Zone1 Question for Christians

[BULLDOG]

That is a false understanding, as has been explained to you multiple times. At this point, you're merely clinging to your understanding and not willing to even consider something different. The fact that God creates people that He knows will reject Him just illustrates His fairness and justice. He isn't in the business of creating mindless robots.

Nobody has explained anything. A couple have attempted to say that God wasn't as heartless as Paul said he was, but never mentioned what they based that on. I might be able to accept that, but that would mean most of the new testiment was written by someone teaching false Christianity.

 

[hadit]

Nobody has explained anything. A couple have attempted to say that God wasn't as heartless as Paul said he was, but never mentioned what they based that on. I might be able to accept that, but that would mean most of the new testiment was written by someone teaching false Christianity.

I think your problem lies in understanding the difference between foreknowledge and causation. God knows who will reject Him long before they are born. Sure, He could just prevent them from being born, but that would result in Him removing their freedom to choose Him or not. He's not forcing them to reject Him against their will, He just knows if they will or not.

You have no standing to say that God is heartless, in fact He is completely the opposite. He waits an incredibly long time before meting out justice and extends mercy to all who repent.

It just sounds like you want to accuse Him of being heartless for meting out justice on the unrepentant. That's neither fair nor accurate. Answer this, should God judge the unrepentant who ignore all His warnings or not?

 

[Meriweather]

The OP presented one question. In light of Paul's remarks in Romans, were some people created by god for the sole purpose of sending to hell? People who are condemned at birth, and nothing they will ever believe or do will ever change that. If the answer is yes, that doesn't sound like a god worth worshipping. If the answer is no, then the purported author of most of the new testiment was teaching false doctrine, and most of the new testiment is not a valid representation of Christianity.

Are you aware that our current concept of hell did not take root until medieval times? Our word 'hell' didn't appear until the 700s; Dante's Inferno was written in the 1200. Paul's letters were in Greek--and there wasn't even a word for 'hell' in that language.

Paul spoke of evil, and that there would be trouble and distress for those who do evil; glory and honor for those who do good. Keep in mind in Jesus' time 'eternal' was used as something always present, no beginning, no end.

Our own modern view of what the Apostles and authors must have meant when they said something like "trouble and distress" has been filtered through a concept of hell that did not even come into being until centuries after Christ and the Apostles walked the earth.

Today (thanks to medieval literature), some read, "Those who do not believe in Christ will be condemned" and immediately picture a hellish place John did not even know existed. "Condemned" at that time would have meant condemned to go on with what John saw as an already miserable way of life. They can't enter into a new way of life.

Paul was in anguish, trying to make sense of why some of his people did not see Jesus as he saw Jesus. He ruminated that if everyone had, the Jewish way was to keep their faith and practices to themselves, a people set apart. The very fact that all did not accept what Paul and the other Apostles were teaching was why they began proclaiming Christ to the Gentiles. Paul ends by saying, God used unbelieving Jews to spread God's word out into the rest of the world, and in the end the world would bring Jews back to believing in Christ. While Paul was in despair at the time, when he looked into the future, all he saw was glory and honor to God from all.

Since it was the medieval mind that came up with hell, not Paul, take hell out of it. Paul is saying God has a purpose--and all, no matter what side of the coin they are on--are used for God's purposes. And God's purpose is to, in the end, draw all back to Him.

This is not "picking and choosing" what is in scripture. It is studying--in depth--the mind and the intent of the original author. And the original author lived long before medieval times.

 

[Meriweather]

Apparently, no ,make that obviously, you missed many days of studying.

Grin. Or added many more days beyond what you studied.

 

[hadit]

Are you aware that our current concept of hell did not take root until medieval times? Our word 'hell' didn't appear until the 700s; Dante's Inferno was written in the 1200. Paul's letters were in Greek--and there wasn't even a word for 'hell' in that language.

