Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-dukeThe Bible blows my mind.
A slightly 'safe' answer' if you don't mind me saying. No part of any book in the Bible that causes you to exclaim "what the heck?"
-Removed-Reasons why.... what?
Reasons for falling away from the faith? Not often.
The typical person I've spoken with about this seems almost embarrassed at having turned away from the faith. Excuses like "I didn't have the time to devote to it", or "My wife's family isn't really religious, so...". The excuses run the gamut, so no, they weren't all the same. Why ask that question? Why *would* they be "all the same"? Sometimes I'd try to prompt them further with a question like "Are you sure it wasn't because you just don't believe in God or Jesus anymore?" or "Do you still believe in the Bible as the Word of God?" And usually the response was something like, "Oh, no, life just got more complicated" or "My beliefs are still the same, it's just too hard to keep up with it and still find time for other responsibilities" or a similar BS answer. Courage of one's convictions doesn't seem to be a very popular value these days.
I can't say I'm surprised. We are told that there will be widespread apostasy in the latter days. Things seem to be going by the book.
Originally posted by @romans1009On the one hand, I agree that this may be true, but on the other, I disagree that the Apocrypha is part of what you describe.
The RCC follows quite a few practices that are not only not Biblical but that go directly against the Bible.
Originally posted by @suzianneThe typical person I've spoken with about this seems almost embarrassed at having turned away from the faith. Excuses like "I didn't have the time to devote to it"...
The typical person I've spoken with about this seems almost embarrassed at having turned away from the faith. Excuses like "I didn't have the time to devote to it", or "My wife's family isn't really religious, so...". The excuses run the gamut, so no, they weren't all the same. Why ask that question? Why *would* they be "all the same"? Sometimes I'd ...[text shortened]... lar BS answer. Courage of one's convictions doesn't seem to be a very popular value these days.
"Time" to do what exactly? ~ in their minds ~ according to your telling of it?
"My beliefs are still the same, it's just too hard to keep up with it and still find time for other responsibilities"...
What do you think they meant by "keep up with it" and "find time"? Keep up with what and time for what ~ again, according to your telling of it?
It sounds like you're talking about stuff like going to church, but I'm thinking, surely, you mean something other than that, right? If they believe in God and Jesus - if they hold Christian beliefs - it doesn't really matter if they don't do stuff like go to church, right? Or do you think it does?
Originally posted by @suzianneThe "whoosh" refers to the fact that the silly comment of yours [that prompted the "whoosh"] was clearly based on you not bothering to read anything I had written about Revelation so far on this thread.
No, not "Whoosh". I find most of your bombastic writing to be rhetorical, as it's mostly concerned with showcasing your own stilted rhetoric, or, more to the point, oratory. A surplus of words with a deficit of meaning.
Originally posted by @fmfCertainly you are aware that people will claim all kinds of things.
Yes, but my point can be illustrated by the fact that, more than once, I've met people - often on the tube in London, as it happens, and once in the cafeteria of a museum in a Japanese city - who told me that Jesus had spoken to them in a vision. Must be having trouble getting their stories published because I've not seen Corporate Christianity embrace them yet.
This is where discernment becomes valuable.
On the other hand, if Jesus were to impart wisdom to certain people, I somehow doubt it would be done for the benefit of "Corporate Christianity". Since the age of Prophets is over, any messages would be strictly for the benefit of the receiver. His work was finished at Calvary.
Originally posted by @fmfAnd, again, this idiotic remark is similar to divegeester's adamant refusal to believe that people can actually disagree with him without doing so in some kind of knee-jerk, intelligence-free way. Of course I always read what I respond to. Your problem is that I very seldom, almost never, in fact, agree with your pomposity.
The "whoosh" refers to the fact that the silly comment of yours [that prompted the "whoosh"] was clearly based on you not bothering to read anything I had written about Revelation so far on this thread.
Originally posted by @suzianneMy point exactly.
Certainly you are aware that people will claim all kinds of things.
And the overarching things that are claimed are "If it's in the Bible, then it must be true" and "The Bible must be true because everything in it is true" Once the 'spell' cast on people by these seemingly watertight and mutually corroborating assertions is broken, then all bets are off.
Originally posted by @suzianneYou simply couldn't have read everything I'd written about Revelation on this thread if what you then wrote was "What use does your supposedly "rhetorical" question serve?" It's unconscionable to think that you'd missed what I was saying by such a long chalk.
And, again, this idiotic remark is similar to divegeester's adamant refusal to believe that people can actually disagree with him without doing so in some kind of knee-jerk, intelligence-free way. Of course I always read what I respond to. Your problem is that I very seldom, almost never, in fact, agree with your pomposity.