(March 6, 2024 at 8:21 pm)brewer Wrote:(March 6, 2024 at 7:58 pm)Belacqua Wrote: You're right, there are many people who claim that. I have never denied their existence.
What I've been arguing on this thread is that complete literal sola scriptura interpretations of the Bible do not constitute the whole of Christianity. If someone were to argue that since the myths in Genesis are obviously false, therefore the whole of Christianity is worthless, I would argue against that.
There are a lot of different kinds of Christians. They range from the simplest literalist to someone like William Blake, who claimed that Adam and Eve were never real people, but states or conditions through which individuals may pass.
So I'm just against laziness, when used to pass judgment.
Lazy atheists, lazy christians or both?
I never said worthless, there are some good educational stories, but the stories came from men and not god(s). Claiming god is a means to claim authority, the ultimate authority which is dishonest from the start. It's also a means to enforce justification, control and manipulation.
Both, for sure.
I think that understanding others and making fair evaluations takes a lot of work, no matter what point you start from.