Christians show an independence of thought when a pastor tells them to jump from a bridge. Does that extend?

Question

Does the independence of thought branch out into theology and political ideology?

If your pastor promotes a political position, for example a pro-choice position regarding abortion, are you independent of mind to maintain a pro-life position if you are prolife?

Answer 1

Of course I am. I have my own set of views on things like politics and social justice and a lot of times they go against what the church believes. My mom has this awful pastor who is so extremely to the right, and after every time I go to church with her I rant for at least half an hour about everything he says that offends me and that I feel goes against everything Christianity stands for. She just rolls her eyes and walks away because she's used to it, but my point is that there are a lot of free thinking, independent Christians out there. Pastors have absolutely no authority over me or sway on the way I believe.

Answer 2

No man is perfect, including pastors, popes and all other religious leaders. Even in the New Testament, the people of the church would search the scriptures to verify what their preacher was saying. We cannot take the word of a mere man as "gospel". We are all required to study and know the scriptures for ourselves.

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11

Answer 3

The answer depends on how much the word of the Pastor means to any one individual. The abortion issue is both a political and moral hot potato. A religious leader could reasonably aproach the subject from a moral, and non-political point of view, making it not a political position. When the same leader recommends a vote for an individual based on his or her view of abortion, it becomes political.

Answer 4

Absolutely! I'm a Christian, independant thinker. God gave me a brain to think with, and He expects me to use it. I don't know if that pastor knows anything I don't know. There's nothing that makes me think he does, other than the fact that he went to school to study to join that profession, and got a lot of 'book learning' on the subject. That's still only 'mans perception' of God's word. None of that means he's any closer to God than I am. I certainly wouldn't go walking off a cliff because a pastor told me to, NOR would I form my theological or political views based on what he said. I go on what God says to my heart!

Answer 5

Yes, of course. (In regards to independent thought.) The pastor of the church is as much a human being as any member of the congregation. Christianity allows for free will. you don't have to agree with everything your pastor says (in less it is founded or backed by the Bible.)

Answer 6

No church I have attended in the past 43 years has had a pastor that suggested I jump off a bridge. My pro-life position remains in tact at all times, and was IN TACT as a non-Christian as well. I value life period.

Answer 7

If my pastor was promoting a political candidate who supported abortion, I would leave his church. That is one thing I feel very strongly about. No one could make me believe that abortion is in any way right.

Answer 8

Pastors/Priests are meant to be guides, and are not infallible. When it comes to something like abortion you're talking about murder, and murder can not be condoned under any circumstances. If a pastor or a priest says otherwise he is contradicting natural law and is therefore in error.

Answer 9

In the first chapter of Isaiah, God (speaking through the prophet's mouth) invites us to intellectually reason out our salvation, and, by extension, the very nature of God. The nature of God, as we understand Him, will extend to the rest of our lives, a priori.

When we consider God so small as to put into a single sentence or aphorism, we truly diminish the Creator of the universe. Jesus, God the Son, explains the law in two commandments, yet these two commandments are expansive to the point of being impossible to keep...

Short answer...God didn't die for sheep, He sacrificed and humiliated Himself for much bigger reasons. If you have questions like this for any large group of people, I wish that you'd be more specific, and actually assume that Christians can think for themselves.

Answer 10

I thought you were murdered back on November 22, 1963! Wow. You're alive and asking questions on Yahoo! Answers.

I suppose a pastor could tell one that, but you JFK have become an Atheist since you were murdered and probably live in the mid-west with a wife and child. So why do you care?