Used to be (Christian) but found that one must abandon reason in order to remain a Christian. Your article responding to the believer in Finland concerning the Jesus's inaccurate prediction of his Second Coming only reinforced my view.----------------------------------
I've never heard the term "think tank" used to refer to one person. Maybe you're stretching it like you stretch credibility with your loooooooong rationalizations for Christianity. Keep trying. There are reasons Christianity still needs excuses after around 2000 years.
------------------------------------------------------
Some very challenging points of view. I hope you are ready to defend them, cause I only spent about thirty seconds on one page out of the whole site and I found dozens of 'holes', contradictions, and inconsistencies.
In your thumbnail answer to "what does it matter what a person believes as long as they are sincere?" you presume a free-will, arminian view of what beliefs are. In other words, you assume that before there is belief, there is information gathering and that the information is the ground for "deciding" to believe or not to believe. (indeed the very question does) You cannot defend that veiw--from scriptures--as the absolute authority--or from a purely logical or philosophical view. Kierkegaard tried that too. He had some brilliant things to say, but in the end, he was a victim of Arminius. Sincerity was then his keyword....Is not the choosier in every situation superior to what is chosen? How then can a man become "convinced" and choose Christ?--or be sincere about what he has "already" chosen? I am sure you are familiar with the words of Christ, "You have not chosen me. I have chosen you"(John 15:16) I find your methods careful, well reasoned and articulate and rejoice that I found your webpages. But you have fallen into the trap of pride if you rely on your mind, enlightened as it may be, to show "evidences" to unbelievers in an effort to "convince" them. There is a long tradition of doing that from which you could defend yourself, but the traditions will not stand against the scriptures.I write this realizing the limitations of 'thumbnail', but a little leaven threatens the whole loaf.
--------------------------------------------
The pompous and overweening attitude of some of the responses to letters . . . snobbish comments towards those less gifted which are unChristlike and alienating. . . yes, knowledge is wonderful and it is a worthy endeavor to unearth truths, but aren't we called to speak those truths in love? What's more, our abilities of discernment and understanding are GIFTS from Him to begin with-who are we to treat those with gifts different from our own with contempt? In so doing, we show contempt for their Maker...Please reconsider the way in which you approach "intellectual" topics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Why do you slam those that call themselves Fundamentalists? Are we not your brothers and sisters in the Lord? Fundamentalists simply believe in the fundamentals of the Christian faith. We have been slandered severely this century because we are not ashamed of Christ. Many of my brethren are from a rural background and not highly educated. The concern of the Fundamentalist movement this century has been to try and assure that our children are given the opportunity to hear of and believe in the Creator. It is obvious that you are much more intelligent than we. However, will you judge us or will Christ?
If we have embarrassed you by being too bold in our stand for Christ or by our lack of sophistication I assure you that we all want to apologize immediately. I, too, have an education in theology, philosophy, and psychology. I simply refuse to wear it on my sleeve. I graduated from a prominent evangelical seminary with honors. Some years later I was saved. Your bragging is carnal (I Cor. 1:31-2:1).
I read your stuff for a few moments. Not once did I find any praise of Christ, but I found the record of your conversion. Not once did I find a mention of God's wisdom, but I found that you are too smart to just believe because the Bible says so. Though Christ seems to be little more than a foot note on your resume He is called upon to serve you in your health and business life as presented in your prayer requests. Perhaps He is supposed to feel privileged to come when you call.
If my words are harsh I'm sorry, but your attitude as presented here is so like the professors at seminary and the Pharisees of old that I felt compelled. Please reconsider your attitudes. And please stop reviling those not smart enough to be quiet when the world is likely to revile them.
------------------------------------------------
I suggest you shorten the answers. Like many other people who visit this site, I find bite-sized chunks of information more digestible. The information in this site is fit for legal documents. Although I can usually understand what is being said, I often have to think about the words and put them together in my mind. I expend all my energy on reading the words, and not on reading the content of the words...I enjoy content rich reading, but some of this stuff is really heavy. Typical as I may be, long answers to short questions were not within my Television adapted attention span.
--------------------------------------------------
Man is the image of God, not women.
Women are made for men, not man for woman.
Women must keep their mouth shut and obey men without question.
Your website is in vain.
The truth hurts sometimes
Christians are Hypocrites ! And you are very good at that too..there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of godPlease ... spare me...come to Islam .. before it's too late .... (his name here)
There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Nothing sensible can be found here (on the Thinktank).