Big Debe

My experience is one from within the construct of an organized religion, so I think that anything I have to say would have a decidedly religious slant.

I do my best to step out of that construct to see things without blinders, but there are some that would claim that my daily and weekly practice of religious beliefs would preclude my ability to truly be objective on the matter.

Rob, I love the fact that despite your education you use the word ain't... not because you don't know better, but as a conscious choice. -sidenote- I currently live in a very small town in Utah and am surrounded by people who cannot speak or write beyond a 5th grade level. I'm not talking about bums or half-wit custodians... I'm talking about City councilmen who say "I was up to work the other day and done bought me a new truck. My brother had to borrow me the money thoughs."-end of tangent-

Disclaimer: Discussion of doctrine from within the constructs of Christianity follows. Please ignore if such things bore or do not interest you.

Schock, you raise a great point about the nature of the godhead. That is perhaps one of my biggest problems with mainstream Christianity. Most of them have no idea what or who they are worshipping. I have yet for a "Christian" to give me an adequate description of the trinity. When is God the father? When is he the son? When is he the holy spirit? I laugh. I even had some one describe the trinity as- and I shit you not- as an egg. It went something like this:

"Yeah, see, it's like and egg. Jesus is the shell, cuz he was like real and had a body and stuff, and the holy spirit is like the white, cuz it's like all around god who is the yolk, cuz he's like the center... of everything"

or perhaps the cherry pie analogy:

"The godhead is like a cherry pie. Jesus is the crust. God is the cherries. The holy spirit is the goo in between. It doesn't matter how many pieces(persons) you cut it into, it's still one pie (god)."

There are so many holes in the interpreted doctrine it makes the head spin. I think you are on to something with the separate individuals. I am of the same belief. God the father in one person. Jesus is decidedly his own man. Jesus prays to the father on several occasions. The voice of god is heard in the heavens while Jesus is standing on the earth. I don't think Jesus took ventriloquism as a NWP.

It amazes me to think that pastors are able to fill the pews, and their pockets by giving sermons based on pure shit.