RE: "Good" & "Bad" Christians?
August 24, 2019 at 10:29 pm
(This post was last modified: August 24, 2019 at 10:36 pm by EgoDeath.)
@Belaqua
I shouldn't have to explain to you that stop signs are red.
The decline of "Christian values "
The decrease in behaviors related to literal interpretations of the Bible
The way churches now use rock n' roll and other modern mediums to spread the "word of god" - things that would've been considered heresy 100 years ago
The fact that in civilized society we no longer kill or imprison people for heresy in the vast majority of the world
"But oh! This isn't REAL Christianity!" you cry. And yet, we see a decline in all of these things for a reason. Less and less people have taken the Bible literally over time. It's not hard to comprehend. That you can cite specific Christians from different times who took allegorical interpretations of the Bible means very little. There were always varied interpretations of the Bible... that's not the point.
In general, far less people take the Bible literally in 2019 than they did in 1219. And in 1219 probably less than 1019. "But oh! These were not the TRUE Christians!" you cry. And yet, these behaviors decrease more and more over time, showing a separation from the original form of Christianity. This is even why more and more denominations were created over time, people wanted to come up with different interpretations of their own and created followings based on those interpretations. All of it, slowly but surely, getting away from the literal interpretation, as a literal interpretation of a Holy Book is the most natural way to read a Holy Book.
That fact that you can cry, "But oh! Not everyone back then took it literally" means very little. Most people did, as evidenced by their behaviors. Less people do now. Separation. Change. Definitions have to change too.
Today's Christians are hardly Christian at all.
edit: Let us remember Mathew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
What part of this did early Christians take as metaphorical?
Remember, some things simply cannot be seen as metaphors. So even for Christians who take the Bible metaphorically, even they have to admit that a good portion of this Holy Book is LITERAL.
I shouldn't have to explain to you that stop signs are red.
The decline of "Christian values "
The decrease in behaviors related to literal interpretations of the Bible
The way churches now use rock n' roll and other modern mediums to spread the "word of god" - things that would've been considered heresy 100 years ago
The fact that in civilized society we no longer kill or imprison people for heresy in the vast majority of the world
"But oh! This isn't REAL Christianity!" you cry. And yet, we see a decline in all of these things for a reason. Less and less people have taken the Bible literally over time. It's not hard to comprehend. That you can cite specific Christians from different times who took allegorical interpretations of the Bible means very little. There were always varied interpretations of the Bible... that's not the point.
In general, far less people take the Bible literally in 2019 than they did in 1219. And in 1219 probably less than 1019. "But oh! These were not the TRUE Christians!" you cry. And yet, these behaviors decrease more and more over time, showing a separation from the original form of Christianity. This is even why more and more denominations were created over time, people wanted to come up with different interpretations of their own and created followings based on those interpretations. All of it, slowly but surely, getting away from the literal interpretation, as a literal interpretation of a Holy Book is the most natural way to read a Holy Book.
That fact that you can cry, "But oh! Not everyone back then took it literally" means very little. Most people did, as evidenced by their behaviors. Less people do now. Separation. Change. Definitions have to change too.
Today's Christians are hardly Christian at all.
edit: Let us remember Mathew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
What part of this did early Christians take as metaphorical?
Remember, some things simply cannot be seen as metaphors. So even for Christians who take the Bible metaphorically, even they have to admit that a good portion of this Holy Book is LITERAL.
If you're frightened of dying, and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.
