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Sure Godschild, I'll give you the cliffnotes, and if you take issue with any specific thing feel free to thread it up.
A person or group that self identifies as christian is in fact christian. I cannot provide a definitive argument about what people believe about their beliefs that would allow me to say "you, sir, are not a christian." I could potentially say that they weren't a very good christian (by whatever standard they chose or is generally accepted upon) but that does not of course prove that they are incorrect about their belief...about their beliefs.
The statement that the bible is not an accurate representation of history is pretty well documented, and anyone who cares to know how we know that things like Exodus or the Census in Beth are mythical can freely find this information. Google is a great place to start. The volume of historical claims made in the bible (new and old testament) is staggering. I'm not even going to attempt to address each one point by point.
Courts in developed countries do not cross reference their decisions with Leviticus. Wrenching a moral authority from the bible (that doesn't read like a demons resume) is exhausting and requires more cherry picking than it does to actually pick cherries. Is god pro genocide, infanticide, rape, slavery or against? (just the ones that immediately come to mind)
The account of creation in genesis is not an explanation of anything. It does not conform to the areas of our origins where we actually have mountains of actual, physical evidence, case in point it directly contradicts it in many places (re firmaments, the order of appearance of species, characteristics or classifications of comparable species)....and does not offer us anything to help us understand the parts we're still working on. If it did, we wouldn't have to continue looking would we.
Revelation again offers no insight, famously due to a lack of dates and heavily mythical imagery. Some people, when predicting the future, have the the courtesy to be more specific.
In all of this above you could find a passage in the bible that contradicts my argument, and I could find one that supports it. That is textbook inconsistency.
Denominations quarrel over the status of jesus divinity, his final words on the cross, the doctrine of faith or works, again, inconsistencies that have spawned, apparently, 33800 different denominations of christianity
The narrative style of the old testament is a prophetic cycle, whereby common themes and events are described which help to form the sense that a pattern is repeating itself, allowing the people who believe in scriptures to make predictions based upon the events of the past. The events and beings described form the basis of what we know about ancient hebrew belief systems and worldview. The new testament is different (not surprising given the difference in time between them). It's part of what cultural anthropologists call the monomyth and epic hero. Jesus is an everyman called to something greater who reaches beyond the accepted limits of his origin and suffers the consequences.
Are these the statements you wanted me to give proof for? Should I have included a sources page, do I get an A?
To say that any church that calls itself a christian church is a christian church, well that's like any loan shark that calls himself a bank is a bank. If you believe your statement then you should put all your money in the loan sharks pocket, that's his vault. JW and Mormons are not christian churches they have their own books and/or bibles that supersede the Holy Bible. Any church founded on the idea that works and works alone is the way to salvation, is not a christian church, time and again the NT tells us that salvation is by grace and not by works. If salvation by works was all it took then why would Jesus have given His life. The OT is full of works and they never saved anyone and why, because one would have had to be perfect in their works and no one was, this is why there was the sacrificing of animals there had to be an atonement for sin. When Christ came and allowed Himself to be that sacrifce it was the last one needed as declared by God, so if works were all that was needed then Jesus wasted His life, but since Jesus said that no one comes to the Father but by Me... well that kind of shoots down works as the way to salvation and all chuches that depend on works for salvation. If you would study scripture instead of cheerypicking your way through them you might see that works are the result of salvation through faith and grace.
There is a cental thread through the OT and that is Christ, but of coarse you have never seen it because you were to busily hurrying through to find controversy that you could not find the truth. I do take it that you have read the Bible, at least your statements make it seem you have. God's great love is another thread that runs through the entire Bible But you can't see that either because all you want to see is violence and there's no need in bringing up all the wars, killings and ect. I know their there I was just going over some of that the other night for the umpteenth time. Another thing that is central to all of scripture, we are not promised a life free of tragedy and many hardships, however we are told that if we follow the teachings within scriptures we can find comfort during these awful times, have you tried to find such worth while things in scriptures, I bet not since all you seem to say is how worthless scriptures are. You see that is why the christians on this forum are so adamant in their defence of the scriptures we know what there is within them to bring great peace and wonder into our lives, you know the one I'm talking about don't you, the peace that is beyond all understanding.
As far as the reading and studying of scriptures being a fruitless endeavor...well I believe you are wrong I find it quite rewarding and always will because I look for God's truth there. Archaeologist and historians have given credit to the Bibical accounts for aiding in the discoveries of a lot of history in that area of the world, however that was never the intent of the writers of scripture, this is a book that was written to aid mankind in finding the one true God and nothing else.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