Paul spoke of evil, and that there would be trouble and distress for those who do evil; glory and honor for those who do good. Keep in mind in Jesus' time 'eternal' was used as something always present, no beginning, no end.

Our own modern view of what the Apostles and authors must have meant when they said something like "trouble and distress" has been filtered through a concept of hell that did not even come into being until centuries after Christ and the Apostles walked the earth.

Today (thanks to medieval literature), some read, "Those who do not believe in Christ will be condemned" and immediately picture a hellish place John did not even know existed. "Condemned" at that time would have meant condemned to go on with what John saw as an already miserable way of life. They can't enter into a new way of life.

Paul was in anguish, trying to make sense of why some of his people did not see Jesus as he saw Jesus. He ruminated that if everyone had, the Jewish way was to keep their faith and practices to themselves, a people set apart. The very fact that all did not accept what Paul and the other Apostles were teaching was why they began proclaiming Christ to the Gentiles. Paul ends by saying, God used unbelieving Jews to spread God's word out into the rest of the world, and in the end the world would bring Jews back to believing in Christ. While Paul was in despair at the time, when he looked into the future, all he saw was glory and honor to God from all.

Since it was the medieval mind that came up with hell, not Paul, take hell out of it. Paul is saying God has a purpose--and all, no matter what side of the coin they are on--are used for God's purposes. And God's purpose is to, in the end, draw all back to Him.

This is not "picking and choosing" what is in scripture. It is studying--in depth--the mind and the intent of the original author. And the original author lived long before medieval times.

Scripture does, however, refer to the place of punishment created for the devil and his angels, "gloomy dungeons", or "the abyss", and of course, the lake of fire where evil-doers are thrown.

 

[Meriweather]

Scripture does, however, refer to the place of punishment created for the devil and his angels, "gloomy dungeons", or "the abyss", and of course, the lake of fire where evil-doers are thrown.

I do believe a place of separation from God exists, where like those, who like the fallen angels, chose to have their own existence apart from God.

Jesus used fire in two ways. In one sense it was what our bad deeds can do to our emotions and lives, make them burn like the fires at the city dump. In the second sense fire purifies. Is the Lake of Fire a purifying fire that purifies all evil deeds and evil doers?

 

[BULLDOG]

I think your problem lies in understanding the difference between foreknowledge and causation. God knows who will reject Him long before they are born. Sure, He could just prevent them from being born, but that would result in Him removing their freedom to choose Him or not. He's not forcing them to reject Him against their will, He just knows if they will or not.

You have no standing to say that God is heartless, in fact He is completely the opposite. He waits an incredibly long time before meting out justice and extends mercy to all who repent.

It just sounds like you want to accuse Him of being heartless for meting out justice on the unrepentant. That's neither fair nor accurate. Answer this, should God judge the unrepentant who ignore all His warnings or not?

That's not what Paul said in Romans 9: 16-24

 

[BULLDOG]

Are you aware that our current concept of hell did not take root until medieval times? Our word 'hell' didn't appear until the 700s; Dante's Inferno was written in the 1200. Paul's letters were in Greek--and there wasn't even a word for 'hell' in that language.

Paul spoke of evil, and that there would be trouble and distress for those who do evil; glory and honor for those who do good. Keep in mind in Jesus' time 'eternal' was used as something always present, no beginning, no end.

Our own modern view of what the Apostles and authors must have meant when they said something like "trouble and distress" has been filtered through a concept of hell that did not even come into being until centuries after Christ and the Apostles walked the earth.

Today (thanks to medieval literature), some read, "Those who do not believe in Christ will be condemned" and immediately picture a hellish place John did not even know existed. "Condemned" at that time would have meant condemned to go on with what John saw as an already miserable way of life. They can't enter into a new way of life.

