Auto-SummaryThe post is a vehement critique of fundamentalist beliefs, accusing them of presumptuousness, idolatry, hatred, and a lack of understanding of scripture. The author argues that fundamentalism leads to a self-righteous mentality, intolerance, and a rejection of the love and acceptance emphasized by Christ. They emphasize that the Bible is not to be idolized and that interpreting scripture requires a deep understanding of its historical and cultural context. The author also criticizes the belief that one must trust a specific translation of the Bible and that doctrine is essential for salvation. They conclude by asserting that true Christianity is characterized by love and acceptance, not judgment or intolerance.
"How utterly presumptuous of you to affirm a LIE - that I "hate the Word of God!" You make yourself a liar before all of us with your presumption - Luciferian pride, Pharisaic self-righteousness."
It is clear from your postings that you do not believe the scriptures are infallible and God breathed. Correct me if I have come to a wrong conclusion on this.
"And how presumptuous of you to affirm the Divine mechanics as the 'preservation' of the canon. It was the early Church under the dictates of Emperor Constantine who selected the writings that you are guilty of idolizing - pure bibliolatry on your part, and on the part of all fundamentalist believers of all the 'Peoples of the Book' - Jew, Christian and Muslim. I for one hate no one, let alone a written doctrine."
This statement shows that you believe not all events are ordained of God, and God is not in full control of all things.
"You on the other hand share a very typical mentality with fundamentalists of all faiths, and whereas you may not consider blowing yourself and innocent people up, under your agenda lies a self-righteous overcompensation; a secretly cherished sense of superiority over everyone who refuses to share in your obsessive preoccupation which you and your fellow fundamentalists mistakenly identify as 'faith.' Beneath YOUR agenda is real hatred of life and the people who populate life."
It seems to me that you have a problem with anyone who has a steadfast belief. This is a doctrine of anti-doctrine, which is in itself a doctrine.
"The job of a Christian is to Love - NOT to Judge. Chesed (loving-kindness) is the teaching attributed to Christ for His followers. Gevurah (Severity/Judgement) belongs exclusively to G-D. Now if you want to find any number of verses to support the charge for Christians to Judge, to reject, to shake the dust from one's feet upon which sinners tread, then I can show you plenty of additional scriptural verses to support stoning one's unfaithful wife to death, to murder Wiccans, to perceive all Jews as the "synagogue of Satan" (and of course to persecute accordingly)."
Yes the Bible is hard to understand (in fact impossible for the unregenerate), and just because many misunderstand it and come to wrong conclusions does not make the Bible less true.
"It's all in the Bible - including things that never appeared in the Greek originals like translator King James' denouncement of "homosexuals" when there was no mention in the Greek because there was no word for it in Biblical Greek."
The doctrine on homosexuality does not hang on one word, many verses in the OT and NT clearly denounce it. We don't have to trust any translation, the Greek and Hebrew are widely available so the translations can be checked.
"The Bible is midrash and mythos for those who would be guided by it."
This again shows you place no value on scripture.
"Contrary to John's condemnation in Revelations, no one is adding anything to the scriptures. By the time the writings of John came about (maybe as late as 90 A.D.) many other doctrines (like Thomas) had been around for a long time. You are the one who needs to wake up to the Truth."
Why would you give the non-canonical book of Thomas any more weight than any of the other scriptures? Since scripture does not really matter according to what you believe.
"Lastly and perhaps most poignantly with regard to your motives is that I have never stated a doctrine in this forum that is representative on my belief and hence I have not shared anything of my "imagination.""
All your postings are filled with doctrine whether you realize it or not.
"Let us all be very clear about this. I may relate 'a' doctrine, but I am not spouting my inner life on an anonymous public forum. You merely parrot what you have been taught, but you say nothing of what you have learned."
All believers have been taught by God through the Holy Spirit.
"If you 'knew' the essence of Christ, you would not be on the not-so-subtle power trip that all Bible-bangers go on to inflate their self-esteem by the rules of their fundamentalist game. Tolerance my friend, tolerance. The original Christians were tolerant of their diverse doctrines until Constantine forced an orthodox view making all other heterodoxy and heresy (and the persecution and torture which history remembers)."
The scriptures constantly warn against those who bring false doctrines, if doctrine was not important these warnings would not have been given. The Holy Spirit writes through Paul in Galatians that those who bring a false gospel are to be accursed. The offense of the gospel is its message, the message contains truths, these truths are hated by the world. A gospel without doctrine is Antichrist. Just because false "Christians" brought torture does not mean the truth does not exist, or truth is the problem.
"The original Christian experience and subsequent faith occurred BEFORE there was any Bible. "
Yes a handful of people were saved before the Bible was given, such as Noah, who must have had direct revelation. And many were saved prior to the NT being formalized. But remember the canon was not closed at that time, and they had direct teaching from Jesus and the Apostles. But since the period of the open canon has been closed, people are not saved outside of the Word being applied by the Spirit. No more direct scripture is being written through prophets and apostles.
"It is an Experience that is available in ANY moment still, but someone like yourself is so blindfolded that you can't know this Truth unless you can read about it. The Word in letter is NOT The Word in Spirit. To believe so is simple bibliolatry. You may carry and quote from the former, but it is not apparent to me that you are filled with the latter."
You base your entire belief system on experience and not truth. It is true that conversion happens in power and experience, but ALSO IN TRUTH. Great deceptions are possible when someone rests in experience as the basis for belief and ignores truth.
Edited by fivepointer (11/27/05 08:19 AM)
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