'You will burn in hell!'

Quirkybird said:
What is a 'TRUE' Christian?
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Each Christian may have his or her own concept of what a true Christian is. I can only tell you mine. It is someone who with a purely good heart, wishes everyone well, and fights against evil at all cost. Because that's what Christ did.
 
Irene said:
Each Christian may have his or her own concept of what a true Christian is. I can only tell you mine. It is someone who with a purely good heart, wishes everyone well, and fights against evil at all cost. Because that's what Christ did.
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Good night, Irene!!!
 
Irene said:
Each Christian may have his or her own concept of what a true Christian is. I can only tell you mine. It is someone who with a purely good heart, wishes everyone well, and fights against evil at all cost. Because that's what Christ did.
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It depends how you define 'evil', I suppose.
 
Quirkybird said:
It depends how you define 'evil', I suppose.
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And how you define 'purely good heart.'

The bible says no one is 'good' but God alone. So if having a purely good heart is a requirement for being a Christian, then no one qualifies.

What I don't think a lot of people consider is, when you say a Christian is this or that, or Sin is this or that, you have to be prepared to completely define it so that no strange set of circumstances goes uncovered. Vague definitions of Christianity don't serve any purpose but to submit one person's vague opinion. :):p
 
Frrostedman said:
And how you define 'purely good heart.'

The bible says no one is 'good' but God alone. So if having a purely good heart is a requirement for being a Christian, then no one qualifies.

What I don't think a lot of people consider is, when you say a Christian is this or that, or Sin is this or that, you have to be prepared to completely define it so that no strange set of circumstances goes uncovered. Vague definitions of Christianity don't serve any purpose but to submit one person's vague opinion. :):p
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The Bible says a lot of things but whilst there is some sense in the book, there is a lot of nasty nonsense too.

A Christian who believes the Bible to be literally true and acts on some of the nastiness therein doesn't have a purely 'good' heart whatever that phrase really means.
 
Hi Frosty :)

~ no one is 'good' but God alone ~

I get what you mean. I shall rephrase to "who is desiring to have a purely good heart" ... I take the verse to mean one can only be purely good when one's heart reflects God's goodness.

There are some people who achieve that. When a soldier dies throwing himself on a grenade saving his comrades, are you gonna say he was still not good enough because only God can be good?

God was there in him, therefore he was good. And whether he thought himself a Christian or not would become moot, wouldn't it?


~ Vague definitions of Christianity don't serve any purpose ~

True. I gave my definition because I was asked. It doesn't have to serve anyone else's purpose but mine. :) :p
 
Quirkybird said:
The Bible says a lot of things but whilst there is some sense in the book, there is a lot of nasty nonsense too.

A Christian who believes the Bible to be literally true and acts on some of the nastiness therein doesn't have a purely 'good' heart whatever that phrase really means.
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What do you mean by "nasty nonsense?" I believe the bible, the original text, is true. Every word. Does that bother you, and if so, why?
 
Irene said:
Hi Frosty :)

~ no one is 'good' but God alone ~

I get what you mean. I shall rephrase to "who is desiring to have a purely good heart" ... I take the verse to mean one can only be purely good when one's heart reflects God's goodness.

There are some people who achieve that. When a soldier dies throwing himself on a grenade saving his comrades, are you gonna say he was still not good enough because only God can be good?

God was there in him, therefore he was good. And whether he thought himself a Christian or not would become moot, wouldn't it?


~ Vague definitions of Christianity don't serve any purpose ~

True. I gave my definition because I was asked. It doesn't have to serve anyone else's purpose but mine. :) :p
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Understood, and makes sense. :)
 
Frrostedman said:
What do you mean by "nasty nonsense?" I believe the bible, the original text, is true. Every word. Does that bother you, and if so, why?
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The stuff attributed to the deity is nasty in the extreme, imo! I am bothered by the Biblical literalists who allow the Bible to excuse their prejudices
 
Quirkybird said:
The stuff attributed to the deity is nasty in the extreme, imo! I am bothered by the Biblical literalists who allow the Bible to excuse their prejudices
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If you are talking about the KKK, abortion clinic bombers, the folks at Westboro Baptist Church, etc. then fine. I'll join you in mutual disgust for these warped, unchristian radicals.

But if by "prejudice" you mean things like my lack of support for the homosexual lifestyle, my want for the government to stop forcibly taking tax dollars out of my pocket to fund abortions and promiscuous behavior, my disdain for unrepentant adulterers, etc. then I guess we've got a problem.
 
Frrostedman said:
If you are talking about the KKK, abortion clinic bombers, the folks at Westboro Baptist Church, etc. then fine. I'll join you in mutual disgust for these warped, unchristian radicals.

But if by "prejudice" you mean things like my lack of support for the homosexual lifestyle, my want for the government to stop forcibly taking tax dollars out of my pocket to fund abortions and promiscuous behavior, my disdain for unrepentant adulterers, etc. then I guess we've got a problem.
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We have a problem!:rolleyes:
 
Hi Quirkybird —
Quirkybird said:
I am bothered by the Biblical literalists who allow the Bible to excuse their prejudices
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I hope you can see ... well, it's just that ... I mean ... well, to stop beating about the bush ...

You are doing exactly the same thing.

You interpret the Bible literally, you make no allowance for the possibility that the text might be more subtle than you realise, you make no allowance for the fact that the world, and humanity's world view, was considerably different all those thousands of years ago, and you simply ignore the bits that don't fit into the scheme of the book as you see it.

I rather think, in contending with the militant-fundamentalist camp, you've backed yourself into the opposite camp, without realising it. But the fact is, their prejudice is no excuse for yours ...
 
Thomas said:
Hi Quirkybird —

I hope you can see ... well, it's just that ... I mean ... well, to stop beating about the bush ...

You are doing exactly the same thing.

You interpret the Bible literally, you make no allowance for the possibility that the text might be more subtle than you realise, you make no allowance for the fact that the world, and humanity's world view, was considerably different all those thousands of years ago, and you simply ignore the bits that don't fit into the scheme of the book as you see it.

I rather think, in contending with the militant-fundamentalist camp, you've backed yourself into the opposite camp, without realising it. But the fact is, their prejudice is no excuse for yours ...
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Hmmmmmm! I have every right to be prejudiced against the people who do believe that flipping book to be literary true and act accordingly!:rolleyes:
 
"I have every right to be prejudiced against the people who do believe that flipping book to be literary true and act accordingly!"

--> Yes you do!
 
Quirkybird said:
Hmmmmmm! I have every right to be prejudiced against the people who do believe that flipping book to be literary true and act accordingly!:rolleyes:
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Well, as long as you realise that puts you in the same camp as them, and that it means you're being as close-minded and unreasonable as they are. You've allowed bitter people to make you bitter ...

I'm sure there's a name for the syndrome when the person becomes the very thing they rail against ...

... but as far as I can see so far, the kind of person you're looking for is not here, so for the sake of the rest of us, can you give it a rest?
 
Thomas said:
Well, as long as you realise that puts you in the same camp as them, and that it means you're being as close-minded and unreasonable as they are. You've allowed bitter people to make you bitter ...

I'm sure there's a name for the syndrome when the person becomes the very thing they rail against ...

... but as far as I can see so far, the kind of person you're looking for is not here, so for the sake of the rest of us, can you give it a rest?
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I will not give it a rest, you are not obliged to respond to any of my posts.

Actually I am not bitter, but I will challenge those who use the literal interpretation of that book to make the lives of others miserable. There are one or two people who post here whom I would describe as on the unpleasant spectrum of Christianity, if their posts actually represent their thoughts on the topic.
 
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