Quote:
Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
You, and others in your camp, might be well served to actually make a serious study of this subject matter. If nothing else, even if you don't believe a word of it, you will then be better equiped to discuss it. Then again, maybe not.
Just as with a foreign language and culture, you simply will never truly learn it from a book or by any means of detached study. It requires what linguists and anthropologists call "full immersion" i.e., going to live with the people until you are considered (by them) to be "one of them". You will never fully understand Christians until you do. As an observant adult, not a child that is forced to comply.
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Jeff, with respect, I have heard the "if you knew it better you would understand it and believe it as well" argument often enough. I really don't think I have to live and devote myself to Christianity in order to hold some informed views about it. Any more than you need to do this with Buddhism or Communism or whatever. Life is far too short for this.
I do not buy into the superiority of Christianity over any other monotheistic religion despite the analyses (the law accuses and convicts and the gospel acquits and saves) that you presented. I don't buy the "my book is better than your book" argument. That is what I do not buy into.
I know many Christians and I know many non-Christians. I cannot objectively say that the former live more meaningful or better lives than the latter - even though of course most of the former are convinced that they do.
Kang had a post here a while back (about faith meeting needs) that summed up my views pretty well so I won't bore you with this.
I took issue only with what I referred to as the 'deliberate ignorance' of people who looked for absolute answers to a subject as genetically, psychologically, sexually, and socially nuanced as homosexuality.
That's it. That's where I lose respect.
I hope that clarifies my position.