how does a christian understand the bible?

[waitasec]

We're accountable not only to God, but to our communities, our neighbors, and ourselves.

And everyone's walk of faith or lack thereof, is intensely personal. Everyone has different reasons. It seems that you are projecting your own ideas of your own former motives (within Chrsitianity) onto other people.

Those were your motives, your hangups - that doesn't mean that most Christians have the same issues and misunderstandings.

i can see why you would say that, however it's what i observe with my family and with their friends and from what i gather from believers on this forum.
when i said
"if we were to be accountable to each other for the sake of fairness, then our responsibilities towards our individual freedoms would not be so convoluted."
i was really talking about how the christian community thinks it's morally superior because of the belief of a higher calling. can't you see that?
i'm also thinking of our gay brothers and sisters who want to have same sex marriage privileges. are you accountable to them?
and, please don't misunderstand this, but since this country is mostly "christian" would you say the reason gay couples can't get married is because christians believe it is wrong?

besides, being saved mean what, kathryn? saved from what?
are you blessed? are you more valuable than i?
are you morally superior? does god want the best for you because you believe and are saved?

if what i am saying doesn't apply to you, then why are defending those that it does apply to?

 

[Archer]

Outhouse this is not a debate forum. It you have questions that need clarification ask them but tone it down a bit if you are really interested in an answer.

 

[javajo]

you being saved has no bearing on your morality, for there is no moral act you can do that i cannot.

Right. A drug and alcohol addict lying in the gutter can be freely saved then and there, it is as we grow in grace and mature from babes in Christ to adults that the difference begins to show. I see a huge difference in mature Christians who have striven against sin and vice and unbelievers who bare all the fruits of unrighteousness.

you believe gods love is unconditional...can you provide me scripture that supports this claim?
or are you saying because salvation is a free gift that would support this assumption..?

Yes, ALL who call on the Lord may be saved and ANYONE, WHOSOEVER comes to Christ he will in NO WISE cast out. Also once we are freely saved, Christ lives in us and he cannot deny himself.

but, if god is love and keeps no record of wrong then what's the point in being saved? would it not be based on the condition of belief? john 3:16.
which contradicts your unconditional love premise.

God does record wrong. Without Christ one dies in their sins, they are children of wrath, of darkness and "condemned already'. But for one who has believed in Christ, that he paid the penalty for their sins, they are now children of God, of light, and Christ took their condemnation in their place. This is the free offer of God to any and all who can put away their selfish pride and recognize they are a sinner before a holy God. God is love and God is just, and he had to deal with sin and he laid on his son. This is the Gospel, the good news. This is how God showed his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Again, this is my belief from my understanding of scripture.

 

[javajo]

All I get out of your statement is that he was buried

and then wonder where the lies started and when the lies stop in the gospels.

Because that is all you WANT to get. If you look closely you will see that Jesus himself said, "everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over..." etc. Notice the disciples, even the 3rd time he told them, did not understand and Peter said they were not "cunningly devised fables", and that "holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit", concerning the OT prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Yet we have the four accounts of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, confirmed by the epistles and by the apostles' deaths as well. The truth is SIN is REAL and God had to DEAL with it and he dealt with it by loving the world so much that he sent his only son that if we only believe in him we may be saved. We must deal with sin now or we will deal with it later and now is better, "today is the day if ye hear his voice, today is the day of salvation." This is what I believe the Bible is ALL about.

 

[waitasec]

Right. A drug and alcohol addict lying in the gutter can be freely saved then and there,

there is still no moral act you can do that can't.
a drug addict has the power to overcome. they just can't believe it comes from within because...
edit: it's a disease.

you cannot say that only believers in god can overcome drug addiction, it is not an exclusive claim. if you believe it is, with all due respect, then i think that is an assumption based on ignorance. there is a huge self help industry out there, not that i ascribe to any of it, mind you.

it is as we grow in grace and mature from babes in Christ to adults that the difference begins to show. I see a huge difference in mature Christians who have striven against sin and vice and unbelievers who bare all the fruits of unrighteousness.

i see a huge difference between people who are deviant and those who are good and it has nothing to do if they have faith in god or not.

it seems that what your are saying is, people cannot be moral without god.
again this comes from ignorance. do you even have friends that are unbelievers? secular ideals are not of god, but we all benefit from them.

i'm not saying that jesus didn't have good teachings, but i cannot see how someone born in another part of the world, who's odds of not being a christian are quite high, believes in their version of religion is wrong from the christian perspective.

