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Originally Posted by shaun  Quote:
Originally Posted by duck I have met many, many people in my journey through life who life their lives totally according to the bible and the interpretation that is vogue for the moment. These folks believe that this is the infallible word of god, and that it should be taken quite literally.
If this isn't control, then please give me a definition for yourself of the term.  | It's not. By your logic, I could say thousands are being "controlled" by Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and the philosophies espoused from that book. (I could probably name some on this forum too.) control: n. the act or power of controlling; regulation; domination or command.
Whether or not people believe in Christianity and subsequently in following the words in the Bible is their choice. No one is forcing them to. To say they're being "controlled" is a false accusation and is based upon a misunderstanding of the definition of control. |
I'm curious if you think that people actually think that ignoring
Atlas Shrugged will result in their eternal torture in a firey pit where there is much gnashing of the teeth?
I would tend to think that the bible:
1) places a framework for acceptable behavior
2) defines the source of this framework as infallible and ultimate in all ways (i.e. unquestionable)
3) Offers enticements to follow and punishments for straying
There are many books that do this, including the legal code of the USA and other nations (save that these examples skip step 2). All are a matter of control over people.
Of course there is a component of this in the bible. This is "dog life" stuff though. It's basically the santa claus deal. Be bad = get coal in your stocking. I believe that the bible has a lot of beautiful stuff in it if you look beyond this literal interpretation. It seems to me that it serves a purpose as a control mechanism.
It's like watching the Star Wars movies (the originals). At first, it's an exciting action and fun sci-fi movie and the kids love it. Then you grow into it and you find that it's the same story as that found in the bible of Jesus' life.
There's nothing new about this process. There are enlightened goals out there and ways of presenting them to "control" you such that you start on the path towards them. Then when you appreciate the value of the path, you can transcend the controls.
I think its a beautiful process.