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Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 11:44 pm
by _Nightlion
Please note my emphasis of real. Mormons are not real Christians. Evangelicals and not real Christians. And on and on. The only real Christians are those who receive the power of Christ's redemption and are made his children by the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost. Mormons do not do this. A few did at first, very few. But now none have and never will. But they talk about it, sure. EVs never have done this. No not one standing today. Proto-Evs maybe here and there because there are some very good hymns that sound like it. With God all things are possible.

But having said that I noted with interest that intellectuals look down on Christ and dismiss him and his gospel because they fail to comprehend it. Makes some sense since they DO comprehend everything else. So if Christianity was comprehensible certainly they would see it. They do not see it at all. Therefore they have a long tradition of disdain that the wannabees clamor all over to try and sound just like their great heroes.

The gospel is purposefully kept oblique to the intellect demanding that one come at it another way other than how other things are learned. This that it might require a sacrifice of will, a crest fallen humility of a fool or little child who knows nothing first before one could even begin to be drawn into the kingdom of God. Like a birth canal.

Why an absolute death of all pride pride first? That God might be all in all. You will need God to begin, need him to continue to be drawn and certainly to finish your preparation having done thereby all you can do to repent sufficiently of the pride of this world and the honors of men and made empty of all to level charitable unto all unto absolute mutual undeserved tolerance and equality with all before God in your heart to repent enough. Can you ever imagine in all your life any of the fully learned doing this? Me neither.

In the kingdom of God the object is oneness. Those raised up in the conceit of their learned arrogance are motivated over much by a desire to ride supreme over the beasts of the field even to the realization of themselves as a sort of god-club of humanistic excellence far superior to all less than their accepted peers.

God will have none of it. You could nearly characterize him as The Grace Nazi in the Seinfeld vein of humor. NO GRACE FOR YOU! COME BACK IN THREE YEARS!

Yeah, so you say a loving God and loving God MUST do thus and so or he is no God at all that you would have anything to do with.

Well, just for an argument, let's say God is the most sexy babe. What would a sexy babe owe you? Nothing. She is the goddess of love but not for you. Why should she be? Because she is LOVE?

When did you coo and coy and make yourself adorable to catch here glance that she might fall in love with you? When did she notice your heart drop at her feet? When did she realize that you had forsaken all else for her?

Oh, no you say, it is not for me to EARN her affections. She must be in love with me because she IS THE VERY SEXY BABE. How do you figure? And with God you must become the most adorable of infants in your heart, clean and pure, before he will conceive you his son or his daughter. On this wise it is proven who loves God. That is what life is all about.

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:05 am
by _Stormy Waters
Nightlion wrote:Well, just for an argument, let's say God is the most sexy babe. What would a sexy babe owe you? Nothing. She is the goddess of love but not for you. Why should she be? Because she is LOVE?

When did you coo and coy and make yourself adorable to catch here glance that she might fall in love with you? When did she notice your heart drop at her feet? When did she realize that you had forsaken all else for her?

Oh, no you say, it is not for me to EARN her affections. She must be in love with me because she IS THE VERY SEXY BABE. How do you figure? And with God you must become the most adorable of infants in your heart, clean and pure, before he will conceive you his son or his daughter. On this wise it is proven who loves God. That is what life is all about.


I think of God as more of a parental figure. That if he created us, he cares about us and he is personally invested in our success. If we are his children, then it seems like any good parent that he would love us without us having to earn it.

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:15 am
by _Blixa
I like your phrasing in this part:

And with God you must become the most adorable of infants in your heart, clean and pure...


This part:

...intellectuals look down on Christ and dismiss him and his gospel because they fail to comprehend it. Makes some sense since they DO comprehend everything else. So if Christianity was comprehensible certainly they would see it. They do not see it at all...The gospel is purposefully kept oblique to the intellect demanding that one come at it another way other than how other things are learned. This that it might require a sacrifice of will, a crest fallen humility of a fool or little child who knows nothing first before one could even begin to be drawn into the kingdom of God.


