Protestantism

» pink101 - Sad But True

I've been hanging around this site for some time now. Several years as most know.
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I remember an old one frame cartoon that used to appear in newspapers under the title of "Suspicions Confirmed". The drawing would show some caricature of something going on behind closed doors that was presented in a humorous way. Maybe the reader has seen some of them.
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Anyway, there is a basic test given to all persons who convert to Christianity. I suppose it is the same for other religions as well. First thing that is put to a candidate is, "Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?". What we have, here, is believers testing each other.
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What do you call it when a person has made a choice that such a platform represents God's position on all reality? Have they not concluded the most serious exercise in their entire life? Have they not closed off all options to reality from there on out?
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Remember the graph I alluded to that showed the relationship between science and faith?
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It can be seen about half way down at this site:
http://unrulymob.blogspot.com/
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or, it can be seen at this site if you have the proper software for viewing:
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http://bp1.blogger.com/_IFjNgImUj-o/Rs8T...
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It points up how closed off one can put their self from accepting any new input from reality.
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It's obvious here at this site that individuals are caught up in a world of their own choice without any options. They are FORCED to believe whatever is in the Bible without exception--no matter what comes as evidence to the contrary. We see that in the litany of posts that demand--for them--their evidence be seen as some form of proof. What it proves is that they are hooked. And, hooked so thoroughly that they cannot open their eyes to any thing other than what is in the Bible--period.
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Sad but true.
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-- posted by pink101

» Brian Tubbs - Bible

In response to Sad But True posted by pink101:

Pink, what IF the Bible IS the Word of God? Would it be so bad to center one's life on its teachings in that case?

Aside from that, however, you're one-dimensionalizing things again. Christians understand divine inspiration of the Bible in different ways, but all are generally united in their belief that there's something special about the Bible - that it carries a divine spark, a divine imprint that sets it apart from all other books in human history. That's not a bad thing, Pink.

» pink101 - Bible

In response to Bible posted by BrianTubbs:
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Maybe I need to re-think my opener in this thread. I meant to convey the idea that there is a continual testing in which the devout judge each other. The testing is based on the "correct" interpretation of Scripture and much of it is focused on Old Testament theology even when New Testament text is used.
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I didn't mean to put the idea across that the Bible is somehow not a valid reference for any Christian.
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I've tried to stay out of some of the discussions regarding the presentation of proof, etc. That seems like such a waste of time and energy to me. It goes right on over my head that Christianity is viable because the Bible accurately depicts history. I don't get that one bit.
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If you keep at it, you will eventually run into trouble with each other. Sooner or later you will make a statement with which someone else doesn't agree and then the process of picking you apart will begin. Being a Christian gets to be a membership in the group thing. Salvation becomes a matter of group membership. You don't share your different views--you seek uniformity of experience. You define the Christian experience before a person can experience it on their own. And, as that process of purification proceeds, the one who comes out on top is the extremist.
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"...you're one-dimensionalizing things again."
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How's that? I thought it was plain that my mind is open to new and additional information and my pointing at the Science/Faith graph made that quite plain. There are a lot of stories in the Bible that are little more than fairy tales and some that pretty much are fairy tales. Does that mean that everything in the Bible is a waste or that they don't have great merit out of which some of life's greatest lessons can be learned? No; but, if what it is used for is to text each member of the group out to see if they qualify for fellowship or not turns the Bible into a joke when it contains some of the world's greatest wisdom. The Bible as it is possessed by the devout is closed off to general society as having any secular value whatsoever. In fact, it looks like one-dimensional applies more to you than it does to me.
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Can you handle honest criticism?
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-- posted by pink101

» Brian Tubbs - Problems

In response to Bible posted by pink101:

Pink, there are 2.3 billion people in the world who identify themselves as "Christian" or who are identified as such by social demographers. So, you've got 2.3 billion different OPINIONS as to what constitutes a "Christian" or how reliable the Bible is.

I am trying to articulate general points of agreement among evangelical Protestants. Even THAT is difficult, though. And the more you, Migisi, and others press, the more difficult it is.

On THIS issue, I really do believe you are confusing some aspects or issues here. No mainstream evangelical Christian that I know judges a person's salvation based on that individual's theological understanding of biblical inerrancy. What salvation (for the evangelical) comes down to is...

Jesus Christ

That having been said....CHURCHES and DENOMINATIONS tend to organize around doctrinal issues, and one of the leading issues is biblical authority.

But that's more an issue of church membership or denominational affiliation. Not an issue of eternal salvation.

Now, again, I'm coming at this from an evangelical perspective. I understand that Catholics and other more liturgical Protestants put a greater emphasis on church membership in the context of salvation. I think they're wrong to do so, but I understand that is where some of the confusion comes in.

» pink101 - Problems

In response to Problems posted by BrianTubbs:

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You don't need to instruct me. I knew as much about Christianity 50 years ago as most people know about it today. And, I've learned much more since then.
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That's not the point of my position; but, it is about the process of testing each other out to see if they truly qualify or not.
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-- posted by pink101