Labels are useful to try and understand someone's POV. They are not insults.
-
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!
Liberal Christians,are they here at Religious forums?
- Thread starter Riders
- Start date
Labels are useful to try and understand someone's POV. They are not insults.
RedDragon94
Love everyone, meditate often
I can't google your opinion.
If you google "fundamentalism" you will not get my opinion.
RedDragon94
Love everyone, meditate often
This is something I have been struck by in the real world.
The people who behave in the most Christ like way tend not to talk about religion much. They seem to be too busy feeding the less fortunate and advocating for the weak and working for peace and stuff like that. Religious arguments and judgments and stuff just get in the way of doing what they believe Jesus really wants done.
Their motto seems consistently to be "Preach the Gospel always. Use words only when absolutely necessary. "
Tom
To expand on this a bit...
I am sure that there are many Muslims who operate the same way. But rather like the Christians I am referring to, they don't make the news or post on forums enough to be as obvious as the religious troublemakers.
Tom
Consider this, that in the 1980's the leading Christians and well known Christian groups that were fundamentalists decided to provoke social change through political stances, through resolute adherence to what they called scriptural principles and through ever increasing preaching on TV, Radio and other media like tapes and DVD's. This backfired though they have yet to admit it. They wanted less abortion but got more (although legal abortions have declined a little since 1990 likely due to Plan B and other things). They wanted less atheism but got more. They wanted less homosexuality but got more. They wanted less abusive drug abuse and got more. They wanted more peace in the world but got less. They wanted less corruption in US government but got more. They, the rulers of the Christian USA pursued a non-liberal policy of social change and got the reverse trend in everything they attacked. It follows that a likely reason is they did not apply sound liberal Christian principles and so completely failed to achieve Christian aims. Its the finger-trap problem of focusing on problems instead of solutions. I think in Christian Biblical terms they denied the power of God by thinking that change would come through their preaching, shouting and political involvement instead of through God's mercy.
In relation to this, it is worth noting that by far the most money pouring into Sub-Saharan Africa from American Christians comes from progressive and liberal groups. It goes towards hospitals, orphanages, wells, schools, etc. There is also a much smaller amount coming from conservatives. It goes towards paying native bishops to drum up hatred of gays and condoms.
metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
There definitely is a difference as you say above.
Many moons ago, I had a discussion with a man whose son was a Baptist missionary in Africa who said that the main purpose of the aid was "to save souls" of those who could not be saved unless they accepted Jesus "as their lord and savior". When I compare that with the work done by the Catholic Relief Services, the latter does it for primarily helping people in need to live a better life, and if they were to convert, that's fine but not expected.
BTW, both Mennonite and LDS charitable donations for African relief go through CRS.
It is one who accepts the fundamental doctrines clearly taught inthe Bible. It has nothing to do with taking all of the Bible literally.
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
Hey, I am so liberal I am heretical, in an extremist/ fundamentalists eyes.
I do not answer all fundamentalist threads as some are so far out, that it is pointless.
I do not answer all fundamentalist threads as some are so far out, that it is pointless.
AS a liberal, you are not really qualified to say with any authority that a fundamentalist idea is far out.
In fact I doubt if you really know what a fundamentalist is.
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
I am well aware of what the various forms of Christian fundamentalism are.
However they each subscribe to the notion that they alone are correct, and everyone else wrong.
As far as Fundamentalists threads go, sometimes it is interesting to go along for the ride, other times the path is so well worn that I would rather not bother.
An Idea is far out.... only in reference to the receiver, As a liberal this is relative to my own standards not those of Fundamentalists, who invariably disagree with other Christians as well as all flavors of fundamentalism other than their own.
With each other
RedDragon94
Love everyone, meditate often
And what are the fundamental doctrines?
Then define the term.
True but that does not make it far out.
All liberals don't agree either, so that is a hollow argument. All conservative denomination agree 100% on the basic fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and they are the most important doctrines in any religion.
A few include, Jesus was God in the flesh, the inerrancy of the Scriptures, Salvation by Grace alone, not on works. the substitutionary atonement of Jesus, Jesus is the Messiah and He is coming again.
RedDragon94
Love everyone, meditate often
I was raised a fundamentalist.