bbow73
9th June 2017, 15:36
When I was Christian I enjoyed debating atheists and challenging religious conspiracies. But these days I can see institutions with their hierarchies of power and authority being manipulative for dogmatic and personal gain.
I don't know if these are hypocrites or zealots or both.
However, I still furrow my brow at the theories of pagan agendas, wordplay coincidences & Zeitgeist DaVinci Codes. These things seem to rely on the assumption that Hebrew & Catholic traditions actually have spiritual significance rather than being an expression of a culture (specifically a religious culture). I guess it is significant for conservatives but that's only half of all Protestants (and some Catholics). I'm not promoting Christianity, I am 3 years post-Christian. Are there religious cabals? Sure. Are their cabals that leverage religious dogma? Sure. I just want to offer some moderation to the frequent overly dramatic reaction that comes from viewing religions (in this case Christianity) as one monochrome entity.
My issue was that I was in a Southern Baptist church. The hallmark of a Baptist church being the autonomy of the local church. These churches don't answer to a higher administrative authority. The South Baptist Convention is just an association that a Baptist church may or may not have membership. Even if they did have membership the church didn't have to conform to the Baptist Faith & Message. Generally, a Baptist church is democratic, making decisions by vote and your beliefs are supposed to be a personal matter, not a corporate matter. This is why it is almost meaningless to write a history of the Baptist church. You could have two Baptist churches on the same street, one opposing emancipation and the other running an underground railroad.
There has always been a liberal camp in the Baptist Church. These people don't believe in a literal translation of the Bible or inerrancy. They consider most of Genesis to be Hebrew mythology. Militant language in the Bible is viewed as a pre-modern person's understanding of what is right or 'of God'. Patriarchs may have had genuine experiences with God but may have been genuinely unable to comprehend their experience. The liberal perspective is that the Bible is not 'revelation' but may contain revelation or contain the stories of a person that experienced a revelation.
Liberal Baptist don't put a lot of emphasis on tradition because Baptist traditions are relative, they are different in each church. Most are not evangelical and some don't believe in Hell. The blood or DNA of Jesus means nothing. Dynasties mean nothing. Using the line of David was just an accommodation to help a superstitious civilization be able to hear a message. Liberal Christians tend not to be vocal, they lack to photogenic drama to get represented in film and television and they don't hold signs that say 'God Hates Fags'. Liberal Pastors don't do therapy, they refer people to licensed certified mental health care professionals. The children's programs I've seen dont indoctrinate kids with guilt & shame. And they acknowledge that most kids are too young to understand theology, so they focus on wonder & discovery.
I think liberal Christians are just too boring to fit into conspiracy theories.
I don't know if these are hypocrites or zealots or both.
However, I still furrow my brow at the theories of pagan agendas, wordplay coincidences & Zeitgeist DaVinci Codes. These things seem to rely on the assumption that Hebrew & Catholic traditions actually have spiritual significance rather than being an expression of a culture (specifically a religious culture). I guess it is significant for conservatives but that's only half of all Protestants (and some Catholics). I'm not promoting Christianity, I am 3 years post-Christian. Are there religious cabals? Sure. Are their cabals that leverage religious dogma? Sure. I just want to offer some moderation to the frequent overly dramatic reaction that comes from viewing religions (in this case Christianity) as one monochrome entity.
My issue was that I was in a Southern Baptist church. The hallmark of a Baptist church being the autonomy of the local church. These churches don't answer to a higher administrative authority. The South Baptist Convention is just an association that a Baptist church may or may not have membership. Even if they did have membership the church didn't have to conform to the Baptist Faith & Message. Generally, a Baptist church is democratic, making decisions by vote and your beliefs are supposed to be a personal matter, not a corporate matter. This is why it is almost meaningless to write a history of the Baptist church. You could have two Baptist churches on the same street, one opposing emancipation and the other running an underground railroad.
There has always been a liberal camp in the Baptist Church. These people don't believe in a literal translation of the Bible or inerrancy. They consider most of Genesis to be Hebrew mythology. Militant language in the Bible is viewed as a pre-modern person's understanding of what is right or 'of God'. Patriarchs may have had genuine experiences with God but may have been genuinely unable to comprehend their experience. The liberal perspective is that the Bible is not 'revelation' but may contain revelation or contain the stories of a person that experienced a revelation.
Liberal Baptist don't put a lot of emphasis on tradition because Baptist traditions are relative, they are different in each church. Most are not evangelical and some don't believe in Hell. The blood or DNA of Jesus means nothing. Dynasties mean nothing. Using the line of David was just an accommodation to help a superstitious civilization be able to hear a message. Liberal Christians tend not to be vocal, they lack to photogenic drama to get represented in film and television and they don't hold signs that say 'God Hates Fags'. Liberal Pastors don't do therapy, they refer people to licensed certified mental health care professionals. The children's programs I've seen dont indoctrinate kids with guilt & shame. And they acknowledge that most kids are too young to understand theology, so they focus on wonder & discovery.
I think liberal Christians are just too boring to fit into conspiracy theories.