Post by aric on Apr 10, 2005 21:18:12 GMT -5
Going over the "Atheists Convert Now!!!" thread and the "What does it mean to be Christian" thread, I've thought of something.
There's a sentiment that I'm catching that has to do with the exclusivity of Christian dogma when it comes to the Truth. Part of this has to do with salvation being linked to adherence to only the Bible and acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior.
Here's a few excerpted quotes:
I was running through some of the old parables about the blind men and the elephant and I ran across this essay.
I found his analog of the Judeo-Christian God as the elephant and Christians (or perhaps even religious people in general) as being the blind men to be rather interesting.
Here, you have people trying to understand the nature of something that they cannot truly grasp in absolute terms. In the parable, the people's blindess prevents them from seeing the true nature of the elephant, and thus they must try to determine it through other, perhaps less perfect means. Obviously, the elephant symbolizes God. However, let me point out that God Himself isn't laying around for people to analyze. Rather, it is through writings about God and gods that we can determine God's Will and nature.
So, this brings me to the original idea that one must accept the Bible and Jesus Christ. If we were to logically expand the blind men parable analogy, people who say that are really only looking at one aspect of the subject and making broad generalizations about its entirety. The parable tells us that we have to look at all aspects of what we have about God and gods and put the larger picture together by looking at the evidence. This means it's not only the Bible, but also the Quran, the Rig Vedas, and such.
So, what do the resident Christians think?
And by the way, Me. This one is deliberately provocative.
- Aric
P.S. - Interestingly, what the author of that essay is talking about is peer review. Something I think science does much better, BTW.
There's a sentiment that I'm catching that has to do with the exclusivity of Christian dogma when it comes to the Truth. Part of this has to do with salvation being linked to adherence to only the Bible and acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior.
Here's a few excerpted quotes:
THE BIBLE
Our only authority is the Bible.
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are inspired of God, without error, and complete.
Our only authority is the Bible.
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are inspired of God, without error, and complete.
SALVATION
There is no way to get to God other than through God's son Jesus.
Whoever will turn from sin and trust forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice, accepting him as Lord, will experience the newness of life which the Bible refers to as being "born again."
It is by God's power alone that we are given this new eternal life. We have no merit to earn or keep it on our own.
There is no way to get to God other than through God's son Jesus.
Whoever will turn from sin and trust forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice, accepting him as Lord, will experience the newness of life which the Bible refers to as being "born again."
It is by God's power alone that we are given this new eternal life. We have no merit to earn or keep it on our own.
I was running through some of the old parables about the blind men and the elephant and I ran across this essay.
Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant
Four blind men come across an elephant. They decide to feel the elephant to determine what sort of creature it is. One blind man feels the back leg of the elephant. He says, "An elephant is like a tree." The second blind man feels the trunk. He says, "An elephant is like a snake." The third blind man feels the tail. He says, "An elephant is like a rope." The fourth blind man is afraid. He doesn't feel the elephant at all.
The three blind men argue a long time about what an elephant is and based on their own personal experience each is right. Christians believe that knowing God is like this. Each person experiences God in a somewhat different way. This is one source of disagreement among Christians.
If the fourth blind man who has no real experience with the elephant, joins the argument, lying and saying that when he felt the elephant it was a large furry beast with sharp fangs and a drooling mouth, the issue will be greatly confused. How will the blind men know what to believe and what not to believe. The same situation occurs in Christianity. From time to time people come along telling us things about God that are not true. For a time (maybe decades or even centuries) Christians are confused, not knowing what to believe. This is another source of disagreement among Christians.
If the blind men continue to interact with the elephant, to experience it in new ways, and to share their experiences, it will not be long until they figure out that fur, fangs, and a drooling mouth don't fit with the other things they have learned about elephants. The blind man who has been afraid to touch the elephant will be found out. We believe that a similar process works with our attempts to know what God is like. Over the centuries, honest and intelligent men; great thinkers and scholars; and ordinary, genuine people have thousands of daily experiences with God. They write books, teach classes, and meet to share their experiences. Gradually over time, misconceptions will be corrected and a better understanding of God will emerge.
It is through this gradual, developmental process that we come to know God.
For a nice poem based on an ancient version of the story see A Hindu fable by John Godfrey Saxe. An ancient version of the story can be found at world.std.com/~metta/canon/khuddaka/udana/ud6.html. Send comments to:
Steve Falkenberg
Steve.Falkenberg@eku.edu
Copyright © 1996 Steve Falkenberg
Four blind men come across an elephant. They decide to feel the elephant to determine what sort of creature it is. One blind man feels the back leg of the elephant. He says, "An elephant is like a tree." The second blind man feels the trunk. He says, "An elephant is like a snake." The third blind man feels the tail. He says, "An elephant is like a rope." The fourth blind man is afraid. He doesn't feel the elephant at all.
The three blind men argue a long time about what an elephant is and based on their own personal experience each is right. Christians believe that knowing God is like this. Each person experiences God in a somewhat different way. This is one source of disagreement among Christians.
If the fourth blind man who has no real experience with the elephant, joins the argument, lying and saying that when he felt the elephant it was a large furry beast with sharp fangs and a drooling mouth, the issue will be greatly confused. How will the blind men know what to believe and what not to believe. The same situation occurs in Christianity. From time to time people come along telling us things about God that are not true. For a time (maybe decades or even centuries) Christians are confused, not knowing what to believe. This is another source of disagreement among Christians.
If the blind men continue to interact with the elephant, to experience it in new ways, and to share their experiences, it will not be long until they figure out that fur, fangs, and a drooling mouth don't fit with the other things they have learned about elephants. The blind man who has been afraid to touch the elephant will be found out. We believe that a similar process works with our attempts to know what God is like. Over the centuries, honest and intelligent men; great thinkers and scholars; and ordinary, genuine people have thousands of daily experiences with God. They write books, teach classes, and meet to share their experiences. Gradually over time, misconceptions will be corrected and a better understanding of God will emerge.
It is through this gradual, developmental process that we come to know God.
For a nice poem based on an ancient version of the story see A Hindu fable by John Godfrey Saxe. An ancient version of the story can be found at world.std.com/~metta/canon/khuddaka/udana/ud6.html. Send comments to:
Steve Falkenberg
Steve.Falkenberg@eku.edu
Copyright © 1996 Steve Falkenberg
I found his analog of the Judeo-Christian God as the elephant and Christians (or perhaps even religious people in general) as being the blind men to be rather interesting.
Here, you have people trying to understand the nature of something that they cannot truly grasp in absolute terms. In the parable, the people's blindess prevents them from seeing the true nature of the elephant, and thus they must try to determine it through other, perhaps less perfect means. Obviously, the elephant symbolizes God. However, let me point out that God Himself isn't laying around for people to analyze. Rather, it is through writings about God and gods that we can determine God's Will and nature.
So, this brings me to the original idea that one must accept the Bible and Jesus Christ. If we were to logically expand the blind men parable analogy, people who say that are really only looking at one aspect of the subject and making broad generalizations about its entirety. The parable tells us that we have to look at all aspects of what we have about God and gods and put the larger picture together by looking at the evidence. This means it's not only the Bible, but also the Quran, the Rig Vedas, and such.
So, what do the resident Christians think?
And by the way, Me. This one is deliberately provocative.
- Aric
P.S. - Interestingly, what the author of that essay is talking about is peer review. Something I think science does much better, BTW.