As most of you know, I am a "rabid" anti-Fundamentalist.
But I feel it is important to clarify that my animosity is not directed at Fundamentalists themselves, but rather at some doctrines, such as inerrancy of the Bible, exclusivity of Jesus for salvation, the Trinity and blood atonement.
I hope that my animosity towards these doctrines never comes across as hostility to the people that hold them, fundamentalists, Jehovah's Witnesses or Evangelicals themselves...that is certainly not my intention.. To the degree that it does, or IF it does, I do apologize for getting "carried away".
To use an overused expression, it's a "love-hate" kind of thing.
But it may supprise some of you to learn that I respect Fundamentlists in several ways, and actually feel affinity towards them.
-We both regard the Bible as supremely important, if not infallible.
-We at least recognize Jesus as the most important prophet of YHVH.
-Many Evangelical preachers preach a lot from the "Old" Testament.
-We all accept YHVH as our Heavenly Father, as Jesus taught
-Many Evangelicals are realizing the importance of the name of God, "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" more and more.
-We share ethics and values that we consider "traditional" but many on this site and beyond call "old fashioned", "outdated" or even (wrongly) "bigoted".
-I have tremendous respect for Evangelicals/Fundamentalists/JW's for their obvious dedication to God, to prayer and to the Bible.
-I have learned a lot of practical Bible principles from Evangelicals, applicable to real-world, daily life.
-I do see how the Bible supports the Evangelical/Fundamentalist point of view, but I also see how it supports opposing points of view.
It may also surprise you that although I believe salvation comes from YHVH alone, I do not consider Trinitarians to be automatically "lost" or "unsaved".
I believe that God's mercy and compassion transcends our theological differences, and see God judging more on the basis of our hearts, our actions and attitudes towards Him, and how we treat our fellow human beings.
In other words, salvation does not depend on getting our theology "right" in every detail.
So if Trinitarism and belief in blood atonement works for a given individual, and makes them feel closer to God, perhaps it does. I do not presume to judge, that is the Creator's role.
But those do not work for me. (yes, I have given them a chance, that's the way I was raised) Pure monotheism and simple repentance works better for me now.
I often pray, "YHVH if I am wrong about this, please forgive me, if I am right, please vindicate",
I just hope all this helps to diffuse some tension or animosity that may be, or may have been building up., and give credit where credit is due. I believe God works through all of His children, those who love Him and love His name.
As for our theological differences, see ya on the debating forums!
