Yes they have misinterpreted the Bible, but also they don’t seem to be liars. Their faith appears to be entirely sincere, and there’s no evidence they are lying. From the outside, they look as serious as every other Christian, which is to say it’s all ridiculous.
I don’t want to make assumptions about you, but your point is the sort of “no true Scotsman” argument Christians like to make about the “other” Christians they don’t agree with. Believers can see and point out the flaws in the beliefs of others, but all religions are down in the same irrational hole.
Just because you find it ridiculous doesn’t mean that they aren’t sincere. You’re assuming that people cannot convince themselves of a delusion so hard that they fully believe it.
Consider Catholics who believe that wine and bread turn to blood and flesh when blessed by a priest, or Young Earth Creationists who reject the whole of modern science because their holy scripture says that the earth is less than 10,000 years old, or faith healers, or people who pray for miracles, or people who believe in ghosts, or a global flood, or the stories of Adam and Eve, or a burning bush passing down commandments, or that Moses brought plagues to free the Jewish slaves in Egypt, or that Christ was born of a virgin and rose from the dead. All of those beliefs are equally irrational.
It doesn’t matter at all if their interpretation of the Bible contradicts with your interpretation of the Bible, because the Bible is not a source of literal truth. It contains many demonstrably false statements, and a myriad of contradictory statements. Even as a source of allegorical morality tales, the Bible is lacking by any modern standard.
All of the beliefs I listed are demonstrably false, and anyone promoting them really ought to know better. There are hucksters who promote lies, and there are true believers that promote delusions. Speaking in tongues is equally valid, and equally supported by the Bible as anything else I listed. People who speak in tongues have undergone fMRI testing, and neurologically speaking, there’s no evidence they are lying. They are vocalizing without sctivating the speach center of their brains. It’s weird, but it’s not magic.
I understand you don’t like the truth, but all magical thinking is the same. You want to look down on other people who have different beliefs than you. You want them to be stupid, because their ideas are so obviously false. You believe your interpretation of your holy scripture is the correct one, because that is the comforting idea that keeps away the existential fear of oblivion.
Think about how arrogant that sounds to an outsider.
Yes they have misinterpreted the Bible, but also they don’t seem to be liars. Their faith appears to be entirely sincere, and there’s no evidence they are lying. From the outside, they look as serious as every other Christian, which is to say it’s all ridiculous.
I don’t want to make assumptions about you, but your point is the sort of “no true Scotsman” argument Christians like to make about the “other” Christians they don’t agree with. Believers can see and point out the flaws in the beliefs of others, but all religions are down in the same irrational hole.
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Just because you find it ridiculous doesn’t mean that they aren’t sincere. You’re assuming that people cannot convince themselves of a delusion so hard that they fully believe it.
Consider Catholics who believe that wine and bread turn to blood and flesh when blessed by a priest, or Young Earth Creationists who reject the whole of modern science because their holy scripture says that the earth is less than 10,000 years old, or faith healers, or people who pray for miracles, or people who believe in ghosts, or a global flood, or the stories of Adam and Eve, or a burning bush passing down commandments, or that Moses brought plagues to free the Jewish slaves in Egypt, or that Christ was born of a virgin and rose from the dead. All of those beliefs are equally irrational.
It doesn’t matter at all if their interpretation of the Bible contradicts with your interpretation of the Bible, because the Bible is not a source of literal truth. It contains many demonstrably false statements, and a myriad of contradictory statements. Even as a source of allegorical morality tales, the Bible is lacking by any modern standard.
You think they are ridiculous. Matthew 7:3
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All of the beliefs I listed are demonstrably false, and anyone promoting them really ought to know better. There are hucksters who promote lies, and there are true believers that promote delusions. Speaking in tongues is equally valid, and equally supported by the Bible as anything else I listed. People who speak in tongues have undergone fMRI testing, and neurologically speaking, there’s no evidence they are lying. They are vocalizing without sctivating the speach center of their brains. It’s weird, but it’s not magic.
I understand you don’t like the truth, but all magical thinking is the same. You want to look down on other people who have different beliefs than you. You want them to be stupid, because their ideas are so obviously false. You believe your interpretation of your holy scripture is the correct one, because that is the comforting idea that keeps away the existential fear of oblivion.
Think about how arrogant that sounds to an outsider.