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Yes, but NOT a bunch of "precepts and doctrines of men." We simply need to believe and have faith that Jesus did what He said He did and follow His instructions to love God and each other every day and repent when we don't.
I don’t see a bunch of “precepts and doctrines” in the Romans 10 passage.
I think people all have "basic goodness" inside them (a social nature as other social animals), but they also have other "basic instincts" such as lashing out when they are in a bad mood. And telling each other that the world is garbage and that they are undeserving wrongdoers who should be perfect if they really believed in Jesus and had been born again (therefore telling them that their immortality is in jeopardy by their very human nature), or worse than that, telling them that their actions don't matter as long as they put some character named Jesus on their mind as perfect and having already chosen to save them, probably puts them in a very bad/selfish mood when they venture outside the ivory towers.
A lot of believing Christians also tend to be materialistic. So they are depressing just to be around and listening to them talk.
I'm guessing he has some sort KJV Bibliolateristic Fundamentalism in mind. Likely the one version of "complex requirement" Christianity he has been exposed to the most.
But even my KJV Fundamentalists kept parroting the marketing mantra: "all you need is Jesus" and "convert now, Christianity is freer/simpler than other religions" but what they actually meant was "you need the KJV and our interpretation of it" and also "convert now, your money needs to go to us."
Money is what truly has the deep faith of world religions and even new cults right now.
So Paul is said to write: Namology, Namology! Faithful cronyism! The religion is simple!
And Jesus is quoted: Hell nah! [Namology is nothing but air! A faithful friend pays more than prayers!] I think we all know who won more converts to the "Jesus is the Jewish Messiah" idea in their lifetime.
Mind if I quotemine you pretty freely? I'm watching, but leaving our True believers to slug the doctrine out.
I've heard some Christians say that Paul's letters should be removed from theology. Really, they are no more official than any other preacher.
Removing Paul from the New Testament collection would really put a more accurate picture on what the faith really is.
Well Paul came right after the main "in-person" disciples and put himself in as much authority (or more than) as them by saying that Jesus personally appeared to him and probably being able to bring more money (from pagan converts) to headquarters in Jerusalem than any of them.
Paul's writings won and kept the most converts so he is truly central to the religion, the Gospels NEVER did stand alone (although some original churches did use them alone, it was probably the very Jewish churches in Judae), they weren't psychologically powerful/tempting/useful enough for the various pagan palates by themselves even on top of the Tanak.
Well Paul came right after the main "in-person" disciples and put himself in as much authority (or more than) as them by saying that Jesus personally appeared to him and probably being able to bring more money (from pagan converts) to headquarters in Jerusalem than any of them.
Paul's writings won and kept the most converts so he is truly central to the religion, the Gospels NEVER did stand alone (although some original churches did use them alone, it was probably the very Jewish churches in Judae), they weren't psychologically powerful/tempting/useful enough for the various pagan palates by themselves even on top of the Tanak.
I just don't think there is much substance in them. 2 Corinthians 3. Corinthians 13 (Love chapter). Just two exceptions I can think of at the moment. Most of the material is too esoteric. He is using coded language to refer to things, and the modern reader has absolutely no idea what terms like "Jesus Christ" even mean in his context.
I just don't think there is much substance in them. 2 Corinthians 3. Corinthians 13 (Love chapter). Just two exceptions I can think of at the moment. Most of the material is too esoteric. He is using coded language to refer to things, and the modern reader has absolutely no idea what terms like "Jesus Christ" even mean in his context.
Most of the letters are correctional and full of delineations of the faith, which helps a lot of Churches with deciding what "their Sharia law" (let's call it) should be, since the Gospels aren't so clear/tempting with their seemingly unclerical dogma and parables.
Last edited by LuminousTruth; 10-14-2018 at 02:33 AM..
But Mark, Luke and Acts are dependent on Paul's letters, so they would have to go as well.
As would eating bacon.
Some of "Paul's letters" are indeed traced as older than the oldest gospels found. But to say that Mark or Luke are wholly dependent on Paul's letters would be an over-statement. And even Acts seems to contradict the details found in some of his letters. The Gospel story, in its essence and probably orally, was definitely getting around before Paul came along. Many early Christians even thought that the Tanak and their own oral history would be enough to keep the faith in their progeny and that writing extra books (New Testament) to hold as sacred scripture would be heresy and blasphemy.
Last edited by LuminousTruth; 10-14-2018 at 02:32 AM..
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Mind if I quotemine you pretty freely? I'm watching, but leaving our True believers to slug the doctrine out.
