Do most Christians even understand their own religion?

[Cypress]

Catholics are every bit as Christian as Evangelical Protestants.

Evangelicals are a small minority of world Christianity and do not get to speak for the faith as a whole.

The authors of the New Testament were not the apostles. They were anonymous, educated Greek-speakers writing four to six decades after Jesus was executed.

The NT was not written in English, a language which did not exist in the first century. Translating two thousand year old archaic Greek into modern vernacular English involves subjective interpretation of original meaning and intent.

We do not know exactly what was in the original New Testament. What we have are surviving hand written copies from the Middle Ages, a thousand years later than the original Gospels. We can assume these copies are fairly accurate representations of the original Greek Gospels, but there have almost certainly been changes and additions over the centuries

Jesus did not found Christianity, Paul did.

The Old Testament, Tanakh, is Jewish scripture. Torah is Jewish law. Paul's ministry made explicitly clear that gentiles are not necessarily required to conform to the Jewish law.

Church patristic fathers and Christian theologians of late antiquity generally thought it was preposterous and stupid to read Genesis and the rest of Torah literally. They considered correct biblical reading to utilize allegory and metaphor.

Revelations was a first century composition which referenced the Roman Empire, written for people of that era. It was not forecasting a future world government led by China or European Union.

I am pretty sure Jesus never said anything explicitly about abortion or gays.


Just my two cents.

 

[Phantasmal]

Catholics are every bit as Christian as Evangelical Protestants.

Evangelicals are a small minority of world Christianity and do not get to speak for the faith as a whole.

The authors of the New Testament were not the apostles. They were anonymous, educated Greek-speakers writing four to six decades after Jesus was executed.

The NT was not written in English, a language which did not exist in the first century. Translating two thousand year old archaic Greek into modern vernacular English involves subjective interpretation of original meaning and intent.

We do not know exactly what was in the original New Testament. What we have are surviving hand written copies from the Middle Ages, a thousand years later than the original Gospels. We can assume these copies are fairly accurate representations of the original Greek Gospels, but there have almost certainly been changes and additions over the centuries

Jesus did not found Christianity, Paul did.

The Old Testament, Tanakh, is Jewish scripture. Torah is Jewish law. Paul's ministry made explicitly clear that gentiles are not necessarily required to conform to the Jewish law.

Church patristic fathers and Christian theologians of late antiquity thought it was preposterous and stupid to read Genesis and the rest of Torah literally. They considered correct biblical reading to utilize allegory and metaphor.

Revelations was a first century composition which referenced the Roman Empire, written for people of that era. It was not forecasting a future world government led by China or European Union.

I am pretty sure Jesus never said anything explicitly about abortion or gays.


Just my two cents.

I knew nothing about the real history of Christianity until I studied on my own. I think the majority of Christians know very little.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

If it's a religion as we know religions to be,

how may it be logically understood?

Magic men in the sky and logical understanding are not two manifestations which can coexist.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

If it's a religion as we know religions to be,

how may it be logically understood?

Magic men in the sky and logical understanding are not two manifestations which can coexist.

Religion is nothing more than human attempts to explain things, including what happens after our meat space body is no more. Unfortunately we also tend to use it to whack each other over the head because we prefer other explanations.

 

[Cypress]

I knew nothing about the real history of Christianity until I studied on my own. I think the majority of Christians know very little.

It has probably always been that way.

Educated priests, monks, and bishops who are educated at reputable seminaries and divinity schools are very sophisticated about the nature of biblical scholarship and interpretation.

But there are so many Joel Osteens out there who never received or sought a legitimate theological education, but are keen to posture as pastors speaking the spiritual truth.

 

[Phantasmal]

It has probably always been that way.

Educated priests, monks, and bishops who are educated at reputable seminaries and divinity schools are very sophisticated about the nature of biblical scholarship and interpretation.

But there are so many Joel Osteens out there who never received or sought a legitimate theological education, but are keen to posture as pastors speaking the spiritual truth.

