• Zloubida@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    There are many possible points of disagreement within Christianity because, like it or not, the Bible is unclear and even contradicts itself on many subjects (and this is a Christian saying this). But prosperity theology is so clearly the opposite of everything in the Bible that any self-respecting evangelical should ostracize it. That they don’t is the proof that the gospel is not what many evangelicals are interested in.

    • inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      What she cites the bible for

      Though she clarified that donations wouldn’t actually go to help those infected, White used medical imagery to add urgency to her fundraising plea during a pandemic. “Every single day we are a hospital to the sick, not necessarily the physically sick,” she said. “But we are a hospital for those who are soul sick, those who are spiritually sick.” White went on to suggest that contributors offer a $91 donation, citing Psalm 91, or “maybe $9 or whatever God tells you to do.”

      What I cite the bible for

      Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      14 days ago

      You might enjoy reading some of the works of Bart Ehrman. I’m an atheist who has been reading a lot about Jesus and the early church (first three centuries). I would recommend, How Jesus Became God.

      Anyway, good for you for recognizing prosperity bs for what it is.

      • ChromaticSnail@piefed.social
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        14 days ago

        Ehrman is great, as are his books and his podcast (which is called “Misquoting Jesus”). He’s one of the most objective mainstream New Testament scholars (in the field of textual criticism), and he doesn’t try to advance any agenda. He states clearly whether his points are the consensus of non-evangelical scholars, or whether he’s in the minority (which is rarely); whether other scholars disagree with him (and why); what the evangelical scholars say, etc. He doesn’t encourage either atheism or religion; he’s simply a textual criticism scholar.

      • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        It’s literally a sin in many sects, not to say those sects aren’t entirely hypocritical on the matter, but trading priestly duties for money is explicitly a sin in a lot of Abrahamic religions.

        • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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          14 days ago

          Gestures broadly at the pastors with their AMG Mercedes/M BMWs, mansions, private planes, helicopters, beach/mountain vacation houses, etc…"

      • Zloubida@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        I like Ehrman. I think Jesus had, before the Resurrection, no clear idea of who/what he was and that what Ehrman shows is how the early church not invented but discovered the divinity of Jesus.

        • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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          12 days ago

          I’m convinced that he believed he was the Messiah. I don’t think he considered himself divine. I think that was invented later.

          • Zloubida@lemmy.world
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            12 days ago

            Yes, but:

            • that doesn’t mean he had an idea of the Trinity and his place in it;
            • it’s probably something the Evangelist added anyway.
      • Zloubida@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Calvin was totally opposed to this kind of theology. I presume you’re referencing to Weber; but if you read The Protestant Ethic closely, he didn’t speak about mainstream Calvinism of his time, but German puritanism, which was opposed by mainstream Calvinism.