RE: Heaven seems awful 2 me-"Theist laughs at loudly & with great cruelty"
May 10, 2016 at 1:01 pm
(May 10, 2016 at 12:51 pm)Godschild Wrote:(May 9, 2016 at 4:47 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote: Yeah, we've noticed that pattern with you. Except I routinely have Bible discussions (friendly ones) with other Christians, including Seminary-trained pastors, and all of them remark about how well I know the Bible.
In other words, it's you, not me.
I've found many pastors lacking in an understanding of the scriptures. I'm not saying that I'm an expert, I allow the Holy Spirit to guide me and since you do not believe the Holy Spirit is real then you have never had his guidance. That means you have only a historical understanding of the Bible. The Bible is a spiritual guide to life for those who believe in Christ.
GC
I, too, have found that many pastors (almost always fundamentalists) lack an understanding of the scriptures, as they simply read the words that are there now, and fail to employ any serious scholarly methods of understanding how the works came to be that way, the historicity and cultural influences of the times in which they are written, or the linguistic shifts that show us what was edited and when.
However, I don't speak to anyone on the subject unless they've done the research to understand the broader viewpoint. If you're trying to suggest I eschew my conversations with serious scholars who happen to be pastors and start talking to pastors who go by tradition and feels, you're barking up the wrong tree.
A Christian told me: if you were saved you cant lose your salvation. you're sealed with the Holy Ghost
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
