• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Is Bible literal young earth Christian fundamentalism turning people away from God?

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
I thought LSD theology sees going from being black to being white as a path of purification. So, I am not sure how that is not racist,

But I admit, that most of my knowledge of LSD theology comes from Biil Maher shows.

Ciao

- viole
Yeah, well you can't believe everything you hear from Bill Mahler. Or maybe you just need to lay of the LSD. I will not even attempt to deny racism in certain LDS Church policies in the past. Not only will I not deny racism, I will in no way attempt to condone it. Period. But no knowledgeable LDS person today believes a word of any nonsense that as a person becomes more pure, his skin becomes whiter. These days, the LDS Church actually has a very good relationship with the Black community. Here's just one example: LDS Church expands collaboration with NAACP.
 

Dell

Asteroid insurance?
Why on earth would that, amongst all the different understandings of the Genesis myth, would YEC be considered the correct interpretation? According to whom? Fundamentalists?
Great question... keep in mind "in the Bible when it was written".

1st.. The account starts with the division of day and night...

2nd.. its obvious the writer(s) did not know anything about the beginning of the universe or Earth or Life... a six day account would fit the thinking of the time.
  • He didn't know what light is..
  • He didn't know what the sun or stars are,
  • He thought the earth was central point of creation,
  • He didn't know of or failed mention other planets,
  • He didn't know the early progressions and extinctions of life.
  • He developed the timeline incorrectly because of ignorance of actual geological periods recorded in the Earth.
3rd.. The Bible was compiled in the 4th century and translated from Hebrew and Greek to English in the 14th century AD. During this time the creation account has assumed by all sects of Christianity to be 6 - 24 hr days.

4th.. OEC views can't reconcile the traditional doctrine of the entry of death by the fall of Adam. Traditionally there were no carnivores till after the fall, ha ha TRex was a vegetarian...

5th.. OEC views are more recent, 19th thru 21st century, with the age of discovery.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

I believe that when you're down on your knees and you finally cry out: God help me, that God will respond to that first step of yours by taking the other nine steps towards you. Then and only then will you know God is really there. As a reality. And the rest of your existence will be absorbing the complete understanding that faith is safely letting God take over completely. Imo

In any faith or place or time.

But we have to ask first.

Actually, the data indicates that the more educated a person is, the less they are inclined to accept religious dogma without sufficient evidence to support the claims within it. Soft- pedaling the stuff in religious texts may slow the move away from religions, but the drain will continue. Yes, this is a generalization and there are plenty of outliers, but the evidence seems to indicate this is generally true.
When theists move away from being literal, they move into personal interpretation and then the texts mean whatever someone wants them to mean at the moment. If one is going to just start making stuff up, no need to start with an old book.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
Yeah, well you can't believe everything you hear from Bill Mahler. Or maybe you just need to lay of the LSD. I will not even attempt to deny racism in certain LDS Church policies in the past. Not only will I not deny racism, I will in no way attempt to condone it. Period. But no knowledgeable LDS person today believes a word of any nonsense that as a person becomes more pure, his skin becomes whiter. These days, the LDS Church actually has a very good relationship with the Black community. Here's just one example: LDS Church expands collaboration with NAACP.

Who is Bill Mahler?
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Great question... keep in mind "in the Bible when it was written".

1st.. The account starts with the division of day and night...

2nd.. its obvious the writer(s) did not know anything about the beginning of the universe or Earth or Life... a six day account would fit the thinking of the time.
  • He didn't know what light is..
  • He didn't know what the sun or stars are,
  • He thought the earth was central point of creation,
  • He didn't know of or failed mention other planets,
  • He didn't know the early progressions and extinctions of life.
  • He developed the timeline incorrectly because of ignorance of actual geological periods recorded in the Earth.
3rd.. The Bible was compiled in the 4th century and translated from Hebrew and Greek to English in the 14th century AD. During this time the creation account has assumed by all sects of Christianity to be 6 - 24 hr days.