The Church doesn’t teach the truth because they wish the congregation to believe there was a direct line from Jesus, to Peter and then to the modern day Pope and that it is the one, true faith!

 

[Phantasmal]

It has probably always been that way.

Educated priests, monks, and bishops who are educated at reputable seminaries and divinity schools are very sophisticated about the nature of biblical scholarship and interpretation.

But there are so many Joel Osteens out there who never received or sought a legitimate theological education, but are keen to posture as pastors speaking the spiritual truth.

I don’t believe Osteen talks about Jesus much. Jesus teachings contradicts his prosperity gospel.

 

[Cypress]

If it's a religion as we know religions to be,

how may it be logically understood?

Magic men in the sky and logical understanding are not two manifestations which can coexist.

I do not think all of the worlds two billion christians anthropomorphize God in that fashion.

I do not speak for the world's five billion christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists, but I think many people are drawn to religion because they feel pure logic and scientific experimentation only can partly explain the ultimate reality and meaning of existence, and they find meaning in life through ritual, community, and ethical traditions found in their respective faith communities.

 

[Cypress]

I don’t believe Osteen talks about Jesus much. Jesus teachings contradicts his prosperity gospel.

I wholeheartedly agree with you

 

[AProudLefty]

Homosexuality and abortion were never a thing during early Christianity.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

Religion is nothing more than human attempts to explain things, including what happens after our meat space body is no more. Unfortunately we also tend to use it to whack each other over the head because we prefer other explanations.

Religion doesn't deploy the practices required to actually learn anything, however.

But right now, I'm obsessive about one thing: how did MSNBC's Hallie Jackson get so chubby?
That's fine for people who look like me, and I take advantage of that,
but Hallie is a cutie.

During the 2016 election coverages, I got crushes on Hallie Jackson, Kasie Hunt, and Katy Tur, all at once.
The Gestapo brought that to my attention. She's probably sending food to Ms. Jackson, just to spite me.

 

[Jade Dragon]

Catholics are every bit as Christian as Evangelical Protestants.

Evangelicals are a small minority of world Christianity and do not get to speak for the faith as a whole.

The authors of the New Testament were not the apostles. They were anonymous, educated Greek-speakers writing four to six decades after Jesus was executed.

The NT was not written in English, a language which did not exist in the first century. Translating two thousand year old archaic Greek into modern vernacular English involves subjective interpretation of original meaning and intent.

We do not know exactly what was in the original New Testament. What we have are surviving hand written copies from the Middle Ages, a thousand years later than the original Gospels. We can assume these copies are fairly accurate representations of the original Greek Gospels, but there have almost certainly been changes and additions over the centuries

Jesus did not found Christianity, Paul did.

The Old Testament, Tanakh, is Jewish scripture. Torah is Jewish law. Paul's ministry made explicitly clear that gentiles are not necessarily required to conform to the Jewish law.

Church patristic fathers and Christian theologians of late antiquity generally thought it was preposterous and stupid to read Genesis and the rest of Torah literally. They considered correct biblical reading to utilize allegory and metaphor.

Revelations was a first century composition which referenced the Roman Empire, written for people of that era. It was not forecasting a future world government led by China or European Union.

I am pretty sure Jesus never said anything explicitly about abortion or gays.


Just my two cents.

No, they don't. As far as gays, it's mostly old testament warnings about unhealthy things. Despite their whines about gays the scripture is about certain sexual activity (a.k.a. butt sex). Let's see the outrage of the straight versions of this stuff. Ain't going to happen.

 

[AProudLefty]

No, they don't. As far as gays, it's mostly old testament warnings about unhealthy things. Despite their whines about gays the scripture is about certain sexual activity (a.k.a. butt sex). Let's see the outrage of the straight versions of this stuff. Ain't going to happen.

The funny thing is that it says nothing about kissing and blow jobs.