Yes, ALL who call on the Lord may be saved and ANYONE, WHOSOEVER comes to Christ he will in NO WISE cast out. Also once we are freely saved, Christ lives in us and he cannot deny himself.

what i highlighted is a condition
it's as if i were to say to my child;
if you second guess me, i'll throw you out of the house but if you believe in me you can stay home.

God does record wrong.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ...
but of course all these things do not apply if you do not believe. if that is not blatant i don't know what is.
does god expect his love to be reciprocated, by the act of belief, in order for his love to be all these things?
i don't know about you, i am a parent. the love i have for my child is a love that only another parent can relate to. if there is a loving god, how much more would his love be for all of us. instead it's shown through random chaotic events that believers think workout for the better for those who are called...they are blessed. but what about those children who are on the lottery hoping for a better education only because of where they live the education is nothing but a big failure. is that being blessed?

Without Christ one dies in their sins, they are children of wrath, of darkness and "condemned already'. But for one who has believed in Christ, that he paid the penalty for their sins, they are now children of God, of light, and Christ took their condemnation in their place. This is the free offer of God to any and all who can put away their selfish pride and recognize they are a sinner before a holy God. God is love and God is just, and he had to deal with sin and he laid on his son. This is the Gospel, the good news. This is how God showed his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Again, this is my belief from my understanding of scripture.

here you are telling me we do not have a shred of goodness in us with out christ. god says he destroyed mankind because of his evilness but then vowed never to do to again because "every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood" which is a false statement. we know children have the capacity to good and wrong. they are giving and accepting. it is the discriminations we teach them that affect them later in life.

if someone were to pay my debt. my debt is paid for, however i still have my resolve. and to suggest that jesus takes that too is to undermine my integrity and my self dignity.

i hope that you do not misunderstand my straightforwardness as contempt.
i am at odds with the idea of faith however i'm not at odds with you. i hope you can tell the difference.

 

[Kathryn]

i can see why you would say that, however it's what i observe with my family and with their friends and from what i gather from believers on this forum.

I am having a very difficult time even understanding what you're saying, but I'll try to sort it out.

when i said
"if we were to be accountable to each other for the sake of fairness, then our responsibilities towards our individual freedoms would not be so convoluted."
i was really talking about how the christian community thinks it's morally superior because of the belief of a higher calling. can't you see that?

Honestly - no. I have no idea what you're talking about here or how the two statements mean even remotely the same thing.

Furthermore, what's "the Christian community?" From where I stand and from my life experiences, I'd say there's so much variety within Christianity that it's pretty hard to pinpoint exactly what, who, or where this "Christian community" you're talking about is.

I am not a part of any Christian community which thinks it's morally superior because of a belief of a higher calling. Honestly, I can't relate at all to what you're saying.

i'm also thinking of our gay brothers and sisters who want to have same sex marriage privileges. are you accountable to them?

Absolutely - if they live in my community, I am accountable to them and it is up to me to help protect their rights, to keep their rights from being infringed upon.

Do you realise that I am politically basically Libertarian? I don't have to agree with someone's moral choices in order to protect their right to make those choices.

and, please don't misunderstand this, but since this country is mostly "christian" would you say the reason gay couples can't get married is because christians believe it is wrong?

For the vast majority of our human history, and in the vast majority of civilizations and societies, the concept of gay marriage has been non existent - regardless of the religious views of those societies. I am speaking generally - I know there have been pockets and isolated examples of gay marriage being an accepted practice - but generally throughout history, gay marriage basically hasn't existed in any legally protected form till the 20th century.

So no - I don't think it's just because "Christians think it's wrong."

besides, being saved mean what, kathryn? saved from what?
are you blessed? are you more valuable than i?
are you morally superior? does god want the best for you because you believe and are saved?

