When I answer religious questions by saying that we were granted intelligence and the ability to think and rationalize, and that's why religious doctrines, holy books, etc. do not cover everything (or are vague), since maybe, just maybe, we were supposed to figure some things out of on our own, I always get several "thumbs downs."
I know this is a petty thing, and I really shouldn't think much of it. And really, I'm not actually "bothered" by it. But I really want to know why so many people think this is such a poor answer.
2006-09-12 14:57:21 · 41 answers · asked by I'm Still Here 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Wow! People sure found this question quick. I post it, and come back several minutes later to find 24 answers! lol Anyway, I just wanted to clear something up. I don't know if anyone took it this way, but I never meant to say that I'm a non-believer, because I actually do believe in God. I just have a hard time buying into the idea that we are supposed to be as dependent on religious doctrine as some people think.
2006-09-12 15:10:50 · update #1
As a Christian, I have no idea why you would get a thumbs down on the thought that sometimes you have to figure things out on your own.
Just know I wouldn't give you a thumbs down on it. Whenever I am faced with something that I don't have an answer for, and it is either not addressed at all in the Bible or it is vague and confusing, then I think about what the Bible stands for as a whole and that is usually when I find my answer with the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit.
Not every question and moral dilemma can be answered with a straight up answer, sometimes it takes a combination of your spiritual life and experiences to get you where you need to be.
2006-09-12 15:12:12 · answer #1 · answered by bowtierodz 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The scriptures say that there is nothing new under the sun and if anyone needs wisdom let him ask of God. God said in Genesis that what he made was good. He did not make unintelligent people but gave us the ability to make wise choices with the help of the bible, the holy ghost, prayer along with help from pastors, teachers, parents,etc . What happens in many cases we do not take advantage of the tools God has provided and quite often make poor choices.
Your answer as a believer should be God allows you to make intelligent decisions with the tools that he has provided. Sometimes we miss the mark but God also forgives and if we ask another opportunity to get it right. Remember trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding but in all thy ways acknowledge him and He shall direct thy path.
2006-09-12 15:45:59 · answer #2 · answered by Dee 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let me Start this off by saying my mother is a Pastor, so this may not be my belief, but hers. However, when i was little my mother told me that Jesus called his flock "sheep" for a very signifigant reason. Sheep are intelligent creatures. You never hear of an entire heard of sheep being scared out of they're resting or grazing place and thus their shepards care. Sheep know the voice of their caretaker, and thus cannot be stolen, or misdirected by imposters. And if seperated from the shepard, a lone sheep will return to the last place he was with his flock. However Stupid animals like cows become fightened of anything and will stampede in whatever direction the cow in front of them is going.They do not care to find the correct path, as long as they are travelling in what they beleive is a safe direction. Cows will stampede off a cliff, sheep will not only stop before the drop off, but they will protect the rest of their flock from the danger.
A Man with out Faith is like a cow. A true Christian a sheep. We were given the cognative ability to tell right from wrong and a basic roadmap(the Bible) to find the Way. Those who are uncomfortable with your idea are not only closed minded, they are actually afraid of free thought. They are lost if not for the cow butt in front of them.
That Being said I am not a Christian, And do beleive Faith is meant to be found in what(whom) the individual beleives is closest to the truth.
2006-09-12 15:14:44 · answer #3 · answered by Kendall A 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Forget about religious things and do a little study on your own. There is a Holy Book that God inspired for men to write.Within it pages are the knowledge of the universe. It tell you how God had to become a man so He could come to earth and did for the sins of the world and He offers salvation for all that would believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for their sins. There are verses that tell you how you can understand all things and how to study God's Word. 2 Timothy 2: 7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. 2 Timothy 2: 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2006-09-12 15:12:31 · answer #4 · answered by Ray W 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The people who give you thumbs down are the ones who believe that all the information we need is spelled out in the bible and we do not have any business using our intelligence and ability to think and rationalize.
2006-09-12 15:02:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I tend to agree with you. God did give us intelligence to work out problems here on earth. We are to love God with all our hearts, soul and mind. We don't shut off our brains when we become believers. The Bible is truth, and inerrant in doctrine, ethics and history. Yet, all truth is not contained in Scripture, for example, you will not find how to install plumbing in Scripture, or how to repair a transmission. Those "truths" must be found through other sources. But, it is God who has given us the intelligence to develop those truths that Scripture is silent about.
2006-09-12 15:04:56 · answer #6 · answered by BrotherMichael 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably because that's not the answer they want to hear.
Maybe people believe that their respective holy doctrines are supposed to be black and white and give them direct answers. Almost like instructions on how to live.
I don't think it's a bad answer. In fact, it makes sense. But that's just me.
2006-09-12 15:01:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You're WAY, way out of line here. You're going to get in big trouble. Thinking for yourself is something that is frowned upon by Christianity.
Just to illustrate the point, let's see what Martin Luther, the 'father' of protestantism, had to say about 'reason' and secular knowledge:
"Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and ... know nothing but the word of God." ~ Martin Luther
"Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but -- more frequently than not -- struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." ~ Martin Luther
"There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason... Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed." ~ Martin Luther
"Reason should be destroyed in all Christians." ~ Martin Luther
2006-09-12 15:05:05 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As an Orthodox Christian, I think what you say has a certain amount of merit, in terms of the intelligence and ability for rational thought that God has given mankind. We should question things, try to understand and use our God given minds to perceive things.
The problem with this approach, however, is two-fold. One, as human beings living in a fallen condition, our minds are not free from sin and the passions - based on egoism - which distort our thinking and do not allow us to perceive correctly many of the mysteries of God and man that we were created by God to be able to perceive.
Secondly, as created beings, there are mysteries about the Creator that we are not capable of "figuring out", even with our God given rational mind. The example I have used before is that of a two-dimensional drawing perceiving and being able to fully comprehend everything about the artist who drew it. It's just not going to happen. For this reason - since we cannot rationally figure out things about which we have no experience (i.e. the "uncreated", since we are created beings) - God has informed us of certain things by revelation. This is not because we are not supposed to question or use our minds, but because in some things all the questioning or intelligent rationalization in the world would not be able to lead us to the truth.
So while I applaud your view about using our intelligence and reason, I also caution that we have to realize that there are mysteries greater than ourselves or our own minds which we cannot comprehend through mere logic, intelligence or rational inquiry. If we seek to know the truth about these things, we can find them only through being told about them by the One who does know and understand them - and that is through God's revelation to man, through revelatory visions granted to those who have turned to him with a purified heart. It is, by the way, those revelatory visions that have been described in written form in the various books of the Bible and other sacred writings of the Christian Church. These writings are not the revelations themselves - they only describe the revelations which God has given to His holy ones.
I hope this gives you some food for thought!
2006-09-12 15:16:22 · answer #9 · answered by LDRship 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Where do you THINK we get the ideas about God except from His doctrines? Religion is not a bad thing....it is understanding what God wants from us. You see when you give UP your life for someone, like God, we become willful servants to Him. Then you have to ask, Lord what can I do for YOU? Doctrine is what the Lord wants you to DO for Him, on His behalf, and teach to others. One cannot accept God and condemn doctrines. God and His doctrines are inseparable. They are HIS ideas, HIS precepts, His concepts, and HIS principles for living while on this testing ground.
2006-09-12 15:37:00 · answer #10 · answered by DA R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