Language

You're quite right that any in depth discussion requires or develops it's own terms with which to describe beliefs or a set of beliefs. The word "Christian" denotes a certain meaning, or should.

But if I get into a discussion about iambic pentameter and haiku to someone who's primary literature is something along the lines of popular paperbacks, I'm neither interesting them in poetry nor being very clear as far as they are concerned.

I was thinking more along the lines of words like 'slain the in Spirit' - words used more, as far as I know and I could be wrong, by Pentecostal types. Even the phrase 'born-again' doesn't necessarily have any meaning at all to anyone anymore. I don't think that Christians themselves understand what that phrase meant in the way Jesus said it. He didn't say it to confuse Nicodemus - he understood as a Jew a part of what Jesus was saying. The part that he didn't understand, Jesus explained to him, that body and spirit are separate entities and that the Holy Spirit revives our flagging spirit and guides us.

I find Let Us Reason to be an interesting site although I don't necessarily agree with everything they say. They have an interesting commentary on what being born again meant to Jesus and to Nicodemus. I don't think that unless the words are going to be understood they should be used, otherwise they don't make any sense and led only to confusion.

For some reason which I don't really understand, Christians (at least in North America) are some of the most uneducated and ignorant people around. As far as a lot of them are concerned, history begins with them. Every Bible prophecy means them. There's no context, no understanding of different readings of the Bible, no idea that other Christians in other countries might interpret things a bit differently and still be Christians in every true sense of the word. Talk about a 'me' generation. North American Christians seem to be the epitome of it. There's no discernment or trying of spirits involved. No 'righteous judgement.' Too many believe every spirit, particularly since the spirits of the day keep telling us we're the horse and not the buggy.

As to things like Noah's Ark - I think to some degree, everyone would be interested in whether it can or can't be found. But I think that too much looking for signs or for evidence from the Bible leads to really weird stuff, like the idea that interstate 35 is just waiting to be a fulfillment of Isaiah 35. Which brings me right back to the 'me' generation.

Layla