Christians, does the inconsistency with which you all answer bible-related questions on this site concern you?

Question

I have asked a number of questions on this forum and have received a wide variety of answers. Some of the answers I receive are thoughtful, others seem to be made up on the fly. Few seem to be aware that there is more than one way to answer the question and fewer still seem to explain why their answer is better than other answers that have traditionally been given. Does this concern you? It seems that most of you are very poorly informed on theological matters. Doesn't this leave a lot of room for error? You could be a heretic and not even know it because you don't have enough familiarity with historical theology to know what ideas have been defeated and shown to be heretical!

Here are some questions that I have asked which illustrate my point:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArtW6MSVjSt.D99SgC3ZWnfsy6IX?qid=20070411104751AANYVUA

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArlzkZmNlLLUT1d6Uvrwnj_sy6IX?qid=20070411131317AAiLbVe

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=As2RoTuT1X.yUs8oDoUEHETty6IX?qid=20070329214608AAjfW8I

Answer 1

I'm not going to get in to the truth or fiction of Christianity (because I can't prove it is or isn't true), or who is a real Christian versus who is not (because I'm certainly not qualified to answer that), but I do have an opinion on this issue.

I think the answer is three-fold:
To begin with, your questions require a lot of thought, and a lot of time to properly answer. I think, though I may be mistaken, that a lot of people on this forum (Christian or otherwise) just don't put in that much time or effort in to answering questions. Most answers here are maybe a paragraph long, at best, which clearly isn't enough to adequately answer the kind of questions you ask (if they even read the whole question, because I know for a fact some people only read the headline and not the body of the question).
The second aspect is the amount and quality of education most Christians get in regards to their own faith. Many Christians have not read the Bible, and if they have, they read it with a very strong cultural bias. This isn't to say Christians are by nature stupid or prejudiced, it just means that depending on region or denomination the interpretation of the Bible will change. I, for instance, was raised Lutheran in the Canadian prairies. Even after I became an atheist, my interpretation of the Bible was dependent on how I had been told to interpret it. It wasn't until I began studying Christianity academically that I abandoned those biases (now I aim for a bias of neutrality, whether or not that has worked is questionable). I suppose what I'm getting at is that many Christians don't actually KNOW what the Bible says, and if they do, most are just parroting the interpretations of others - interpretations that usually aren't culturally or historically informed and tend to COMPLETELY ignore the context the Bible was written in. In this way, inconsistency and misinformation are virtually inevitable.
Finally, many people (religious or not) will respond with a knee-jerk reaction when something they hold dear is questioned. It's not that your questions are denouncing the Christian religion in any way shape or form, but they might encourage people to question the interpretations they were taught, which can incite the same kind of reactionary behaviour.

I apologise if my answer is rambling and difficult to follow, I just finished my third straight day of exams and my brain's a little fried at the moment. :)

Answer 2

Considering the number of people who post here, the answer to your question is, "No, it doesn't bother me at all."

'Some' people are poorly informed on theological matters, just as some people are poorly informed on world geography. If you take a survey of people walking down the street of any major metropolis, it's a good bet that half of them have no idea of where Uzbekistan is.

Why should this forum be any different? Not everyone has a degree in theology, and their basic knowledge comes from what they've heard on TV or what their pastor has told them. They're doing the best that they can with the information that they have, and I'm sure God will forgive them for any errors they may hold, simply because they've never been taught otherwise.

As far as explaining why an answer is better than another, that seems a bit presumptuous. I may think that my answers are the best thing since sliced Hermeneutics, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's so. I'm satisfied if my answers are well thought-out and supported by adequate references.

So the bottom line is that everyone does the best that they can with the information and the intellectual skills that they have. There are bound to be inconsistencies within this forum, just as there are in any other group.

Answer 3

Again, all who claim to be Christian may not be Christian. Also, it's impossible for the Christian to know everything about Christianity. It takes a while for the Word to be learned and applied in all areas of our lives. Old beliefs are weeded out one by one as we learn more about the Father & His Character. So, occasionally, there are some misguided or immature answers. We are all at different stages of learning. And there are always people who think they know something but really don't. It's a people thing, not a Christian thing. I find on most questions where a lot of Christians answer, it usually gets very similar answers but expressed differently. Sometimes an answer is a little askew, but I can understand exactly what they're trying to say. And there is among Christians a certain jargon that others may not understand accurately. I think it's important to not answer questions with that jargon & take special care that you're not misunderstood if at all possible. It also seems that people on a whole don't examine real close why they believe what they believe. They take it for granted because mama or someone they trust taught them a certain way. That's why it's good to give Bible references to show the basis for whatever idea you are proposing. I wish more Christians took the time to reference what they say....I suppose they don't because of the flack nonbelievers raise when we do, or they just don't want to take the time. But, I've said before, it's important to show why you say what you do &, for the Christian, it should always be based on God's Word. It does bother me sometimes we don't put more thought into our answers...again, a people problem. I don't think I've ever seen the athiests or nonbelievers answer a question the same way either....but then they have no reference other than vain imaginations. It's not their fault, they just have nothing to to back them up...a lot of pomp & circumstance about nothing. God on the other hand, is real and except for His love & mercy we would all be destroyed because of our disrespect if nothing else. So, we all seem to have the same problem.....people on either side can post amazingly different opinions about the same question. Welcome to the human race.