As a Christian, I believe that Christ's grace has saved me from the eternal ramifications of my sins, which without that grace would mean separation from God. And yes, I am blessed. Does that mean you're not, or that I took someone else's blessings? I never said that, nor do I believe that.

And why would you even ask if I think I am more valuable than you? Of course I don't think that. I believe that you are made in the very image of God and that your life is sacred and precious. And I don't think my life is any MORE sacred or precious than yours.

And morally superior? HAR! You don't know me very well, or you wouldn't even have to ask that. I just try to make good decisions and I try to live my faith. Sometimes I succed and sometimes I fail. But I do try.

if what i am saying doesn't apply to you, then why are defending those that it does apply to?

I don't even know what you're talking about here. Honestly, it sounds like you've had some bad experiences with some Christians. But hey, if I had had some bad experiences with some gay people, would it be fair or right or intelligent of me to judge ALL gays by some negative interactions with a few?

Personally, I don't think so.

 

[waitasec]

I am having a very difficult time even understanding what you're saying, but I'll try to sort it out.



Honestly - no. I have no idea what you're talking about here or how the two statements mean even remotely the same thing.

well let me put it to you this way,
what is more honorable and dignified, doing good because you are commissioned to, or doing good for goodness sake?

Furthermore, what's "the Christian community?" From where I stand and from my life experiences, I'd say there's so much variety within Christianity that it's pretty hard to pinpoint exactly what, who, or where this "Christian community" you're talking about is.

I am not a part of any Christian community which thinks it's morally superior because of a belief of a higher calling. Honestly, I can't relate at all to what you're saying.

a sense of community is a sense of belonging. when i say the christian community i am speaking about the common thread christians have of belonging to a higher calling. for instance, when you're at a michael w smith concert, there is a sense of a higher calling, right?

Absolutely - if they live in my community, I am accountable to them and it is up to me to help protect their rights, to keep their rights from being infringed upon.

Do you realise that I am politically basically Libertarian? I don't have to agree with someone's moral choices in order to protect their right to make those choices.

you're an exception to the rule...
most of religious are conservative, and the conservative party caters to those leaning to the right on those social hot button issues...
the bible belt is a red belt, so to speak.

For the vast majority of our human history, and in the vast majority of civilizations and societies, the concept of gay marriage has been non existent - regardless of the religious views of those societies. I am speaking generally - I know there have been pockets and isolated examples of gay marriage being an accepted practice - but generally throughout history, gay marriage basically hasn't existed in any legally protected form till the 20th century.

So no - I don't think it's just because "Christians think it's wrong."

i disagree...
because the beacon of goodness has been victimized by judgmental people who so happen to follow this faith...has in the past and will again in the future.

As a Christian, I believe that Christ's grace has saved me from the eternal ramifications of my sins, which without that grace would mean separation from God. And yes, I am blessed. Does that mean you're not, or that I took someone else's blessings? I never said that, nor do I believe that.

i never said your blessings took away from anyone, i'm just saying when the term blessed is used it usually implies a divine favor based on a haughty degree of self-importance.

And why would you even ask if I think I am more valuable than you? Of course I don't think that. I believe that you are made in the very image of God and that your life is sacred and precious. And I don't think my life is any MORE sacred or precious than yours.

And morally superior? HAR! You don't know me very well, or you wouldn't even have to ask that. I just try to make good decisions and I try to live my faith. Sometimes I succed and sometimes I fail. But I do try.

i'm just calling it how i see it...
of course you don't really think that but that is how this faith is understood on the outside looking in.

I don't even know what you're talking about here. Honestly, it sounds like you've had some bad experiences with some Christians.

i am not alone. faith is a stick in the wheel of progress.
you think this idea i have comes from no where? really?

But hey, if I had had some bad experiences with some gay people, would it be fair or right or intelligent of me to judge ALL gays by some negative interactions with a few?

Personally, I don't think so.

the difference here is that people choose to suspend critical thinking, being gay is not a choice
edit:
i can judge you by the choices you make not on who you are...and i am sure we both agree to that

 

[javajo]

there is still no moral act you can do that can't.
a drug addict has the power to overcome. they just can't believe it comes from within because...
edit: it's a disease.

you cannot say that only believers in god can overcome drug addiction, it is not an exclusive claim. if you believe it is, with all due respect, then i think that is an assumption based on ignorance. there is a huge self help industry out there, not that i ascribe to any of it, mind you.

