I only speak for myself in the following response to:
"Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian"
10. The folks I know that consider the Bible trustworthy do not deny the existence of "gods" but realize that those entities are subservient to an Eternal Omnipotent Creator. I personally don't feel outraged when someone denies the existence of God, seeing I once denied His existence myself.
9. I don't feel insulted or "dehumanized" since I once also believed that evolution was an adequate explanation for the diversity of life. But on further investigation I see many "just-so" stories that don't provide a convincing answer. After encountering the Eternal I was willing to reevaluate my views of human origins. BTW, the Bible doesn't claim dirt is the sole source of being for humans, rather, it was an instrument used by the Creator.
8. I obviously don't know the people you do, but I don't laugh at polytheists, nor do I laugh at anyone with alternative views of reality. When one comes to the conclusion that there is an Eternal Omnipotent Creator, and that the said Creator is also the Eternal Communicator, then there is no difficulty with the concept of the "Word" or "Expression" of God being the fullness of God.
7. My face doesn't turn purple by atrocities in the name of Allah, even though I currently live in a region where such events are pretty common. Nor am I pass about any event of Scripture that tells of destruction of human life. On the other hand, I once served in the USMC, and I understand that during war loss of life is not only likely, it is part of the goal of war in the short run, as regretful as that may be, so that in the long run people may live in peace. At least that is the typical goal. You'd have to reread Exodus and Judges to see the connection.
6. I don't laugh at Hindu beliefs, or at Greek claims of interaction with the gods. When a former skeptic like me does experience God's presence in a powerful, unforgettable way, and on more than one occasion, then there is an awareness of exactly what Scripture intends when it says the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary.
5. Dates of earth history. When I was a kid, dinosaurs were cold-blooded, tail-dragging, terrible lizards, and life arose on earth 1.2 billion years ago. These days dinosaurs have a different metabolism and posture, and life now goes back at least 200 percent farther to 3.7 billion years ago. My how evolution has evolved in only a few decades! Should anyone trust "science" as a "final" answer to questions about life?
4. The folks I know that consider the Scripture trustworthy grieve that few people seek to know the Eternal. Actually there are only about a half-dozen major worldviews promoted by humanity: atheism, deism, theism, animism, pantheism, panentheism and possibly another one or two. It would probably take less time to fairly evaluate these views than it would to fairly evaluate the performance of the 70 planes offered by AH. It is not a matter of God sending people to hell. It is a matter of people making a choice to ignore God's offer for eternal fellowship with him. If a person continually resists or willfully ignores God's offer, then what should God do? Force such a person to have eternal fellowship? The final state of such people who refuse, btw, is also described as being in "outer darkness" and not just fire. It is an axiom of Scripture that people in all stages of life, from all backgrounds, will be fairly judged by the Eternal, who knows the true intents of everyone's hearts. The alternative view that everyone dissolves into endless oblivion has its problems. Hitler, Stalin and Mao receive no punishment but share the identical fate as their multiplied millions of victims. That's tough for me to accept.
3. On the one hand, actually there is plenty of evidence in science, history, geology, biology, and physics to persuade me of the claims of Scripture, because of my worldview. On the other hand, although there is no short supply charismaniacs, that of itself does not prove that all such spiritual experiences such as tongues are invalid. Discernment is crucial, just as is also demanded in Scripture.
2. Prayer for me is not solely, or even most importantly, asking for things I want. For me prayer is a time of communion with the Eternal, to conform my desires to his. I certainly do ask for God's hand to work in my life. Several times answers were not only forthcoming, but immediate. Not every prayer I've prayed has received the answer I was looking for. But I do not look at God as turning away from me. Rather, I need to make sure my requests are fully attuned to what God desires. Prayer is partnership with the Eternal, not the power of positive thinking, nor begging a celestial Santa for gifts.
1. Well, as I said, I don't know the people you know. But I'd say the folks I associate with who consider the Scriptures trustworthy know quite a bit more about them than folks who don't study them.
Regarding the lack of credibility of atheists by "Americans" (if you actually read the report at the link) I'd say such outspoken atheists as the late Madelyn Murray O'Hare and Richard Dawkins do not help the cause of atheism. I was once an atheist myself, though not militant, and certainly not hostile towards Christians or other religions. I suffered no personal credibility problems.
Best regards,
Cement
