Article guy: "The trouble with hearing is that often what we believe and feel comfortable with affects how we hear. We endeavor to interpret everything we hear in light of what we already know. This kind of hearing rejects what is not consistent with what I already believe. It is little wonder that Jesus warns us to take heed to how we hear."
mst: i feel this is something the Lord has been speaking very clearly to me, that most people are extremely influenced by their preconceived notions. Once church goers have made up their minds about what they believe about God, how He does things, doctrines, etc, most of the time we can forget about helping them to see it from another perspective.
article guy: Think about the weakness of this kind of approach to hearing and knowing God. Only accepting what we hear, which confirms what we already believe, closes our minds and hearts to discovery.
Sadly, too often the world does not encourage and honest search for truth. We rather remain comfortable with what we already believe.
The first step to coming to God is hearing what he says. This should be the purpose of a study of the scriptures. We must allow the scriptures to validate or invalidate our beliefs."
Vek: True! And it makes me think about the hell topic since that has been on my mind lately. Why are so many pastors and other christians so closed to an honest search for truth on this subject but instead shut it down and discourage someone from truly studying the scriptures about it?
Article Guy: "But challenging what we believe is never dangerous. It will only confirm or deny what we believe and feel."
Vek: That's right! So why can't the hell topic for example be challenged without so many being scared to death for it to be challenged?
mst: I completely agree as you do with "article guy's" quotes that you have listed here and with your responses to them... and yes you're right, we have been agreeing way too much :).
People come to believe a certain way and it's as if they feel they will be unfaithful to God Himself or perhaps to their pastor or their church friends if they re-examine their position on it. People are scared to death at the prospect of changing their minds about any of this. 5 years from now if they are believing exactly the same way they believe today down to every doctrinal detail, they would think of this as being a good thing, whereas i would see it as evidence of a stagnant relationship with the Living God, not hearing Him at all and making the proper adjustments.
Vek: In that debate I posted below, the guy arguing the Traditional position said something like "We should not Rethink Hell because if we do that, then people will start Rethinking everything the church has taught."
mst: yes this is one of the most ridiculously closed minded religious statements i have ever heard... just awful. The exceedingly blind and rigid attitude is that tradition can be trusted to have come up with all of the right answers so we dare not examine any further.
Vek: First of all, I don't even understand that statement in light of the fact that there are disagreements galore in the church so it's not like the church is teaching all the same things anyway. Second of all, what is the danger of Rethinking everything, re-studying everything, and seeking God for the truth instead of relying on the church for it? What if the reformers had done that? What if they hadn't rethought anything and just listened to the church. I don't think many of us would have wanted that to happen.
mst: Again i agree with all of your points. Yes he appears to be ok with the idea that martin luthur re-thought catholicism, but now that this has been done, he wants all the rethinking to come to a screaching halt and for mainstream thinking to freeze right where it is.