The New "Tolerance"

[Pie]

Originally Posted by Flint

What exactly is the purpose of identifying yourself as a "Christian"? I really wish somebody would explain that.

So you can get that "faith-based initiative" moolah. Duh.

Great synopsis of the problems of religions, BTW. Philosophy is fine; religion sucks. Christian or otherwise.

[PizzaMonkey]

Er-Hum.

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

That's been pretty much abandoned after Christ, because he was sort of "out with the old, in with the new" with laws, and stuff like that. However if you are a pre-Christ Wiccan amongst Jews, watch your back.

[PizzaMonkey]

...beause "church" is a place where everything you hear is true, and if you question it, you're burning in hell for all eternity!

Any real Christian church will make you follow only one rule under threat of hell - follow Christ. And most churches I've seen encourage questioning. Questioning disproves - or proves - objections you may have had of any given religion or belief system. So if you come back to said religion, you come back with a stronger faith. The general attitude to "doubters" is "Oh, he'll come around," not "YOU'RE GOING TO HELL!".

[Flint]

Originally Posted by PizzaMonkey

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

What's a "witch"? What word did they translate that form? Aren't we attaching a contemporary definition to a translation of a word the meaning of which we have no idea of? By "witch" did they mean a green lady with a pointy hat? Does this refer to all women with a wart on their nose, or do they have to fly on a broomstick, too?

Originally Posted by PizzaMonkey

Any real Christian church will make you follow only one rule under threat of hell - follow Christ.

I agree. Any "real" church theoretically would follow that rule. When you find a "real Christian church" that doesn't attach any garbled dogmatic baggage to the simple message of Jesus, please let me know. I've never seen or heard of one in my entire life.

Originally Posted by PizzaMonkey

most churches I've seen encourage questioning

Again, please tell me where this wonderful imaginary church is, where Pastors love it when you argue with them about how to interpret the Bible. That's not how it works. Every church has a fixed outlook, and churchgoers "shop around" to find a church that they "fit in" with.

Originally Posted by PizzaMonkey

The general attitude to "doubters" is "Oh, he'll come around," not "YOU'RE GOING TO HELL!".

100% wrong. If you question the interpretation of the Bible embraced at your church, then you are not on the right path. You are on the path headed to Hell.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by PizzaMonkey

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Obviously I have a problem with that one ...

But I have seen a lot of commentaries that indicate that the original wording of that particular text should be translated "Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live."

Also, the definition of "witch" is somewhat broader now than in the original setting.

The group that I can't figure out are the folks that call themselves Christian Witches. Always seems like they want to be trendy but can't bring themselves to break away from the faith of their parents.

I do know one guy who was an apprentice of a Native American Shaman who was a devout (but unusual) Christian ... he did not call upon that tradition's Gods, he worked with Jesus exclusively. He was probably her best student, over many years of teaching.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by wolf

... he did not call upon that tradition's Gods, he worked with Jesus exclusively.

Jesus is just charismatic as all get out. There's no denying that he had moxie and chutzpah in spades, baby, in spades. He probably has his own religion.