bkaapcke said:
Some friends and I were talking about how we don't really follow all of the rules, and in fact, selectively choose which ones to ignore. One of the participants was a bible thumper of the Evanglical stripe. His comment was; "I'm still a sinner, but I know I am forgiven". Whooaa. This just about knocked me over, because there it was. The total disconnect from reality that characterizes many christians.
This is why they can keep a straight face while participating in the African Genocide Project. They know in advance that they won't go to hell. So they don't care if there are unanticipated negative consequences arising from their actions. They can lay that off on the unfortunate victims. It's the mother of all cop-outs. Think about it, these people are really dangerous. bk
It's a feature of the reformed churches, that there is no clear policy/line with regard to teaching/rules.
Almost all of the reformed churches differ : look at the issue of women priests for example.
The Anglicans have split because of the issue of women priests, for example, whereas other reformed churches will not allow the ordination of women in their churches.
Dogma in these churches is increasingly a reference point for debate, rather than an expression of belief/faith.
From my limited knowledge of the Evangelical movement, these systems of beliefs are even more diverse.
What may be a tenet of faith in one strain of the movement, may not even apply in another part of that same broad movement.
A lot of the monotheistic systems of belief (Christianity/Judaism/Islam) have different strands of emphasis within their own faith.
Sunni/Shia in Islam for example.
However the diversity of views within the broad "Protestant/Evangelical" strain of Christianity is more diverse than within either Judaism or Islam.
It's an interesting discussion - I watched an interview recently where a Catholic theologian made (what i thought) was an excellent point.
If Islam, for example, had a Holy See, which set down clear and unambiguous teachings based on one interpretation of that faith, it might help to solve problems besetting the world.
For example, if an Islamic Holy See stated unequivocally that the Koran teaches that it is wrong to kill others, this might take away support for those who use Islam to commit murder.
(The theologian in question wasn't singling out Islam, by the way).
The theologian suggested that it was this movement away from the Holy See by Martin Luther and others in the 15th century, which has led to the existence and growth of the Protestant/Evangelical movement.
) meaning pretty much that what goes around comes around.
