|
Post by dangermom on Jul 14, 2010 12:07:07 GMT -5
I've been out of town, so only just saw this thread. I don't know if anyone wants any clarification on nikita's comment. But AFAIK we LDS folks are the only ones (in the modern Christian world) who believe that our spirits existed before birth. Our theology states that God created our spirits long ago and we all had to wait for a turn (so to speak) to be born on earth. It is not known exactly when a spirit enters a developing body, but it is not generally thought to be at conception--more like 6 weeks at the very earliest.
In LDS theology, all children are born innocent and are alive in Christ until they reach an age where they can make choices (about 8). So all children who die before then simply go right back to God. We also don't have a whole lot in the way of Hell, though.
Mormons tend to be kind of horrified by Calvinist thought, esp. on the subject of babies born already sinful.
So I don't know if anyone cares, but that's a short summary. I have heard that early Christians also had ideas about pre-mortal life, but I would have to look that up.
|
|
|
Post by km on Jul 17, 2010 20:16:28 GMT -5
dangermom: Thanks for the explanation. I was wondering about that. It was not really an issue I'd ever thought much about wrt Christian theology.
Conservative Reformed Christianity is frankly the kind that concerns me the most, and I recognize that everyone is making that distinction here. I mean, there aren't really a lot of PCUSA Reconstructionists, and most mainline Presbyterians I've known are good people with social consciences and an intellectual way of looking at faith. I have always liked their seriousness and studiousness about theological study, and I tend to appreciate their almost philosophical/academic approach to theology. Because I don't have the Jesus personal relationship thing, I resonate most with theory.
But then, I like a lot of the intellectual traditions of Catholicism as well. As much as I've whined about the "hero worship" endemic to hermeneutic study, I've still benefited from training in it. And I think there can be actual purpose in just allowing a work to...sink in and just be what it is without enforcing a strict interpretation of it or fully knowing what it means. The idea that there can be mystery to faith and theology and revealed scripture has been, I think, very important for me. As has the sense that there is much that is unknown, and it's perhaps not the worst thing in the world not to be able to to "know" God in the way that so many Protestants find so natural and obvious.
|
|
|
Post by dangermom on Jul 18, 2010 19:03:18 GMT -5
I am actually not too sure what Christian Reconstructionists think, so if anyone wants to explain that, I'd appreciate it. I only know what it means in Jewish terms.
I think there's a lot to appreciate about Catholicism. IMO Mormons could use a little more of the respect for mystery that you describe; we tend to want to know all the details and that has been known to backfire on us at times, so I'm rather leery of speculation.
|
|
|
Post by kisekileia on Jul 22, 2010 8:41:13 GMT -5
Personally, one of my favourite things about Catholicism is its approach to the Bible. It interprets the Bible alongside tradition and reason, rather than treating its literal meaning as the be-all and end-all. While it holds that the Bible is infallible, and I wouldn't quite go that far anymore, it also believes that this is concerning faith and morals and that the Bible is not a history or science textbook. As a result, Catholicism is open to modern Biblical criticism, but approaches it from a standpoint of respect for the text rather than attempting to be revisionist.
I also think that studying the history, theology and culture of Christianity in Catholic institutions has a lot to recommend it. I'm almost finished a degree in Christianity & Culture and psychology, and the C&C department is liberal Catholic. Again, the program approaches Christian history and practice with a combination of respect for the faith and willingness to engage in honest scholarly inquiry. I don't have a lot of respect for Catholic teachings on sexual morality, but I have much more respect for Catholic scholarship.
|
|