I'm Ditching Any Trace of Christian Fundamentalism (agnostic, worship, punishment)
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Interesting. I didn't know the reasons he dislikes uni's so intensely is that he's gotten some rough treatment from them. I thought his dislike stemmed strictly from doctrinal differences.
I know that he used to allow unis to post on the boards...but then had to shut that board down specifically due to some major issues.
Quote:
See, the thing is, nearly all uni's like myself were once ET'ers who just happened to be willing to delve a little into the scriptures to see what they really say about damnation. When we started uncovering verses like, "ALL shall be made alive" and "God will have everyone saved" and "God is the savior of ALL men" we did a double-take and said, "Wait a minute. I was always taught that baloney that God is infinite, therefore a sin against an infinite God requires an infinite punishment", nevermind that nowhere in the Bible is that nonsense mentioned---it's just a man-made doctrine to justify eternal torment when ET'er are confronted with scriptures like the ones I mentioned above and dozens others.
So a few ET'ers who are willing to study the topic make the switch, but the vast majority of fundamentalists hold their ground and resist any attempts by uni's to show them the scriptures, instead threatening them with "You're going to go to hell and burn for all eternity if you keep on this path". On the other hand, I've never seen a uni go over to ET. Wonder why.
Probably for the same reason that I've never seen a liberal theologian turn more conservative. Or a seminary, once it's gone liberal, goes conservative again.
You're right. i tend to get carried away at times and I apologize. I retract that statement. If you'll notice I wasn't referring to everyone who's fundamentalist, just the leaders basically. But I do get irritated as "hell" when they come up to me and say, "If you don't change your thinking you are going to go to hell and burn for all eternity". That really sets me off.
PS You're a very nice person , Mountains. I wish all fundamentalists were like you.
hee hee hee - I wish all fundamentalists were like me too - A MAINSTREAM CHRISTIAN and not "fundamentalist" at all
Hinn and his kindred are not fundamental Christians, they are fundamental scam artists. The King James does not teach tithing for Christians and neither did Jesus or Paul. The mention of tithing by Jesus was when He was telling a Jewish Pharisee what he should do as a strict Jew. No Christian was ever told to tithe. Paul's collection of offerings was not a tithe but a relief effort for the Christians going through hard times and persecution in Jerusalem.
I am saddened that you have allowed these false teachers to cause you to doubt the truth of God's Word. Swedenbourg was a mystic, not a Christian. Please be careful; Eternity is a long time. Not all will be saved. Universalism is a false teaching.
hee hee hee - I wish all fundamentalists were like me too - A MAINSTREAM CHRISTIAN and not "fundamentalist" at all
Oh, okay. See, I didn't want to assume you were fundamentalist, loves. But I realized it could read both ways, as assuming you were fundy and assuming you were not.
Welcome home. Christ was a pragmatist not a fundamentalist. Dogma and ritual are a waste of life. So is institutionalized thinking in the form of a "church"......Doubt is a part of faith...blind faith is simply blind.
Don't mean to have a sinful attitude about this but I've come to detest anything that smacks of Fundamentalist Christianity. Christian fundamentalists are the scum of the earth, I've come to believe with their fright tactics of eternal torment to scare fools into tithing to them to make them wealthy (Hinn, Crouches, Jakes, Dollar, Meyers, Copeland and the rest of that motley crew over at TBN), their prosperity gospel that not giving money to them is robbing God and will send you to hell to burn in flames for eternity(ugh!), that we are almost in the tribulation and the rapture is just around the corner (like it has been for the last 2000 years) and so it is more vital than every that you give more and more money to help them get the word out that Armageddon is almost upon us; and their narrow-minded beliefs that they are God's chosen and that everyone else outside their tight-knit community is going straight to hell to burn for eternity.
So I divorced myself completely and utterly from anything that sniffs of it. I stay away from organized corporate religious institutions; don't read the King James or any later editions of the "inerrant" Bible that is so full of holes it leaks like a trough riddled with buckshot; don't get anywhere near televangelists.
