Sure, but not many. You can assume I follow the teaching of Jesus Christ as I understand them. What more could you assume? Can you assume I keep the Sabbath on Sunday? Not if I’m a Seventh Day Adventist. Can you assume I believe the world isn’t ending, that these are not the Bibilcal end times? Not if I’m a Jehovah’s Witness. Can you assume I believe the sacrament of baptism can be administered after death? Maybe I do if I’m LDS. Can you assume I believe in a human, corporeal head of the Church? I do if I’m Catholic. Can you assume I celebrate Christmas in December? No, because I may be Eastern Orthodox. “Christian” covers a lot of ground, and it is foolishness to make anything but the broadest of assumptions on that label. Which is the point: You feel absolutely comfortable attacking all Christians and all Christianity based on what they must believe (IYO), when in fact you don’t know what they believe.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know I’m a Methodist. You would be safe in assuming my beliefs are pretty mainline UMC, since I’m a pretty mainline member. You can find more information about the church here. My beliefs don’t distill neatly down to a single statement of faith, sorry.
I’m sure all the atheists here understand why that’s such a piss off, but in case one just flew in from Mars, it is grossly offensive to tell someone that they believe what they do because they’re too lazy, cowardly, or stupid to see your self-evident truth, and the more effort they’ve put into their opinions–the wiser and more thoughtful a person they are–the more offensive such a statement is. It’s obnoxious no matter which side does it, and “You believe in God because you can’t be bothered rejecting the dumb ideas that were burned into your brain as a child” is just the flip side of “You don’t accept Christ as Lord because you don’t want to have to follow an objective moral code, when you can stay as you are and pat yourself on the back for doing whatever you want.”
Well, since the four gospels do not recount the same events using the same language, and Jesus probably did not say the same thing two or three times, in slightly different language, I think the strictest answer to this would have to be “No.” These are authors 75 to 100 years after the fact recounting things they have heard, observed, or have been taught. Do most Christians, including myself, believe that the four gospel, taken together, contain the teachings of Christ, as given by Christ? Sure.
In other words, any shit that comes to mind constitutes your beliefs (for the duration of that post, at any rate) and that you believe that SOME of your creed is based on the “word of God,” though you can’t specify exactly what those words are.
For starters because it’s not only my confusion and perhaps you could help bring a lurker to Christ. I’m starting to think, well actually I have thought it all along but was trying to be polite (I gave an effort Revtim), that that keeping your beliefs vague and in secret is your best and only defense for them.
So he’s got a warning or three. And I also didn’t agree with the last aone he was simply asking for clarification – as fluidruid himself said – before going all Clint Eastwood on his ass – the rule is rather vague. Besides, who the fuck asked you to junior-mod?
And anyway, so fuckin’ what? Again, allow me to remind you this a a freakin’ MESSAGE BOARD. Personally, I’ve had few problems with the mods in all my years here…bit it’s not like I shuddder and break out into a cold sweat if they call me out on something. In fact, I’ve disputed more than one of their warnings and we seemed to have been able to meet half way.
See, they are mods/humans, seem fairly reasonable as a whole and listen to logical arguements. Trust me, they are NOT GODS ready to slay you with a REALLY BIG BOOK OF BULLSHIT.
And hey, if at the end, badchad, myself or anyone else gets the mod jackboot…well, I suspect we’ll —somehow – survive.
dont be baited Jodi. Badchad is a schoolyard bully trying to pick a fight, let it go, it ain’t worth it.
And FTR I do believe in God, but not that the Bible is his word. The bible is man’s word trying to describe what they didn’t understand in terms they could.
Huh. I won’t talk about my beliefs with someone who is extremely disrespectful of them, rude, boring, and, I suspect, not actually interested (except insofar as he desires to attack them, and through them me), so I must not be capable of defending them at all.
If that’s your take away, fine with me. You’ve “won” again! Here’s your medal.
You have yet to give me any reason whatsoever to answer your simple little questions. Out of mutual respect? Belief in the sincerity of your inquiry? What?
I see the scene, and I read the script, but I’m not sure of my character’s motivation here.
My thoughts exactly…as ThePCapeman points out, this is not the subject of the thread, anyway. Jodi has done a fine job of explaining why badchad’s narrow view of the Bible shows a fundamental lack of understanding of Christianity. Her personal beliefs are completely irrelevant.
