soul of fundamentalism

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I think religious fundamentalists aren't bad.
There is an essential flaw in all beliefs relating to man and not God (these are all other fundamentalists), in that they are trivial.

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I respect those that honor their God and their religion by believing and accepting in knowledge of opposing evidence and lacking any evidence for their religious beliefs. They are the Last Samurai of this world and should be respected for their faith.

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That there are misrepresentations to every religion, you should not judge the Muslim fundamentalists by the violent ones, although they may have every right to be violent, and you should not judge the christian fundamentalists by the ignorant, propaganda preaching ones, the television evangelists and whoever else that shines a negative light on truly beautiful faith.

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I am a christian fundamentalist to show a symbol that I have faith in God and I identify with a beautiful piece of literature more than scientific evidence.

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This is a reply to jar on fundamentalism. So I'd like to hear from you all, hear why, if you do, feel fundamentalism is fundamentally evil/wrong?I see truth, beauty, sacrifice, faith, love and great emotion in fundamentalism. I feel people have been generalizing from the misrepresentations.

They had to look for a reason to try to villify Christ and I don't think it was a literal believer would disagree with what Jesus said.How could the pharisees be true fundamentalists? They let merchants and business man desecrate the temple. Jesus said they locked away the truth and let noone see it and they didn't see it themselves. They were worldly, loved power, money, they were corrupt. I think they were one of the greatest misrepresentations you could point out. I think the symbol of who Moses was is a good example, Abraham, Noah, Isaiah, Solomon. Oh yeah and Job.I think the point is to look at fundamentalism from the intentions, the views, the beliefs, to take the good in with the bad. I believe that fundamentalism isn't evil, I believe it's the people that have misrepresented it, called themselves by it and truly echoed a perception of ignorance and hate to many, many people. And I believe this perception is the one held by most of us here.There are men in love that live holy lives, they are wise and kind people that could teach you virtues and be an example to live by, but this men of God are overshadowed.

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-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

I know where the evidence is. I know that everything points to a creation contrary to a more traditional creation myth, and I am fine with that. Honestly, it doesn't faze me. I have a deep respect for sciences. I know the philosophy, the theology, yet I'm no expert on the sciences. I think you can see truth in me of forming beliefs of sound philosophy and logic and being affected by the Jesus, the Budda, others, knowing human nature and understanding and respecting a person that bases their existence on the scientific evidence, yet I cannot do that, so the basis of my belief is on something illogical.I don't ignore the evidence. I embrace it. I understand my perception is by definition ignorant and tragic, but I feel to accept God, you sometimes stray from human reasoning and become shunned by your peers.I portrayed fundamentalism as the last samuria not at all to do with violence, I didn't see violence. I see a dying breed, of a people with ideals that are obsolete but they believe them. And they don't think a second of it. I have been tested here to truly hone the truth. To try and hold this intangible force that can only be described through life and your own personal experience. It has no place in a textbook and I feel many here deny this experience. They rely on the evidence. Yet they can't live the what would seem to be the observable. I can't deny something spiritual and magnificent and the evidence can't either.When I say fundamentalist I mean someone who believes something and doesn't question it, has faith in it and is unwaivered in belief, and actually sees it, grasps it, controls it, is the essence of beauty, peace, love and faith, of life. I think fundamentalism is so widely denounced because it can not be understood by one without faith. I've had discussions that were fruitless because of this. This belief I have come to discover cannot be taught. It comes in life, full of persecution andcoming from something new something of no faith that must question to something that is old and simple. You can't convert this. I have discovered that the only true missionary is God.People can aide you to discover this but it is something that must be found in, of that individual.

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-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

I disagree, I have come to this belief only through reason, I have found God through this method. I believe there is more to offer than evidence. I have come to believe that maybe my beliefs are only illogical to you and that my convictions are logic.

I have not just seen things from this view. I have spent some time at christianity forums and my belief is strong. I have seen the misuse, the hate, the futile, the destruction, the unholy. And I have come back the same.

The Pharisees were guilty of being ignorant and corrupt. Not because they were strict followers of Judaism. Some were even politicians.No, how do you believe in a God with no faith?

Thus piece of literature is evidence on God. On the ways in which men find God. Scientific evidence is also evidence on God, it is the mechanics, how God works. I find the intimate relationships and struggles between man and God more telling of who God is.

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-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

So Christ was a fundamentalist.Why do so many christians look down upon this faith?

He held a literal interpretation of the Torah.
I am content in believing as Jesus believed for I am not an orthodox jew I am a fundamentalist christian

First of all Jesus is Lord so he can do anything on any day according to the scripture you posted.8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.Then he provided scripture of David to show the pharisees the law, did he not believe that of David and what he did?3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?He used scripture to show that their intepretation was wrong.Finally he exposed the truth to the pharisees that they had misinterpretede God's words, he did not break these rules he had followed them:"Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days."It was under the law to do this.In all this he never said any scripture was untrue.This message has been edited by chris porcelain, 03-03-2005 22:44 AMThis message has been edited by chris porcelain, 03-03-2005 22:47 AM

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-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

"The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath"I don't think Jesus was saying the Torah was invalid, he was saying that you have misinterpreted it and you can do good on the sabbath."Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days."He used real world examples mostly because what he was preaching was new and was never voiced in the scripture. And if he is God, why would he want to use descriptions of man when he spoke?He believed the stories of David and of Lot, of Noah. Lot and Noah were told of in the Torah. He used them as if they happened, as if he was there, as if he read and understood these people.He was showing the literalists of the day how they were corrupt and dishonest, not following God. How they were misinterpreting the scripture they had from righteous men that had a grasp of a God, not that they shouldn't follow the scripture or believe in what was said in the scripture.

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-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

I think you're misunderstanding that the bible is written by men struggling with their creator. Why should we question the validity of the writing, the descriptions of these men if Christ himself didn't?Instead of speaking for me asto what you think I think why don't you quote it directly?

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When I say fundamentalist I mean someone who believes something and doesn't question it, has faith in it and is unwaivered in belief, and actually sees it, grasps it, controls it, is the essence of beauty, peace, love and faith, of life.

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This person doesn't have to teach verbatim in what these men wrote. They can speak with their own words, and acknowledge that their were men just like them that held similiar beliefs. That didn't question God and were written about.If Jesus Christ respected these writings and spoke about them plainly then why can't you. What makes you think that you can question the writings of these men when Jesus Christ didn't?I don't know why you feel the need to play ringleader, and misinterpret what I was saying so you can redefine a fundamentalist to your liking then try to condemn your definition. I never read the "fundamentals", I don't adhere to any other christian, "word for word literalism nor ideological group beliefs of a group of conservative Christians from the early 20th century."

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Further, is it required to believe in the Bible without wavering or is it possible to love Jesus and live as Jesus wants us to live WITHOUT getting wrapped up in word for word literalism?

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I don't believe a fundamentalist is wrapped up in "word for word literalism", I think having a deep respect, adherence, and not questioning scripture that Christ doesn't is all you need to be a fundamentalist.In this I say my belief in fundamentalism. I think righteous men struggling with their creator is telling of who God is. There is a story within a story in scripture, and Christ knew that, and followers of Christ know that.

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-one word to describe me, spectacular yes

He spoke of them plainly. What makes you think he didn't?

"As it was in the days of Noah""Similarly, As it was in the days of Lot"

"As it was inthe days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the son of man.""on the day that Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone reigned to destroy them all. So it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed."So Jesus won't come back either?