From: muehlhau@en.ecn.purdue.edu (John Muehlhausen)
Subject: Re: THE MIND OF THE BIBLE BELIEVER
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Distribution: world,public
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 92 07:36:52 GMT

In article <Bzw01t.7ED@dale.cts.com> npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan) writes:
>John Muehlhausen (muehlhau@en.ecn.purdue.edu) wrote:
>> 
>> What strikes me more than anything is that you have not presented any
>> problems associated with Biblical faith.  Rather, the ones you have
>> presented are a result of faith which is lacking, and the problems
>> would not go away were this faith to be dropped (if it could be).
>
>I can see one problem easily summarized in your preceeding paragraph.
>I hear so often, especially from New Ageists, there's nothing wrong
>with the belief, it's that "something is holding you back", or
>"you don't believe enough".  If you REALLY, REALLY believed your
>cancer would be cured, or your marriage would be saved.
>
>What a cop out.  That can only lead to putting more guilt and even
>greater burden on the "failed" believer.  Thus increasing  their own
>particular brand of mental anguish.  

Trusting God means trusting that all things work together for good for those
that love Him, and they happen for a reason.  I would much rather live a
short life with cancer and let my increased awareness of my mortality light
a fire under my butt for God  than to glide through life accomplishing
nothing with eternal consequence.  God will not give someone something that
is not good for them in the long run.  If a Christian is not healed of
cancer, then they have it for a reason that is beneficial to them as a
spiritual being, as promised in the Bible.  Paul didn't whine about his
adversity, nor did Jesus himself!  In fact, they seemed to shake a fare
amount of joy out of it!

God doesn't save marriages.  He convicts people to be more communicative and
loving, and then they save their own marriage!

>> For example, hatred of homosexuals is not a Biblical theme.
>> Hatred of homosex certainly is, which is not the same thing.  Don't
>> go off on some psychological tangent on me here-- THEY ARE NOT THE
>> SAME THING, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE.  How do I know?  Because I love
>> homosexuals and hate what some of them do.  If I can do it, it can be 
>> done.  Jesus certainly had this attitude.
>
>Why don't Christians hate fortune tellers and psycis with the same
>ferocity as they do homosexuals.  Or, okay, hate what they do.  
>Both are considered taboo, and I don't think one was supposed to be
>worse than the other, in the Bible.  But I bet the majority of
>a fortune tellers customers are religious, and most likely
>Christian.  But Christians don't seem to care much about "psychics".

A true Bible believer would not approve of these things, but s/he would be
called to _love_ those who practice such things.

>> _Is_ having the Mind of the Bible Believer damaging to the individual
>> or society?  I have yet to see it.
>
>It depends on the Bible Believer.  I've read that fundamentalists
>Christians are considerably more likely to be child abusers than
>non-churched people.

Bologna! :-)

>> John M.
>--
>Nancy P. Milligan 				npm@dale.cts.com

John M.