Transition to a more *liberal* church??

[ken_sylvania]

Pagan - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.

No, I'm not aware of any Anabaptist people who believe that babies can be pagan. In fact, we quite earnestly believe that babies are incapable of holding a religious belief.

[Neto]

Merriam-Webster:

1 : heathen; especially: a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person

In a sense this definition would exclude animists, because they really don't believe in 'gods', but rather just 'spirits'. If I had made up my own definition w/o looking it up, or seeing the one already posted, I would have tended to write it from the Christian perspective, as in 'one who does not believe in the One True God as revealed in Scripture'.

[Valerie]

We frequently hear that we are all born with an Adamic nature - but we would not call our babies pagan. Our 19th grandchild, a girl, was born yesterday and we consider her sweet, not pagan!

Thank you- and congratulations! Haitabu's comment about that, really didn't sit well with me- we are made in the image of God and yes, descendants of Adam- even Adam believed in God, and was not pagan, but we suffer the consequences of the fall with sin in our lives.

[Valerie]

Pagan - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.

No, I'm not aware of any Anabaptist people who believe that babies can be pagan. In fact, we quite earnestly believe that babies are incapable of holding a religious belief.

Thank you-

[Valerie]

Pagan - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.

No, I'm not aware of any Anabaptist people who believe that babies can be pagan. In fact, we quite earnestly believe that babies are incapable of holding a religious belief.

Thank you-

[Valerie]

Merriam-Webster:

1 : heathen; especially: a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person

In a sense this definition would exclude animists, because they really don't believe in 'gods', but rather just 'spirits'. If I had made up my own definition w/o looking it up, or seeing the one already posted, I would have tended to write it from the Christian perspective, as in 'one who does not believe in the One True God as revealed in Scripture'.

Thank you- glad this was cleared up, as I had a hard time with that one-

[Josh]

I have a pretty hard time with the idea anyone is "born Christian". Anabaptism is the antithesis of that concept.

[KingdomBuilder]

Maybe pagan is the wrong word, but everyone is born fallen.

[Sudsy]

Maybe pagan is the wrong word, but everyone is born fallen.

Then the question is how fallen are we ? Are we so fallen that as Calvin says, we could not possibly choose to be saved unless God first chooses to give us a new heart that causes us to choose to believe in Him ? Or are we not that fallen and still have the ability to choose to not only do some good but to believe in God and receive a new heart ? Anabaptists and Catholics and other non-determinists believe the latter. Regardless we are all born needing a Saviour.

[cmbl]

Steve,

How do you feel about being in fellowship with churches that have women ministers and fully affirm homosexual behaviour including by ministers?

What's the difference between this and families where the mom "wears the pants" and people that are closet homo's??

I'm half serious and half joking...

This kind of dismissive, cavalier attitude toward sin will ensure that you get all of the above.