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Christians are primarily motivated by their fear of God, their admiration of Jesus, and a respect for the Scriptures.
Non-Christians who are religious are primarily motivated by their fear of offending all other people (except Christians), a false admiration of Jesus, and a cafeteria style approach to the Scriptures.
Liberal Christians are primarily motivated by their admiration of Jesus.
Fundamentalist Christians are primarily motivated by their fear of God.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRob4JC
Christians are primarily motivated by their fear of God, their admiration of Jesus, and a respect for the Scriptures.
Non-Christians who are religious are primarily motivated by their fear of offending all other people (except Christians), a false admiration of Jesus, and a cafeteria style approach to the Scriptures.
This is a little confusing. What exactly are "Non-Christians who are religious" in this context? Obviously that could be Muslims or Jews or Hindus, but while Muslims do have and Hindus might have an admiration for Jesus, it can't be considered false admiration, and Jews have no admiration for Jesus at all. And none of those groups would likely have much respect for Christian scripture.
Not all Christians are primarily motivated by fear. That fear of death/damnation/a punishing God is the overruling factor in the beliefs of fundamentalist Christians was the OP's observation, I believe. He can correct me if I am wrong.
And then there's the rest of us in the middle, who can't stand extremism on either unbalanced side.
Despite the polarity and dualism promoted in this country, the largest group is still thankfully in the middle: mainstream, traditional, and yes even moderate. It's the noisies on the periphery though that we constantly hear and see. They demand to be constantly in the spotlight and in earshot, requiring that we throw undue and unwarranted attention to them.
Traditional America, rightfully so, looked down on extremists as weird folk with unstable minds. Too bad we now lift those groups up and give them unlimited attention and promotion, while the sane and the rational (and the inner quite voice) are all drown out in the growing noise. These days, who ever shouts the loudest and foams at the mouth the most, is king. That's modern America - including the religious and political environments - in a nutshell.
Healthy Christians will appreciate and love Jesus, AND respect and love God. There is an awe of God that in former times was translated as "fear", but it's more of a respect for his incredible power.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 03-26-2018 at 10:55 AM..
This is a little confusing. What exactly are "Non-Christians who are religious" in this context? Obviously that could be Muslims or Jews or Hindus, but while Muslims do have and Hindus might have an admiration for Jesus, it can't be considered false admiration, and Jews have no admiration for Jesus at all. And none of those groups would likely have much respect for Christian scripture.
The point is there are no such people as liberal Christians and fundamental Christians. You either are a Christian, or you are not. That final determination is made by Christ in heaven. The fruit of one's relationship with Christ should be seen on earth.
False admiration means they like Jesus for certain things, but not all things. Some Jews do admire Jesus - they are referred to as Messianic Jews.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801
Not all Christians are primarily motivated by fear. That fear of death/damnation/a punishing God is the overruling factor in the beliefs of fundamentalist Christians was the OP's observation, I believe. He can correct me if I am wrong.
I know what he said. Notice I didn't run from the fear statement, however I will offer the proper interpretation here... we should have a fear... of God... not of the circumstances.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
And then there's the rest of us in the middle, who can't stand extremism on either unbalanced side.
Despite the polarity and dualism promoted in this country, the largest groups are still thankfully in the middle: mainstream, traditional, and yes even moderate. It's the noisies on the periphery though that we constantly hear and see. They demand to be constantly in the spotlight and in earshot, requiring that we throw undue and unwarranted attention to them.
Traditional America, rightfully so, looked down on extremists as weird folk with unstable minds. Too bad we now lift those groups up and give them unlimited attention and promotion, while the sane and the rational are drown out in the growing noise. These days, who ever shouts the loudest and foams at the mouth the most, is king. That's modern America - including the religious and political environment - in a nutshell.
Does being a devoted follower of Christ make a person unstable?
Liberal Christians are primarily motivated by their admiration of Jesus.
Fundamentalist Christians are primarily motivated by their fear of God.
You could be right on both counts, although I think it's simplistic to think that there is ever only one motivating factor in any person's life. I'd like to think most [or at least many] Christians (and people in general) in any camp are often motivated by love, even if that love is combined with other motivations (for better or for worse).
Group 1 is primarily motivated by love and acceptance
Group 2 is primarily motivated by hate and judgement
I disagree. I've known far too many fundamentalist Christians in my life, and witnessed their lives, to believe that the majority of them are motivated by hate. I haven't known near as many liberal Christians in real life, but the few I know are equally as judgmental as any fundamentalist. I think we're all prone to judging others, and can find it difficult to be accepting of those whose ideologies we perceive as a threat.
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This is a little confusing. What exactly are "Non-Christians who are religious" in this context? Obviously that could be Muslims or Jews or Hindus, but while Muslims do have and Hindus might have an admiration for Jesus, it can't be considered false admiration, and Jews have no admiration for Jesus at all. And none of those groups would likely have much respect for Christian scripture. 
I've known far too many fundamentalist Christians in my life, and witnessed their lives, to believe that the majority of them are motivated by hate. I haven't known near as many liberal Christians in real life, but the few I know are equally as judgmental as any fundamentalist. I think we're all prone to judging others, and can find it difficult to be accepting of those whose ideologies we perceive as a threat.
