Are you religious?

[GrumpyGregry]

And on the subject of "literal son of god", anyone claiming that the "vast majority of Christians" have "always believed this" might wish to look at http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c2a2.htm - in particular the section that starts 'III THE ONLY SON OF GOD'. I won't quote it, because any out-of-context quote would not adequately summarise the whole, but even scanning it briefly should make it plain and obvious that what is meant by "son" in this context is considerably more complicated than the everyday meaning of the term. As you'd expect, or should expect, for any relationship in which one party is infinite, unknowable, and mysterious

The book that comes from is two inches thick. I've read it from cover from cover a few times. I understand about 10% of it.

 

[Dan B]

meaning that to hold to the teachings one must strive to be a pacifist? hows that working out for the wars of christianinty then? Christians wont last long if we let other faiths walk all over us. hence we suplant the ideology for the "appropriate response" sacrificing aprt of the very essences of the purported "faith" to protect that very "faith"

but what you save isnt what you set out to save, its changed, by the very act of saving it.

The mere fact that all of Christendom has been arguing about the implications for the 2000-odd years since suggests that they're not obvious and we're unlikely to bottom it all out on a CycleChat thread. Even Wikipedia doesn't have a clear explanation ;-) I was responding only to the claim that the bible can be dismissed because it is contradictory, by pointing out that this particular example is not, in context, a contradiction

 

[clarion]

You could easily have 2000 years of debate about the glazing on Russell's Teapot.

 

[Aperitif]

[QUOTE 2376553, member: 45"]No, that makes you not a 6-day creationist.[/quote]
Could have done a bike ride in the time it took...

 

[Rev]

I didn't realise that the 'are you religious' thread was exclusively mainstream Christian in focus

 

[Rev]

Learned men, in "the church" all seem to list theology in their studies. So basically they have all become experts in "theories" about "stuff" to do with "religion" and "why we are here" but no one as yet has defined God.

I beg to differ, lots of people have defined the term God.

 

[Rev]

To explore this we then have to look at "how was man created" leaving aside creatinism theory for the more universally accepted Darwinian approach, "man" was born of mutation, natural selection and the evolutionary process.

Why do we? I am not being wilfully ignorant but you haven't explained why this must be the avenue of our research. Are we to take it on faith?
Are you are postulating that because the term and Idea of 'God' arises from man we must trace man's ascent to self awareness? Are you suggesting that we only look at this from a purely biological perspective?

 

[Rev]

So, one can ask, at which point in the evolutionary process did/do we humans resemble the image of God?

One can ask this true, however it would only be applicable and relevant if one accepts the priori principle that 'God' created man in his image. And we would also have to agree with your literalistic interpretation.
It's problematic from a purely mainstream Christian perspective and impossible from the perspective of other traditions!

 

[Rev]

Thorny issue indeed.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I didn't realise that the 'are you religious' thread was exclusively mainstream Christian in focus

We always end up bashing the followers of the Jesus dude in Cyclechat. I guess because they always turn the other cheek.

and other religions are not so well represented I guess.

 

[clarion]

And several buddhists.

 

[Jefferson Meriwether]

[QUOTE 2376656, member: 45"]I dunno. We've got a couple of those Muslims hanging around.[/quote]

My knowledge of Islam is practically non-existant. I'd quite like to have a chinwag with a Muslim about their faith & belief's, learn something about it.

 

[Rev]

At least one Sikh, a Pagan....

 

[GrumpyGregry]

whilst the majority who outed their religious status on this thread appear to be Christians?

 

[Rev]

outed