America is losing its religion — and the effects will be long-lasting

[Doc Dutch]

Matthew 26:11
2 Thessalonians 3:10

Dude, even fucking Satan himself can read. What he can't do is "walk the walk".

[Cypress]

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

^ That is a typically Protestant thing to do, isn't it?

Finding one quote from the Bible, interpreting it literally, and assuming universal application.

Sorry, but the Protestant approach does not represent world Christianity. Protestants are only a minority of world Christianity, so their approach towards biblical literalism and primacy of scipture is not even accepted consensus in world Christianity.

For one thing, you have never actually read the New Testament.

Not once.

The New Testament and Septuagint were written in archaic Greek, which you do not read or understand. You are reading second-hand English translations of the NT. Because languages differ so widely, translation is always a pale attempt to interpret meaning from the original native language.

Second, there are a lot of things written in the NT and Septuagint, and some of it is contradictory and inconsistent. That is why biblical scholars, theologians, and bishops spend many years in seminary and divinity school training in biblical scholarship, Greek and Latin, and Christian theology.

And even then, they cannot all agree on a single unified interpretation of the bible.

Consequently, someone like you does not stand a prayer in being able to interpret the bible as a whole.

[Doc Dutch]

By all means share your answer with me! I have stopped name calling, can you? Why is it so hard to say you are or aren't is it because people on this site will treat you differently! I am not ashamed of the Gospel!

Why? Does it matter what I write or what my lips say if I don't intend to conduct myself accordingly? You're free to claim whatever you like, even a prophet of God and a personal friend of Jesus, but if you can't walk the walk, then it shouldn't be a surprise people don't trust you.

Isn't it odd for a Christian to condemn people for trying to feed the poor and help the sick?

[Doc Dutch]

^ That is a typically Protestant thing to do, isn't it?

Finding one quote from the Bible, interpreting it literally, and assuming universal application.

Sorry, but the Protestant approach does not represent world Christianity. Protestants are only a minority of world Christianity, so their approach towards biblical literalism and primacy of scipture is not even accepted consensus in world Christianity.

For one thing, you have never actually read the New Testament.

Not once.

The New Testament and Septuagint were written in archaic Greek, which you do not read or understand. You are reading second-hand English translations of the NT. Because languages differ so widely, translation is always a pale attempt to interpret meaning from the original native language.

Second, there are a lot of things written in the NT and Septuagint, and some of it is contradictory and inconsistent. That is why biblical scholars, theologians, and bishops spend many years in seminary and divinity school training in biblical scholarship, Greek and Latin, and Christian theology.

And even then, they cannot all agree on a single unified interpretation of the bible.

Consequently, someone like you does not stand a prayer in being able to interpret the bible as a whole.

Just for the record, the history of Catholicism is as blemished as twenty teenagers at a Chuck E. Cheese pizza party. God Bless America!

Oddly, there's something to be said for "results count" even though it's dangerously close to "might makes right".

[Cypress]

Just for the record, the history of Catholicism is as blemished as twenty teenagers at a Chuck E. Cheese pizza party. God Bless America!

Oddly, there's something to be said for "results count" even though it's dangerously close to "might makes right".

Too right you are, I am not saying Catholicism is superior.

I just think Martin Luther opened a can of worms when he claimed that any knucklehead could interpret the bible!

[Doc Dutch]

Too right you are, I am not saying Catholicism is superior.

I just think Martin Luther opened a can of worms when he claimed that any knucklehead could interpret the bible!

Isn't a path to freedom the path of choice? How can a person choose if they are constantly pushed, pulled or forced in only one direction?

People can learn from their mistakes, but they have to make those mistakes in order to learn. Some can learn by wisdom, be it ancients texts or modern ones, but a very large portion of humanity has to learn from their mistakes. To prevent them from making those mistakes often stunts their growth.

It's like helping someone with barbells. To gain strength they need to do it on their own. Same with spirituality. People can be shown a path but they have to get to the mountaintop on their own.

Bibles are for wisdom, not to be taken literally.

IMO, the problem is dogma, too literal to the text and not understanding the wisdom behind it.

[Cypress]

Isn't a path to freedom the path of choice? How can a person choose if they are constantly pushed, pulled or forced in only one direction?

People can learn from their mistakes, but they have to make those mistakes in order to learn. Some can learn by wisdom, be it ancients texts or modern ones, but a very large portion of humanity has to learn from their mistakes. To prevent them from making those mistakes often stunts their growth.

It's like helping someone with barbells. To gain strength they need to do it on their own. Same with spirituality. People can be shown a path but they have to get to the mountaintop on their own.

