Have you ever been to a secular site or blog where a discussion of the Bible was taking place? Have you ever noticed that most of the people in the conversation have no clue what the Bible says and the ones who profess that they do ... really don't and it is really obvious that they don't?
Yeah. Me too.
I always feel compelled to "set the record straight" but have found that it is best that I don't. Honestly, I don't think they really want to know what the Bible actually says because normally it just starts a fight if you tell them. They want to argue about how the Bible "contradicts itself" and will claim that it says the most bizarre things. Or, better yet, they will claim it does not say what it says and you can show them all day long ... but in the end it will be that you are interpreting it wrong. Or my all-time favorite ... someone changed the Bible to say what it says now but that is not what it originally said.
It is not productive conversation. Not at all. Their interest really isn't what the Bible actually says ... but more along the lines of using pieces of the Bible to justify their beliefs about what they claim is in the Bible or why no one should read the Bible in the first place. They can't grasp the difference between religion and faith or what it means to have an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. Nor are they interested in reading passages in context of the other passages around the one they are quoting.
I guess that is why Jesus tells us not to throw our pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). They don't appreciate them. They trample them underfoot. They mean nothing to them. Instead ... they just try to rip you to shreads. It is better to just turn and surf away ...
That is why one wise person once said... " Never argue with a fool, because others will seldom notice the difference".. Even afters saying that, what we should focus is on spreading the Gospel which may include clearing doubts of non believers. The point is we should be able to spot the difference between a "doubt" and an attempt to prove the Bible is wrong. Hope I made sense.
Good advice. I've bogged myself down in so many of those conversations it isn't funny. I still do it now and then, thinking that THIS time it really matters and will really count.
It never does.
Frustrating, isn't it? :-/
You can cite Scripture directly and still not know what you're talking about - and a lot of people do just that! I was engaged in a long, drawn out discussion over on my blog with an individual who could not see that the positions he was advocating were grounded in a poor understanding of Leviticus - following his "logic", we'd still be slaveowners (though we'd have to buy them from Canada or Mexico - you must buy them from a neighboring country!). I ended up having to close down the thread.
Having had that lesson (thanks for the warning, Angel - pity I didn't ask until it was too late!), I'll exercise discretion.
So, so true. I work at a college, so you can imagine the sorts of conversations people try to draw me into. I have noticed, however, that often the people who either don't believe in or don't care about God sure do go around talking about Him a lot...
Ben ... you made sense. :)
Wickle, I understand. Been there and done that!
Satchel, yes it is!
Rick, your case was one of exception because you were trying to converse with someone who says they are a Christian (and I have no reason to doubt his sincerity). I don't know which is worse!
Billy ... I have noticed that too!