Why Can't Christians Agree on 'True Christianity?'

Hardline Bible literalists say they're practicing the correct faith. Progressives say the hardliners are fake Christians. What the Hell is going on?

[cygnustsp]

I grew up jehovahs witness and we thought we had the world by the balls because only our organization preached the correct kingdom of god gospel, we used the name Jehovah, and nobody else could replicate our worldwide brotherhood. Plus we had the essential doctrines of no Trinity and soul sleep correct. Paradise earth too which nobody else seemed to teach. When i turned 25 i that thought, why do i think were right and everyone else is wrong? So i looked into it and realized anyone can make the Bible say anything but JWs in particular make it seem like Noah and Moses and David and Paul all had the same 20th century JW idea about God's promises and i finally called bullshit on that.

[KGP]

When evidence is absent, truth becomes an individually determined value.

[Moist._Robot]

You’re a great narrator Seth.
I can listen to you all day.

[phileas]

Religions would be so funny and entertaining if it wasn't for the religious, who actually take it seriously.

[polycera]

It's a buffet table religion. Take what you find palatable and ignore everything else.

[jameswright...]

It's impossible to agree on a subject that's completely mythical.

They just argue over interpretation of nonsense with no truth to it.

[RickRomig]

If the Bible is really the inerrant word of an all-knowing god, then every Bible should read the same regardless of the language it's written in, and should contain no inconsistencies or contradictions, and be scientifically and historically accurate. It would clearly delineate God's word and what he wants with no room for interpretation. There would basically be no need for clergy or apologists.

[pandora]

Worth remembering that Jesus supposedly prayed to his dad/self for his followers, both present and future, to be united.

So any Christian accusing another Christian of not being a "true Christian" is in fact demonstrating that the god described in the Bible won't even answer its /own/ prayers.

[carltoncoleman]

It makes no sense to be gay and Christian. I was a self-loathing gay Christian. However, with a couple of years of deconstruction through the Unity Church after leaving Southern Baptist, I became an Atheist.

[riparianlife]

Nothing upsets a Christian more than quoting Jesus to them.

[sharper]

The problem that all religious faith has is all iterations of religions have the exact same thing validating them, some faith.
No iteration of a specific religion gets to claim primacy over the other versions, even though some try.
Anyone that tells you there is only one true faith, is lying to themselves to do it.

[bean-spiller]

"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."
Ambrose Bierce - The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)

[Nickat]

Romans 9 verses 11-21 states that you basically have no free will, since God molds you into whatever he wants you to be. Why? Because he chooses who he loves and hates before they are born and does this to show his power.

[markengstrom]

I heard someone say, and I agree with them that let’s not teach any religion until you’re around 30ish and you’ve been to school and college and lived your life for a while and then toss in the religious rhetoric and see how many people you get to believe in the Bible

[hailsagan]

You'd think the perfect word from a perfect god would be easily interpreted and have no disagreement on its message

[SalK-LS]

I love listening to these podcasts while I'm working. Actually, I gotta go back and listen to all the ones I've missed...

[bean-spiller]

"The gospel history of Jesus consists of a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstitions, fanaticism, and fabrications."
~Thomas Jefferson

[danmarius]

Jesus is just a story, and each man is just interpreting him in his own way.

[DavidSmith-xsor]

When you consider how many denominations of christianity there are, and how many denominations of Christians there are, its no wonder they all can't come together in agreement. And the bible is supposedly the unalterable, unchanging word of God, but it sure as hell has changed and altered itself over the past two millennia, what with several versions of the bible.

[RobotNinjaZombieBatman]

23:35 I think she forgot to say what her doctorate was in