Have Your Say
New Faith throws out the Ten Commandments
-
Phil
16th September, 2008
6:42pmVery Interesting. It's well worth looking into this. I notice a lot of disbelieving negative comments. Someone once asked me about life outside Earth. "Does it exist?" It's a very very good question. Most likely it does. and the same person "what if everything you have been told since you were born was a lie"
I mean look at Adam and Eve and the Apple tree and the Snake.
There is a god but someone once told me what does he look like ? In Australia to the white person it's a guy who looks like Father Christmas. Of course the Black person has a Black god - the Chinese a Chinese god and there's Zen, Buddah, the list goes on and on.
This person told me that god most likely looks like ET (from the film) for want of a better description.
It's been very interesting about the Bible. It says one thing and then says another. (the opposite). It's up to the individual to work it out . I remember some years back a man went into a timberyard and cut off his right hand with a buzz saw after reading in the bible something about "if thy right hand offends cut it off" or something along those lines. However the bible also warns about inflicting injury to yourself. (and others) while also telling you the opposite.
-
Karen Cooper-Johnston
16th September, 2008
6:17pmCongratulations on launching the new faith. How Moses and King David's murders can have been ignored, trivialized or rationalized for so long is appalling. Values and virtues unite us, beliefs seperate us.
I am a multi media web designer. Please let me know how I can help launch the new faith. This is the best news I have ever heard. I was ostracised from my school and church community as a teenager for asking questions about the things that you have finally raised publicly. I am not an overly emotional person but I have tears in my eyes. Again thank you! -
Paul
16th September, 2008
5:39pmI have just read the article on the Age about Dr Mcnab. After avoiding church my entire adult life I think I will come to a service and hear what he has to say. -
Robert
16th September, 2008
5:35pmHi,
Dr. Macnab's concept of religion seems remarkably similar to Unitarian Universalism - although a little more provocative toward certain topics in the Christian religion. I'd like to congratulate him on his courageous and open-minded comments, although I personally think the phrasing could have been better :)
I'm an ex-Christian apostate myself, and I usually avoid commenting directly on the religion as I have some strong feelings about it, and don't really like to create unnecessary conflict. But since the debate has started, there are two core problems I have with Christianity (and these are problems that it shares with Islam, and most other mainstream faiths)
1. It has an infallible sacred book which is perceived to contain entirely truth.
2. It asserts itself to be right, and all other beliefs to be false.
Those two core problems are ultimately the reason why we have religious-based conflicts today, and why there seems to be this gap between religion and science in society.
There's still hope for Christianity, as there is for other major religions, to become a force for tolerance and progress in the modern world. It is quite possible to be Christian but concede that the Bible, while a source of great wisdom from the ages, is fallible, and that adherents other religions are equally as right as you are. -
Marion
16th September, 2008
5:19pmI am greatly impressed by Dr Macnab's enlightened and progressive approach to a new religious path for the 21st century. In this day and age we have an ever-growing need for an inclusive, transcendent religion that centres not on antiquated ideas of an angry, patriarchal deity, heaven and hell, sin and punishment and dubious miracles, but rather focuses on the need for every individual to grasp that "cosmic religious feeling" (in the words of Einstein) that lies within and around us all, irrespective of culture or time. -
John Abbate
16th September, 2008
5:18pmThe comments critical of Dr Macnab based on the article in today's Age paint a sad and all too familiar picture: judgemental, stone-throwing Christians, full of hate, sarcastically reacting instead of addressing the specific issues and arguing a case. Lots of cries to follow Jesus, and a lot of assumptions about what that means.
If you consult your Bible, you'll see that Jesus himself is ambivalent about the ten commandments, reducing them to just two (in Matthew and Mark): love God above all else, and love your neighbour--both of them formulated as positive statements. However, in the Sermon on the Mount, he defends every word of the law, yet the only punishment for transgression is to be "called least in the kingdom of heaven."
Jesus' message seems to me to be very distant from the stone-age theology animating people on this forum today.
-
Ron Horgan
16th September, 2008
5:13pmMy background is as a scientist and atheist and I have been concerned about the "scienceVreligion" argument for some time.
Ultimately there is no need for conflict between people of good will because there is much common ground.
There has been a model of the "God of the gaps"which suggests a fragmented entity constantly in retreat as our knowledge advances.
I propose an alternative model- A Babushka God?
There are limits to the questions that we can ever answer.An event horizon if you like , behind which the profound issues will always be hidden.
The origon and cause of the universe and why the properties of the universe have resulted in us being here and now are surely beyond enquiry?
While we have explored many of the superficial doll layers, the solid core containing these fundamentals,from which all else is derived,is what really matters.
For me this is where God resides, or not as you may choose to believe.
My personal choice is that it is easier to believe in this version of God than to believe that there is nothing at the core.
The task for our times is indeed to write " a new faith for the 21st century"
Bravo Dr Macnab, You have taken a brave and necessary step forward. Best Wishes Ron Horgan -
Justin
16th September, 2008
5:07pmWhat on earth has happened to the Uniting Church??
How in God's name is a Psychologist allowed to run a this church. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
He is lame on two fronts - As a psychologist he uses the church as platform for his own stupid ideals---lame.
As a pastor - well he isn't really - why doesn't he do the right thing and step down from his position.
Mcnab is lame - the sooner the old fart dies the better.
-
Joseph Tai
16th September, 2008
4:14pmI like your new idea on faith, religion is not fixed, it is open to new ideas, I would love to join your effort and promote a "new religion". I believe I have a lot to offer on new ideas.
Wonderful to see some visionary like Francis Macnab. Hopefully he is what I think he is ... too many fake visionaries in the pass ... -
FA
16th September, 2008
4:08pmYour article about the so called "New Faith" is rediculious and contradicting to any common sense - why dont you go and study "history" and know your facts first before misleading others - if there is no God as you mention, and you dont believe in Christ - then DO NOT CALL YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN - CALL YOURSELF whatever - becuase your view is just another "whatever waste of time" - make your own 10 commandemnts - so you can "Steal & Kill" as you please.. - Showing comments 91-100 of 106
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Post a comment