What are the Degrees of Fundamentalism?

I wonder just how many ways there are to misconstrue a simple reference to the verses about God taking note of the sparrow's fall, or make a word like "bother" into something unlikely like "rescue." Just means God takes note of the sparrow's fall, nothing more than the scripture says.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Mat 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.Luk 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Something to do with your complaint about the idea of God "micromanaging" which you called "petty."

So these "fundamentalists" deny the rightness of God's written laws for ancient Israel? Strange sort of fundamentalists.You of course think something more "tolerant" and soft should be the nature of God. Well, that's the way mere human nature always thinks. God gave the Bible to teach us truths we cannot imagine, that our human nature rebels against. The human heart can't stomach God's hard justice. But those laws were for making Israel holy, not just nice and adjusted and more or less socialized.The question is whether they could possibly apply outside that theocracy in a world that has no interest in being made holy. My answer to that is absolutely not. But MAYBE a theocracy, if such is possible. And that's what I'm not sure about. Well, hey, it's not about ME, it's about the BIBLE, which is God's word. And there is only ONE passage about an incorrigibly rebellious defiant teenager, not small children as you seem to be construing it.For ancient Israel there is no doubt the laws were good. Again, what I haven't worked out in my mind is whether there is any other context in which they could apply. Again, I tend to think not but I haven't studied the theology of the situation.But I suppose you will go on plastering me with your moralistic astonishment forever won't you? You'll ignore the context. You'll talk about me as if I said America should have laws to execute disobedient children willynilly, etc etc. etc. That's how I'm always misrepresented. Whatever.

Obviously I'm the looniest possible, Ringo. Let's just get that out of the way.The implication of the quoted scriptures is that God CARES about the sparrows, isn't merely a bird-watcher.

Do you know scripture at all? God is love. Amazing love. God cares about His entire creation. God watches over every living thing, and human beings are his greatest treasure. But He must punish sin because it opposes His very nature. Nevertheless this is called in scripture His "strange work," something not really in His nature, something required of His holiness in relation to sin.Those who trust Him and love Him and desire to meet His standards, to follow His laws, who try to be obedient and are genuinely repentant, however, need not fear anything from God. ONLY those who hate God have something to fear. And even then He is patient and longsuffering and wills that all come to repentance and salvation.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This son is probably even older than a teenager:Deu 21:18-21 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and [that], when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son [is] stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; [he is] a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.Exd 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

I have absolutely NO interest in participating in the usual subjecting of the Bible to the liberal dismantling of it that is done around here. Bible Study indeed!The scripture is very very very clear on God's actions in this world. It takes denying scripture to come up with the view of God you have.

You raise theological questions I have studied for years and have answers to, but I see no place for discussing them here. I vehemently disagree with most of what you said and I'm far from alone with it. Many Holy-Spirit inspired leaders of the church disagree with you.I was GIVEN the message about destruction coming to America some 14 years ago when I was fasting and praying for a week for God's guidance. There is nothing "automatic" about it and it does not come from anything in me. It was a period of intense encounter with God full of His presence. If anything I have not been faithful enough to the sense of mission I had at that time since then.It's not an easy message to carry. One is constantly up against not only the usual atheist condemnations but objections from supposed Christians. But I can tell you I am not alone with it. It was my first take on 9/11 but about all one heard thereafter from Christians along with everybody else was "God bless America" rather than "Repent, America." Some, but very very few, gave the message of judgment.The purpose of this message is not necessarily evangelism, it's declaring the sovereignty of God to a world that denies Him.

That's right. I have no interest in defending the Bible. Believe what you want.

There's no conflict to one who submits to the Bible as written with trust in the God who wrote it. It's the distrust of God and trust in your own fallible intellect that makes it not make sense to you.

That very standard rationalization is really nothing but trust in human intellect and distrust in God.

Yes, witches are now just nice people who appreciate nature, and sorcery is just fun. With that pretty idea we casually allow every kind of demonic thing to influence people and take possession of their minds. Few have any sense of the dangers involved to them from the demonic spirits who are the power behind these things. Perhaps God will give us a revival in which many of them see the truth. In that case I think exorcisms might become necessary.

No problem, jar, you can rest easy. We're condemned right and left by the lot of you.

Only an all-powerful holy God is worthy of trust. Not the wishywashy powerless phantom you all invent.