Yet more evidence has come to the fore that Reep candidate Rick Santorum is totally out of his depth, and apart from that ....would be a disaster on a national political "Richter scale" of at least '10' if people were stupid enough to catapult him into the Oval office. (Recall how his main PAC funder Foster Freeze, opined that in his day "women practiced birth control by squeezing a Bayer aspirin between their legs". Why any intelligent woman of full consciousness would vote for his little whelp, Rick Santorum, is beyond me when it's clear his numero uno policy would be to keep all females under 40 barefoot and pregnant.
But I digress.
This blog concerns Santorum's recent attacks on Barack Obama to the effect the President is "not a real Christian" and that he adheres to a "false theology". Or has he expatiated, "a phony theology ...not one based on the Bible".
Which brings up an interesting question: Is there a self-consistent theology expressed in the Bible? By which I mean, if a biblical literalist read its assorted words - without interpretation (which implies one can't take it literally) they would reflect the same moral orders, choices, behaviors?
A good way to begin is to examine different quotations concerning major Christian beliefs, or what are deemed so, and to ascertain if there are contradictions. If these occur, then one could argue there is no self-consistent theology which rest on uniform beliefs.
Examples with pertinent question given followed by the citations for 'yes' and 'no' answers:
1)Are unsaved sinners eternally tormented?
Yes: Isa 33:14; Mt 13:40-42, 25:41,46; Mk 9:43-48; Jude 6-7; Re 14:10-11
NO: Eze 18:4; Mt 7:13, 10:28; Lu 13:3,5; John 3:15-16; Ac 3:23; 1Co 15:18; 2Th 2:10; Heb 10:39; 2Pe 3:7,9
2) Will everyone get saved?
Yes: John 12:32; Ro 5:18, 11:32; 1Co 15:22; Col 1:20; 1Ti 2:4,6; 1Jo 2:2
NO: Mt 7:13-14; Lu 13:23-24
3) Is one who believes in God's son, but who has never repented, saved?
Yes: John 3:15-16,36, 6:40,47, 11:25; Ac 16:31; Ro 10:9; 1Jo 5:12
NO: Lu 13:3,5
4) Is one who is very moral and charitable, but who has never repented, saved?
YES: Mt 19:16-17, 25:34-40,46; Mk 10:17-21; Lu 10:25-37, 18:18-22; John 5:28-29, 8:51; Ro 2:5-7,10; Jas 2:24
NO: Luke 13:3,5
5) Is one who is very moral and charitable, but who does not believe in God’s son, saved?
YES: Mt 19:16-17, 25:34-40,46; Mk 10:17-21; Lu 10:25-37, 18:18-22; John 5:28-29, 8:51; Ro 2:5-7,10; Jas 2:24
NO: Mk 16:16; John 3:18,36, 8:21-25, 14:6; Ac 4:10-12; 1Jo 5:12
Even from this small subset or sample one can see wide divergence in belief, emanating from the so-called revealed sources, and hence in theology. Hence, one can argue Santorum doesn't know what he's talking about.
But let's even go him one better. In 2 KINGS 2:23-24, we see that:
2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
depicted in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFlrg22GjM8
But I digress.
This blog concerns Santorum's recent attacks on Barack Obama to the effect the President is "not a real Christian" and that he adheres to a "false theology". Or has he expatiated, "a phony theology ...not one based on the Bible".
Which brings up an interesting question: Is there a self-consistent theology expressed in the Bible? By which I mean, if a biblical literalist read its assorted words - without interpretation (which implies one can't take it literally) they would reflect the same moral orders, choices, behaviors?
A good way to begin is to examine different quotations concerning major Christian beliefs, or what are deemed so, and to ascertain if there are contradictions. If these occur, then one could argue there is no self-consistent theology which rest on uniform beliefs.
Examples with pertinent question given followed by the citations for 'yes' and 'no' answers:
1)Are unsaved sinners eternally tormented?
Yes: Isa 33:14; Mt 13:40-42, 25:41,46; Mk 9:43-48; Jude 6-7; Re 14:10-11
NO: Eze 18:4; Mt 7:13, 10:28; Lu 13:3,5; John 3:15-16; Ac 3:23; 1Co 15:18; 2Th 2:10; Heb 10:39; 2Pe 3:7,9
2) Will everyone get saved?
Yes: John 12:32; Ro 5:18, 11:32; 1Co 15:22; Col 1:20; 1Ti 2:4,6; 1Jo 2:2
NO: Mt 7:13-14; Lu 13:23-24
3) Is one who believes in God's son, but who has never repented, saved?
Yes: John 3:15-16,36, 6:40,47, 11:25; Ac 16:31; Ro 10:9; 1Jo 5:12
NO: Lu 13:3,5
4) Is one who is very moral and charitable, but who has never repented, saved?
YES: Mt 19:16-17, 25:34-40,46; Mk 10:17-21; Lu 10:25-37, 18:18-22; John 5:28-29, 8:51; Ro 2:5-7,10; Jas 2:24
NO: Luke 13:3,5
5) Is one who is very moral and charitable, but who does not believe in God’s son, saved?
YES: Mt 19:16-17, 25:34-40,46; Mk 10:17-21; Lu 10:25-37, 18:18-22; John 5:28-29, 8:51; Ro 2:5-7,10; Jas 2:24
NO: Mk 16:16; John 3:18,36, 8:21-25, 14:6; Ac 4:10-12; 1Jo 5:12
Even from this small subset or sample one can see wide divergence in belief, emanating from the so-called revealed sources, and hence in theology. Hence, one can argue Santorum doesn't know what he's talking about.
But let's even go him one better. In 2 KINGS 2:23-24, we see that:
2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
depicted in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFlrg22GjM8
Where we see that because 42 children "mocked" a prophet he called the divine wrath down on them leading to their being torn to shreds by she bears!
Is THIS the Biblical theology to which Santorum subscribes? So, if 42 kids mocked him and called him names he'd call down his god's wrath on them....to deliver some horrific revenge?
Or, would he concede that the fable told in Kings is not to be taken literally, and hence not its theology either? Which means then, that "biblical theology" is nowhere near as cut and dried as he supposes when he lashes out at Obama!
More to come!
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