I want an HONEST interpretation of the scripture that isn’t sugar coated. I’ve tried getting one from a rabbi, but it’s typically sugar coated (from my perspective) in effort to dissuade me from pushing away from Judaism.
I want to know what catholicism/Christianity and even Judaism is truly preaching.
Obviously I’m not going to get angry at a priest if he tells me something I don’t like. I’m not an asshole, but I want to know if my own dogmas are justified or if I’m falling victim to preconceived notions.
I get the feeling that I’m the asshole here, and I don’t like that feeling
A sidebar @unreal24278 Even though Protestants across America laud Billy Graham, after going to one of his rallies in 1996, I came to SERIOUSLY distrust him. I’ve researched him a bit since and have learned he was a secret occultist and a very abusive husband - he didn’t live at all as Jesus instructed his followers to live.
I mean no offense to @fitafter40 or other Graham proponents, but I absolutely would not recommend listening to Billy Graham’s sermons. Just because a person makes certain claims about faith and says particular phrases doesn’t mean he/ she truly believes or practices in their private lives what they’re saying. Graham made a LOT of money and had a LOT of influence and power. Look at politicians, CEOs, and religious leaders. Some people will say and do anything to be rich and influential.
Instead of Graham, to learn about Jesus’ teachings, I suggest the YouTube channel and website One for Israel. It was founded by an Orthodox Israeli Jew who is convinced Jesus is the Messiah. Being practicing/ observant Jews, they have a perspective that I believe is much closer to Jesus’ original talmidim/ disciples.
I think this is a good source to learn about Jesus and the scriptures written subsequently (I don’t agree with the terms Old Testament or New Testament.)
It’s not a matter of anger. It’s a matter of discomfort causes by a lack of tact, false assumptions, and ongoing misinterpretation. I don’t have time to get into detail but your mention of extermination, persecution, and belief shoved down one’s throat when the author and I are converts by our own volition is discomforting. Furthermore you stated that the authors statement on transgender was easy to give shows ignorance on the author considering elsewhere the author has stated he has sympathy and understands the risk for suicide. So it wasn’t “easy for him to say” and the author is a serious man.
It’s 2022, an age in which people routinely react with shock and outrage, even when presented with evidence supporting a thesis. This is why I do not feel comfortable, and why I will not be as open as I once was in discussion with you. I have two close friends who used to post here, and have acquaintances and a family member who lurk these boards. My face has been shown in my contest thread with friends and previously my social media and defunct blog was linked. So was my defunct YT channel about bodybuilding. For the time being they are not linked because of the shock and outrage behavior and misinterpretation that is so common in this day and age.
Perhaps you should stop and think of your choice of words and topics (extermination, persecution, removal of human rights) when replying to someone in a public forum about a topic when he never even imagined this. A lazy onlooker might even think the guy you’re talking to thought of this! The same goes for the other thread when replying to me about mention of a “better” gender/sex when I never thought of such a concept.
This is not a tactful way to talk to someone, or at least me. I cannot be pulled in these wild directions. Maybe someone else is open to them.
You also routinely remind me of things that are common sense to middle aged people and younger. I am very tolerant but many others would interpret this as condescension or reply or think, “Do you think I’m stupid?!”
I don’t offer advice but I think you should work on this.
I am not angry, but I am unsettled. I might communicate further if you have more tact in interacting with me.
This was a misinterpretation, not a false assumption, and this case was a case of me going off on a tangent.
It’s not a false assumption unless I’m saying “you think this”.
But yes, I see that I’ve done something wrong here. I CAN and will work on it in future discussion with others and in the future I will attempt to return to talking with you :). I hope that one day in the future we can be acquaintances again… or not, totally your call. I understand if what I’ve unintentionally done is behind reproach.
I have no excuse, I could pull the autism card but doing so would be a cop out. I’m not like this in person, I’m not an aggressive/pushy individual. Perhaps I’m getting too comfortable being behind a screen, this is something I’ve always been afraid of.
I think this is dependent on how two parties interpret one another’s statements. You and I routinely misinterpret one another due to one other’s word choices at times. It starts with me misinterpreting you, and then you sometimes misinterpreting my subsequent response as an attack on your character.
It’s not outrage, if I were outraged I actually would be getting upset. Rather I simply don’t always think before I post. I suppose the anonymous element =/= me not really caring, I was of the opinion this was anonymous for you too… but suppose I was wrong. Though it is anonymous now for you aside from the family member of yours that lurks on here. I never intended to hurt you or put you in harms way.
Whoa. I’ve spent the past few weeks reading through most of this thread. So what conclusions did we come to?
@cyclonengineer - If you have the time, or care to, what is turning you off to Christianity, or is mostly mainly of the people you associate with it? I saw you replied to me but figured if we discussed it further I should not derail the ‘22 Goals thread.
At first it was just the people associated with many of the sects (baptist and evangelical seem to be the worst). It was clear they are missing one of the key aspects of Jesus’ teaching which is to treat everyone with love and respect. That’s definitely not being done. Also, many Christians I have met have never read the Bible all the way through and only go by what their favorite preacher tells them on Sunday. It is also interpreted without the requisite historical context many times.
Secondly, as I expand my world view and meet more people nothing seems as black and white as Christianity makes it out to be (the scientist in me would love the black and white reality though).The world is messy. For example, I know for a fact the earth is not ~7000 years old like some believe (not that that really matters to achieve the goal of Christianity, but many seem to cling to it). Additionally, many of the people I have met that showcase how I interpret Jesus to have behaved are those which many in the church have maligned in the last 50 years or so (specifically marginalized groups such as LGBT+ folks). Those folks in general have been the nicest, most compassionate people I have ever interacted with.
I am not opposed to miracles or the virgin birth or many of the other things that seem to turn people off to the God of the Bible. If God exists as described, he (for lack of a better word) is clearly a being who could make all those things happen.
This is a broad brush stroke and I know makes a few generalizations, but as I took a step back from organized church, it was easy to see what many not in the church find deplorable about it.
That sounds like pretty much the #1 issue most people have with Christianity: the people who follow it, haha.
I get it, and have felt the same way about some things. Just was curious where you were coming from.
I’d say this is somewhat unique for people with similar education/experience as yourself. This stuff seems to usually be the things most are like, “No way,” about.
I started a reading plan on the 1st of the month. Chronological reading of the Bible throughout the year. Should be “fun,” haha.
I have had some paranormal experiences in the past and most recently my Uncle survived something all the doctors (with well over 300 years combined experience) he had had never seen someone survive before.
For me, science and mathematics is the gateway to a much larger & weirder universe, not something that closes the universe into a neat box. For example, some leading theories in physics postulate that there may indeed be multiverses or other dimensions. What if things like supernatural events (stories of ghosts have been around since recorded history) are just other beings piercing through their dimension into ours and vice versa? Christian folks tend to see the world as a neat box even though there is nothing in the Bible that excludes the existence of the aforementioned things.
That’s a cool way of looking at things! I don’t know much about math and science, so I like hearing people who do know more about them share opinions that may vary from most. Most people (Americans? Westerners? Adults?) would disagree or find me foolish, but I think it’s fun to maybe not immediately write off…I don’t know, the possibility that there’s a little magic in the world. I think G. K. Chesterton wrote a bit about that.
As far as ghosts and stuff, didn’t King Saul visit a medium? I know there’s more examples than that but it’s the first to come to mind. Might not have been what God wanted him to place his trust in, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not real, just not what to “follow.”
