What's your opinion on Paul?

Question

I have just about finished a really good set of lectures on Paul and have formed my own opinions, but I was wondering what most think of him.

To say the least he was a pretty controversial person and there have been many different hypothesis drawn from his influence on christianity. Everything from a con man, to someone who for all intents and purposes hijacked christianity, to a loyal apostle and everything in between.

Just wanted to hear some opinions

Cheers
JMS



http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=657&pc=Religion

I have to say, I am not a christian but if I were I would cut out as much of Pauls (IMHO) B.S. as I could. I believe the polite term if he lived today would be "confidence man'

Answer 1

As far as I'm concerned, Paul was the one who invented about 98% of what's SERIOUSLY wrong with Christianity. It might as well be called "Paul-ianity."

Answer 2

i think of he helped it. Paul took away the two important obstacles to coverting to Christianity. Circumcision and following the Jewish regulation. He grew to become into having difficulty getting coverts till now that. Jews weren't involved and Pagans weren't going to consent to circumcision or following the regulations. He desperate those issues weren't mandatory. Many Jews as we talk, which contain myself, see Paul and Matthew simply by fact the reason we can't convert and that Christianty won't be able to be actual. In that experience, i think they harm Christiantiy. without Paul inspite of the indisputable fact that, the religion could have strangled to demise and under no circumstances taken off the floor. so a ways as seeing what Paul says is the "gospel reality". i do no longer as i'm Jewish yet in step with hazard a Christian can answer that greater advantageous.

Answer 3

I have often felt that Paul accomplished what Saul set out to do...destroy Christianity.

He put it onto the track that Christ (at least from what the New Testament reports) was steering it away from. But, I don't know enough of the history and culture of the time, nor am I capable of studying the writings in the original text. So this might just be a fools opinion 2 millenia later.

Answer 4

Apparently he had the endorsement of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 10-13)

On the other hand, one could argue that Acts was written by Luke, one of Paul's closest friends, so it would only figure that it would paint Paul in a good light. But if there had been any serious opposition to him, the other apostles would have spoken up about it... and I recall nothing (not even in the Apocryphal Gospels) that states that Paul was anything less than what we believe him to be.

Answer 5

Emotionally driven,
totally dedicated,
highly intelligent.

Whether he was right about the incredible structure of doctrine he revealed/created is another matter altogether.
It stands in sharp contrast at numerous points to the other NT letters.

One tiny detail that has always amused me: Paul seemingly getting Epimenides' liar's paradox wrong (Titus 1:12-14)
(There are wriggles trying to explain this, for those holding to inerrancy.)

Answer 6

I know that he was a man of God and that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write hs letters to the Church. God has revealed His truths about His Kingdom through Paul the Apostle.

Answer 7

LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE.

Paul was given the privilege of writing 14 Bible books. That means he had Jesus' approval for what those books say.
Hw started being a persecutor of Christians, but when Jesus spoke to him out of heaven, he changed, and became their most avid preacher.

(1 Corinthians 15:9-10) For I am the least of the apostles, and I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the congregation of God. 10 But by God’s undeserved kindness I am what I am. And his undeserved kindness that was toward me did not prove to be in vain, but I labored in excess of them all, yet not I but the undeserved kindness of God that is with me.

DID NOT PROVE TO BE IN VAIN...

Some of us today might be a bit anti- God, but we CAN change. We have the free will to do so.

Answer 8

I am going to get thumbs down, but, I don't care, you asked for opinions, so, I'll share.

Honestly, the only thing I know of him is of his writings (the letters corinth and so on).
It seems to me that he comes off more like a modern day pastor or preacher does, and his arguments for most things are more his opinion on the subject than the actual word of God.

Some of his stuff, in my mind, is controversial.

He writes about "the gifts" and that one will speak in toungues and another will translate. In the context that one speaks and the other translates what the other said, when clearly in Acts 2, we learn that when someone is truely speaking in tounges, everyone hears it as if it's in his own language.. meaning, no need for translation.

I find his opinions quite interesting like 1 cor (I think chapter 7) on marriage. "It's better for a man not to marry"... His outake on the subject sounds to me more like he is trying to provide a loophole to sexual immorality than anything else.

Just my opinion, from what I read (pronounced reed not red).
Great topic.

Answer 9

it seems to me he was involved in lots of organization building, and was making way for "Christianity" in the world often times more than the revelation of the God in people. I have little time to read or study Paul though, he does not leave me inspired -- maybe my opinion is affected.

Answer 10

He was misogynistic, patriarchal, and single-handedly did more to destroy the power of women as equals than all the other New Testament writers put together.