Arella Mae wrote:Diest TKO wrote:Arella Mae wrote:My understanding of the Bible is there is a hell. Neo's understanding is there is not. The contradiction lies with either Neo or myself, not the Bible.
Who says all three of you can't be wrong?
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Of course, if one doesn't believe the Bible to be God-inspired and God-breathed, this would be a question to consider. But, I do believe it is God-inspired and Gd-breathed and God doesn't lie.
I think the dynamic is this...
You say that the Bible to be the work of God.
I say that the bible is not the work of (a) god.
Both are declarative statements. But somehow my statement is viewed by Christians as "bashing."
Nobody likes being told they are wrong. Christians don't enjoy being told their doctrine has problems with continuity, or factual support. Many Christians however have zero issue with "bashing" the Atheist world view. It seems to me that Christians need to realize that they can't cry foul, because others are pointing out the serious concerns/contradictions in their doctrine. I will say this however, I think some go too far in the style in which the confront Christians about this. I'd wager though, that those being indignant are simply participating in the cycle of transference; passing the aggression back. It's a shame, it perpetuates a certain animosity, and probably holds most of the most honest dialog back.
I don't believe in your world view AM, but I recognize that the nature of these things would leave someone feeling very vulnerable if they were to ever admit they were absolutely confident in their beliefs. They'd feel like others would spring on them to try and sway their opinion or exploit this insecurity.
I no longer say things like...
"I'm trying to figure this all out"
"I'm don't understand this"
"I'm searching for meaning in..."
... in front of my Christian friends. Too often they think that my declaration is a open invite to preach etc. That's a very poor assumption. In those moments, I know I've felt very hurt because I felt like opening up to them, and they used that time to try and exploit my unsureness rather than hear my thoughts.
I think Many Christians experience similar feelings with their beliefs. Like they don't agree with a certain teaching, but instead of voicing that concern, they stay quiet because they feel like they would be ostracized by other Christians and/or exploited by non-Christians. In those moments, I think it's easier to anchor down in something that won't budge (a Bible) rather than deal with the difficult and complex interactions that come with deep philosophical thought.
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