Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Bible is either God's revelation to man of His will and Purposes or it is simply of no more value than the writings of any science fiction author. Can't take some and reject the rest or such are no different than thsoe who take words out of context and the actual range of meaning. .
Yes, the all or nothing view of the bible is also very much a part of the fundamentalist/evangelical mindset.
One of the major flaws I see in fundamentalism is in its claims of inerrancy and infallibility. No fundamentalist can point to a single verse where the Bible declares that of itself. They may point to a verse that talks about inspiration and profitability, but those two simply are not "inerrant" nor "infallible."
So, if I lift a verse from Revelation out of context (which verse fundamentalists sometimes lift out to "prove" the Bible).
Rev 22:18
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book."
This is what fundamentalists do when "adding" the viewpoints of "inerrancy" and "infallibility."
One of the major flaws I see in fundamentalism is in its claims of inerrancy and infallibility. No fundamentalist can point to a single verse where the Bible declares that of itself. They may point to a verse that talks about inspiration and profitability, but those two simply are not "inerrant" nor "infallible."
So, if I lift a verse from Revelation out of context (which verse fundamentalists sometimes lift out to "prove" the Bible).
Rev 22:18
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book."
This is what fundamentalists do when "adding" the viewpoints of "inerrancy" and "infallibility."
Actually I site verses such as 2 Tim 3:16 and 2 Pet. 1:21 for starters - and figure since God is responsible for the content, it's reliable. The Bible may not be 100% of the original writings - but Christ dies and is raised from the dead in every version. The parting of the Red Sea is in every version. The book of Leviticus is in every version. Israel is booted off their land in every version.
The Bible is either God's revelation to man of His will and Purposes or it is simply of no more value than the writings of any science fiction author. Can't take some and reject the rest or such are no different than those who take words out of context and the actual range of meaning.
This is what you believe, yes. However, many Christians are not ALL or NONE, BLACK or WHITE thinkers as you are. Yet they have had personal, life changing encounters with the Holy Spirit. But you insist that I agree with Paul's epistle telling women to keep their mouths shut in the church and you insist that I must believe that God told the children of Israel to do all sorts of abominable deeds in the Old Testament. And if I tell you I do not accept such things as being inspired by the Holy Spirit, you dare to condemn me and others. Moderator cut: deleted.
Last edited by june 7th; 03-18-2015 at 05:58 PM..
Reason: Ride comments are deleted.
Jesus said, let your Light so shine before men that they may see your good works. I am pretty sure this has got to be the yardstick. Not that we should walk around with a yardstick in our eye, for what we behold in judgement in others is just a reflection of ourselves.
I've seen a lot of talk in this forum about fundamentalist Christians - mostly negative. I'm curious: In your (polite) opinion, how would you describe what separates or distinguishes someone you consider to be fundamentalist from other Christians? Or, better yet, from yourself?
Conversely, what do you say is a better answer than the principles you consider to be fundamentalist? Please don't bash anyone, but I'd like to know why you feel fundamentalists are misled and why your view is more true. Or maybe why you ultimately changed your stance if you were a fundamentalist. I'm aiming these questions at other Christians who believe they're less radical, so to speak.
Please try to keep this civil, I'm genuinely curious what's meant by the label "fundamentalist".
I think the problem is the negative connotation that comes along with the word. To me unless I was there to witness the events that happened, it's pretty difficult to pick and choose what parts I want to believe. If I try to rationalize the parts I don't believe, then I could probably do that with other parts if I don't have a basis to do so.
With that said, I have been called a Fundamentalist. I do not accept or appreciate that label because of the context in which it is often used with. I do not see myself as someone who sees things strictly by the Bible as others suggest. There is this perception that people like myself do not accept science, but it's actually quite the opposite. I think science is a God given tool that can be used in a proper way to explain things, but I think people often take science and other things as truth when the evidence isn't necessarily there. That is where I differ from others. I think that is the misconception with people who believe the Bible holds the word of God. Much of what is made of those individuals is exaggerated and generalized. There is a degree of ignorance that comes from the use of the label.
