Posted by blue on June 02, 1998 at 23:05:37:
In Reply to: Reasoning with an admitted Fundamentalist posted by Chris on June 02, 1998 at 20:41:27:
: :
: : : Didn't you tell Chris previously that you don't
: : : believe in reason? Why would you want someone
: : : to reason with you if you don't even follow
: : : the concept?
: : Of course I believe in reason. I don't recall the context of the conversation with Chris. If rpcman records old posts, I'll take a look at what you mean. I thought he didn't.
: How unfortuate that our earlier conversation was not saved. It was a classic. As I remember it, you admitted that your basis for promoting Calvinism is not reason, but faith. . .
Ah, yes. I remember.
Let's separate the wheat and the chaff here. Calvinism is a logical summary of the entire Bible. It takes no faith at all to determine that the Bible contains certain themes throughout. It also takes no faith to analyze what appears to be a contradiction and see if it necessarily is one. You asked me a MUCH bigger question: Why do you believe in the New Testament? This is a matter of discerning one's salvation, which only comes through the gift of faith. And, yes, I failed miserably in attempt to show my reasons for my faith.
But that is a separate issue. It seems those of you with a Mormon background refuse to study the Bible even as literature, which would be a nice start for discussion. Look at Walker's method of teaching the Book of Judges to teens. He is encouraging them to draw conclusions about a topic they know nothing about. Is this teaching? Study the material.
If I have a real love for the writings of Shakespeare, does that disqualify me from discussing a scene out of Macbeth with somebody who finds Shakespeare boring? Of course not. Why is the Bible different?
Incidentally, I had been reading the Bible for 25 years before I ever heard the term "Calvinist."
Cheers.