I mis-phrased that last one. What I meant to say was do not reject the entirety of a complex ideology because certain parts are rejected. Similar to the best lies have a bit of truth in them, or every cloud has a silver lining. Very few things are either all truth or all lie. Most people just mix and match what they see as relevant truth and apply it to their lives. That, IMO is why there's some many factions in Religion.
As far as a moral guide, You'd have to be cherry picking to find it amoral, IMO. A comprehensive OT and NT approach including: context, how they relate and multiple translation is indicative to me of a higher moral standard than society. It's common to many different denominations of Christianity I've experienced. You can take 30-50 OT verses on their own without any context or view outside the OT and see profuse immorality. Or you can take them in context and their fulfillment and how they're applied to Christianity from the NT and wind up with a very moral guide.
What you see as unnecessary I see as a natural progression, because I see personal experiences that cause me to believe God does exist. If you had those experiences you'd probably feel the same way. You haven't so you don't, that's OK. But just because you don't share those view doesn't mean it's irrational or unimportant and unnecessary to me. Nor does it show a lack of any personal accountability or societal responsibility.
As far as a moral guide, You'd have to be cherry picking to find it amoral, IMO. A comprehensive OT and NT approach including: context, how they relate and multiple translation is indicative to me of a higher moral standard than society. It's common to many different denominations of Christianity I've experienced. You can take 30-50 OT verses on their own without any context or view outside the OT and see profuse immorality. Or you can take them in context and their fulfillment and how they're applied to Christianity from the NT and wind up with a very moral guide.
What you see as unnecessary I see as a natural progression, because I see personal experiences that cause me to believe God does exist. If you had those experiences you'd probably feel the same way. You haven't so you don't, that's OK. But just because you don't share those view doesn't mean it's irrational or unimportant and unnecessary to me. Nor does it show a lack of any personal accountability or societal responsibility.
"There ought to be a term that would designate those who actually follow the teachings of Jesus, since the word 'Christian' has been largely divorced from those teachings, and so polluted by fundamentalists that it has come to connote their polar opposite: intolerance, vindictive hatred, and bigotry." -- Philip Stater, Huffington Post
always working on cleaning my windows- me regarding Johari
always working on cleaning my windows- me regarding Johari
