Christianity is not politically correct.

[Morpheus]

Originally Posted by Honza

You and sky always forget which section of the forum you are in. This is the Christian section where Christians come to talk about Christianity! If you don't mind. If you want to talk about pluralism or Gnosticism there is plenty of room elsewhere.

Which is why I started a thread about Doctrine, and what defines the Christian faith.

Originally Posted by django

In our pluralistic society it has become politically incorrect to claim that God has revealed Himself decisively in Jesus. Popularly, all roads lead to Rome, all beliefs are equally valid, and all are heading to the same place. This leaves Christians who claim that their particular belief is the only truth to seem awfully narrow-minded and intolerant.

But to actually be a Christian is unfortunately to declare that Christianity as found in the New Testament is the ONLY true way.

In the Bible, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me" (John 14:6, NIV). In Acts 4:12, the Apostle Peter said of Jesus, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

If we are to believe this in this day and age, we are demeaned as being narrow-minded and somehow intellectually inferior, but this seems to be a problem I am stuck with, because I do believe these words, not through faith but through experience. It's a difficult position to defend in this millenium.

Is it not narrowness of mind and intolerance of other beliefs, at least within your own mind, what you are seeking to practice. If one preaches what christianity teaches, that only the christian path leads to god, then yes, if another believes that the path to find god is much wider and open to any who seek in their own way, then they will perceive you as narrow minded. Do not many christians choose to close their minds to other ideas and teachings about god so as not be be lead astray from the “one true path”. If so, then yes, those who have kept their minds open and sought knowledge and wisdom from many different paths are going to look at them as being inferior in intellect. Not so much as inferior in intelligence, but deficient in the wider knowledge and perspective that come from keeping one's mind open to new knowledge, perspectives, and wisdom. As for being politically incorrect, well, if one preaches that there is only one path to avoid damnation and find god, and others are not on it, yes, they may find that offensive. But as you say, you are sure of your beliefs, so that is the price you must be willing to pay to be true to them. So yes, you are right, you are stuck here, but only because you have chosen to stand hear, and believe you cannot do otherwise.

[sky]

Originally Posted by ketzer

Is it not narrowness of mind and intolerance of other beliefs, at least within your own mind, what you are seeking to practice. If one preaches what christianity teaches, that only the christian path leads to god, then yes, if another believes that the path to find god is much wider and open to any who seek in their own way, then they will perceive you as narrow minded. Do not many christians choose to close their minds to other ideas and teachings about god so as not be be lead astray from the “one true path”. If so, then yes, those who have kept their minds open and sought knowledge and wisdom from many different paths are going to look at them as being inferior in intellect. Not so much as inferior in intelligence, but deficient in the wider knowledge and perspective that come from keeping one's mind open to new knowledge, perspectives, and wisdom. As for being politically incorrect, well, if one preaches that there is only one path to avoid damnation and find god, and others are not on it, yes, they may find that offensive. But as you say, you are sure of your beliefs, so that is the price you must be willing to pay to be true to them. So yes, you are right, you are stuck here, but only because you have chosen to stand hear, and believe you cannot do otherwise.

That's a very insightful Post Ketzer

[sky]

Originally Posted by Morpheus

Which is why I started a thread about Doctrine, and what defines the Christian faith.

Christian - Follower of Christ.

Gnostics are also followers of Christ.

[django]

Originally Posted by sky123

Christian - Follower of Christ.

Gnostics are also followers of Christ.

Some Gnostics are, some are not.

Gnosticism designates a complex religious and philosophical movement that started probably before Christianity and flourished from about 100 to 700 A.D. There were many Christian, Jewish and pagan Gnostic sects that stressed salvation through a secret "knowledge" or "Gnosis."

The term "Gnostics" was first applied by second and third century patristic writers to a large number of teachers, such as Valentinus, Basilides and many others; all of whom were regarded by the Church Fathers as Christian heretics. Although Marcion and his community stand somewhat apart, certain features are common to the movement as a whole.

Today gnosticism is defined as a religion in its own right, whose myths state that the Unknown God is not the creator (Demiurge, YHVH); that the world is an error, the consequence of a fall and split within the deity; and that man, spiritual man, is alien to the natural world and related to the deity, and he becomes conscious of his deepest self when he hears the word of revelation. Unconsciousness, not sin or guilt, is the cause of evil.

http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/p.../chapter4.html

Do Gnostic Christians accept the bible, or only Gnostic texts?

[django]

Originally Posted by ketzer

Is it not narrowness of mind and intolerance of other beliefs, at least within your own mind, what you are seeking to practice. If one preaches what christianity teaches, that only the christian path leads to god, then yes, if another believes that the path to find god is much wider and open to any who seek in their own way, then they will perceive you as narrow minded. Do not many christians choose to close their minds to other ideas and teachings about god so as not be be lead astray from the “one true path”.

I've come at it from the opposite side, I have explored many paths, but when against the wall, I needed the name of Jesus to get me past the closed door. Thus my current exploration of Christianity, and my genuine surprise to find that Christians are considered politically incorrect in so many ways. It's something I just have to explore for a while until I can make sense of it.

Originally Posted by ketzer

If so, then yes, those who have kept their minds open and sought knowledge and wisdom from many different paths are going to look at them as being inferior in intellect. Not so much as inferior in intelligence, but deficient in the wider knowledge and perspective that come from keeping one's mind open to new knowledge, perspectives, and wisdom. As for being politically incorrect, well, if one preaches that there is only one path to avoid damnation and find god, and others are not on it, yes, they may find that offensive. But as you say, you are sure of your beliefs, so that is the price you must be willing to pay to be true to them. So yes, you are right, you are stuck here, but only because you have chosen to stand hear, and believe you cannot do otherwise.

Originally Posted by django

I've come at it from the opposite side, I have explored many paths, but when against the wall, I needed the name of Jesus to get me past the closed door. Thus my current exploration of Christianity, and my genuine surprise to find that Christians are considered politically incorrect in so many ways. It's something I just have to explore for a while until I can make sense of it.

This is the value of walking vs letting someone else drive you there. One knows how they got to where they are and how to get back there again should they discover they have become lost.

"I needed the name of Jesus to get me past the closed door. "

I have found it to be a necessary but not sufficient ingredient. Unfortunately, it seems some who declare themselves followers of Jesus want to close that door to anybody who does believe precisely as they do. IMO, there is something missing in that recipe for finding God within oneself.

[sky]

Originally Posted by django

Some Gnostics are, some are not.



Do Gnostic Christians accept the bible, or only Gnostic texts?

Do all Christians accept the bible?

You will find that it's sometimes pick and choose
Whatever makes sense you will use and the silliness is ignored, unless of course you are totally ' Brainwashed ' .

[django]

Originally Posted by ketzer

This is the value of walking vs letting someone else drive you there. One knows how they got to where they are and how to get back there again should they discover they have become lost.



I have found it to be a necessary but not sufficient ingredient. Unfortunately, it seems some who declare themselves followers of Jesus want to close that door to anybody who does believe precisely as they do. IMO, there is something missing in that recipe for finding God within oneself.

Necessary but not sufficient ingredient - care to enlarge on this?

[django]

Originally Posted by sky123

Do all Christians accept the bible?

You will find that it's sometimes pick and choose
Whatever makes sense you will use and the silliness is ignored, unless of course you are totally ' Brainwashed ' .

I think some of the silliness might be more valuable than we realise, throwing out what one deems silly is after all just the mundane mind making its endless judgements, not some heavenly decreed truth.

Something like the Holy Spirit descending, I think there is a deep truth contained here, you might decide it's silly and irrelevant, but you might be throwing out the baby with the bath water.