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OK, I'm with you here. I'm just saying it's different at the doctoral level. Yes, there are similarities, but there are also big differences. Some conservative schools will hire only faculty committed to their conservative agenda. One example is Cedarview College, which will not hire any...

I just wonder, Shuny, how many Ph.D.'s in theology you know. For one thing, the Ph.D. is not, repeat "not," a church-service degree; it is a seminary/university teaching, research credential. Education alienates. believe you me. I was taught that by a former pastor of my home church. He had...

Good point, Steveqp. Compared to science, metaphysics is a "messy" business. However, it must be remembered that science rests on metaphysical foundations. Many scientists, I think, forget that. They think they are avoiding any and all philosophical, metaphysical speculations. Big...

Yes, it is true the right wing has considerable clout. No doubt about that. The [problem I have here is that I keep finding different polls giving different results.

also, BigJoe, sorry, I sent that synopsis to Steve.

Thanks for the clarification. The interesting thing to me is that many of the "nones" I met do believe in God and are very interested in theology. They just don't like organized religion.

Sad, but true.

Interesting material Shuny. I'm pretty sure Origin, a major early father, took an allegorical approach to Genies., so, too, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Actually, Devils';Advocate, we are "theologians," not "thelogists." Christianity represents a wide range or spectrum of beliefs, from conservative to liberal. Conservatives may well stress the inerrancy of Scripture. Liberals, such as myself, do not. My liberal agenda, for example, is a healthy...

I think, Cup of Tea, it very much depends on the particular groups you are talking about. There are very intelligent atheists and then there are some very unreflective ones, who, as Devils'Advocate points out, just make insensitive remarks. The same is true of theists. If you think all theists...

You touched on an important point, Devils'Advocate, that the "learned" have different views. This has been the case historically. It's been said that if you ask two clergypersons, you get 4 different answers. Many people naively assume that Christianity is a monolithic religion, just one way...

Also, BigJoe, I think I posted a synopsis of classical and neo-classical theism. Right? I am wondering if this helped you guys.

Today, there appears to be an ever-growing group of "nones." I think the latter is a bad term, because when you use it, others often hear "nuns." However, that's the term the literature is using. These are people fantastically interested in spirituality, but have no use for organized...

I'm not sure how you are using "creationist," BigJoe. Normally, the term is used for those who are into creation-science, which is a conservative or fundamentalist Christian group. Sometimes the term is used to denote anyone who believes in God. However, the latter is rare.

I was talking about Augustine's concept of creation, Devils'Advocate, not mine. According to Augustine, it was accomplished in an instant. The six-days reference was a mere accommodation to our feeble intellects. I myself do not hold with a purely atemporal God.

Predestination dates all the way back to Augustine, Thomas. At times, in may seem later sources represented an alternative, but generally they really didn't. Indeed, it was a central teaching in the Reformation. The elect and the reprobate are central in Calvin, who used Augustine as a major...

Much depends on the denomination, whether it is liberal or conservative. I ma PCUSA and we are very liberal. I'm not sure what you mean when you say right-wing Christian groups have such clout. I was just in a discussion group called Christian Forums for several months. The "moderators" and...

I'm not sure I agree with that, Cup of Tea. I think we should always bear in mind the kind of person we are talking to.

I can't say as I agree, Thomas. The early Christian community was torn by a major battle between the gnostics (mystics) and the orthodox. The gnostics felt the organized church was a conspiracy to alienate people for a direct, immediate revelatory experience of God, by insisting on the priests...

Mysticism basically means to have a direct connection to the divine. In the Christian mystical tradition, individuals sought to have a direct, immediate revelatory experience of god, one in which they became one with God. Is mysticism rational? It depends on what you mean by "rational."...