Having lived most of my life in an area where rabid Southern Baptists either are the majority (or definitely make enough noise to make themselves sound like the majority), I find it easy to comprehend how a person can come to feel that most Christians in general are more interested in doctrine than in the actual teachings of Jesus himself. These are places where the major emphasis of Christianity, due to the loud rabid ones, seems to be placed on messages of eternal punishment for those who deviate the slightest bit from the creeds; where the importance of being "born again" far outweighs the importance of compassion, charity, and good works. It is disheartening and divisive to say the least. Even the non-rabids become a little more rigid under the attack, an understandable human response, as they cling more tightly to the creeds of their specific denomination as a defense against a very real attack.
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Date: 2004-04-12 10:03 am (UTC)A very definite difference, unfortunately.
Having lived most of my life in an area where rabid Southern Baptists either are the majority (or definitely make enough noise to make themselves sound like the majority), I find it easy to comprehend how a person can come to feel that most Christians in general are more interested in doctrine than in the actual teachings of Jesus himself. These are places where the major emphasis of Christianity, due to the loud rabid ones, seems to be placed on messages of eternal punishment for those who deviate the slightest bit from the creeds; where the importance of being "born again" far outweighs the importance of compassion, charity, and good works. It is disheartening and divisive to say the least. Even the non-rabids become a little more rigid under the attack, an understandable human response, as they cling more tightly to the creeds of their specific denomination as a defense against a very real attack.
Extremists of any sort are definitely toxic.