I know people from all walks of life can overcome things, no problem.

i see a huge difference between people who are deviant and those who are good and it has nothing to do if they have faith in god or not.

That's one way of putting it. It has been my experience that I see people who believe in God become more godly while those who don't, for the most part have all kinds of problems. Not that I think all people who claim to be Christian live morally better than others, I know of non-christians who hold themselves to higher standards than many 'babes in Christ.' But we are not saved by our own self-righteousness but by Jesus' imputed righteousness in my belief.

it seems that what your are saying is, people cannot be moral without god.
again this comes from ignorance. do you even have friends that are unbelievers? secular ideals are not of god, but we all benefit from them.

As I said above I do not think that exactly. I do have old friends who are atheists and I have friends and family members of different religions, races and sexual orientation and I love and respect and accept them all.

i'm not saying that jesus didn't have good teachings, but i cannot see how someone born in another part of the world, who's odds of not being a christian are quite high, believes in their version of religion is wrong from the christian perspective.

I believe like if you read John, how many time Jesus says to believe in him for eternal life. He had good moral teachings, but he we must believe in him. Actually even in Islamic countries, people are coming to Christ in droves.

what i highlighted is a condition
it's as if i were to say to my child;
if you second guess me, i'll throw you out of the house but if you believe in me you can stay home.

To accept a free gift is not the same as working for it. We are all in a 'condition', we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, so Jesus died, paying the penalty for us. Its like firefighters come to save someone with a net. They did their part, the person just has to trust them and jump. It is a one-time act of faith, by grace ye are saved through faith.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ...
but of course all these things do not apply if you do not believe. if that is not blatant i don't know what is.
does god expect his love to be reciprocated, by the act of belief, in order for his love to be all these things?
i don't know about you, i am a parent. the love i have for my child is a love that only another parent can relate to. if there is a loving god, how much more would his love be for all of us. instead it's shown through random chaotic events that believers think workout for the better for those who are called...they are blessed. but what about those children who are on the lottery hoping for a better education only because of where they live the education is nothing but a big failure. is that being blessed?

I love God because he first loved me and gave his Son for me. I have three children, I understand how hard it must have been for God to watch his Son suffer in our place. All I will say about being blessed, is read Psalm 37, many great and precious promises to those who trust God and live godly.

here you are telling me we do not have a shred of goodness in us with out christ. god says he destroyed mankind because of his evilness but then vowed never to do to again because "every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood" which is a false statement. we know children have the capacity to good and wrong. they are giving and accepting. it is the discriminations we teach them that affect them later in life.

We can be good, do good, children can too, but our righteousness is as filthy rags before a supremely holy God according to scripture. We must have Christ's righteousness imputed unto us which he freely gives us when we believe in Him.

if someone were to pay my debt. my debt is paid for, however i still have my resolve. and to suggest that jesus takes that too is to undermine my integrity and my self dignity.

He just paid your debt he lets us keep our resolve, integrity and dignity. Pride is one of Satan's greatest tools to keep man from coming to Christ, however. People want to earn eternal life by self-effort, which sounds good but is not Biblical. Eternal life is a free gift, if we try to earn any part of it we are saying Jesus death and resurrection were no sufficient even though God was satisfied by that alone.

i hope that you do not misunderstand my straightforwardness as contempt.
i am at odds with the idea of faith however i'm not at odds with you. i hope you can tell the difference.

Nor mine. We just see things differently, that's all. I respect your honesty and intelligent ideas. I won't be on here for a while, back to work and all. But if I do, I probably won't try to answer with all the quotes and all. I am old and slow and I have a hard time going through so much material so I like to keep it simple and brief. I also can't remember what I said that you are responding to so..But that is just me, so forgive me of that. Again, these are just my beliefs.

 

[Katzpur]

is it meant to be questioned or taken at face value?

Everything is to be questioned, but questioning something doesn't mean we should just throw it out the second it doesn't make sense. There are answers for a lot of the dilemmas we find in the scriptures, and sometimes they can be found in unlikely places.

