Your opinion of Baptists

[Caninope]

Dear Lord.

I, and a lot of other Southern Baptists, am most certainly not an anti-science extremist.

It doesn't matter, Southern Baptist is a denomination that means there's an official stance.

Except there's not.

The only are only a few real stances the Southern Baptists hold by (and really, any Baptists). They are that (a) each Church congregation is supreme (this includes the right to pick and/or ordain its own ministers), (b) most other denominations practice too many rites (hence why Baptists only practice 2 or 3 rites, as opposed to the 7 sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church), (c) baptism should happen with the believer.

Honestly, there isn't an official stance on the issue. The Southern Baptist Convention can issue a decision on it, but neither the state conventions nor the congregations need to adhere to the decision. And honestly, the SBC can't even decide whether it's Calvinist or Arminian right now. Hasn't been able to decide that for decades. That SBC is just a convention, and not actually a governing authority because of this.

But this best describes the views of the SBC (and Baptists in general).

[Caninope]

Baptists are always portrayed as the fire and brimstone Protestants.

I have no clue if that's actually true or not.

With some Baptists, it is. With others, it's not.

[Raeyh]

Baptists are always portrayed as the fire and brimstone Protestants.

I have no clue if that's actually true or not.

With some Baptists, it is. With others, it's not.

Such a wishy-washy answer.

[Caninope]

Why is this so surprising?
Me and NK have the long running joke of me being the Southern Baptist Pope.

So that's what that means.

It actually goes back to the fact that someone actually called me Caninpope, and I noted in my signature. NK expanded on it, and I accepted the term, adding Southern Baptist as a nice little prefix.

Why? Because in Baptism, if you say you're something, then essentially, you get to be that something. Many Baptist denominations actually have to requirements to become a pastor, other than ordination by a local congregation.

In fact, Baptism is a very egalitarian and democratic group of denominations, simply by the way Baptist churches are governed.

[Caninope]

With some Baptists, it is. With others, it's not.

Such a wishy-washy answer.

It's not wishy-washy, it's true. There's very few beliefs that Baptist congregations live by. Fire and brimstone Fundamentalism is not one of them, hence you've got a lot of churches (not denominations, individual churches mind you) that are like that, and a lot that aren't.

[Tekania]

It doesn't matter, Southern Baptist is a denomination that means there's an official stance.

Except there's not.

The only are only a few real stances the Southern Baptists hold by (and really, any Baptists). They are that (a) each Church congregation is supreme (this includes the right to pick and/or ordain its own ministers), (b) most other denominations practice too many rites (hence why Baptists only practice 2 or 3 rites, as opposed to the 7 sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church), (c) baptism should happen with the believer.

Honestly, there isn't an official stance on the issue. The Southern Baptist Convention can issue a decision on it, but neither the state conventions nor the congregations need to adhere to the decision. And honestly, the SBC can't even decide whether it's Calvinist or Arminian right now. Hasn't been able to decide that for decades. That SBC is just a convention, and not actually a governing authority because of this.

But this best describes the views of the SBC (and Baptists in general).

Yes, the Baptist conventions shouldn't be confused with Presbyterian General Assemblies(or Synods). Determinations of the conventions have no binding what-so-ever short of being a suggestion.

[Sedikal]

I personally find then the Goofies of all the sects but most of the are good people and I find them to be fun people hang around despite my opinion that Christianity is silly and what not.

[Caninope]

Except there's not.

The only are only a few real stances the Southern Baptists hold by (and really, any Baptists). They are that (a) each Church congregation is supreme (this includes the right to pick and/or ordain its own ministers), (b) most other denominations practice too many rites (hence why Baptists only practice 2 or 3 rites, as opposed to the 7 sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church), (c) baptism should happen with the believer.

Honestly, there isn't an official stance on the issue. The Southern Baptist Convention can issue a decision on it, but neither the state conventions nor the congregations need to adhere to the decision. And honestly, the SBC can't even decide whether it's Calvinist or Arminian right now. Hasn't been able to decide that for decades. That SBC is just a convention, and not actually a governing authority because of this.

But this best describes the views of the SBC (and Baptists in general).

Yes, the Baptist conventions shouldn't be confused with Presbyterian General Assemblies(or Synods). Determinations of the conventions have no binding what-so-ever short of being a suggestion.

That's why you have just as many Evangelicals in the SBC as Fundamentalists, even though being a true Fundamentalist is pretty incompatible with being an Evangelical. Not completely, but you have to bend the tenets of either one to fit them together.

Anyway, the Fundamentalists took control of the SBC in 1979 or 1980 or so, and they haven't actually been able to fully enforce their theology on, well, anyone.

[Milks Empire]

So that's what that means.

