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From: dbrown@watarts.UUCP (Dave Brown)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Childlike Faith
Message-ID: <8277@watarts.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Feb-85 16:28:05 EST
Article-I.D.: watarts.8277
Posted: Fri Feb 22 16:28:05 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Feb-85 05:25:46 EST
References: <27200005@uok.UUCP> <576@pyuxd.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 74

> > To accuse one who believes in Jesus Christ of being immature and childlike
> > in his thinking is the highest of compliments, as (if the accusation is true)
> > the one who is being accused is reassured of his trust in the Lord.  In fact,
> > it takes childlike faith to beieve the things taught by Jesus Christ.  It is
> > the very maturity of your argument that is your downfall.  Nevertheless, it is
> > better to be "cold" (anti-Christ) or "hot" (Christian) than to be "lukewarm"
> > (i.e. hypocritical, pharisaical ).
> >     Thank for your unintentional compliment, Mr. Rosen.
> >                   Tom Huguenard   ctvax!uokvax!uok!tjhuguen 
>      
> If you truly believe what you've said, you wouldn't at all mind letting your
> own children run your household, make your decisions, be the "parents" in

You missed the point Rich.  You called us immature and childlike in
having a faith that did not meet your mature standards. That is what makes
what you said such a compliment.

> your home.  I doubt that you would actually do so.  Is the child's faith in
> the child molester's offer of candy what you are seeking?  To be childlike

You're digressing into an emotional value judgement here.

> in one's wonder of the universe is something none of us should lose.  But life
> teaches us that the faith that the child has in the universe, that all
> things are taken care of and turn out all right, is as erroneous as the child's
> belief in fairies and monsters.  And gods.  Life is not what the child might

You're making a value judgement on what life teaches Rich Rosen; do you
think it just might teach other people other things?

> perceive it to be.  It is a beautiful rhetorical device, to compare faith in
> god to the faith of a child in the universe, because we may have fond memories
> of the innocence of childhood, and wish for those wishes to come true.  But
> experience shows us that the faith of the child is not a given, by any means.
> As the child who has faith in parents who are incompetent or malevolent in
> parenting.  As the child who has faith in the support of the thin ice he/she
> walks upon on the pond.

Who said God is incompetent or malevolent? If you said it, does this mean
that Rich Rosen believes that God doesn't exist because he doesn't
come up to your expectations of him? Hey, Rich. Come, on! The important
thing in life is not that everything is great and hunky-dory. This life is
nothing when compared to eternity(my value judgement). We just try to do
the best we can, trusting in God that though some people follow Satan,
and do evil things, in the end(literally), all will be for the triumph
of good. Not that we shouldn't do anything on this earth to make it
bearable; but as a Christian I do everything for the greater glory of
God.
> I'm not painting a pretty picture.  I'm saying that something that some might
> like to believe to be a great and true thing, the faith of an innocent child,
> is not what it is wished to be.  My claims are borne out by the evidence.  Life
> and the set of pretty pictures one might claim as "the way it is" don't always
> intersect.  No matter how hard you may close your eyes and wish it to be so.
> 
> It wasn't intended as a "compliment".  It still isn't.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Not that you're
necessarily going there. But, I digress.

> 
> "Faith is the quality that enables you to eat blackberry jam on a picnic
>  without looking to see whether the seeds move.  Think first.  Be unique."
 
In this so called rational world, being unique means having faith.

> 				Rich Rosen 	ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr
 
The best thing I can say Rich is that in the end you and I will disagree;
you have a faith based on rationality; I have a faith based on trust.


Sincerely yours,

                       DAVE BROWN