Answer 4

I'm not concerned with being a heretic. I don't expect many people informed on theological matters to be found on yahoo answers either. I think every religion holds error and that once religion is taken so seriously, to the point where people could tell you exact answers point blank about their religion, that's when the rules take precedence over the heart of religion. I was taught well about Roman Catholicism, but unfortunately, I don't have a brain that allows me to regurgitate the information back as I learned it. It doesn't really matter though, in the end, I believe in what I believe, regardless.

Answer 5

It's what I had to go through in order to know what I know today. There were all these different ideas and theories to explain everything from apple trees to the universe.

So don't feel like you are starting from anywhere anyone else might not have started from.

What concerns me is that I have the story right. Who do we go to when we mean serious buisness on learning a subject? How about a college professor?

If you want to know where I got what I got, you can point to three places. The first is God, the Second in the bible, and the third was Dr. Gene Scott. Look him up if you want to in the internet. He's on 24 hours a day.

Answer 6

Theological knowledge is no different than knowledge in any other area. Yes some have little knowledge, or pass on what limited information that was passed on to them. You appear to be an intelligent person and it should come as no surprise to you that there would be many interpretations of the written word. If one hundred people read an editorial i the newspaper, you certainly would not expect the same conclusions from all the reader. So why would you expect that something as complex as a religion would be interperted consistantly. Each and every religion has many factions that interpert and impliment thier religion as they believe it is written. We are in a world war against people who have interperted the Koran as a license to kill. That to kill is the path to salvation. I believe that any religion or belief that had no room for some interpertation would be doomed to fail.

Answer 7

Well, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I have been taught many of the beliefs of many religions. And I can go to the meetings and ask a question of a person who was formerly of that religion. But, suppose I have a question about a Catholic belief or one from Islam and no one at the meetings was formerly of either religion. I would ask a question directed at Catholics or those from Islam on here. Likewise, someone might not know all about my religion and might ask a question. However, I do not post questions directed toward those of my own religion since I know that I can do research, or if needed, I can ask someone at the meetings and they will help me find the answer.

Answer 8

It appears to me that your understanding is what is inconsistent. As for the penalty that Christ paid, the analogy was very good in light of your misunderstanding. The old law demanded a blood-sacrifice for the atonement of sin, and to restore the people back to God's favor and grace. From the very beginning of Genesis, after the fall, when God addressed A&E, He then addressed Satan about the future messiah whose heel he would bruise, but himself would be crushed by the Messiah's foot. Starting with the sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness, sacrifices of an un-spotted lamb and without defect became the blood sacrifice that, as I stated earlier, made atonement for the sins of the people. Christ, the Lamb of God, became the last perfect sacrificial Lamb that would do away with temple sacrifices forever, and whose blood would be the final blood shed for ALL of mankind, for all of time. This is why it is said of His sacrifice that it paid the penalty for our sin and it's punishment. You really need to read Hebrews.
As for the flood, what about it? His reason for doing so is the same reason for never doing it again? What don't you understand about that? It's rather self-explanatory, at least I thought so. As it was written in the NT, Christ had no need of any man to instruct Him about man's continual nature which is only evil continually. God's purpose for mankind after the flood was the same in Christs time and in our time.
As for free-will, I do not question why or why not God should or should not have created us with it. What I do know, is that far too many people, yourself included, do not understand that the question is moot because God obviously did not give free-will to A&E as is clear from God telling them "DO NOT EAT OF THE FRUIT..." Where does anyone decipher free-will in that verse? It isn't there. I didn't even bother to read the answers given to your previous questions because I viewed it as a challenge to your assertion that "most of you are very poorly informed in theological matters" I really don't need a Master's degree in Theology to prove that contention false. I just did. And "not on the fly", either.

Answer 9

What bothers me is that there are not enough Christians who have read the "study to show yourself approved, a workman rightly divining the word of God that you may not be put to shame" verse. For most they are content with a change of life that has made them better. A change that has freed some from addictions, brought new joys, and having believed on the Lord Jesus the Christ will allow them to see him face to face for ever, and that is the main thing. I think its OK, but I do hope that we all study the Word more for we know God will lead us to the truth when He said "ask, it shall be given, seek, you shall find, knock, it shall be open>

Answer 10

I'm concerned about the answers that are given here in the name of Christianity.
While there are some good thought out answers which are biblically factual, there arent nearly enough. While many people are well meaning when they give their answers , they would be better served to study their bible more and keep their mouths shut til they have a better understanding.
What also concerns me is the spiteful way some of these questions are being answered. In no way are some of these people representing our Lord and Savior..