 

[Cypress]

The Church doesn’t teach the truth because they wish the congregation to believe there was a direct line from Jesus, to Peter and then to the modern day Pope and that it is the one, true faith!

I do not think educated church leaders have ever tried to explain legitimate biblical scholarship to the lay masses, because it is too nuanced and confusing, and the main goal of ritual and salvation I guess is the sacraments.

The obsession with Peter and Rome's supposed primacy is a main reason for the Great Schism of the 12th century. Orthodox Constantinople got fed up with that primacy of the Bishop of Rome story.

 

[Cypress]

No, they don't. As far as gays, it's mostly old testament warnings about unhealthy things. Despite their whines about gays the scripture is about certain sexual activity (a.k.a. butt sex). Let's see the outrage of the straight versions of this stuff. Ain't going to happen.

Nice work.

I always liked the Gospel of Luke and the Epistle of James because they are vaguely political and almost overtly socialist.

 

[Jade Dragon]

The funny thing is that it says nothing about kissing and blow jobs.

I doubt people in olden times even considered the latter a possibility.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

The funny thing is that it says nothing about kissing and blow jobs.

Kissing immediately after blow jobs represents a major step forward in modern relationships, I might expect.

 

[Into the Night]

Catholics are every bit as Christian as Evangelical Protestants.

Agreed. Both believe in Christ and try to follow what they believe to be his gospel. Both are wrong and argue paradoxes.

Evangelicals are a small minority of world Christianity and do not get to speak for the faith as a whole.

Neither do you.

The authors of the New Testament were not the apostles. They were anonymous, educated Greek-speakers writing four to six decades after Jesus was executed.

Nope. It was the Apostles.

The NT was not written in English, a language which did not exist in the first century. Translating two thousand year old archaic Greek into modern vernacular English involves subjective interpretation of original meaning and intent.

It's all Greek to you, eh?

We do not know exactly what was in the original New Testament.

There was no 'original New Testament'.

What we have are surviving hand written copies from the Middle Ages, a thousand years later than the original Gospels.

We have more than this!

We can assume these copies are fairly accurate representations of the original Greek Gospels, but there have almost certainly been changes and additions over the centuries

Especially lately.

Jesus did not found Christianity, Paul did.

Paul is not Christ, dumbass.

The Old Testament, Tanakh, is Jewish scripture. Torah is Jewish law.

Both are scripture. Neither is Israeli law. Today, many Jews chant it, but don't obey it.

Paul's ministry made explicitly clear that gentiles are not necessarily required to conform to the Jewish law.

It is not Jewish law.

Church patristic fathers and Christian theologians of late antiquity generally thought it was preposterous and stupid to read Genesis and the rest of Torah literally. They considered correct biblical reading to utilize allegory and metaphor.

These are histories. They can be taken as such.

Revelations was a first century composition which referenced the Roman Empire, written for people of that era.

Revelations does not discuss the Roman Empire.

It was not forecasting a future world government led by China or European Union.

It does not name any nation as 'the World Government'. You are making shit up.

I am pretty sure Jesus never said anything explicitly about abortion or gays.

He did. Obviously, you have never read the Bible.

Just my two cents.

...and it's not even worth that.

 

[Into the Night]

If it's a religion as we know religions to be,

how may it be logically understood?

Magic men in the sky and logical understanding are not two manifestations which can coexist.

Religion does not necessarily mean it's not logical. You routinely deny logic.

 

[Into the Night]

Religion is nothing more than human attempts to explain things, including what happens after our meat space body is no more. Unfortunately we also tend to use it to whack each other over the head because we prefer other explanations.

You are describing a theory, not a religion.

A theory is an explanatory argument.
All religions are based on some initial circular argument and have argument extending from that. It is also known as the argument of faith.

The circular argument by itself is not a fallacy. Only trying to prove one True or False is a fallacy, known as the circular argument fallacy. This is what a fundamentalist does.