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Originally Posted by Halx
God is nothing but a mental teddy bear.
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to quote one of the pastors at my church a few services ago....
"Oh Blessed Enemy, confounder of our myths, revealer of our ignorace."
Most serious theology going on these days is niether about fear or teddybearness.
That address is one of my most favored theological moments, not only becuase it's linguistically beautiful to me, but becuase it encapsulates the way in which God not only challenges us and moves us out from where we are comfortable, but also gives us the courage and love we need to leave our myths of isolation, sacred violence, and competitive relationships. it is certainly a far cry from being told to call someone "sir" for no reason. there are books in the Jewish tradition that have names for God for almost every occasion, and they are all tied to the actions for which we give thanks and praise. "because" is a shitty reason. but that's not why we're doing this.
we are doing this because something amazing has happened. as human beings, terribly prone to pride and violence and separation...we've experienced revelations, grown in love, become community. and we're pretty sure we didn't do it ourselves, so we look to see where our gratitude is due. it gets considerably more complicated from there on in, but that's the most accessible statement of ecclesiology i can write at this time of the evening.
you can throw as many perjoratives as you want...but you're not changing the fact that there is a great deal of religion that is self-critical, intellectually engaged, and challenging.
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Originally Posted by halx
people WITH faith ARE gullible
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this is where i shake my head, with two reasons. the first is that it's obvious to me that Christianity has a serious PR issue...one that i need to constantly be working on. people don't get negative views of Christianity in a vacuum. they meet people who don't have a lot of theological education, and they meet people who are expressing toxic versions of Christianity. they are brothers and sisters in Christ, i am bound to love them. but it doesn't mean i have to be silent if they abuse of the teachings of Christ. my first responsibility is to the Gospel...
The second is that isn't cool to insult one's guests. It is perfectly fine to express disagreement, a difference of opinion, and that people have different observations on the world. But that was pretty much a personal insult. i'm not terribly upset...this is an online debate and i expect flaming. i'd just rather not have to expect that.