Can you still be a Christian if

[Trevorum]

In the 1976 cult classic, "The Passover Plot," Jesus was played by the Jewish actor Zalman King. I remember thinking it was great casting because he actually looked semitic, unlike Jeffrey Hunter.

 

[packsaddle]

Yep, that was a fun movie. I always like Donald Pleasance...don't know why. But he was cast in the right part for him.

[BadenP]

Scoutfish

 

You are perfectly free to believe anything you want, but when you attack how some others might believe with no support/evidence for your claims and in a very caustic and derrogatory manner you have to expect some will be offended and lash back.

 

Look, in my life I have had some very serious run-ins and conflicts with the Catholic clergy to the point where I felt there was truly no mercy or justice to be found, but rather a corrupt institution of self serving individuals hiding behind their collars, so I left. Now I am an ordained minister in a small nondenominational Christian church and have never been happier. My point is our life experiences make us who we are and what we believe. No one should ever say to you that there is only ONE way to believe because that simply is not true. I truly wish you peace and happiness in your life.

[Scoutfish]

Baden,

 

" You are perfectly free to believe anything you want, but when you attack how some others might believe with no support/evidence for your claims and in a very caustic and derrogatory manner you have to expect some will be offended and lash back."

 

 

Yeah, here's the problem though:

 

I did not attack anybody for what they believe. Not one time. I did explain why I MYSELF am not into the " whole" organized religion thing. I explain my reasons why I do not follow the entire organized religion ideal.

 

I did not question anybody elses reasons and repeatedly said in this particular thread ( as well as others before this one) that I respect others rights as well as defend their rights to their beliefs even if I did not share those beliefs myself.

 

Matter of fact, I have argues in support of people having their own beliefs and have argued for people who were predjudicedly vilified due to different beliefs. I do not think any person on this site has shown more tolerance of individual beliefs than I have. Not saying nobody else does, just that I am right there in the crowd with everybody else who are tolerable to indiviuality and diversity of beliefs, religions and lifestyles.

 

I did not call any one person to task to explain or justify their beliefs or veiws. I did not say anybody offended me by having different views. I did not say that they should give evidence and that I would shoot it full of holes before I even knew what it was going to be.

 

It was demanded of me to provide evidence as to why I felt the way I did..which I provided knowing full well that somebody who doesn't respect my beliefs will brush aside anything I say without so much as milliseconds thought. Matter of fact, they already knew before I even gave the evidence - that they were going to blow it off and shoot holes in any thing I might possibly say.

 

But, that didn't change that I gave light to what I consider evidence.

 

I have my evidence as to why I feel the way I do..but did not demand that anybody else change thier views based on my evidence.

 

All I did was say I did not need somebody to reconcile my views any more than they needed me to reconcile theirs.

 

I also responded to somebody's personal suggestion of staying out of the forums if I could not accept their veiws and beliefs.

 

Really? If I can't change my views to suit them I should leave? Kinda arrogant or selfish don't you think?

 

I then responded that since I did not share that other persons beliefs, I could easily say the same thing to that person - who showed to have issues with different beliefs and takes offense to others having different beliefs than their own.

 

But then I said that I wasn't going to make that suggestion since I do not work that way.

 

So, what I am hearing is that since I have no issue with others having their own beliefs, and since I support their right to have those beliefs.... but not sharing those beliefs myself...I am caustic and offensive.............

 

But people can post about what is the one and only correct way to think or believe AND will not accept anyone else having their own beliefs without offering to re-educate them and insultingly point out their failings ...isn't being caustic and offensive?

 

Surely you must be kidding!

 

I did not push my beliefs over anybody elses, nor did I ask them to change their views, accept my

reconciling of their thinking or demanding they provide evidence to me in order suit me or meet my approval about what they believe.

 

I'm sorry, but if treating others with respect and tolerance towards their beliefs and expecting them to treat me the same way is wrong...Then I will just be wrong!

 

 

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

Faith, practice, and belief systems are personal choices. None of us have the answers, all we can do it follow our own faith and support others choices, even if we don't understand them. Life is a journey of discovery.

[Once_Eagle-Always_Eagle]

I have had some time to relax and think about the different replies from different people. I believe the root of the heated exchanges stems from a disagreement of whether or not truth is knowable/relative.

 

The majority of posters in this thread appear to believe that truth is not knowable or it is relative to the position of the person trying to discover truth. There are others (and I put myself in this camp) that contend truth is absolute and can be known through study and pursuit.

 

Our difference in this position is worthy of a different thread on its own and I suspect at the end of it, we would find ourselves agreeing to disagree.