people using a "meat shield" to hide behind to take the brunt of the flack for whatever idea their promoting. Liberals and conservatives alike. Atheist and religious alike. Heterosexual and homosexual alike. And now more so than ever in human history both sides can become more distracted with all the hubbub that we loose sight of the issue. Then both sides are arguing semantics while the solutions to possibly solving the problem are left untouched. I mean seriously it took this long, at least my lifetime up until now, for us to allow homosexual legal US marriage? It's frustrating sometimes. I can't even remember a time when those mythical "both sides" were acting, talking and thinking less alike than they are now. I am always very frustrated by people who excuse things like not voting with the tired and untrue "both sides are the same anyway" line. |
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