Paul was in anguish, trying to make sense of why some of his people did not see Jesus as he saw Jesus. He ruminated that if everyone had, the Jewish way was to keep their faith and practices to themselves, a people set apart. The very fact that all did not accept what Paul and the other Apostles were teaching was why they began proclaiming Christ to the Gentiles. Paul ends by saying, God used unbelieving Jews to spread God's word out into the rest of the world, and in the end the world would bring Jews back to believing in Christ. While Paul was in despair at the time, when he looked into the future, all he saw was glory and honor to God from all.

Since it was the medieval mind that came up with hell, not Paul, take hell out of it. Paul is saying God has a purpose--and all, no matter what side of the coin they are on--are used for God's purposes. And God's purpose is to, in the end, draw all back to Him.

This is not "picking and choosing" what is in scripture. It is studying--in depth--the mind and the intent of the original author. And the original author lived long before medieval times.

So which view of the Bible is the accurate one? Was the origonal view wrong, and the beginnings of Christianity were based on false teachings, or is the current view wrong, after having abandoned the origonal beliefs. They can't both be right.

 

[TruthNotBS]

I was devoutly Christian until I did a deep study of the bible which presented questions I couldn't find the answers to, and nobody I asked even tried to answer. I wish I could reclaim my faith. Believing in a loving, all knowing God who deeply cared about me personally gave me great comfort in hard times, and I wish I could regain peace that came from the belief that all things would work for the good to them that love God. I conveniently ignored the following part that said only those that were called according to his purpose.

Paul was quite specific when he said there is nothing in human desire or effort to gain forgiveness. God will show mercy or harden who he wants, and nothing we believe, say, or do will have anything to do with his choice. (Romans 9: 16-18) Paul goes on to explain that some people were only created as examples of his glory to be shown to the objects of his mercy. (Romans 9: 19-23) Obviously, those people were created to go to hell, since there is nothing they can believe , or do to change Gods decision on mercy.

Help me out here. Does God offer the chance to go to heaven to everybody, or just his chosen few, and how do you justify what Paul wrote with the idea of a benevolent forgiving God?

If you have a good relationship with God in Christ, you will know it through the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:13-17 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (16) The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: (17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.

The Holy Spirit in you beareth witness, that you are a born-again Christian and a new creation in Jesus Christ. Don't burden yourself with too many questions. That completely destroyed my faith and I went through some really hard times without Jesus. I became the know-it-all atheist, hyper-skeptic. There's a lot about reality, the universe we live in, and the Bible, that we don't know. You need to be led by the Holy Spirit, not just the written Word of God. You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and then you'll know God and His Son are real and not merely a figment of the human imagination or a book character.


Paul said:

1Co_13:12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.
1Co 2:9 but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.
If you've become an atheist-materialist, as I became before I returned to Jesus, I can show you videos proving the existence of demonic spirits. I conducted my own research on spirits, and when I established contact with them, using a radio-sweeper, I knew I had been deceived by Science and Atheism. As a result of my paranormal research, I began having poltergeist activities in my home. Since I've returned to Christ, it barely happens now, but it used to be a common phenomena in my home, so much so that my wife and children would be like "the ghost is moving things again". The latest event was a bottle of Scope:

My daughter was washing her hands in the bathroom and the Scope bottle that was on the cabinet ledge in front of her, attached to the mirror, began to make a weird noise, going "click click click click click click.....", and when she looked at the bottle, the white top was going up and down, making that clicking sound. The top was loose, but still attached to the bottle, hence the clicking sound, as it went up and down, up and down. She screamed and her mother and I ran to the bathroom and we both witnessed the phenomenon, standing in front of it. It continued for about ten seconds after we arrived.

We've witnessed literally about 100+ events like that, everything from spatulas flying off the kitchen counter in front of us, to cabinet doors opening and closing, and desktop PC earphones suddenly sliding across the desk, from one end to the other. That doesn't even include the light orbs (little flying semi-transparent, luminous spheres), and the voices that I and my wife have communicated with through the radio sweeper.