I feel so clean now it's like I took a 10-hour shower with the strongest antibacterial soap on the market.
I embrace Swedenborgism which makes the most sense to me with its universal idealism. Still keep Jesus as my Lord and Savior and that's about all I take out of the Bible. The rest is hash and just grist for endless debates that lead nowhere.
On the other hand, I've never seen a uni go over to ET. Wonder why.
It is b/c the path out burns the bridges behind. Like I said earlier, folk may choose to stay in UR for a long time but really the doctrine has merely dissed hell and even then, Unis are not uniform in their beliefs.
You still have all the other illogical aspects that must be ignored. UR is fundamentalism just w/o hell, everyone wins, everyone goes to heaven etc. It really is still silly as an afterlife is still illogical, as Freddy Mercury sang, who wants to live forever? Based on what the bible states, you still have to attend a 24/infinity church service, casting crowns etc. These aspects serve no purpose but to veil the fact that we are all mortal and at death, it is all over, the "fat lady" actually sings her last repertoire.
When you no longer fear death, you will find less need to hold onto this false and vain hope.
It is b/c the path out burns the bridges behind. Like I said earlier, folk may choose to stay in UR for a long time but really the doctrine has merely dissed hell and even then, Unis are not uniform in their beliefs.
You still have all the other illogical aspects that must be ignored. UR is fundamentalism just w/o hell, everyone wins, everyone goes to heaven etc. It really is still silly as an afterlife is still illogical, as Freddy Mercury sang, who wants to live forever? Based on what the bible states, you still have to attend a 24/infinity church service, casting crowns etc. These aspects serve no purpose but to veil the fact that we are all mortal and at death, it is all over, the "fat lady" actually sings her last repertoire.
When you no longer fear death, you will find less need to hold onto this false and vain hope.
Most fundy's have this misconception of what uni's believe. They can't seem to shake this misconception that uni's believe that sinners will skate into heaven punishment-free sin and all. It's not like that at all.
Here:
Regarding "Universal Restoration", I would like to point out that it is nothing like the belief system of "Universalism". What I have noticed is that some Christians like to put both views together as one. They like to call all those who believe in "Universal Restoration", Universalists. There is a massive difference between a "Univeralist" and one who believes in "Universal Restoration".
Here are just a few of the differences:
Universalists may or may not believe in Hell or Punishment.
Universal Restorationists believe in Hell, just as you do, yet do not believe it lasts forever. Basically, the only difference between you and a Universal Restorationist is they believe God disciplines non-believers for a finite period of time, rather than punishing forever.
Universalists many do not believe you need to repent or have faith in Jesus Christ. They just believe everyone gets to Heaven.
Universal Restorationists believe one needs to have faith in Christ and repent of their sins, whether it is in this life, or in the next, or the one after (There are 3 Ages: Now, The Intermediate State, The Judgement).
Universalists often deny much of what the New Testament teaches (consequences of sin, requirement of faith, upholding God's Holiness, etc).
The Universal Restorationist upholds all the main tenants of Christianity, along with its Creeds.
Hopefully, if you took the time to read that you saw that there are vast differences between "universalists" and "universal restorationists". I profess UR. Creeps like John MacAurthur, Franklin Graham and Hank Hanegraff try to paint UR's as being part of the camp of straight universalists in order to slander them. It is despicable what MacArthur does but there is no level to which he will not stoop to denigrate anything that sniffs of 97% of humanity bound for hell by his standards actually getting a second chance---like the idea of most of humanity going to heaven is so repugnant to him and to other Calvinists, ET'ers and their ilk that it makes him vomit just to think God would actually love His children enough to want to give them a second chance. I know parents who give their wayward children 50, 60, 100 chances and God, according to MacArthur, gives His children none except here on earth. That makes us infinitely better parents than God ever dreamed of being if MacAurthur is right.
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I wish all fundamentalists were like you. 
