Twenty strange religious beliefs

[Brownie]

Quite right.
It's good to be lighthearted.

[SusanDoris]

Be Rational, please don't take offence but you are too hung up about being "normal"

How on earth did you jump to that conclusion?

strange belief won't kill you 

Like me, it appears he has no 'strange' beliefs!

It's ok to be yourself and an individual. It's ok not to be 100% rational as long as you don't hurt someone else.

that sounds a tad patronising!!

[Bubbles]

How on earth did you jump to that conclusion?
Like me, it appears he has no 'strange' beliefs!that sounds a tad patronising!!

It wasn't intended to be.

Strange beliefs can be a bit subjective, depending on who is looking at them.

[Bubbles]

Here are some well known scientists who contributed greatly to their field of study but still harboured some strange beliefs.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19777_5-great-scientists-who-believed-wildly-unscientific-things.html

[Hope]

Like Brownie, I recognise the majority of them, but I'm not sure that the categorisations are necessarily correct.  For instance, Balaam's ass has no relationship to Christianity - Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox.

By the way, 'Bible-believing' can be applied to all Christians, whichever of the 3 groupings mentioned above they might be.  Similarly, the term can be disapplied to some of each of them.   

I suspect that the same criticisms can be applied to the Jewish & Muslim categorisations, and to the fact that some of these ideas are also common in other religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

[Nearly Sane]

Like Brownie, I recognise the majority of them, but I'm not sure that the categorisations are necessarily correct.  For instance, Balaam's ass has no relationship to Christianity - Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox.

By the way, 'Bible-believing' can be applied to all Christians, whichever of the 3 groupings mentioned above they might be.  Similarly, the term can be disapplied to some of each of them.   

I suspect that the same criticisms can be applied to the Jewish & Muslim categorisations, and to the fact that some of these ideas are also common in other religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

If Balaam's ass has no relationship to Christianity then you have just effectively declared those Christians who believe in the literal truth of the Bible to not be Christians in your view. And arguably any Christian who reads that passage as having any relevance as not Christian.

[Brownie]

It's difficult to explain NS.  The story of Balaam and his donkey in Numbers is part of the Torah;  our faith grew out of the Jewish faith so there is a connection.  We read the Old Testament because it tells us, in a pictorial fashion, about God and his relationship with his people but the Christian view, generally, is that the Old Testament can only be understood in the light of the New, ie when Jesus arrived, and his ministry.   So our main focus is on the New Testament and our relationship with Jesus.  The Torah is read with reverence but only as a forerunner to the coming of Jesus.

However, there are Christians who see it differently, they believe our faith and the Jewish faith cannot be separated, so they would say that there is a relationship between the story in Numbers and Christianity.

So there you have it, different schools of thought.  I'm sure it is as clear as mud but I tried.

[Nearly Sane]

It's difficult to explain NS.  The story of Balaam and his donkey in Numbers is part of the Torah;  our faith grew out of the Jewish faith so there is a connection.  We read the Old Testament because it tells us, in a pictorial fashion, about God and his relationship with his people but the Christian view, generally, is that the Old Testament can only be understood in the light of the New, ie when Jesus arrived, and his ministry.   So our main focus is on the New Testament and our relationship with Jesus.  The Torah is read with reverence but only as a forerunner to the coming of Jesus.

However, there are Christians who see it differently, they believe our faith and the Jewish faith cannot be separated, so they would say that there is a relationship between the story in Numbers and Christianity.

So there you have it, different schools of thought.  I'm sure it is as clear as mud but I tried.

So given that you find relevance in it, and Hope thinks it has no relevance for Christians, according to Hope you are not a Christian.

[BeRational]

Here are some well known scientists who contributed greatly to their field of study but still harboured some strange beliefs.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19777_5-great-scientists-who-believed-wildly-unscientific-things.html

I have never said that some people do not have strange beliefs, just that I do not.

Why is this a problem for you?

[Brownie]

So given that you find relevance in it, and Hope thinks it has no relevance for Christians, according to Hope you are not a Christian.

I don't think it is as black and white as that NS  .  Hope, I am pretty sure, recognises that Christians differ in their interpretations of scripture and doctrine.  I too recognise that but it has to be said that I have been accused of being too liberal and even 'wishy washy', 'universalist' is another label I've been given which I don't mind - but it isn't about me and on this particular issue I think many mainstream Christians vary.

It doesn't really matter, though. if another Christian thinks I am not one, does it?  He certainly hasn't said that and without asking him, I don't know, and I am not going to ask him.  I'd rather the discussion was general rather than personal.  What Hope actually said was specifically that Balaam's ass has no relationship to Christianity.

The thread is about 20 'strange' beliefs and I think it might be a good idea if I went back to the op and commented on some of them.

[Nearly Sane]

I don't think it is as black and white as that NS  .  Hope, I am pretty sure, recognises that Christians differ in their interpretations of scripture and doctrine.  I too recognise that but it has to be said that I have been accused of being too liberal and even 'wishy washy', 'universalist' is another label I've been given which I don't mind - but it isn't about me and on this particular issue I think many mainstream Christians vary.

It doesn't really matter, though. if another Christian thinks I am not one, does it?  He certainly hasn't said that and without asking him, I don't know, and I am not going to ask him.  I'd rather the discussion was general rather than personal.  What Hope actually said was specifically that Balaam's ass has no relationship to Christianity.