 

[waitasec]

Everything is to be questioned, but questioning something doesn't mean we should just throw it out the second it doesn't make sense. There are answers for a lot of the dilemmas we find in the scriptures, and sometimes they can be found in unlikely places.

one can say that about almost anything, doesn't make the bible stand out by any means, in fact nothing about it does.

 

[Archer]

If I may interject. Being a Christian is a lot more than just accepting a God you can not see and a savior who may or may not have been what is in the Gospels.

Actually being a Christian is all about living a philosophy, if you will; a state of mind that is shielded in a faith.

I honestly think very few actually Believe in a Higher Power. I believe in one but my belief is almost agnostic. I do accept that there are things that can not be explained and I do attribute many of them to a higher power.

I do accept every word of the Bible as truth, some of it as fact and some of it is truth based on fact.

To understand the Bible one must first open their mind and heart then open the Bible and study, not just read. This is how a Christian should learn to understand the Bible.

 

[waitasec]

If I may interject. Being a Christian is a lot more than just accepting a God you can not see and a savior who may or may not have been what is in the Gospels.

Actually being a Christian is all about living a philosophy, if you will; a state of mind that is shielded in a faith.

I honestly think very few actually Believe in a Higher Power. I believe in one but my belief is almost agnostic. I do accept that there are things that can not be explained and I do attribute many of them to a higher power.

I do accept every word of the Bible as truth, some of it as fact and some of it is truth based on fact.

To understand the Bible one must first open their mind and heart then open the Bible and study, not just read. This is how a Christian should learn to understand the Bible.

you can interject any time...this was your idea after all

our determination to make this a better world is a testament of the human capacity of inner goodness and strength
and i believe faith in god, and what the bible says about the human condition, seeks to undermine that very thing...
the problem of misery and suffering are problems we will continue to be challenged with because we live in chaos...
and i think that is one of the key issues here, the acceptance of chaos.
this idea puts us in a place were our importance is taken away and we don't want to feel insignificant now, do we?
however i see beyond that. i see how we are all part of a natural process of chaos. when i first realized i was going to be a mom
i felt a connection with this process for the first time. life is so much bigger then me yet i am a part of that.
i also believe the bible/religion focuses on our differences and a consequence of that is division.
had the writers of the bible known that the basic elements of life that is inside each and everyone of us in our atoms is also found in the cosmos, perhaps we wouldn't discriminate.

 

[Archer]

you can interject any time...this was your idea after all

our determination to make this a better world is a testament of the human capacity of inner goodness and strength
and i believe faith in god, and what the bible says about the human condition, seeks to undermine that very thing...
the problem of misery and suffering are problems we will continue to be challenged with because we live in chaos...
and i think that is one of the key issues here, the acceptance of chaos.
this idea puts us in a place were our importance is taken away and we don't want to feel insignificant now, do we?
however i see beyond that. i see how we are all part of a natural process of chaos. when i first realized i was going to be a mom
i felt a connection with this process for the first time. life is so much bigger then me yet i am a part of that.
i also believe the bible/religion focuses on our differences and a consequence of that is division.
had the writers of the bible known that the basic elements of life that is inside each and everyone of us in our atoms is also found in the cosmos, perhaps we wouldn't discriminate.

While I can agree that has happened when you move into the NT it should move away from such. We are to treat all mankind with love and kindness. We are not to be haters as many are. The philosophy of Jesus is often ignored and the teachings of Paul preferred by many as it allows them to discriminate.

There needs to be a balance of both but more oft than not you have a rift between the conservative and liberal Christians. The conservative following just the teachings of Paul without considering Jesus. On the other end are the liberals following Jesus and ignoring Paul. Both are dead wrong. The Bible needs to be followed as a whole. Paul and Jesus taught things that go together not things that should be followed without consideration of the other.

The OT teaches lessons so that one can gain an understanding of God and the NT teaches love and forgiveness. You must take it all as a whole and study it not let a man behind a pulpit lead your life.

 

[waitasec]

While I can agree that has happened when you move into the NT it should move away from such. We are to treat all mankind with love and kindness. We are not to be haters as many are. The philosophy of Jesus is often ignored and the teachings of Paul preferred by many as it allows them to discriminate.

