Is Bible literal young earth Christian fundamentalism turning people away from God?

[ERLOS]

Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

I believe that when you're down on your knees and you finally cry out: God help me, that God will respond to that first step of yours by taking the other nine steps towards you. Then and only then will you know God is really there. As a reality. And the rest of your existence will be absorbing the complete understanding that faith is safely letting God take over completely. Imo

In any faith or place or time.

But we have to ask first.

 

[Rival]

I'm not a Christian, but I don't think this is a huge problem among Christians in the UK. It seems to be an issue in the U.S., but not so much over here. Still, what does it matter if someone is a creationist? That has no impact upon one's own faith, and if it does I believe one ought to reassess his reasons for believing.

 

[ERLOS]

I'm not a Christian, but I don't think this is a huge problem among Christians in the UK. It seems to be an issue in the U.S., but not so much over here. Still, what does it matter if someone is a creationist? That has no impact upon one's own faith, and if it does I believe one ought to reassess his reasons for believing.

Thank you. Please check my edit.

 

[David1967]

Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

I don't know about that. But in my case they are turning me away from the possibility of an intelligent conversation.

 

[Windwalker]

I think their blatant hypocrisy in supporting Trump, along with an embrace of anti-intellectualism, and anti-science, is destroying themselves now. Destroying other's faith was what came before.

 

[Rival]

I think their blatant hypocrisy in supporting Trump, along with an embrace of anti-intellectualism, and anti-science, is destroying themselves now. Destroying other's faith was what came before.

What on earth has YEC to do with Trump?

 

[Ellen Brown]

Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

I believe that when you're down on your knees and you finally cry out: God help me, that God will respond to that first step of yours by taking the other nine steps towards you. Then and only then will you know God is really there. As a reality. And the rest of your existence will be absorbing the complete understanding that faith is safely letting God take over completely. Imo

In any faith or place or time.

But we have to ask first.

Just feeling a bit snotty today. In my own experience, the biggest dangers to religion are its followers. That is why I and lots of others have questioned to legitimacy of religions available today. One Evangelical told me that I had to be a trinitarian to be saved. A Catholic recently told me equally nutty things.

And I agree with your statement about how we come to know God. For me a part of that is to eventually figure out who Jesus is, but I'll let it go from there.

 

[David1967]

What on earth has YEC to do with Trump?

Good point. A lady here that I know is way more conservative than me and a YEC and a die hard Democrat. She told me once that she would vote Democrat if a fencepost were running. I think it depends on what part of the country you live in.

 

[Desert Snake]

Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

I believe that when you're down on your knees and you finally cry out: God help me, that God will respond to that first step of yours by taking the other nine steps towards you. Then and only then will you know God is really there. As a reality. And the rest of your existence will be absorbing the complete understanding that faith is safely letting God take over completely. Imo

In any faith or place or time.

But we have to ask first.

Couple of things , here. Because you could speculate that it isn't literal, is one thing. However to base theories regarding Scripture, based on what you might read in other books, or science ideas, can be very incorrect. As in, it can be more incorrect from a perspective of actuality, than the literal yec. That is really where it matters, because the 'information', presented as facts in non Biblical context, can be very wrong, and literally completely wrong.

Hence, the literal version, actually I'm fine with it, it's better than the theories presented by science, when taken as a whole.

 

[Quintessence]

That boxcar of a title smashes so many words together I'm not sure how to parse what you're asking. It's true that limited interpretations of Christian mythos was a factor in my leaving that path at a very young age. Young earth creationism was not part of that mixture, nor was fundamentalism. In any event, I'm not sure I'd say interpretation of mythos was the driving factor. I'm pretty sure the driving factor was me being a kid with ADD who could not tolerate being forced to go to Sunday mass and sit still in a pew for an hour.

As for today, neither young earth creationism nor fundamentalism are any sort of factor in my lack of interest in Abrahamic religion as a personal way of life. I'm not ignorant enough to suppose that those are the be-all and end-all of those religious traditions. Nah, I don't look into it for my religion because of.. well... lack of genre appeal, so to speak. I don't find it interesting on the same level that I don't find sports interesting. Just not my thing.

I would hope that others would not be quick to judge a huge, diverse religious demographic by the behavior and actions of a few. Sadly, I see it happen often enough that I can't hold to that hope too strongly.

 

[shunyadragon]

Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

I believe that when you're down on your knees and you finally cry out: God help me, that God will respond to that first step of yours by taking the other nine steps towards you. Then and only then will you know God is really there. As a reality. And the rest of your existence will be absorbing the complete understanding that faith is safely letting God take over completely. Imo

In any faith or place or time.

But we have to ask first.

It has divided Christianity since beginning in the Voltaire age of enlightenment. What all Christians must face up to is that the Church Fathers and/or authors of the gospels.believed in the literal interpretation of Genesis. The Christians that followed the more enlightened view of science start a movement of Theism/Deism, which resulted in what is often called the various denominations of 'liberal Christianity.' This division grew over time until recently the division is separated by a stone wall to high to resolve.