So if you've caught a bad case of "atheist materialism syndrome", as I and my wife once did, as a result of watching videos on YouTube by atheist apologists and anti-Christian Jewish rabbis, I can help you return to Christ. The first step is for you to witness genuine paranormal events on video. If that isn't enough for you (hopefully it is), then we can continue from there, into you establishing contact with these familiar spirits yourself, via a radio sweeper. You will likely also experience some poltergeist activity in your home or wherever you conduct this research using a sweeper. This poltergeist activity might follow you home if you conduct it at another location. Spirits can follow you.

The best option is for you to not need to conduct your own research and that you hopefully, by the grace of God, will experience that "light bulb" go off in your head, by just watching the videos of others conducting their research.

Conducting your own research can be a life-changing experience, but it can also lead to poltergeist, spiritual oppression, and if you continue with that type of research, spiritual attachment and possession. The possession part is highly unlikely, but the oppression and attachment are much more common and the poltergeist activity is pretty much ensured. You also run the risk of becoming addicted to the radio-sweeper, once the voices start coming through (that's the beginning stage of attachment, which can lead to spirit possession). You need to remain vigilant of these potential hazards and pray to God, to guide you back to Jesus ASAP. If you pray to God in Jesus' Name, in the way that I will show you, you will be protected and your contact with the spirits will be highly likely, if not 100% certain. You will establish contact and annihilate your doubts about the supernatural and the existence of God and His angels.

Hopefully, the following videos will be enough for you to start you on your journey back to Jesus Christ and out of atheistic materialism:


Shannon a.k.a. "Mortis The Wizard". He's a bit dramatic and hoaky sometimes, but what you're hearing is 100% real.....

​

You can watch all of his videos on YouTube, on his channel. Go to the first video he uploaded, by scrolling down and then start watching from there.

Mortis the Wizard

My channel is about the uploading of true and legitimate evidence clips I have captured over the years usually through video & audio files documenting experiments and research sessions proving through seemingly impossible means the established communication of a strange yet unknown intelligence...

www.youtube.com

Another good source for ITC-Instrumental TransCommunication Research is John Huntington a.k.a. "Hauntington":

​

Visit John Huntington's YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/@hauntingtonjohnhuntingtonp9683

Here are the ITC scientists, from Germany who are very highly skilled researchers:

Ernst Senkowski

The "technician" is a spirit entity:



Interview with Ernst Senkowski (Biopsychophysicist) "english" rare​

Senkowski and Hans Otto Konig, two scientists, live on national television in Luxemberg Germany, in 1987, establish contact with the deceased children of two mothers, using radios. This is high-level ITC - direct communication without a "sweeper"/ radio-sweeper. Mortis The Wizard, John Huntington, and myself conduct low-level research, using radio-sweepers. Although effective in establishing contact, it's not the clearest or best reception.

Time on the video: 35:50 Mother establishes contact with her deceased child named Angie. The mother states in German, that the voice that is coming through is exactly like her child's voice.

The second mother, starting at 29:36 begins to communicate with her deceased son "Frank" or "Franky Boy". In German, the mother gets emotional and exclaims that she is speaking to her son. She expresses that it is her son's voice. Ask yourself, how can this be faked? All measures were taken to avoid fraud by the television program and the voices that came through were confirmed by the two mothers to be the voices of their deceased children:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

​

Hans Otto Konig

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

FGT, Koenig Wauters

Forschungsgemeinschaft FGT , König Wauters, die Realität der geistigen Welt; Grundlagenforschung von H.O.König in der ITK, ITC, TCI, Kontakt zur geistigen Welt. Gibt es ein Leben nach dem Tod? Akustische und visuelle Vermittlungen aus anderen Geistesebenen die allen darauf hinweisen, dass es...

www.youtube.com

Anabela Cardoso isn't a scientist, but she conducts high-level TransCommunication with spirits:​

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Anabela Cardoso's Channel:

