Posted by blue on July 13, 1998 at 22:42:36:
In Reply to: black and blue posted by thor on July 13, 1998 at 18:14:25:
: :
: : : You have confused the word sinicism with the word skepticism. There is a huge difference. Believe it or not blue, both you and I are skeptics--whether you want to believe yourself as such or not. Check out the link below:
: : I followed your link, and it seems logically sound. The rub comes in the statement:
: : You see, by going through a laundry list of theologies, you can show that the average Christian doubts 99 percent of the world's holy dogmas. But the 1 percent he believes is really no different than the rest. It's a system of miraculous claims, without any reliable evidence to support it.
: : It would be foolish to believe contradictory dogmas. Everyone should constantly review their faith and make sure it is grounded in fact, not just "miraculous claims."
: : The "1 percent" I believe is the canonized Bible. When anyone questions a belief I have, I had better be able to find Biblical support for my beliefs. I have much more frustration with the people in my church who don't follow what they claim to believe, the Bible, than with people like yourself who just denounce the whole thing.
: : I consider the Bible my authority, and I argue from that. You don't feel the Bible is authoritive, so you denounce it. That makes sense. I still believe, in reading your words, that you have never been taught scripture by someone who truly understands scripture. I blame the Mormon church for that, but I also wish you would give one of the better teachers a chance, like James Montgomery Boice, Harrold Camping, or even J. Vernon Magee. Try to catch them in an inconsistency.
: : On this BB and in similar circles, being a "skeptic" seems to connote a disbelief in God. I wouldn't call a Muslim a skeptic, but I would question his authority. Using the term in its broad sense, as the author of your link used it, would, yes, make me a skeptic of religions that don't follow the Bible.
: Blue...while i understand your predeliction for the bible and
: the security it gives...leaving the bible as your
: authority does leave you open to a big booming
: barrage of criticisms...the bible is far from "foolproof" and
: inconsistencies are everywhere...if you want some
: other opinions, outside of mormonism, who are biblically
: trained, have a look at the jesus seminars..and
: have fun with the questions they ask.
: all in all, i understand your approach, kind of.
: best,
: thor