I haven't found a "FAQ" thread anywhere, so I'm posting this question here.
I received a message saying I couldn't post in Christianity 101 because it's for orthodox Christians only, and I'm confused as to what this particular community defines as "unorthodox"?
I identified myself as an unorthodox Christian when I joined the site, based on my own definition(s) of the term.
I do not believe in any kind of "inerrancy" of the Bible, nor in treating the anthology as a single entity, given that each individual work was written by different people at different times, and that the anthology was assembled arbitrarily by men.
I do not believe the Genesis creation myths to be historical or scientific fact, based on even a cursory literary analysis of the writing style, and the fact that both were original poems which were passed down orally in a tribal society for generations before being written down.
I do not believe God commanded the slaughter of women, children, and infants, again based on literary analysis, which includes cultural context of the time. There is literally no evidence that these acts were not simply the war tactic of the time, which the victors (aka the ones doing the writing) gave God credit for.
However....
I do believe that the Bible has been and continues to be a useful tool for the Spirit.
Just not the only one at His disposal.
I also believe that God is the creator of everything, and that we can eventually gain a complete understanding of that creative process via our scientific study of this planet and of the universe.
And I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of Jesus to bring humanity into better relationship with God, each other, and God's created universe, in His work to teach a better way of living in the here and now, and in His death and resurrection to give those who believe in Him a chance for eternal life.
These are just a few examples, obviously, but where does this place me relative to the "orthodoxy" line?
I received a message saying I couldn't post in Christianity 101 because it's for orthodox Christians only, and I'm confused as to what this particular community defines as "unorthodox"?
I identified myself as an unorthodox Christian when I joined the site, based on my own definition(s) of the term.
I do not believe in any kind of "inerrancy" of the Bible, nor in treating the anthology as a single entity, given that each individual work was written by different people at different times, and that the anthology was assembled arbitrarily by men.
I do not believe the Genesis creation myths to be historical or scientific fact, based on even a cursory literary analysis of the writing style, and the fact that both were original poems which were passed down orally in a tribal society for generations before being written down.
I do not believe God commanded the slaughter of women, children, and infants, again based on literary analysis, which includes cultural context of the time. There is literally no evidence that these acts were not simply the war tactic of the time, which the victors (aka the ones doing the writing) gave God credit for.
However....
I do believe that the Bible has been and continues to be a useful tool for the Spirit.
Just not the only one at His disposal.
I also believe that God is the creator of everything, and that we can eventually gain a complete understanding of that creative process via our scientific study of this planet and of the universe.
And I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of Jesus to bring humanity into better relationship with God, each other, and God's created universe, in His work to teach a better way of living in the here and now, and in His death and resurrection to give those who believe in Him a chance for eternal life.
These are just a few examples, obviously, but where does this place me relative to the "orthodoxy" line?
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