The thread is about 20 'strange' beliefs and I think it might be a good idea if I went back to the op and commented on some of them.

And for Christians who believe in the literal truth of the Bible then content must have a relationship. There are more than enough Christians (and some time atheists) who go down the No True Christian route and the context of Hope's post effectively does that.


In terms of should it matter to you how other Christians think you are Christian or not, I agree, not important. But the classification issue can be important externally. When peaceful Muslims, say IS Isn't Muslim., I think we are entitled to question whether that has any weight.

[Nearly Sane]

It seems to me that the question of what makes a belief strange seems to rely on it not being based on the current usual societal method for justifying beliefs, which is itself a belief.

[Nearly Sane]

Also the idea that someone might declare that they have no strange beliefs seems odd. Surely no one actually thinks their own belief are 'strange' because they believe .

[SteveH]

Reading that sort of Ronnie Rollocks makes me think that perhaps, when I abandoned Christainity in 1992 and became a humanist, I should have stuck to my guns instead of going back to Christianity a year later.  I read 'The New Humanist' regularly, and agree with it far more than I ever agreed with any Evangelical Christian magazines I've read.

[Brownie]

I'm posting about some of the questions, thought I'd leave the Nephilim, Balaam's Amazing Talking Donkey (which we've spoken about), and 144,000 Elect to others.

10.  When certain rites are performed beforehand, bread turns into human flesh after it is swallowed. (2)

I presume the above question refers to Transubstantiation which is a Catholic dogma.   However the question is inaccurate, the bread does not become human flesh.

Catholics believe that, after consecratation, bread and wine do indeed become the body and blood of Christ but not that they become, demonstrably, the body and blood of Christ.  The belief is that the true presence of Christ's blood and body are under the appearance of wine and blood.  (There are others besides Catholics who believe this, there is also 'Consubstantiation' which is something different.)

13.  Believers can drink poison or get bit by snakes without being harmed. (1)

There is a Biblical reference to handling snakes and indeed there are some churches whose members handle poisonous snakes during worship meetings. 

Mark 16:17–18 is used by some as a basis for handling snakes: “These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will . . . pick up snakes with their hands.”

Sometimes the snake handlers are bitten so it's not something to be done at home!

Sprinkling water on a newborn, if done correctly, can keep the baby from eons of suffering should he or she dierematurely. (2)


Largely defunct and unkind church teaching, not in keeping with the compassion of Christ.  It used to be believed that the soul of an unbaptised baby would not enter the Kingdom of God.  If that is still taught in some quarters, it is thankfully very rare.

15.  Waving a chicken over your head can take away your sins. (3)


If you stick a deckchair up your nose at the same time you certainly deserve a medal if not absolution.

17.  Putting a dirty milk glass and a plate from a roast beef sandwich in the same dishwasher can contaminate your soul. (3)

In the teachings of Orthodox Judaism, milk products and meat should not be cooked and eaten together nor the utensils used be washed together.  Orthodox households have separate bowls for washing up (or two dishwashers, depending on their affluence), two sets of cutlery, etc.  There are procedures for ritually cleansing anything that has been contaminated by milk/meat, one of which is burying cutlery in the earth.
http://thetorah.com/meat-and-milk-origins-in-the-text/

 

[BeRational]

Also the idea that someone might declare that they have no strange beliefs seems odd. Surely no one actually thinks their own belief are 'strange' because they believe .

I care if my beliefs are true, and only want true beliefs. I hold no beliefs that do not have a weight of evidence for them. Of course my beliefs are on a scale where nothing reaches 100%.

[Nearly Sane]

I care if my beliefs are true, and only want true beliefs. I hold no beliefs that do not have a weight of evidence for them. Of course my beliefs are on a scale where nothing reaches 100%.

Do you have beliefs about things that are not facts? E.g. Morality?

[Hope]

I care if my beliefs are true, and only want true beliefs.

What is a 'true belief'?

I hold no beliefs that do not have a weight of evidence for them. Of course my beliefs are on a scale where nothing reaches 100%.

So, do you have any beliefs at all?   

[Brownie]

That's NS's business, really.  I have a sense that it is not our place to pry here.

[Nearly Sane]

That's NS's business, really.  I have a sense that it is not our place to pry here.

Not sure you are talking about the right poster here as this seems a non sequitur

[bluehillside Retd.]

Hope,

What is a 'true belief'?

Depends whether you mean "true for me", subjective belief or "true for everyone", objective belief. For the former, pretty much anything - pixies, your god, whatever. Doesn't matter much. For the latter though, a good place to start is to eliminate those whose premises rest on fallacious reasoning (ie, your downfall), and then to find a method - testing and inter-subjective experience for example - so as to establish provisionally objective truths while not overreaching into claims of absolute truth. 

So, do you have any beliefs at all?

Of course he has. There's no rule that a belief has to be 100% certainly held for it to be a belief nonetheless. Indeed, claiming 100% certainty undermines the validity of the belief in the first place

[Brownie]

Not sure you are talking about the right poster here as this seems a non sequitur

Alright, sorry it was just a hunch, won't say it again.

[Nearly Sane]

Alright, sorry it was just a hunch, won't say it again.

You aren't making any sense. Nothing about my 'business' has been raised on the thread.

[ippy]

"Twenty strange religious beliefs"

                      Only twenty?

ippy

[Brownie]

NS, sorry, you were right about me getting the wrong poster, it was BeR who was asked, not you!

Ippy, you could add a few more questions if you want - please.