Back with some new perspective

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by tv1a

Most people interpret scripture bases on personal preference. When I stopped trying looking at the Bible as an UPCI apologist and began to look at the Bible as a search for truth and accept the evidence presented, I found very little matches in line with the Bible. There isn't much objective truth in the UPCI. It's agenda driven.

And yours isn't agenda driven?

[FlamingZword]

Originally Posted by tv1a

Most people interpret scripture bases on personal preference. When I stopped trying looking at the Bible as an UPCI apologist and began to look at the Bible as a search for truth and accept the evidence presented, I found very little matches in line with the Bible. There isn't much objective truth in the UPCI. It's agenda driven.

It is quite clear that you are driving an agenda yourself.

I may not be UPCI, but I do consider them my brethren in the faith, so at the risk of being called a UPCI apologist, I will say that I do find much objective truth in the UPCI, of course mixed with some stuff that is not biblical, that is why I am not a UPCI member, for I do not agree with how they have added some non-biblical standards to the faith.

[Roxanne Murphy]

Originally Posted by tv1a

Most people interpret scripture bases on personal preference. When I stopped trying looking at the Bible as an UPCI apologist and began to look at the Bible as a search for truth and accept the evidence presented, I found very little matches in line with the Bible. There isn't much objective truth in the UPCI. It's agenda driven.

Exactly! When I stopped reading scripture to see what I was told was there by those in church leadership, and just read them as written, in context, it was quite an eye opening experience.

[Sasha]

Originally Posted by Roxanne Murphy

Exactly! When I stopped reading scripture to see what I was told was there by those in church leadership, and just read them as written, in context, it was quite an eye opening experience.

I was so convinced by what I'd been taught that even still in my memory lies the verse I read that says women cannot cut their hair. I looked for that verse for two years to prove Billy Jones wrong! LOL!

Seriously though, I remember reading verses that I can no longer find. It was engrained in me that hard that I used to tell people it was there cause I read it!!

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Roxanne Murphy

Exactly! When I stopped reading scripture to see what I was told was there by those in church leadership, and just read them as written, in context, it was quite an eye opening experience.

The only change is that NOW, you are looking at the "context" through your husband's ideology. Point in case:

Originally Posted by Roxanne Murphy

Now, at the same time, my dear husband was taking another look at these very same things and very exuberantly discussing them with me.

So, really, Sasha's questions remain:

Originally Posted by Sasha

Do you really know what you believe? Do any of us?

Do we really believe what we say we believe?

I only believe what I believe. I think everyone has that testimony or answer.

[ILG]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

The only change is that NOW, you are looking at the "context" through your husband's ideology.

Well, that's how it started for her anyway. I noticed that too, but maybe she is getting to the point in the story where she has her own thoughts on it and it will be in the next installment.

[tv1a]

The mothership doesn't need my help to self destruct. Everything in the UPCI is seen thru a prism of legalism including the views of the Godhead and salvation.

Originally Posted by FlamingZword

It is quite clear that you are driving an agenda yourself.

I may not be UPCI, but I do consider them my brethren in the faith, so at the risk of being called a UPCI apologist, I will say that I do find much objective truth in the UPCI, of course mixed with some stuff that is not biblical, that is why I am not a UPCI member, for I do not agree with how they have added some non-biblical standards to the faith.

[tv1a]

Prax you should know better. Trinitarians have a difficult time separating oneness views from legalistic aspects many oneness apologists embrace.

Originally Posted by Praxeas

It's Politics. Please don't broad brush all Oneness. The fact is more and more OP churchs in the UPC WOULD invite some to speak but the UPCI passed stupid rules to block such things without "special permission".

And I do believe your numbers are subjective (and biased). In MY experience for every John Doe and John Smith that believe Oneness are saved there are Hundreds of Trinitarians that do not.

The Majority I have encountered say OPs are lost, not Christians, cult, heretics and will burn in hell. I even had one once tell me he wished we were still in John Calvin's day so he can watch me burn alive at the stake. This is a nearly 2000 year attitude beginning with Nicea.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by shazeep

Amen. Begs the Q, "Do you then preach what you believe, and they do not believe?"

Yes and so far I have only been griped at by those who heard what i supposedly said from a second hand source.

[Roxanne Murphy]

Actually, after I got past the "I don't want to talk about this" place with my husband, I decided that I needed to go back and look at those little scripture sets (1 Timothy 2:9-10, 1 Peter 3:3-6) in their full context. When I used my handy little Strong's Concordance app to get the original Greek word for woman/women, and it says this: "a woman, specifically, a wife". Then, I looked at the entire chapter and noticed that both of these texts are small parts of a bigger discussion in the context of the marriage relationship. It truly was like a light bulb came on. These verses aren't written for the pastor/bishop/elder to use to create dress codes and call them holiness. These are written to benefit the husband-wife relationship.
I have thus far come to the realization that I cannot judge a lady to be 'holy' by whether or not she is wearing jewelry. That is a preconditioned response that is difficult to reprogram, but I am working on it.