"And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And … [Read more...]
Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans and the Unfair Gospel of Christian Bible
"We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort" - The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Article XI) (Anglican/Church of England) "we are justified "freely" or "by grace" through … [Read more...]
Mormons, Mennonites, Roman Catholics and the IKEA Gospel of Fairness
"With repentance we can steadily improve in our capacity to live the celestial law, for we recognize that “he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory” (D&C 88:22)." (Mormon) "Salvation is variously expressed, sometimes as 'justification by faith', in which case it means that the just person has accepted the offer of a … [Read more...]
Work in Eden and Heaven
As I look forward to the prospect of job-hunting this week I've been thinking about the nature of work. I've often heard a sort of Weber-ian account of the virtue and greatness of work, as well as the often-remarked claim that there was even work in the Garden of Eden, and thus work was a part of Paradise for man. I've always felt this to be completely untrue. I hate work … [Read more...]
South Park's Depiction of Historical Theology
The argument from inconsistent revelations is a common case made by atheists but decreasingly popular, in a less religious culture. In short it says that because so many religions preach different ways to Heaven, then choosing any one of them is mathematically risky and foolish because you could be wrong. Thus it’s better not to choose a religion and be agnostic. However … [Read more...]