I don't know where on earth you're finding these Christians. That's all I can say.Winston wrote:Bella,
I have asked Christians, including the most well read and devout, those questions. They had no answer except the typical "The Bible is true cause it's God's word. The Bible is God's word cause it says so. I've been born again by accepting Christ so I know it's true." It was completely circular. They had no real answer or rock solid evidence or logical reason. This has happened with a ton of Christians. So who else do you want me to ask?
Maybe they just don't want to defend their beliefs to you? If someone pressed me on my beliefs in real life I'd find it intolerably rude and would give them an answer such as 'I just believe it'. It doesn't mean that's true, or that's all there is to it, it means I would rather infuriate them than dance to their tune. It's none of their business. If someone is genuinely interested, that shows itself.
I doubt any Christian, or any religious person, or any atheist, has swam through life without questioning their beliefs to make sure they really agree. Humans are curious, questioning, they want to believe they're right. Christians are not exempt from this.
I'm not avoiding answering them because they are too hard to answer. They're not actually ground-breaking questions and are not going to make Christians gasp in realisation and immediately renounce their religion. It's nothing no one has heard before. If someone I knew asked me in sincerity I'd give my answers. But I'm not going to make a spectacle of my personal beliefs on the internet for someone to masturbate their ego with. I don't mind what you believe and have no interest in converting you to anything else, but it annoys me when people talk as if Christians are slack-jawed retards who have no capability of reason. This says more about them than the Christians they are patronising.Unfortunately, you've done the same by avoiding the questions put forth to you. Why? Why is it so hard to answer them? They are serious crucial questions.
You know I was just making a point about how your energies are so focused on one religion.Ok sure, if it makes you happy, I'll do the same with Islam. Here it goes:
"There is no logical basis for the belief that the Koran is the infallible word of God or that Islam is absolute truth and above questioning."
Is that better?
Ok, so now you're not arguing against Christianity but the fundamentalist Christianity you're familiar with.Btw, if you are a Christian who does not believe in a literal hell, that's fine. I am not attacking your version of Christianity, but the fundamentalist version that I was taught and that pervades America. Why do you have a problem with that?
I can't defend that, so don't bring me into it!
I gave you lots of links to read concerning this, on this very thread. If you're going to ignore them and pursue the subject anyway, I'm not going to go and bring it all back up.This is more due to Christianity being watered down and becoming wishy-washy than it is to do with the abandonment of the idea of hell. It was only aged 17 that I was confronted with the doctine of hell fully. Nevertheless, the doctine is firmly in place in all Protestant sects and in Catholicism. Only fringe groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses have no hell (and maybe the Seventh Day Adventists, not sure).
These girls on your forum are possibly not aware of the real Christian teachings on hell through a lack of emphasis on it publicly.
I have read many Evangelical writers, both American and British, and there is almost complete agreement about the idea that non-believers go to hell.
I don't know who your friend is but perhaps he should go beyond evangelical hard-liners before he dismisses everything else as being 'wishy-washy' and presumes that anyone different to those he's used to are 'not aware of real Christian teachings'.