Bibles are for wisdom, not to be taken literally.

IMO, the problem is dogma, too literal to the text and not understanding the wisdom behind it.

There is a lot of wisdom in the Gospel of Luke, the Baghavad Gita, the Annalects of Confucius, the Daodijing.

I have never been one to laugh them off as useless texts from the late Bronze Age.

I am on the same page as you regarding careless literal interpretation and cherry picking of single quotes. Biblical literalism was not even accepted Christian doctrine until the Protestant reformation, and it found it's most fertile ground in American evangelical fundamentalism.

[PostmodernProphet]

"PMP, you are the dude who made a bet pledging to permanently leave this forum if Trump were impeached, and then you willfully and blatantly welched on your bet.

That ranks as the mother of all lies by message board standards"

nancydancing does not equal impeachment.....

[PostmodernProphet]

I stand by everything I wrote in this thread, and I never intentionally lie

Meanwhile, speaking of blatant lying, you purposely edited out this part of my post and failed to address it >

I didn't say you lied in your initial post......that was just ignorance......however you have lied repeatedly about that post...likely because you were too embarrassed to admit how stupid your statement was....

[PostmodernProphet]

false accusation is not very Christian.

I do not lie (present tense). I did not imply I have never lied (past tense) - as a kid, teenager, young man I definitely told some lies.

You seemingly confess that you sin, and willfully continue to sin uncontrollably, because God is just going to forgive you if you ask for absolution.

I choose a different path - a project of moral improvement, which includes the self discipline to reject lying.

The fact that eschewing intentional lying is unfathomable to you highlights that you are a phony Christian poseur.

Why do you not explain to me what possible reason or benefit there is in lying to anonymous message board posters I do not know and will never meet?

do you really believe anyone can keep themselves from sinning?.....

[PostmodernProphet]

He would not be the only one. This forum has a lot of self-identified bible thumpers who think because Jesus is in their heart, they can get away with libel, depraved cursing, unrestrained gossip.

Satan's work is being done by these bible thumpers, I tell ya!

do you thank them?.....

[Doc Dutch]

There is a lot of wisdom in the Gospel of Luke, the Baghavad Gita, the Annalects of Confucius, the Daodijing.

I have never been one to laugh them off as useless texts from the late Bronze Age.

I am on the same page as you regarding careless literal interpretation and cherry picking of single quotes. Biblical literalism was not even accepted Christian doctrine until the Protestant reformation, and it found it's most fertile ground in American evangelical fundamentalism.

I'm not seeing the causal relationship. Catholics had a monopoly on religion. Salvation only came through them. The few Bibles that existed were in Latin. Peasants could barely read much less speak latin so the Priests dictated what the Lord wanted. Gutenberg starts printing Bibles in 1454. Columbus bumps into the Americas on the way to India in 1492. The same year, the Spanish Inquisition begins their reign of terror in the name of Catholicism. Martin Luther kicks off the Reformation in 1517. The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620. Some other things happened in between.

I think there were a lot of factors coming together synergistically and nothing that can be identified as "the cause". Because of A we had B so now we have C. It's a lot more complicated than that. It also proves why manipulating large populations is problematic. Too many variables.

[Sailor]

do you really believe anyone can keep themselves from sinning?.....

If you read anything he posts he basks in visions of grand delusions.

[evince]

^ That is a typically Protestant thing to do, isn't it?

Finding one quote from the Bible, interpreting it literally, and assuming universal application.

Sorry, but the Protestant approach does not represent world Christianity. Protestants are only a minority of world Christianity, so their approach towards biblical literalism and primacy of scipture is not even accepted consensus in world Christianity.

For one thing, you have never actually read the New Testament.

Not once.

The New Testament and Septuagint were written in archaic Greek, which you do not read or understand. You are reading second-hand English translations of the NT. Because languages differ so widely, translation is always a pale attempt to interpret meaning from the original native language.

Second, there are a lot of things written in the NT and Septuagint, and some of it is contradictory and inconsistent. That is why biblical scholars, theologians, and bishops spend many years in seminary and divinity school training in biblical scholarship, Greek and Latin, and Christian theology.

And even then, they cannot all agree on a single unified interpretation of the bible.

Consequently, someone like you does not stand a prayer in being able to interpret the bible as a whole.

Which makes it very easy for sociopaths to USE religion to make people accept evil things

[evince]

do you really believe anyone can keep themselves from sinning?.....

You can’t

It’s Your religion

Meet up to it.


Instead of being evil all day long here

You shame your own claimed religion by being a horrible example of the guidance Jesus tried to inspire humans with


Your a creepy assed sociopath