Made me wonder if your thoughts have something in common with Huey Newton's concept of "Revolutionary Suicide," which was in part inspired by Christian tradition as you can tell from the following statement: "The reactionary suicide is 'wise,' and the revolutionary suicide is a "fool," a fool for the revolution in the way Paul meant when he spoke of being 'a fool for Christ.'" I don't think this is any great insight, I just never thought much about Newton's reference to Paul before.

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:19 am
by _Blixa
Stormy Waters wrote:
Nightlion wrote:Well, just for an argument, let's say God is the most sexy babe. What would a sexy babe owe you? Nothing. She is the goddess of love but not for you. Why should she be? Because she is LOVE?

When did you coo and coy and make yourself adorable to catch here glance that she might fall in love with you? When did she notice your heart drop at her feet? When did she realize that you had forsaken all else for her?

Oh, no you say, it is not for me to EARN her affections. She must be in love with me because she IS THE VERY SEXY BABE. How do you figure? And with God you must become the most adorable of infants in your heart, clean and pure, before he will conceive you his son or his daughter. On this wise it is proven who loves God. That is what life is all about.


I think of God as more of a parental figure. That if he created us, he cares about us and he is personally invested in our success. If we are his children, then it seems like any good parent that he would love us without us having to earn it.


My current reading of the old Testament is making me think less and less of "god" in this fashion. The super anthropomorphism of Mormonism is hard to shake...

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:46 am
by _Nightlion
Stormy Waters wrote:
I think of God as more of a parental figure. That if he created us, he cares about us and he is personally invested in our success. If we are his children, then it seems like any good parent that he would love us without us having to earn it.


You premises are more a construct to enclose God in parameters of your choosing to limit him and box him in to your will. That makes you a brat. You get to decide IF he is a good parent or not. That gives you too much power. Could you saunter into a chem lab and dictate terms like this and expect a good grade for it? Hello!

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:51 am
by _Nightlion
Blixa wrote:I like your phrasing in this part:

And with God you must become the most adorable of infants in your heart, clean and pure...


This part:

...intellectuals look down on Christ and dismiss him and his gospel because they fail to comprehend it. Makes some sense since they DO comprehend everything else. So if Christianity was comprehensible certainly they would see it. They do not see it at all...The gospel is purposefully kept oblique to the intellect demanding that one come at it another way other than how other things are learned. This that it might require a sacrifice of will, a crest fallen humility of a fool or little child who knows nothing first before one could even begin to be drawn into the kingdom of God.


Made me wonder if your thoughts have something in common with Huey Newton's concept of "Revolutionary Suicide," which was in part inspired by Christian tradition as you can tell from the following statement: "The reactionary suicide is 'wise,' and the revolutionary suicide is a "fool," a fool for the revolution in the way Paul meant when he spoke of being 'a fool for Christ.'" I don't think this is any great insight, I just never thought much about Newton's reference to Paul before.


Sorry, blixa, I am not equal to your consideration of that. I would need to be more immersed in the whole of it.

New Avatar: lol sultry. Did you google...Very Sexy Babe?

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 2:03 am
by _Blixa
Nightlion wrote:New Avatar: lol sultry. Did you google...Very Sexy Babe?


Ha ha no! I've had it in reserve for a long time. Not sure what brought it to mind today...

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 2:09 am
by _Nightlion
Blixa wrote:
Nightlion wrote:New Avatar: lol sultry. Did you google...Very Sexy Babe?


Ha ha no! I've had it in reserve for a long time. Not sure what brought it to mind today...


Cleopatra clutch the asp before death?

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 2:31 am
by _Blixa
Nightlion wrote:
Cleopatra clutch the asp before death?


It's from some "Spicy Stories" pulp magazine cover. I was collecting them for the pulp fiction section of my detective narrative class. I think she's just illustrating the treacherous Oriental. She's holding a dagger.

Re: Why Intellectuals Cannot Become REAL Christians

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 3:25 am
by _Aristotle Smith
I'd have to say I disagree. He was both a true intellectual and more of a Christian than almost anyone I can think of.