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Man may have messed up Christianity but many are still trying to consistently do what they have been shown and taught without questioning every little thing.

Hats Off wrote:Man may have messed up Christianity but many are still trying to consistently do what they have been shown and taught without questioning every little thing.

That can equally be used an excuse to avoid having to discuss or face a lot of big things too... Not implying anything toward HatsOff, just a personal life observation from having heard similar phrases in various contexts.

Hats Off wrote:Man may have messed up Christianity but many are still trying to consistently do what they have been shown and taught without questioning every little thing.

I think certain personality types and/or life experiences are more or less prone to question even the little things. I enjoy searching out the reasons behind why one believes and practises what they do. I have often gained a better appreciation of how a belief and practise originated and why it is adhered to. Anabaptists pastors like Greg Boyd and Bruxy Cavey are two who are quite open about discussing our Christian doctrines and practise and there are others I also enjoy reading outside of Anabaptism. But I realize not everyone is comfortable with that.

Valerie wrote:I realize it seems to have gotten complicated later to become a member- or to get baptized- in Acts, from the previous hard hearted Jews whose eyes were opened, to the jailor, to the Ethiopian Eunich- there was not a delay in their baptism and being added to the Church it seems I wonder too, how it became more complicated & took longer as time went on. Catechisms- teachings- I don't know- it is difficult at times to accept what changed but maybe there were good reasons? We weren't there!

Perhaps it goes without saying, and it may not have been your intent, but this seems (at least to me) to be an inordinately dangerous way to dismiss personal responsibility to discern the truth and/or solid foundation (or, God forbid, the alternative) of the things we HAVE received. Case in point, there would have been no Reformation, no Radical Reformation, and certainly no Anabaptist expressions of Christianity if the assumption had been rested upon that the received things were established for good reasons...

Heirbyadoption wrote:

Hats Off wrote:Man may have messed up Christianity but many are still trying to consistently do what they have been shown and taught without questioning every little thing.

That can equally be used an excuse to avoid having to discuss or face a lot of big things too...
Not implying anything toward HatsOff, just a personal life observation from having heard similar phrases in various contexts.

another good example of a worthwhile quote i first learned on this forum,
”there are ditches on both sides of the road.”