The various forms of Christianity

skeptical hippo said:

If God is all powerful do you really believe that he would allow his holy book to be filled with unimportant laws?

Click to expand...

The Bible is not a historical document or divinely inspired text; it is merely a declaration of faith chronicling the evolution of the religion and the experience and perspectives of many different men and women. It was stitched together, by man, from thousands of contender manuscripts documenting personal experience, hearsay, and belief to form the big picture that is Christianity. There are plenty of unimportant details (ex. Do we really need to know what color Jesus' robes were?); thats why its over 2,000 pages in length. In answer to the OP, I'm what they call a "Cafeteria Catholic." I don't accept all elements of Catholicism as true but I generally favor it.

skeptical hippo said:

Oh ok. Yeah I agree, I think the fire, like many other views of hell (such the devil as red and carrying a pitchfork) was made by non-christians.

Click to expand...

Well it came from the iconography of the Middle Ages, which was particularly interested in Hell for some reason. None of this is supported by either the Hebrew Scriptures or the gospel. At best Hell was viewed symbolically for purposes of making a point about a loveless, self-involved existence.