People - I /was/ a Christian

I was perhaps the opposite of you. I saw no good reason to believe in God. I modeled after Sen. Jess Ventura's declaration when he said, "Religion is a crutch for the weak."In fact, just about all the anti-theistic arguments made in here were on my lips only a few years ago. Heck, I was so proud of the notion that a lifelong memorial is adorned on my body to this day-- a crucifix with a banner streaming from the horizontal beam containing the word, "Agnostic," along with an illuminated all-seeing eye, representative of the Almighty.Of course virtually all of my friends were absolutely flabbergasted that me, of all people, would have ended up writing books on the subject and going to Bible college. Most of them took it well, however, to this day, there is slight apprehension on their part. Its palpable.But I can't help what happened to me. Nor could I explain that which is totally ineffable and indescribable. Its almost maddening to be that close to something only to have those around you incapable of wrapping their mind around the concept.As for you Crash, I have tremendous hope for you. I think you are always teetering on the cusp of revival. And your hiatus may be understood in greater detail after some introspection.I wish that very much for you. Naturally, you might scoff at such a notion because it would tacitly assert that you are wrong about something. Obviously no one desires to be ignorant of anything. But I mean it in a kind way. I hope you take well to the sentiment. If nothing else, I am wishing you well on your journey.And perhaps though you think I'm horribly deluded, maybe, just maybe, you wish the same of me-- that I would snap back in to reality. Maybe in some small way we wish the best for one another despite the controversial arguments that have uncovered a rift.Senator Ventura's argument to some degree still rings true in many ways. But another quote rings even truer for me."A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion." -Francis Bacon

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"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." -Leonardo da Vinci

What on earth does this have to do with the topic, or more specifically, what I wrote?

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"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." -Leonardo da Vinci

I think faith is a word that has had endure a horribly mangled definition. It seems those of the anti-theist persuasion believe that in order to have faith, one must come to a conclusion based soley on a blind faith-- that one can't reach logical conclusions about it. I think that is totally false from a Judeo-Christian point of view.No one should just assume God for the sake of assuming God. That isn't faith to me. That sounds more like wishful thinking. There are innumerable reasons why I believe as I do. Must I ultimately extend that to faith? Yes, of course. Indeed God is very clear that a measure of faith is necessary, even vital. But this must first derive from an informed faith. If you came to a faith-based decision based on nothing but faith itself, then we are in agreement. I think some skepticism is an important aspect of faith. I would say that all good Christians should grapple with God. But whenever something trips me up and I can't currently wrap my mind around the concept, at some point I always find the answer eventually. Usually when that happens, its indicative of a lack of understanding on my part.There is only one question that I've never received an answer to. And that's why God would have chosen physical life at all, as opposed to the spiritual. There is no scriptual basis, that I am aware of, that explains why He created life in the physical at all. I'm still mystified by this question.

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"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." -Leonardo da Vinci

In many ways that is true, which no doubt is why there is an argument concerning what actually constitutes "Fundamentalism." The word is now ambiguous.But I agree with Buzsaw here, that a fundamentalist Christian is someone who steadfastly promotes the gospel as it was presented. Of course, like most things, it opens the door to private interpretation. We all know that cults of various flavours rear their ugly head from these kinds of interpretations. Wahhabi Islam is no different in this aspect, as you've shared.The sad thing that I see is people using that as some sort of evidentiary claim that Christianity itself is inherently wrong. To which I reply: Well, is that evidence of Christ being wrong, or of some His followers who manipulated His words for their own gain?We don't base Christianity on other Christians who are every bit as fallible as any other human being-- rather we base it on Christ alone who uncovers those faults. Indeed, I echo Paul's sentiments here when he said that if anyone brings to you another gospel other than the one presented to you by Yeshua, then let it be anathema.What people love to do is point out how some avowed Christian says or does something counter to their own ascribed theology, only to bring the whole of Christendom in to ill-repute. That kind of reasoning is flawed, as it only serves to confirm that the people espousing it are wrong, not the doctrine itself.Its only been in the last decade that the term "fundy" was representative of a legalist. But there does not seem to be consensus concerning the word.

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"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." -Leonardo da Vinci

Yes, to a large extent I think that afflicts the lot of us, theistic and atheistic alike. But that doesn't mean that everyone lives in a constant state of delusion either. We're all subject to personal biases whether we like it or not. The objective, I suppose, is objectivity itself.

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"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." -Leonardo da Vinci

quote:

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What people love to do is point out how some avowed Christian says or does something counter to their own ascribed theology, only to bring the whole of Christendom in to ill-repute. That kind of reasoning is flawed, as it only serves to confirm that the people espousing it are wrong, not the doctrine itself.

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Probably because I've never seen Buz condemn all Muslims. I've seen him criticize those who are hypocritical and I've seen him speak out against Islam over its religious veracity-- all of which I do too.

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"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." -Leonardo da Vinci

I never said, nor implied, that Wahhabism was the Arabic word for fundamentalism, so I'm not sure what you're objection is.

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"It is better to shun the bait, than struggle in the snare." -Ravi Zacharias

Brenna, since this is now getting off topic, this will be my last transmission in this vein.My usage of Wahhabism was merely for juxtaposing and paralleling, not for discussing at length. Should you like to discuss at length, start a new topic.Lastly, Al-Qaeda models itself after Wahhabist beliefs, which tends towards extreme interpretations of Islam. Al Qaeda is in Iraq. Many Iranians hold a similar ideology. Therefore, it renders your point moot, as there is nothing wrong with the description in the context I used it in.

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"It is better to shun the bait, than struggle in the snare." -Ravi Zacharias