Tag: Christianity

Reading the Bible as Literature

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constellation-3301781 https://pixabay.com/images/id-3301781/

My esteem for the text which we call “Holy Bible” is as high as my regard for literature, art, poetry, and music. Those things which convey a certain truth, beauty, and wisdom in a way that causes the need to turn inward and consider what is being presented. Hold Literature in High Esteem I often encounter something that is along the lines of claiming that if the Bible is not literal and historical, then it’s “just” another book. This is where my issue is. Why is there such a low view by Biblical literalists for literature? Why is there such a dim view of writings that self acknowledge as being metaphorical, allegorical, fictional, or opinion? I frequently notice statements that seem to imply that those who wrote the text were ignorant, and did not know how to properly explain things without attributing the unknown to supernatural phenomena. I suggest that… Read moreReading the Bible as Literature

What Makes a Functional Society?

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Moses Sculpture from GoranH on Pixabay https://pixabay.com/images/id-4226960/

​”God is the abstraction of an idea by which we orient ourselves to create a functional society.” * Dr. Michael W. Jones If we accept this definition of God, even if only for the purpose of the intellectual exercise of it, then God is the abstraction of an idea, as opposed to an objective ontological singularity, meaning God is simply whatever idea you have abstracted. To simplify, God is the representation of the idea, and the idea is one “towards which we orient ourselves to create a functional society.” So the question is, what is the idea towards which we orient ourselves to create a functional society? The point of this exercise is to ask, What idea do we have that we think is the thing that creates a functional society? Law Orientation If we orient ourselves towards law, and the enforcement of the law as a means to create a… Read moreWhat Makes a Functional Society?

There is No Crossless Gospel

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I suppose this claim will automatically get me branded as promoting a “crossless gospel,” but my contention is that there is no such thing as a “crossless gospel”. It does not, nor can it exist. It’s a logical impossibility. The only way for there to be a “crossless gospel” is to uncrucify Christ. Since this is impossible, you cannot have a “crossless gospel.” It’s a ridiculous derisive term invented by what I call “Doctrinal Purity Turn-Or-Burn” cults. These are sects of Christianity where the key to being “saved,” whatever that means, is a strict adherence to any number of key doctrines. One sect says that you must know and believe that Jesus died for your sins, and another says you must know and believe that Jesus died for your sins AND that you can never lose your salvation. These are just two variants of the seemingly limitless number of varieties… Read moreThere is No Crossless Gospel

Hebrews 10:26 Proves Eternal Security

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Hebrews 10:26 is frequently mischaracterized as proving that you can not be secure in your salvation. It is distorted to proclaim that you can lose your salvation. This is incorrect. It is actually proclaiming that salvation is a one time for all transaction. The book of Hebrews was written to proclaim that the Jerusalem temple sacrificial system is dead, because Christ is risen. The temple is dead, because the body of Christ is the true temple. The Levitical priesthood is dead, because Jesus is our eternal High Priest. The sacrificial system is dead because by one offering Jesus Christ made atonement for all sins for ever. By running through the entire Chapter 10 of the book of Hebrew we can see that the reason why there is no more sacrifice for sins is because the sacrifice made by Jesus worked, and you cease to offer sacrifices when the sin is… Read moreHebrews 10:26 Proves Eternal Security