Ah, not a big deal, Grailhunter. You just seemed like you were getting a little upset during the conversation, so I thought I'd let it go. I'm only here to minister in the Spirit, not fight with people. I tend to drop conversations if I think they are getting too heated, because to continue on in strife is not what the scriptures teach believers should do.
That, and Philip didn't really have an answer for me - something about not being qualified to answer the line of questioning I brought up - so the bottom sort of fell out for me.
I'd be glad to answer the things you were mentioning, but only if it's in a Spirit of peace. If not, there's no benefit in continuing.
Blessings in Christ, hope you're having a good day.
Hidden
Well you shocked me. As smart as you are, I would never consider you would come up with such a thing.
This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Besides it being biblical and an age old foundational belief it is one of the topics that has fractured Christ's church....Which I consider a crime against Christ.
Some people have a hard time with spiritual things...spiritual powers and events.
Sometimes I wonder which ones they are going to pick next to deny?
For some it hard to believe in the spiritual...How can water wash away sins?
How can eating and drinking bread and wine have a religious and divine effect?
How many women that have got knocked up would like to say it was God that did it?
Talk about spiritual, and unbelievable, why not deny the divine birth of Christ?
A God walking among us...oh come on that is way too spiritual.
Just a few years before Christ, thousands of Jews were crucified. How could Christ's crucifixion be something special?
And the blood! Isn't that grose! How could blood do anything? Talk about spiritual, that could never be?
Maybe the Apostles were right....maybe He was just a ghost?
The question is, how do people choose which parts of Christianity that they want to gut? The denial of the spiritual effects of Baptism and communion not only diminishes Christianity, it has fractured the faith....there are denominations that consider baptism to be merely a public display, not anything of spiritual significance. Could Satan do a better Job? Whole denominations that put people under the water and it means nothing. We pretend to baptize you in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit! Hold the laughter until later, we know it doesn't mean anything!
How did you chose these fundamental beliefs to remove from your beliefs? And then, what is next? Christ becomes like Santa Claus....a fantasy?
Really! What is next!