Originally posted by FeceMan
I like how everyone verbally masturbates every Christian who doesn't actually adhere to the Bible."Okay...I base my faith on the Bible, since it has stuff written about Jesus and God and salvation, but it has stuff in it that I don't like, so I'll just ignore those parts."
Derkaderkaderk.
That's not at all what I'm saying, FeceMan. I base my beliefs on Jesus' teachings, which, yes, can be found in the bible. I follow things in the bible that I do not necessarily "like," but which I know are good for me. I just don't believe that the bible is inerrant. This is based on common sense rather than whether I want it to be or not.
The bible has been translated many times, and books and passages have been left out of the bible - so I don't see how it could be perfect. Stories were passed down through oral tradition before they were written in the bible, and a simple game of telephone will tell you how screwed up messages get through oral passage.
Therefore I don't think your "summary" of what I've said is correct. I use the bible more as a historical reference, and as a guideline, than a rule or lawbook.
I shouldn't have to feel guilty that people respond positively to the way I post, though. After all, I don't force my beliefs on others, I try to always be careful to back my arguments up or say that they're just my opinon, and I try not to tell other people that what they say is flat out wrong. I just try to provide another side to the discussion, and observe things through another set of eyes. Perhaps it's just a nice change of pace?
Not that I have anything against JIA, he's a great person. It's just that it's close minded people like him that make me despise Christianity. I would actually start going to church again with a pastor like Melissa Scott. She's studied many religion and can always find ways to tie it into her sermons. She's not a conservative focused on recruiting the world in her mindless army of Watchtower drones...
Originally posted by siriuswriter
I shouldn't have to feel guilty that people respond positively to the way I post, though.
Originally posted by Ashestoashesjc
Not that I have anything against JIA, he's a great person. It's just that it's close minded people like him that make me despise Christianity. I would actually start going to church again with a pastor like Melissa Scott. She's studied many religion and can always find ways to tie it into her sermons. She's not a conservative focused on recruiting the world in her mindless army of Watchtower drones...
(Watchtower is for Jehovah's Witnesses, by the way.)
Originally posted by FeceMan
Is she a liberal focused on appeasing everyone by making Christianity ultra-tolerant and excising portions of the Old Testament, then?(Watchtower is for Jehovah's Witnesses, by the way.)
Don't make her sound like such a foul dictator. She's honest and precise in her studies, making her a downright good pastor. No one point is enough... she must dig deeper to the very grit of a topic before she settles on an ideal and goes forth to preach it. Then she's not dull, with her occasional jokes, finding the humour in the days of old...
Originally posted by Alliance
how does one actually follow the book?
I understand following the teachings of a well read Pastor, but a book itself? And if the bible can be wrong about Jesus' birthdate what else can it be wrong about? There's still the ever present topic of creation vs. evolution. I'll be damned if I start to believe that a big man in the sky waved his finger and then magically McDonalds chains popped up from nowhere...