4th.. OEC views can't reconcile the traditional doctrine of the entry of death by the fall of Adam. Traditionally there were no carnivores till after the fall, ha ha TRex was a vegetarian...

5th.. OEC views are more recent, 19th thru 21st century, with the age of discovery.
But why does any of this make the fundamentalist interpretation the right one? All you have demonstrated is the absurdity of their interpretation. That doesn't meaning reading it that is the right way. It means it's the completely bogus way of reading it.

Which underscore the point of my question, which this isn't answering. Who is saying it's the right way to read it? Why are they saying it's the right way to read it, that fundamentalists are reading right? Please explain.
 

BilliardsBall

Veteran Member
Who cares? They all seem to be equally effective, according to their respective believers. Everything goes, it seems.

I bet that if you pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or to Mother Goose, you get the same prayer answering rate than to praying to anything else.

Ciao

- viole

Would you like to speak privately with people who've seen numerous prayers answered, and powerfully? I walk in those circles, thank God.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
Would you like to speak privately with people who've seen numerous prayers answered, and powerfully? I walk in those circles, thank God.

All religions can make that claim. It is not very convincing. Prayer fails when tested. All that you will be able to demonstrate are examples of confirmation bias at best.
 

ERLOS

God Feeds the Ravens
Hmm... one question. Okay. Do you identify much with Linus needing the security blanket?
I'll answer that: why do you think I choose Linus? Yes, one has to be able to let go and grow up. But perhaps thst doesn't mean having to agree with your view?
 

ERLOS

God Feeds the Ravens
I thought LSD theology sees going from being black to being white as a path of purification. So, I am not sure how that is not racist,

But I admit, that most of my knowledge of LSD theology comes from Biil Maher shows.

Ciao

- viole
Ciao ...
 

ERLOS

God Feeds the Ravens
Actually, the data indicates that the more educated a person is, the less they are inclined to accept religious dogma without sufficient evidence to support the claims within it. Soft- pedaling the stuff in religious texts may slow the move away from religions, but the drain will continue. Yes, this is a generalization and there are plenty of outliers, but the evidence seems to indicate this is generally true.
When theists move away from being literal, they move into personal interpretation and then the texts mean whatever someone wants them to mean at the moment. If one is going to just start making stuff up, no need to start with an old book.
You're saying I'm uneducated? Intellectually your mental inferior?
 

A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
You're saying I'm uneducated? Intellectually your mental inferior?
This is you willfully misunderstanding what was said so that you can continue to bear your "woe is me, the atheists are after me" cross.

"Generally" doesn't preclude the possibility of there being any number of exceptions - that is, any number of smart/genius people who are believers.

You would have done better to ask @Milton Platt to cite any sources or evidence he had for this claim. Instead you pretended the statement was ad hominem to suit your own purposes. And you wonder why you get flak for your posts.
 

ERLOS

God Feeds the Ravens
This is you willfully misunderstanding what was said so that you can continue to bear your "woe is me, the atheists are after me" cross.

"Generally" doesn't preclude the possibility of there being any number of exceptions - that is, any number of smart/genius people who are believers.

You would have done better to ask @Milton Platt to cite any sources or evidence he had for this claim. Instead you pretended the statement was ad hominem to suit your own purposes. And you wonder why you get flak for your posts.
Perhaps. But I am me and you are you. So thanks for the wise sermon ...
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?
It did me when I was going into my senior year in high school whereas I had tentative plans going into the ministry in my fundamentalist Protestant denomination. However, my parents were "museum freaks", as I am, and I saw enough to know that life has evolved, so not only did I not go into the ministry, I stopped going to church altogether with the exception of occasionally attending the Catholic church my college girlfriend and, later, my wife attended.

I didn't revive an interest in Christianity until I turned 30, my previous experience had soured me so much.
 
Top