Counseling doubters

[Sfedler]

I had to laugh  at my local paper last night.  They have a brief section each week  - a little blurb that looks like an advertisement - sponsored by the churches in the surrounding communities where they provide a paragraph talking about a particular issue and stressing how to lead a more "Christian" life, how to handle situations as an ethical Christian, etc.  It's really just a lot of common sense about how we need to care for one another and be good people - call it humanism with a Christian spin.

Anyway, last night's blurb was about how to comfort those peolple to who have doubts about their faith, or how one should react if they encounter someone who doesn't believe god exists. 

What was their advice?  A good Christian should just point out to the nonbeliever that God still loves them, even if they don't believe in him, and it may help to point out the beauty of nature.  The advice of course does not say anything about trying to understand WHY the nonbeliever feels the way they do, only to instantly put a smackdown on their nonbelief by stating that "God still loves you anyway, now isn't nature pretty?".

I just found it amusing.

[shortbeagles]

You know, I sometimes wonder what motivates some Christians or churchs.

In my opinion, I'm not sure that telling a person that someone that they don't believe in still loves them so why don't they start believing in them would be the best approach to the situation.  And the part about nature?!?  Ok, I can see that they are saying that God created the pretty nature.  So be it but I guess what has that got to do with a person that doesn't believe in God or for that matter why would that person care?

[Sfedler]

Exactly.

[irelandmc]

I was recently talking with a Christian friend of mine who has invited me to express my beliefs freely in conversation. She said something about the evidence of God is everywhere - assentially the beauty of nature thing. I said "That's great, so then shouldn't you be able to learn all you need to know about God from the evidence he has left all around us?"

"Yes."

"But the Bible cannot be derived from nature. Does that mean it is unnecessary for understanding God?"

"..................................................yes."

[Sfedler]

Nice.

Having just finished reading the Bible, my first impression thus far has been 'mythological'.  Much like Greek mythology, which predates the Bible, the Bible has many elements characteristic of mythology, i.e larger-than-life characters displaying superhuman strength, fanciful stories about demons and spirits, dramatic imaginings of other-worldly entities, almost cartoon-ish 'superpowers' to heal and control the natural elements, etc.  It could be argued the Bible was the mythology of the region at the time.

The 'love thy neighbor as yourself' sections in the Gospels are one of the truer aspects in the Bible, but even those concepts predate Christ - and indeed much of the Old Testament - by way of the Code of Hammurabi and other texts.  The presentation was very original, but I think the actual ideas were not new.