Shodan, you have it right on. I took issue with gobear’s statements because I believe he rather dishonestly singled out Christians with these qualities, when in truth every subset has them to about the same degree.
But see, this isn’t, in my opinion, equivalent to what you said here:
[quote]
A large segment of Christians tend to be uncritical thinkers who blindly swallow whatever bit of gossip or urban legend is fed them by their pastor or fellow congregants. Sure, there are many intelligent, thoughtful Christians, but they are a minority in the American Christian population.
[quote]
I’ll gladly acknowledge the former paraphrase, but I believe your original statement was unnecessarily provocative and far, far too sweeping to be taken seriously.
As a Christian, HAVE I ever been taken in by scam artists who took advantage of my desire to help others? Sure. I was one of many who gave money to Father Bruce Ritter, who turned out to be a pedophile.
Does that make me “gullible”? I suppose, though it’s not something I regret. Those of us who are inclined to be generous (whether religious or not) are always in danger of falling for a pitch from someone unworthy of our trust. The alternative is never to trust anyone, or never to succumb to our generous impulses.
But apart from that, I don’t think Christians are any more gullible than anyone else. The fact that I believe in SOME things that Gobear finds absurd doesn’t mean I’ll readily believe in EVERY absurd claim that’s put forward.
To use G.K. Chesterton’s analogy, yes, I believe in the existence of God, and I believe in the existence of miracles. I also believe in the existence of lions, but I don’t expect to see them on every street corner, nor am I likely to believe someone who tells me there’s one in my back yard right now.
…acknowledging that there are a lot of clueless sheep in the churches but that there are also thoughtful intelligent Christians
But see, this isn’t, in my opinion, equivalent to what you said here:
[quote]
A large segment of Christians tend to be uncritical thinkers who blindly swallow whatever bit of gossip or urban legend is fed them by their pastor or fellow congregants. Sure, there are many intelligent, thoughtful Christians, but they are a minority in the American Christian population.
[quote]
Yes, it is. I have never denied that that are some intelligent people who subscribe to the Christian mythology, but at the same time I have also said that they are a minority. There’s a reason why the Left Behind books and their mean-spirited, literal interpretation of Revelation are so popular.
