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No, it speaks to the value of the base text due to it's ambiguity. No ambiguity, no different denominations.
If that's all there is, then why is there such a big bible full of other things which contradict each other at times and have had so many people for so many centuries scratching their heads and debating what it all means? What you read in posts are just opinions. Sometimes someone will quote a line or two to support their opinion but then you can easily find another line that refutes that first line and then the head scratching and debating goes on, but at least that's better than killing anybody over it.
I know you will disagree with this Chief, but that is simply why the Bible needs to be read and interpreted as a whole in context, not one piece at a time.
Originally Posted by kawgpz550 No it is not. As a child I already noticed that my parents do not always tell the truth. They tell you what they believe is true, or what they think you can handle as a child, but it is not the truth. I learned early in life that if I really want answers, it is better to observe than to ask questions (which by the way is not so easy as it sounds).
I guess then it would depend on how old of a child we are talking about. However, I have raised four children...When one of my kids ask me a question, they expect that the answer I give them is correct and they believe me (BTW, I do my BEST to answer their questions as accurately and honestly as possible. I do not purposely lead them astray...nor would Jesus.).
Children automatically have "faith" that the answer they're given is correct.
However, I have raised four children...When one of my kids ask me a question, they expect that the answer I give them is correct and they believe me (BTW, I do my BEST to answer their questions as accurately and honestly as possible. I do not purposely lead them astray...nor would Jesus.).
True, but I have been a child myself. At age 5 or 6 I figured out that Santa Claus (or the Dutch Sint Nicolaas) could not exist while my parents insisted that he does.
A few years later, when I was 9 or 10, I 'staked' out my own father. I knew he would go to work at 5.30 in the morning so all I had to do was wait at my bedroom window. And there he was loading out our presents out of the car's trunk.
I knew that there was a reason why my parents didn’t tell me the truth, but I couldn't figure it out for myself so I ‘confronted’ my parents. They told me that they 'lied' to me so I wouldn't ruin it for my little brother.
I do not hold it against them, they told me what they thought what was best. And it isn't that I do not trust my parents, because I do. I know that they love me. They just never realized how critical I am, even as a child.
I have always been a keen observer who instinctively learned not to ask questions if you do not have the answers yourself or an inkling of what the answer should be.
And let me make clear that I do not consider the bible or a church the same as Jesus. To me the bible is just a recipe book (theory) while Jesus himself is the eating of food (action). Whenever a theory or interpretation inflicts with my own experience I value my experience more.
But that is just me.
Originally Posted by kawgpz550
True, but I have been a child myself. At age 5 or 6 I figured out that Santa Claus (or the Dutch Sint Nicolaas) could not exist while my parents insisted that he does.
A few years later, when I was 9 or 10, I 'staked' out my own father. I knew he would go to work at 5.30 in the morning so all I had to do was wait at my bedroom window. And there he was loading out our presents out of the car's trunk.
I knew that there was a reason why my parents didn’t tell me the truth, but I couldn't figure it out for myself so I ‘confronted’ my parents. They told me that they 'lied' to me so I wouldn't ruin it for my little brother.
I do not hold it against them, they told me what they thought what was best. And it isn't that I do not trust my parents, because I do. I know that they love me. They just never realized how critical I am, even as a child.
I have always been a keen observer who instinctively learned not to ask questions if you do not have the answers yourself or an inkling of what the answer should be.
I'm not sure what the point of all this Santa talk is, but would it surprise you to know that we did NOT tell our son that Santa was real. Told him that Santa was just a story to be enjoyed but not real. (Of course, we were "persona non grata" around the neighborhood whenever our child would "enlighten" other children on this point!...which I did NOT encourage, I might add!
Requiring a child to believe in a Santa Claus is often his first real live experience in having faith as (an organized) religion (theory; something taught), instead of his instinctive faith in his parents (experience; born with).
Requiring a child to believe in a Santa Claus is often his first real live experience in having faith as (an organized) religion (theory; something taught), instead of his instinctive faith in his parents (experience; born with).
Well, all parents have to make their own decisions here and we all know how fanatic and extreme kaykay is! But my husband and I decided not to tell our son that Santa was real because we wanted him to trust us to always tell him the truth ... including the truth that Jesus is real (unlike Santa Claus)
Well, all parents have to make their own decisions here and we all know how fanatic and extreme kaykay is! But my husband and I decided not to tell our son that Santa was real because we wanted him to trust us to always tell him the truth ... including the truth that Jesus is real (unlike Santa Claus)
But my husband and I decided not to tell our son that Santa was real because we wanted him to trust us to always tell him the truth ... including the truth that Jesus is real (unlike Santa Claus)
True, and I applaud you for it. Unfortunately Christmas is more than just Santa Claus.
Just wait when a young child asks you if children in Africa also get presents. And if not, why not?
To this day it 'stings' my mother that her parents were so poor they were never able to afford her a doll or other toy. All they ever got was 'new' clothes (which were often used by their older siblings). And I learned then as a child that there is a difference between what you want and what you need. My grandparents were so poor they could only give them what they need.
No one ever needed to explain me that. It was obvious to me, but my own mother never quite understood that.
I know you will disagree with this Chief, but that is simply why the Bible needs to be read and interpreted as a whole in context, not one piece at a time.
Which is actually the problem because it's ambiguous at best, contradictory at worst and within it are some nasty instructions. The roadmap for reading it varies depending on who you talk to, as does the interpretation of the same stretch of road by different people.
If all that was written was a single page with some of the simplistic opinions posted here, maybe there wouldn't be nor have been such strife.
As for the Santa thing, well, I think he's a gateway belief the way they say marijuana is a gateway drug. It makes you more inclined to try bigger, harder beliefs. With that said, I would never tell a kid there isn't a Santa. Part of a child's growth is figuring that out on their own as part of their critical thinking development.
Not to get too OT, but am I to understand that if I, as a Protestant(Baptist) went to mass at a Catholic Church, I'd be denied the Lord's Supper, even as a professing follower of Jesus the Christ??
Catholics. is that true?
I'll tell you my experience:
Before and during my initiation into the Catholic Church I took communion. No one knew what I was, and I was never refused communion. At the beginning of my initiation, I was still taking it at mass, until one of my instructors told me I really should wait. So now knowing something about the churches teachings I agreed to stop, because I knew then I was not fully "in communion" with the church. One day, I hope we will all be " in communion".
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No it is not. As a child I already noticed that my parents do not always tell the truth. They tell you what they believe is true, or what they think you can handle as a child, but it is not the truth.
I learned early in life that if I really want answers, it is better to observe than to ask questions (which by the way is not so easy as it sounds).
...which I did NOT encourage, I might add!
