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| quote: | Originally posted by Capitalizt
Sounds like you've read Jesus Interrupted.  |
Indeed, I'm reading it now, which is why that example was top of mind (although, I have to admit nothing I've read in it so far is new information to me. I do dig the way Erham writes though).
| quote: | | And yes, if you ask any minister or priest about this stuff they will agree with what you said, because they went to seminary and did the study necessary to understand it. The problem is that they don't relay what they learned to their parishioners, so the VAST majority of mainstream Christians have no clue about any of this stuff. Those are the ones who typically get criticized for their naivete and willful ignorance on these boards, not those who have managed to educate themselves on how the bible came together and who take a sane (far from literal) view of it. |
I wouldn't be so quick to write clergy off as not teaching this to their parishiners though... my priest frequently discusses the author's audience and intent in his homolies, we've had a few guest presiders do the same, and I am friends with a priest who teaches a class on delivering homolies who stresses to his students that this is important. Granted, all of that is in the catholic church and I cannot recall any homolies discussing discrepencies from when I was a member of the United Church; however, that was some time ago (my experience with services by other protestant sects are too few to take note of). I think Erham writes them off too easily as well. That said, I do think that more should be made of the differences and inconsistancies and more time devoted to explaining the context of the scriptures in churches of all descriptions, as I find this enriches them rather then detracts from them.
I also think it's probably not accurate to say that the vast majority of christians don't have any knowledge of these inconsistancies. You would need to be a total idiot not to see the problems in the Noah story as there are two complete and different versions of that story told together not in different books but from one line to another. I would suggest that the (sad) truth is that most people simply don't put that much thought into their faith. Many take it for granted that it is right so they defer the need to think about it. Others find that their questions unsettle them but not enough to actually put forward the work to seek answers, so they prefer to distract themselves. Still others simply ignore the inconsistancies assuming that there must be a reasonable solution out there (which is not the case for all). All three of those are distressing to me, as I believe that one should constantly challenge and examin their faith... blind faith is not actually faith. I often challenge people who I find fall into one of the above catagories (really drives my wife nuts). Of course, just because these people have inherited their faith rather then made an informed choice doesn't mean that they are worthy of ridicule... of course, they are not worthy of anything else either; much like one wouldn't attest to the quality of their broken watch at the two times per day it happens to be right.
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| quote: | Originally posted by RickyM
you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about. |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down 
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