[Jm_]

I’m not even going to attempt to explain (or understand) the whole “Trinity”, I personally don’t give it much thought in my understanding of my faith. I do so for two primary reasons:
A) Ask any Jew to explain how God is omnipotent and yet humans have free will and they’ll tell you it’s a mystery. That mode of thinking, that Hebrew/Eastern way of thinking is very comfortable holding two seemingly contradictory ideas to be simultaneously true. Our Greek/Western educated minds hate trying to resolve that. I’m comfortable with embracing the mystery.
B) Second, WTF does it matter? My job is to live out as best I can the teachings of Jesus and as a byproduct bring heaven to earth in every way I can. What does it really matter if I have the “Trinity” idea understood or lined up correctly in my mind?
.

Um, it absolutely matters if you are going to believe in that religion. If the "trinity" and the things within it are one, you are not just trying to live your life like jesus intended, you are living it like god intended, and the holy spirit (whatever that is) intended. So you go into the bible and look at all of those things. If it's one, it has to be the other, according to the logic of the "trinity". Of course, when you do this, you see absolutely horrific things that god (jesus and holy spirit) did. I'd say that more people live by the "teachings of jesus" and do not believe in christianity than actual christians. If you actually read and see what it tells you to do, most people do not do this out of convenience, wanting to have nice material things, wanting to have their own kids, wanting a retirement, and so on.

I understand the trinity just fine, it just makes no sense.

The point is it makes no sense, man continually tries to do this and formulate interpretations that "make sense", hence tens of thousands of religions in this world. This is people making up stories to explain things that contradict, are against what they'd like, and that simply make no sense. This is the premise of religion, making up stories for things that are not understood and to deal with the fear of dying.

 

[$tinkle]

Ill post some viddys for you since obviously its easier to watch a video then reading an actual book.

sam is interesting, but even if my feeble mind can trip him up every 3min, then i quickly grow bored. he's no bertrand russell to be sure. and dawkins is little more than an evangelist for intellectual arrogance (admittedly, some of his targets are well deserved, but it seems to be his go-to move).

This is the premise of religion, making up stories for things that are not understood and to deal with the fear of dying.

that's the ugly side: emotional manipulation. i cannot be manipulated into this since my late teens. am i enlightened? and even if i didn't have this "insurance policy", what's there to fear? my brain will no longer be fed oxygen enriched blood, and can no longer process emotions. actually, that sounds liberating, too

 

[Andyman_1970]

Um, it absolutely matters if you are going to believe in that religion.

Some rabbi’s I know would disagree with you……….they’d argue how one lives out their faith is more important than having all the “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed. Since they come from the culture that penned the Text I tend to lean towards their way of doing things.

I'd say that more people live by the "teachings of jesus" and do not believe in christianity than actual christians. If you actually read and see what it tells you to do, most people do not do this out of convenience, wanting to have nice material things, wanting to have their own kids, wanting a retirement, and so on.

I’d probably argue that is especially true with a large portion of evangelicals in the US.

 

[Andyman_1970]

that's the ugly side: emotional manipulation.

Saw a big "tweet war" on this very subject regarding Piper's now removed tweet that was the subject of the article you posted. Christian leaders in their power bubble tend to use this alot............