There needs to be a balance of both but more oft than not you have a rift between the conservative and liberal Christians. The conservative following just the teachings of Paul without considering Jesus. On the other end are the liberals following Jesus and ignoring Paul. Both are dead wrong. The Bible needs to be followed as a whole. Paul and Jesus taught things that go together not things that should be followed without consideration of the other.

The OT teaches lessons so that one can gain an understanding of God and the NT teaches love and forgiveness. You must take it all as a whole and study it not let a man behind a pulpit lead your life.

but that's the thing. the teachings are separated.
i would imagine that what ever jesus taught should trump what paul taught...jesus is the supposed son of god, god himself.
but the reason paul's teaching are there in the first place is to control the masses.
remember the catholic church used the example of the roman empire...which is why paul's teachings were canonized.

the christian jews had to some how reconcile why god let the romans destroy the temple...paul did that.
the messiah was to lead them into victory. he died on a cross instead.

 

[Archer]

but that's the thing. the teachings are separated.
i would imagine that what ever jesus taught should trump what paul taught...jesus is the supposed son of god, god himself.
but the reason paul's teaching are there in the first place is to control the masses.
remember the catholic church used the example of the roman empire...which is why paul's teachings were canonized.

the christian jews had to some how reconcile why god let the romans destroy the temple...paul did that.
the messiah was to lead them into victory. he died on a cross instead.

On the Damascus road authority was handed to Paul. Paul compliments and adds to Jesus he does not contradict.

 

[waitasec]

On the Damascus road authority was handed to Paul. Paul compliments and adds to Jesus he does not contradict.

according to paul...
jesus word should be sufficient,
think about it for a second. if all christians had to go by what jesus taught, we probably wouldn't be discussing the bible, would we?

 

[Archer]

according to paul...
jesus word should be sufficient,
think about it for a second. if all christians had to go by what jesus taught, we probably wouldn't be discussing the bible, would we?

If we only had Jesus and the Gospels we definitely would not be having this discussion today. I mean who would have given it a second look? A nutty Jew that claimed to be the son of God. Christianity would never have been.

 

[waitasec]

If we only had Jesus and the Gospels we definitely would not be having this discussion today. I mean who would have given it a second look? A nutty Jew that claimed to be the son of God. Christianity would never have been.

are you implying that god depended on the faithful to spread his theology?

 

[Archer]

Everyone knows of God. They feel it and know even if they deny.

The word and philosophy must be spread so that we may grow in him. Prayer and the like are not for those we pray for. Prayer is for our own sanctification in that we place faith in a higher power. Giving is for ourselves as well as it shows we have the capacity to be selfless. There again I feel that many give for the wrong reasons and simply pray in public for the attention.

It is a matter of faith.

 

[waitasec]

i said

think about it for a second. if all christians had to go by what jesus taught, we probably wouldn't be discussing the bible, would we?

i wasn't thinking about what you said

If we only had Jesus and the Gospels we definitely would not be having this discussion today. I mean who would have given it a second look? A nutty Jew that claimed to be the son of God. Christianity would never have been.

i was implying jesus fulfilled the law. not paul.
so then i asked you

are you implying that god depended on the faithful to spread his theology?

Everyone knows of God. They feel it and know even if they deny.

The word and philosophy must be spread so that we may grow in him. Prayer and the like are not for those we pray for. Prayer is for our own sanctification in that we place faith in a higher power. Giving is for ourselves as well as it shows we have the capacity to be selfless. There again I feel that many give for the wrong reasons and simply pray in public for the attention.

It is a matter of faith.

i do not agree that everyone knows of god.... belief in god is saying, 'i don't know the answer but there must be an answer for me to understand so god answers everything'
i think because people have the capacity to reason and when there is an unanswerable question it has to be god... instead of chaos.

would it be considered un-christian to follow only what christ taught exclusively and ignore the teachings of paul? because jesus is pretty straight forward....or is it too much to ask for todays followers?

think about it, would jesus rebuke you for following his teachings exclusively?

let me ask you this, what do you think of the teachings of joseph smith?