Anabela Cardoso

Series of videos on EVP and ITC methods to attempt the contact with unknown dimensions of life after physical death. EVP is the acronym for Electronic Voice Phenomena and ITC is the acronym for Instrumental Transcommunication.

www.youtube.com

And so did Marcello Bacci: (very high-level),

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

ITC - Spirit Images with video looping:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

https://www.youtube.com/@TCISeattleSIMONESANTOS

Hopefully, you won't feel the need to conduct your own research, that way you can avoid the hazards. But if you choose to prove all of the above to yourself, through directly experiencing it, then let me know. I advise that you don't do it, but if you have to do it, then it is better for you to do it than remain an atheist-materialist. You have a better chance of returning to Christ, once you realize that the supernatural is real than if you remain an atheist-materialist.


William Branham was a preacher who could look at a stranger and tell that person practically everything about what they did. He would perform miracle healings in Jesus ' Name. .

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Church in Puerto Rico:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Finger Of God Documentary:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

​

The supernatural is real and it's both outside and inside of the church. The problem is that Evangelical Christians believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no longer active today, because we have the written Word of God. The Bible replaces the gifts of the Holy Spirit, supposedly. This is one of the reasons so many Evangelicals are leaving Christianity. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians won't be able to handle atheistic arguments against Christianity. They will fall prey to the atheist-materialists and reject God. You need the Holy Spirit active in your life, with all of its gifts, to overcome this fallen, demonic world. The written Word of God, as beautiful and powerful as it is, is not enough. You need the Holy Ghost, in Jesus' Name.

 

[Meriweather]

So which view of the Bible is the accurate one? Was the origonal view wrong, and the beginnings of Christianity were based on false teachings, or is the current view wrong, after having abandoned the origonal beliefs. They can't both be right.

Even as far back as Biblical times a version of that question was asked. The reply? Love God with all that is in you and love your fellowman as yourself. That is the entire scripture. The rest is simple commentary.

 

[BULLDOG]

Even as far back as Biblical times a version of that question was asked. The reply? Love God with all that is in you and love your fellowman as yourself. That is the entire scripture. The rest is simple commentary.

Odd, but that's not what the bible says in so many places. Is this another example of just picking the parts you agree with?

 

[Meriweather]

Odd, but that's not what the bible says in so many places. Is this another example of just picking the parts you agree with?

What is the purpose of the Bible?

 

[Dadoalex]

Grin. Or added many more days beyond what you studied.

Probably. I studied the words and their meaning at the time they were written. A literal interpretation.
I didn't find ways to insert meaning and intent where none was present.

 

[BULLDOG]

What is the purpose of the Bible?

In religious terms, it is purported to be the only complete comprehensive guide to Christianity. Do you know of any other thing that is considered to be a more comprehensive guide?

 

[Meriweather]

In religious terms, it is purported to be the only complete comprehensive guide to Christianity. Do you know of any other thing that is considered to be a more comprehensive guide?

Purported by whom?

 

[Meriweather]

In religious terms, it is purported to be the only complete comprehensive guide to Christianity. Do you know of any other thing that is considered to be a more comprehensive guide?

By any chance do you have only one comprehensive news source? Journalism teaches (or used to anyway) that one must have three sources to verify an account. When interviewing spectators who viewed an incident, you don't ask just one person what happened, you ask as many as practical, covering all angles.

Take Genesis for example. Do you only read that single account of creation, or do you also read what scientists and geologists have written? When a Biblical account takes place at a known location, do you read what archaeologists have unearthed?

As you read the Bible, do you agree with everything that is written? I don't. Off hand, the stealing of Esau's blessing comes to mind. While the account explains why the theft was justified, I don't agree. My opinion. I don't agree that it was justified that the kingship was taken from Saul and given to David. My opinion and in both this case and in the case of Esau's blessing, I am clearly in the minority. In fact, I may be the only one who even thinks Esau and Saul were treated unfairly.

