Do most Christians even understand their own religion?

[Into the Night]

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.

Religion is not a degree, certification, license, university, website, or any particular denomination.
Religion is an initial circular argument with arguments extending from that; also known as the argument of faith.

It is not a fallacy.

 

[Into the Night]

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!

A direct line of what?

 

[Into the Night]

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.

False dichotomy fallacies. Religion does not replace science. Religion does not replace logic.
There is no such thing as 'scientific experimentation'. Science is not experiments. Science is a set of falsifiable theories.

There is no such thing as an absolute reality. If you think there is, define it.

 

[Into the Night]

Homosexuality and abortion were never a thing during early Christianity.

Guess you never the Bible either, eh?

 

[Into the Night]

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.

Same sex activity does not reproduce. It can permanently damage the ability to reproduce.

 

[AProudLefty]

Guess you never the Bible either, eh?

I was not talking about the Bible, dumbass.

 

[Into the Night]

I was not talking about the Bible, dumbass.

Yes you were, liar.

 

[AProudLefty]

Yes you were, liar.

Nope. I was talking about early Christianity.

 

[Cypress]

Religion is not a degree, certification, license, university, website, or any particular denomination.
Religion is an initial circular argument with arguments extending from that; also known as the argument of faith.

It is not a fallacy.

As usual, you are responding to what you wish I wrote, not what I actually wrote.

I said nothing about the day to day, garden variety practice of religion.

My post specifically spoke to biblical scholarship and advanced theology. A competence only acquired by years of rigorous seminary school study of ethics, philosophy, theology, Greek, Latin, and logic.

That is an education completely beyond the ability and interest of Joel Osteen and the televangelist conmen.

 

[Into the Night]

Nope. I was talking about early Christianity.

Paradox. Trolling.

 

[Into the Night]

As usual, you are responding to what you wish I wrote, not what I actually wrote.

I said nothing about the day to day, garden variety practice of religion.

Yes you did, liar.

My post specifically spoke to biblical scholarship and advanced theology.

Yet another religion.

A competence only developed by years of rigorous seminary school study of ethics, philosophy, theology, Greek, Latin, and logic.

Nah. It's just another religion.

That is an education completely beyond the ability and interest of Joel Osteen and the televangelist conmen.

'Education' is not a proof nor a Universal Truth, dude.

 

[Cypress]

Paradox. Trolling.

So you admit to being unware that the bible as we know it, and the New Testament canon did not exist until the third century, while APL was clearly speaking to the early first century Christianity of the apostles, their companions, and their ministries in Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean.

 

[Into the Night]

So you admit to being unaware that the bible as we know it, and the New Testament canon did not exist until the third century,

Irrelevant.

while APL was clearly speaking to the early first century Christianity of the apostles, their companions, and their ministries in Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean.

That he was. So?

 

[Cypress]

Irrelevant.

That he was. So?

It's not irrelevant.

Your posts perfectly demostrates the premise of my thread.

So-called Christians do not even understand some of the basics of their own religion.

You were not aware that the bible as we know it and a New Testament canon did not exist until at least the third or fourth century.

You did not know that the first century early Christianity of the apostles, their companions, and their ministries did not have a bible or New Testament canon as we know it, though they did have an oral tradition and an incipient written tradition.

 

[Into the Night]

It's not irrelevant.

It is irrelevant.

Your posts perfectly demostrates the premise of my thread.

So-called Christians do not even understand some of the basics of their own religion.

Inversion fallacy.

You were not aware that the bible as we know it and a New Testament canon did not exist until at least the third or fourth century.

Irrelevant.

You did not know that the first century early Christianity of the apostles, their companions, and their ministries did not have a bible or New Testament canon as we know it, though they did have an oral tradition and an incipient written tradition.

Irrelevant. Denial of the existence of writing.

 

[Cypress]

It is irrelevant.

Inversion fallacy.

Irrelevant.

Irrelevant. Denial of the existence of writing.

Thanks for your confessions that you did not know about the history of early Christianity or the history of the new testament canon.

It is a perfect illustration of the premise embedded in my thread title.

 

[Into the Night]

Thanks for your confessions that you did not know about the history of early Christianity or the history of the new testament canon.

It is a perfect illustration of the premise embedded in my thread title.

Your 'history' is fiction.

 

[Trumpet]

Didn't Karl Marx describe the church as an institution of exploitation???

 

[Ross Dolan]

Homosexuality and abortion were never a thing during early Christianity.

Actually...both were.

 

[AProudLefty]

Actually...both were.

Nope. The word "sodomy" didn't even mean anal sex. And there is no mention of abortion in the Bible.