Genesis and Non Fundamentalism !
Posted on: June 8, 2010 - 2:21pm
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Genesis and Non Fundamentalism !
ok ok... how does a christian who does not take the genesis account even be a christian
i mean if adam and lilith eve was not a true event() where did man come from ?
how does a christian perform these world class mental gymnastics ?
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Seriously, I think you found your answer though, and it's right in your post:
Besides that, I really don't know. The idea of personally dismissing the ideas of some group, but still identifying yourself as part of it seems rather silly.
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!
just like to point out that lilith appears nowhere in the bible, nor is she alluded to in the bible. lilith is the product of midrashim which attempt to explain why we have man and woman each being separately and simultaneously created by god in genesis 1, and woman being created later than man and from man in genesis 2. lilith is the result of more mental gymnastics and is not accepted by mainstream christianity.
which is a pity, really, since the jewish mental gymnastics were at least honest, i.e., they recognized there was an unexplained discrepancy in the myth and, since by that time modifying the text was out of the question, they chose to admit and grapple with the discrepancy by introducing a new element to the myth. the christians, on the other hand, refuse to admit a discrepancy at all.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
When a christian admits the bible is not the actual word of god, or has flaws, or incorporates myths, or better still, is open to interpretation and considerations like context. Humans will believe all sorts of crap and undertake wild games of conceptual snakes and ladders in order to to feel better about the central fears of existence. Mortality, illness, lack of control, etc... Most the bullshit in the bible I can understand from the point of view of another fearful, needful human being. It's the moral condescension of the god people that fires me up the most.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
i can personally testify that when a christian admits this, their christianity is living on borrowed time, especially if they were raised sola scriptura. catholic and orthodox christians have an easier time with this.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
The thing is i know christians in my family who would outright tell you that some things in the buybull dont make sense
but they blindly follow it ? it confuses me alot
for instance my cousin told me genesis makes no sense at all but she still believes in the sin concept
do you guys witness this with family sand close friends
It confuses ALL rational people. Take it as a matter of pride that you are incapable of understanding their ignorant mental gymnastics.
Thankfully, all my family are atheists and agnostics. But it seems to me that seeing the religiousness of your family and how irrational it is helped lead you to atheism. But I quess I'm an optimist and I try to "always look at the bright side of life!"
All we can do in our lives is try to improve our life and the lives of others, and try to leave some meaning for those who will come after us.
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!
Hmm I guess I fail to see how if an individual claims to be a Christian he has to believe in Genesis creation. I thought being a Christian just meant follower of Christ and his teachings, not follower of every word in the Bible as fact. Does this mean every Christian has to be a creationist?www.StrangeFrequenciesRadio.com
The liberal secular Christian simply is in denial that they have to give up on these claims and cop out to metaphor. It is an attempt to distance themselves from the past. There are Jews whom also reject their literalism and base clinging to their religion as merely a social thing because of tradition. `
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
This proves my point. 200 years ago most people literally believed in Genesis. Certainly you can cherry pick the bible and still be a Christian.
BUT, that is why I cut to the CORE of the two stories that no Christian, left or right can escape. If you can let your brains fall out and buy claims of spirit sperm knocking up a virgin, if you can let your brains fall out and buy claims of zombie gods surviving rigor mortis, then why not believe in human adults popping out of dirt? Cherry pick all you want, but you cant avoid the TWO most important stories that ALL Christians believe.
Jefferson made a weak attempt in trying to say Jesus was merely a man. But my argument to him would have been the same. He also found morals in Shakespeare and Plato. Why does anyone need a book of myth to find morals when non religious fiction can convey the same human qualities we all have?
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Many Christians believe that Christ is indeed part of some Holy Trinity... but when it comes to the stories in the Bible, they are not to be taken litterally.. which is convenient for them...
I am not defending this, just stating what their logic is...
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
You don't have to be a creationist but you have to accept the first man & woman commited the original sin or else there's no point in God killing part of himself which is pointless anyway as he's supposedly immortal so he can forgive his creatures for not grasping the rules he really didn't explain.
So I guess that means you can pick and choose whatever supports your viewpoint of being a Christian and disregard all the rest you don't like. This allows you to read whatever you'd like into the prophecies of the Jews and determine that what is really meant so you can continue to justify you poorly based morphed beliefs.
____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.