The Roman Church gradually follow suit and accepted the scientific view brought by the age of enlightenment, and left the door open to the scientific view of the natural history of our existence. The only things that I know of the the Roman Church still holds the line one are; (1) Our physical existence has definite beginning in Creation 'ex nihilo.' (2) The Fall and the 'Original Sin' has a beginning at some point in human history based on the Adam and Eve history, whether the Genesis story is literal or not.

Both sides accuse the other of leading Christians turning away from God.

 

[Mox]

Are these people actually seriously damaging the work of Christ and turning people away from God?

Absolutely.
YOC or any form of literalist interpretation of Genesis is highly irrational.
Intelligent people are aware of this.
Creationism has absolutely no relevance to the actual teachings of Christ.
It has no bearing on morality or ethics or man's relationship with God or spirituality.

To concentrate so much attention to it, necessarily distracts Christians from what actually matters in the Bible.

I often see silly old men and women in town handing out creationist leaflets to passersby, denying science and demonising scientists.
They are laughed at and derided, by some members of the public, they in effect make a mockery of Christianity.

 

[Audie]

Absolutely.
YOC or any form of literalist interpretation of Genesis is highly irrational.
Intelligent people are aware of this.
Creationism has absolutely no relevance to the actual teachings of Christ.
It has no bearing on morality or ethics or man's relationship with God or spirituality.

To concentrate so much attention to it, necessarily distracts Christians from what actually matters in the Bible.

I often see silly old men and women in town handing out creationist leaflets to passersby, denying science and demonising scientists.
They are laughed at and derided, by some members of the public, they in effect make a mockery of Christianity.

That is such a sad picture, an old person doing their
sincere best for others, only to be publicly ridiculed.

 

[Mox]

That is such a sad picture, an old person doing their
sincere best for others, only to be publicly ridiculed.

My advice to them would be to stick to firmer ground, like the teachings of Jesus. Much harder to argue against those.

Yes it is unfortunate, one should not laugh at the elders. Regardless.

 

[Windwalker]

What on earth has YEC to do with Trump?

Intellectual dishonesty is as much a hypocrisy for those who claim to embrace truth with a capital T, as much as their hypocrisy decrying any other politician who has moral shortfalls, yet claim Trump was sent by God and give him a free pass. They are both examples of their Hypocrisy, with a capital H. They are a stain on religion and a stain on Truth.

 

[Rival]

Intellectual dishonesty is as much a hypocrisy for those who claim to embrace truth with a capital T, as much as their hypocrisy decrying any other politician who has moral shortfalls, yet claim Trump was sent by God and give him a free pass. They are both examples of their Hypocrisy, with a capital H. They are a stain on religion and a stain on Truth.

Not all YECs are Trump supporters. Not all of them live in the US either. People can believe in creationism if they want and never believe they are being in any way intellectually dishonest. They may have, in their view, perfectly good reasons for their beliefs. It's hypocritical to throw everyone in a group under the bus, declaring them this or that.

 

[ERLOS]

Couple of things , here. Because you could speculate that it isn't literal, is one thing. However to base theories regarding Scripture, based on what you might read in other books, or science ideas, can be very incorrect. As in, it can be more incorrect from a perspective of actuality, than the literal yec. That is really where it matters, because the 'information', presented as facts in non Biblical context, can be very wrong, and literally completely wrong.

Hence, the literal version, actually I'm fine with it, it's better than the theories presented by science, when taken as a whole.

I agree with you that perhaps the thread heading isn't quite right.

It could be more along the lines of the noisy modern American televangelist variety trying to push science out of education, etc. Those are the people I mean.

There are many more people who quietly have their own faith.

I do apologise that I caused hurt and offence.

Not all YECs are Trump supporters. Not all of them live in the US either. People can believe in creationism if they want and never believe they are being in any way intellectually dishonest. They may have, in their view, perfectly good reasons for their beliefs. It's hypocritical to throw everyone in a group under the bus, declaring them this or that.

Yes, you are correct. I do apologise for creating that impression.

As always it's the angry and fanatical lunatic fringe on both sides of the divide that make life difficult for ordinary reasonable folk?

 

[Rival]

Yes, you are correct. I do apologise for creating that impression.

It's alright; I wasn't responding to you

 

[ERLOS]

It's alright; I wasn't responding to you

I know ...

 

[ERLOS]

Absolutely.
YOC or any form of literalist interpretation of Genesis is highly irrational.
Intelligent people are aware of this.
Creationism has absolutely no relevance to the actual teachings of Christ.
It has no bearing on morality or ethics or man's relationship with God or spirituality.

To concentrate so much attention to it, necessarily distracts Christians from what actually matters in the Bible.

I often see silly old men and women in town handing out creationist leaflets to passersby, denying science and demonising scientists.
They are laughed at and derided, by some members of the public, they in effect make a mockery of Christianity.

I agree with the whole of your post except the last two paragraphs. The JW have their own beliefs to which they're entitled and in my experience they're not pushing leaflets into peoples' hands like 50% off all pizza today leaflets. They just stand there quietly ready to respond to anyone who stops to show interest.

Their religion requires them to go out and spread the good news. So I do not laugh at them or deride them.

They are not at all like the angry US televangelist type of people, trying to push science out of schools, etc. Those are the ones making a mockery of Christianity?