Are Christians Narrow Minded?
The fact that I, as a rational intelligent person, have decided to follow the teachings of Christ as written in the Bible has nothing to do with the width of my mind.
As an open minded Christian I give you the freedom to believe anything you wish. You are free to believe that people are basically good (or evil). You can believe that 1 + 1 = blue, and that blue + yellow = 42. You can believe anything you want to - and I'll still be your friend. Your kids can play with my kids and we can all cheer for the Astros.
Just because you (or I) believe something doesn't make it true.
Truth is.
Truth is absolute.
Truth is truth and it doesn't change if you believe it or not.
The bible is either true (or it isn't), and your belief one way or the other doesn't change that fact.
"The bible says so." - is an excellent answer. One that I have chosen to accept, and you can choose to accept it (or not). Christ has clearly stated that he has the only key to eternal life. As your friend, I would be very mean if I refuse to share my belief with you. ... Real friends are those who are willing to say the tough stuff. It would be much easier to punt and tell you what you want to hear. But ultimately you have total freedom to believe or not.
When you die, then you'll know the answer for sure.
scripture references are available upon request - I deliberately didn't include them because if you don't accept the bible as authoritative then it's a waste of time to quote scripture.
Other methods of knowing God?
Listen - and he will speak to you.
He'll put wise people in your path.
But you have to be willing to listen.
If you fall in love with the sound of your own voice...
If you insist that your wisdom is greater than God's...
- you'll miss what God is trying to tell you.
Because ... Bottom line ... You don't want to follow God, you want to BE God.
at the end of time there's a special place reserved for all who have decided that they want to be God.
Call me narrow minded if you will, but at least I'm not so hot that I think I'm God.
posted by Jim Coffey @ 2:24 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Jim,
I thought you'ld appreciate this. I wrote it a while back, I don't know how much I still believe or don't:
On the Holy Trinity:
Recognize the fact that the whole universe is within you. You have all the powers in you. They are derived from the Divine Spirit within you. It is the Divinity which endows you with a Free Will. Forgetting the supreme power of the Spirit, people place their reliance on the powers of the body, the mind, and the intellect.
The essence of all creeds is one and the same things. Man's primary duty is to surrender to God. Surrender means attaining the state in which the devotee feels he is one with God (not God, but with God).
Man's biggest folly is forgetting his divinity (his gift of Spirit). All should realize that they come from God. All are children of God. And our teachers and Saviors that preach love and tolerance are embodiments of this concept: Eli, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr, etc.
Oblivious to this truth, man is immersed today in selfish pursuits. This selfishness is degrading man to the lowest levels. To develop true humanness, everyone has to foster the feeling of spiritual oneness. This sense of oneness constitutes true religion. Religion means realization of your true self....ok more to come, time for church though
I would have to say that I do not agree with your basic assumptions.
The Bible says that man is fallen, sinful, and needs redemption.
I don't have the power for self redemption within me.
Man's biggest folly is PRIDE - the mistaken belief that he has within himself the power for self help. This is the first and greatest sin - thinking that you are good. Only God is good. Some humans have the ability to do good deeds, but even the best of humans still fall prey to pride, envy, greed, lust, lying, and sloth.
I have admitted this to myself and have voluntarily surrendered my will to God and his son Jesus the Christ - the "name above all names."
Only AFTER submitting to Jesus will you be given the gift of the holy spirit, not before.
This submission is public, permanent, and I am very proud to say that I am a Christian. A fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
scripture references - as always - are available upon request.
Post a Comment
<< Home