Platitudes

[RobbyPants]

I have a Baptist friend who runs a group on Facebook. Within a few days, two separate posts caused different people to post almost the exact same response:

Both of them said things to the effect of "doctrine can cause division" or "when we die, we'll find out we were all wrong about doctrine". Both encouraged people to not get hung up on issues of doctrine, and instead, to only worry about "the doctrine of Jesus Christ".

Now, I'm sure that sounds all profound and stuff, but what does that even mean? I understand what they're getting at, but if you try to get down to specifics, no one can give a coherent answer. Everyone who has an opinion on doctrine believes that theirs is the One True doctrine. What is the doctrine of Jesus Christ? The fact that no two Christians can give the same answer should set up a red flag, right there.

The closest thing I could think of would be something like a "love God and love each other" sort of thing, but every time I see an author try to boil it down to something so simple, they're always branded as heretics with "false doctrines".

Also, important to note: neither of the two posters show any signs of shutting up about their individual doctrines, so, it seems the platitude isn't particularly effective.

[Darkstar]

I hate platitudes. It seems like most motivational quotes that people toss around fall into this category. Some of them have rather absurd implications upon closer examined.

[Drich]

I have a Baptist friend who runs a group on Facebook. Within a few days, two separate posts caused different people to post almost the exact same response:

Both of them said things to the effect of "doctrine can cause division" or "when we die, we'll find out we were all wrong about doctrine". Both encouraged people to not get hung up on issues of doctrine, and instead, to only worry about "the doctrine of Jesus Christ".

Now, I'm sure that sounds all profound and stuff, but what does that even mean?

This is the message of biblical Christianity i have been teaching.

I understand what they're getting at, but if you try to get down to specifics, no one can give a coherent answer.

Maybe your not asking a coherent question.

Everyone who has an opinion on doctrine believes that theirs is the One True doctrine.

What was said in the opening paragraph is that we all have it wrong (to one degree or another.)

Christ put it this way:
"What ever you bind here on Earth will be bound for you in Heaven and what you loose here on earth will be loosed in Heaven."

This has direct implications to doctrine. Fore in the NT we have some set in stone rules, others are a matter of doctrinal conviction. In the first century people like Paul and peter knew of this and even spoke of it the book of acts.

What is the doctrine of Jesus Christ? The fact that no two Christians can give the same answer should set up a red flag, right there.

The word 'Doctrine' means
a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief.
To that one must simply point to what is out line by Christ in the gospel accounts.

Everything else is apart of man's religious efforts, and not doctrine of Christ related.

The closest thing I could think of would be something like a "love God and love each other" sort of thing, but every time I see an author try to boil it down to something so simple, they're always branded as heretics with "false doctrines".

That's because it is not simple, what Christ taught is covered in 4 books.

[Cyberman]

Now, I'm sure that sounds all profound and stuff, but what does that even mean?

It means they're trying to pass themselves off as, and I'm sure they even believe themselves to be, deeply intellectual and philosophical, when all they have are deepities.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Doctrinal divisions are one of the many things that make religious debate so entertaining.

As for 'the doctrine of Christ', Drich is correct - it isn't simple. But the complexity isn't because it takes up four rather short books. The complexity is the result of these books being pieced together over decades from different traditions by people with different agendas and outlooks. It's rather like the 'Rashomon' of theological instruction.

I suspect it (the use of platitudes) boils down to people desperately wanting to believe something that - on the face of it - is utterly ludicrous. The 'need to believe' is so strong among the religiously-minded that resorting to empty platitudes becomes virtually de rigueur as a replacement for explanations that actually make sense.

Boru

[Alex K]

Both of them said things to the effect of "doctrine can cause division" or "when we die, we'll find out we were all wrong about doctrine". Both encouraged people to not get hung up on issues of doctrine, and instead, to only worry about "the doctrine of Jesus Christ".

Drawing from my experiences living in the babble belt, I have a more sympathetic reading of this statement:

Do not simply adhere to fixed interpretations of what is God's will made by human authorities. Always go back directly to the source, the word of Jesus Christ and your personal relationship with him, and find the answers yourself. That's what I think is a very quintessentially American way to approach religion, diametrically opposed to the Catholic way of doing things, and rather democratic in spirit.

[Diablo]

That's probably why the American evangelicals are so weird. They just pick out bits that are likely to be popular and use the hard-sell technique to make a buck. Hating gays is always popular, you don't get many trying to ban shrimps, on account of prawn cocktails.

[RobbyPants]

Now, I'm sure that sounds all profound and stuff, but what does that even mean?

This is the message of biblical Christianity i have been teaching.

The irony of this has not been lost on me.

That's because it is not simple, what Christ taught is covered in 4 books.

You're missing the point. I ask two people what "Christ's doctrine" is, and I get two answers. So, when a person says "Don't worry about all these man-made doctrines. Worry about Christ's doctrine.", it's useless. He just told one person to love everyone no matter what and the other person to not let gay people get married.

Until everyone can agree what X is, you can't tell a bunch of different people making different assumptions to "just do X" and expect any consistent behavior. That's why this advice is a platitude. It sounds all wise and profound on the surface, but you cannot draw a single, coherent meaning from that statement in and of itself.

[Tonus]

Both of them said things to the effect of "doctrine can cause division" or "when we die, we'll find out we were all wrong about doctrine". Both encouraged people to not get hung up on issues of doctrine, and instead, to only worry about "the doctrine of Jesus Christ".

Considering how open to interpretation the Bible is, one can only conclude that if you believe in it, you have to take as laid-back an approach as possible. If god had meant for people to be so hung up on getting all the details right, he'd have written a book that would be clear in any language and any time.

Imagine that after you die, you get to heaven and practically EVERYONE is there. And you're like "WTF???" And god says "yeah, it was kind of a practical joke-- as long as you weren't a total dipshit you were gonna get in." And you look off to the side and see the area where all the fundies are, and they're sitting there with their arms folded across their chests and they are FURIOUS.

[StealthySkeptic]

Here's an old joke I read once that explains Christian preoccupation with doctrine, especially exclusivism, perfectly:

An atheist dies and goes to heaven. When he gets there, the attendant says, "Welcome, you'll be in room 21, but be very quiet when you walk past room 8."

A rabbi dies and goes to heaven, and the attendant greets him and says, "Welcome, you'll be in room 22, but be very quiet when you walk past room 8."

A Buddhist nun dies and goes to heaven and the attendant greets her and says, "Welcome, you'll be in room 23, but be very quiet when you walk past room 8."

The three of them happen to meet, and they're all wondering about room 8 when they see the attendant walk by. They grab him, he asks them how they're doing, and they say, "We're all very happy here, but we were wondering about room 8 and why we had to be so quiet when we went past it."

The attendant says, "Oh, those are the Christians. They think they're the only ones here."