When I was a fundamentalist I regarded the distinction as primarily accepting the Bible as inerrant and infallible, and regarding it as a source of objective information regarding what to believe and how to live. Also, since faith in "the finished work of Christ" was basic, you had to believe Christ was divine and died for your sins; and a few other things more or less naturally tend to flow out of that.
The more precise definition varies (which should tell you something right there) but a common one is to boil it down to "seven fundamentals of the faith":
They are considered "fundamental" because, as the above link says, you can't deny any of them and still be considered a Christian, much less a fundamentalist. (In fairness, not all fundamentalists would take it quite that far; my own sub-group simply regarded more liberal Christians, condescendingly, as "weaker brothers in Christ" for the most part. Although denying the deity of Christ would have been a bridge too far, even for us).
In general it is a man made term to put down someone who does not take a very liberal view of the Bible. The definition varies depending on what is disagreed about.
In a literal sense it should be someone who fundamentally sees the Bible as the inspired word of God and superior to any claims of modern man that contradict it. Fundamental truth is in the Bible. This allows for recognition that the copies and translations we have today contain errors, but such errors do not change the ... fundamental teachings of the Bible.
Now in arguing against scripture many will point to those who believe in 6 creative days as being 24 hour days. They are not fundamentalists as the Bible is clear in it's use of the word for Day and it covers either a 24 hour period, one shorter, one longer or one of indeterminate length, just as the word does today. They figure if you can paint everyone with the brush of the 6day believers you diminish the Bible. Ain't so, it just shows either a lack of knowledge or no concern for what is really true.
The Bible is either God's revelation to man of His will and Purposes or it is simply of no more value than the writings of any science fiction author. Can't take some and reject the rest or such are no different than thsoe who take words out of context and the actual range of meaning.
Differentiating between man made teachings and what the Bible actually teaches is the problem and .... the Bible tells us such will be the case.
ExpatCA has captured the essence of a fundamentalist. There are no major discrepancies in the Bible (KJV, NIV, HCSB, etc) that would lead anyone from The Way of Christ. There may be things that people don't like to suit their own lifestyle but their argument is with God and He clearly laid out the consequences for our choices.
I don't think anyone could possibly write a better description of the Bible than CS Lewis. I would equate most Liberal Christians with the RAF Officer and the modern Fundamentalist agrees with CS Lewis that the Bible is a great map to draw us closer to God.
Quote:
"I remember once when I had been giving a talk to the R.A.F., an old, hard-bitten officer got up and said, ‘I’ve no use for all that stuff. But, mind you, I’m a religious man too. I know there’s a God. I’ve felt Him: out alone in the desert at night: the tremendous mystery. And that’s just why I don’t believe all your neat little dogmas and formulas about Him. To anyone who’s met the real thing they all seem so petty and pedantic and unreal!’
Now in a sense I quite agreed with that man. I think he had probably had a real experience of God in the desert. And when he turned from that experience to the Christian creeds, I think he really was turning from something real to something less real. In the same way, if a man has once looked at the Atlantic from the beach, and then goes and looks at a map of the Atlantic, he also will be turning from something real to something less real: turning from real waves to a bit of coloured paper. But here comes the point. The map is admittedly only coloured paper, but there are two things you have to remember about it. In the first place, it is based on what hundreds and thousands of people have found out by sailing the real Atlantic. In that way it has behind it masses of experience just as real as the one you could have from the beach; only, while yours would be a single glimpse, the map fits all those different experiences together. In the second place, if you want to go anywhere, the map is absolutely necessary. As long as you are content with walks on the beach, your own glimpses are far more fun than looking at a map. But the map is going to be more use than walks on the beach if you want to get to America." ~CS Lewis Mere Christianity
Last edited by thomasroane; 03-18-2015 at 05:57 PM..
list the traits of a fundamentalist.
It has little to do with "belief".
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