Christianity: In reading Jesus' own words I don't go along with Jesus had to die in order for our sins to be forgiven. I strongly believe Jesus died so that we would know our sins are forgiven, something he was proclaiming all throughout his ministry and only death could stop him from proclaiming this. And not even death stopped his message of Sins Are Forgiven from spreading throughout the land.

 

[BULLDOG]

By any chance do you have only one comprehensive news source? Journalism teaches (or used to anyway) that one must have three sources to verify an account. When interviewing spectators who viewed an incident, you don't ask just one person what happened, you ask as many as practical, covering all angles.

Take Genesis for example. Do you only read that single account of creation, or do you also read what scientists and geologists have written? When a Biblical account takes place at a known location, do you read what archaeologists have unearthed?

As you read the Bible, do you agree with everything that is written? I don't. Off hand, the stealing of Esau's blessing comes to mind. While the account explains why the theft was justified, I don't agree. My opinion. I don't agree that it was justified that the kingship was taken from Saul and given to David. My opinion and in both this case and in the case of Esau's blessing, I am clearly in the minority. In fact, I may be the only one who even thinks Esau and Saul were treated unfairly.

Christianity: In reading Jesus' own words I don't go along with Jesus had to die in order for our sins to be forgiven. I strongly believe Jesus died so that we would know our sins are forgiven, something he was proclaiming all throughout his ministry and only death could stop him from proclaiming this. And not even death stopped his message of Sins Are Forgiven from spreading throughout the land.

You're kidding, right? Of course I consult several sources for damn near any decisions I make. Christianity, as a religion doesn't endorse such a practise, unless they can cherrypick the sources to agree with their foregone conclusions. Are you trying to endorse christianity as it is, with all it's dogma intact, or go with what I have found the reality to be. Just adhere to the parts that you agree with, and pretend the rest doesn't matter. I'm sure god doesn't mind you calling him a liar every once in a while.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

John 5:39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

Clearly, Jesus did not expect blind faith or he would not have said this.

Yes. You need to STUDY, but you need an open mind and heart.

11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women Acts 17

 

[Meriweather]

Christianity, as a religion doesn't endorse such a practise

We have had very different upbringings in Christianity. Growing up Catholic, particularly in Catholic school, we were always learning the many different people (including Saints) disagreed with one another on important points. There are a handful of points that one must adhere to remain a practicing Catholic, but for all the rest we are to study and decide for ourselves. Some Catholics believe in six-day creation. Most do not, but no matter. It's an issue we can investigate and come to our own conclusions. When it comes to faith what "most" decide doesn't make it mandatory for all.

Can't imagine a denomination that demands everyone be in lockstep with one another, but apparently not only can you imagine it, you lived it. My best friend's dad was a minister in another denomination. They had the same premise: A few things non-negotiable, the rest, study and trust critical thinking. It appears Baptists teach binary thinking--my way or the highway. Thankfully, Christianity as a religion doesn't endorse this.

 

[BULLDOG]

We have had very different upbringings in Christianity. Growing up Catholic, particularly in Catholic school, we were always learning the many different people (including Saints) disagreed with one another on important points. There are a handful of points that one must adhere to remain a practicing Catholic, but for all the rest we are to study and decide for ourselves. Some Catholics believe in six-day creation. Most do not, but no matter. It's an issue we can investigate and come to our own conclusions. When it comes to faith what "most" decide doesn't make it mandatory for all.

Can't imagine a denomination that demands everyone be in lockstep with one another, but apparently not only can you imagine it, you lived it. My best friend's dad was a minister in another denomination. They had the same premise: A few things non-negotiable, the rest, study and trust critical thinking. It appears Baptists teach binary thinking--my way or the highway. Thankfully, Christianity as a religion doesn't endorse this.

You should read the posts here. Yes, Christianity whole heartedly endorses that.