One of the things I was looking forward to after moving from an apartment to a house with a front door is door knockers. Weird, I know, but that’s me. Particularly religious door knockers, because I know they’re never gonna convert me, and I like the idea of just politely wasting their time.
Well, I’ve only been here for like 2 weeks now, but it’s already happened. Just got back from the door with a JW. I asked him his view on the Nicene Creed and why he thinks JWs reject it. Disappointingly, I’m not sure he even knew what the Nicene Creed was, as he just started going on about being peaceful and not doing harm and other entirely unrelated religious banalities. When I pressed the issue, he got a little closer to the mark, saying “oh, different people believe different things”, but still nothing that actually addressed the question itself.
I’m an atheist, but I find religion fascinating today in the same way I found Greek and Egyptian mythology fascinating when I was young. It’s an interesting part of human culture. My take on Christianity is that you should never take seriously any Christian preacher who cannot explain to you the basic tenets of the Nicene Creed. You don’t have to know it to be Christian, but you do if you want to preach it, and not knowing it shows to me that you clearly do not know enough about the theology behind your own religion to be preaching. It’d be like a high school maths teacher who can’t explain to you what Sohcahtoa is.
The Nicene Creed says a few things, but the important bit is basically defining the Holy Trinity. The idea that God is the father, and is the son, and is the holy ghost. JWs and Mormons (among a few other fringe Christian groups) don’t believe this. It’s interesting theocratic theory, if you’re interested in the study of religions. But mainly it’s a convenient way to tie up the door knockers’ time so they’re bothering me and not someone else.
I used to be a choirboy in a 100 year old Church of England, in England. Was top of my class in religious studies as an 11 year old too. I haven’t cared about it all since I was about 12 though. I played King Herod in the nativity play in that church too. My only claim to acting fame.
One of the things I was looking forward to after moving from an apartment to a house with a front door is door knockers. Weird, I know, but that’s me. Particularly religious door knockers, because I know they’re never gonna convert me, and I like the idea of just politely wasting their time.
Well, I’ve only been here for like 2 weeks now, but it’s already happened. Just got back from the door with a JW. I asked him his view on the Nicene Creed and why he thinks JWs reject it. Disappointingly, I’m not sure he even knew what the Nicene Creed was, as he just started going on about being peaceful and not doing harm and other entirely unrelated religious banalities. When I pressed the issue, he got a little closer to the mark, saying “oh, different people believe different things”, but still nothing that actually addressed the question itself.
I’m an atheist, but I find religion fascinating today in the same way I found Greek and Egyptian mythology fascinating when I was young. It’s an interesting part of human culture. My take on Christianity is that you should never take seriously any Christian preacher who cannot explain to you the basic tenets of the Nicene Creed. You don’t have to know it to be Christian, but you do if you want to preach it, and not knowing it shows to me that you clearly do not know enough about the theology behind your own religion to be preaching. It’d be like a high school maths teacher who can’t explain to you what Sohcahtoa is.
All I can say Zag is that it’s a good job I’m neither a preacher or a maths teacher then.
The Nicene Creed says a few things, but the important bit is basically defining the Holy Trinity. The idea that God is the father, and is the son, and is the holy ghost. JWs and Mormons (among a few other fringe Christian groups) don’t believe this. It’s interesting theocratic theory, if you’re interested in the study of religions. But mainly it’s a convenient way to tie up the door knockers’ time so they’re bothering me and not someone else.
I used to be a choirboy in a 100 year old Church of England, in England. Was top of my class in religious studies as an 11 year old too. I haven’t cared about it all since I was about 12 though. I played King Herod in the nativity play in that church too. My only claim to acting fame.
Sounds like getting in to a debate about Harry Potter, or Star Wars lore to be honest.
I mean, Christianity is where the word “canon” comes from. We use it for a reason!