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How to respond to a Unitarian

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by evangelist6589, Apr 5, 2016.

  1. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    I received this well thought out response and would like to continue this conversation without it getting hostile. I could first start it off by saying the following. What else should I say?

    xxxx;

    Thank you for your well thought out response and for taking the time to answer me.
    --
    John,
    I am the religious educator here at xxxx for children and youth. Rev. xxxx has been answering these questions for nearly 20 years and is the expert on these matters, so, I will leave the heavy questions to him. However, I felt moved this morning to email you a response.
    There are many stories of the historical Buddha, who I often draw inspiration from, who when asked by his followers if God existed, he simply refused to answer. I don’t think he was being avoidant. I believe he was asking his followers to discover for themselves what truth was. Some of them accepted God and many didn’t.
    What was more important for him was that each person develop a sense of compassion for their fellow sentient beings, he didn’t feel he needed to change peoples religion, just teach compassion. Many of them practiced different religious practices while practicing the Buddha’s teachings. Of course this was 700 years before the historical Jesus, so, I’m not sure what he would say about Jesus.
    I work with Unitarian Universalist’s for the same reason, the questions that we work with are less about God or Jesus, and we are not so concerned about the beliefs of other people who come to our churches. We are often silent on the matters that you have asked in your email. I find that the questions that come up in UU congregations are more about how can we be kind to our neighbors and loving to all who enter the doors of our church.
    There is a song that was in my spirit this morning, the kids love it and it is a bit of a riddle but I think it speaks to what I am very poorly trying to articulate here. Here are the words:
    “It’s a blessing you were born,
    and it matters what you do.
    What we know about God,
    is a piece of the truth.
    Let the beauty we love,
    be what we do.
    And we won’t have to do it alone.”
    I hope that helps.
     
  2. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
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    First, realize that Unitarians are at the root unsaved apostate Congregationalists. While they may use "Biblical" vocabulary, we haven't shared the same dictionary for over two hundred years. The movement was modernism's camel's noose in the tent and caused the downfall of Harvard and Yale Divinity schools. And through them the downfall (apostasy) of the other mainline seminaries over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
     
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  3. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    It always comes down to one thing: What are you going to do about Jesus?

    What are you going to do about his claim of being the son of God and the only way to God goes through him? How do you explain the miracles? The resurrection?

    If a man goes around doing miracles, healing people, raising them from the dead, claiming to be the son of God, has fulfilled centuries old prophecies, then says he's going to be put to death, but will rise again in three days and walk out of the grave, AND THEN HE DOES IT--I'd listen to him.

    The fact is that every other religious leader in history is in the grave--Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad, etc.
     
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  4. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    So I should respond with this starting point? Thanks..
     
  5. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    They are indeed apostate. I treat them different than Catholics so conversations are different.
     
  6. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    I would. I'd keep coming back to Jesus.
     
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  7. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    Thank you xxxx for your well thought out response and for taking the time to answer me. Buddha may have been an inspirational teacher but he did not claim to be the only way to salvation as Christ himself declared in John 14:6. So what are you going to do about Jesus? What are you going to do about his claim of being the son of God and the only way to God goes through him? How do you explain the miracles? The resurrection?
    I have books on Christology and there is plenty of evidence to support the Biblical Jesus from History. So it would turn out that Jesus is who he said he is and demands all people everywhere to repent (Lk 13:3). So again what are you going to do with Jesus? You may ignore this, but can you ignore Him when you stand before him on the day of judgment and give an account for how you responded to Jesus? You know he may very well bring up this email that I have sent you and ask you why you ignored it. Do you want to be sentenced to Hell for rejecting Jesus?
    Thanks,


    John
     
  8. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    I like it! I might not have put the very last sentence, but I like it.
     
  9. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I would skip the line about the books. "Books" are not an authority.
     
  10. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    Thanks. Email got sent this morning. I will await a response but probably will not receive one.

    The false teachers tend to respond easier when I ask them questions in emails rather than just preaching and mailing tracts in the mail I have noticed.
     
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