It actually goes back to the fact that someone actually called me Caninpope, and I noted in my signature. NK expanded on it, and I accepted the term, adding Southern Baptist as a nice little prefix.
Why? Because in Baptism, if you say you're something, then essentially, you get to be that something. Many Baptist denominations actually have to requirements to become a pastor, other than ordination by a local congregation.
In fact, Baptism is a very egalitarian and democratic group of denominations, simply by the way Baptist churches are governed.

Isn't that the effect of the congregationalist polity?

[Caninope]

It actually goes back to the fact that someone actually called me Caninpope, and I noted in my signature. NK expanded on it, and I accepted the term, adding Southern Baptist as a nice little prefix.
Why? Because in Baptism, if you say you're something, then essentially, you get to be that something. Many Baptist denominations actually have to requirements to become a pastor, other than ordination by a local congregation.
In fact, Baptism is a very egalitarian and democratic group of denominations, simply by the way Baptist churches are governed.

Isn't that the effect of the congregationalist polity?

Basically, yes.

[Nationstatelandsville]

People.

Some are good, some are bad, most are somewhere in-between.

Why the hell Baptism would have any affect on that is beyond me.

[Seperates]

Good people, usually, so long as they aren't preaching to you. I strongly disapprove of much of the anti-education rhetoric that tends to spawn from the many of the Fundie groups, and have deep animosity towards the charlatans that run the "Mega-Churchs", but I agree with many of the initial sentiments of the Baptist movement. It's just that many of the followers don't even know their factions original sentiments.

[Nordengrund]

What kind of Baptist would I be? I define myself as being of any particular group of Baptist.

[Seperates]

What kind of Baptist would I be? I define myself as being of any particular group of Baptist.

I don't know. What does your congregation look like?

[Manahakatouki]

They've got good people and bad people...

Just like every other demonination of Christianty...

Just like every class of people in the world...

Personally, most of my friends are either Baptist or Catholic, so I know a bit about both...

[The Realm of God]

What kind of Baptist would I be? I define myself as being of any particular group of Baptist.

From your sig, you sound like a conservative Southern Baptist, Do you consider the Bible the verbatum word of God?

If so your a Biblical Literalist Conservative Southern Baptist.

[Nordengrund]

What kind of Baptist would I be? I define myself as being of any particular group of Baptist.

From your sig, you sound like a conservative Southern Baptist, Do you consider the Bible the verbatum word of God?

If so your a Biblical Literalist Conservative Southern Baptist.

I guess I am, a do take most of the Bible literally except for Ezekiel's vision and the book of Revelation.

Unlike most Southern Baptists, I think drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin.

[Seperates]

From your sig, you sound like a conservative Southern Baptist, Do you consider the Bible the verbatum word of God?

If so your a Biblical Literalist Conservative Southern Baptist.

I guess I am, a do take most of the Bible literally except for Ezekiel's vision and the book of Revelation.

Unlike most Southern Baptists, I think drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin.

See, this is what I find humorous about Baptists. They pick and choose what they want to believe. It's practically like being a non-denom Christian.

Although, I would think about adding Genesis to the do not take literally list if you really wanted to be politically correct.

[Caninope]

From your sig, you sound like a conservative Southern Baptist, Do you consider the Bible the verbatum word of God?

If so your a Biblical Literalist Conservative Southern Baptist.

I guess I am, a do take most of the Bible literally except for Ezekiel's vision and the book of Revelation.

Unlike most Southern Baptists, I think drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin.

Most Southern Baptists I've run into do not believe that.

[United Marxist Nations]

I live in a state with one of the highest percentages of Southern Baptists in the country and my county is one of the most religious counties in said state. It's...horrible. They regularly protest schools, reading lists, and ANYTHING that disagrees with them. All the local papers and organizations cater to their ridiculous ideologies and they openly mock liberal, nonbelievers, and other denominations. There was a big scandal here when some Baptist teachers starting telling Catholic students they were going to burn in hell. The biggest Baptist church around here shut down two of its food ministries because they thought "dirty, illegal Mexicans are abusing it!" They're all tea party conservatives and they spend FAR more money on fighting evolution, putting the ten commandments up in public buildings and spitting on liberals than actually helping the poor because (as many of them I know personally would put it) "they're just lazy and pathetic...God likes a working man!"

It does not surprise me that my county and my state has one of the most deplorable education records in the country and the Baptist-run schools around here are regularly investigated for not meeting standards and hiring abominable teachers.

Baptists in America have got to be just one of the worst denominations of Christianity out there.

You can't even buy alcohol in my town because of them; my friend on the City Council tried to get alcohol sales legalised to stop a budget crisis (their options to balance the budget were: legalise alcohol sales, fire 70 workers, or raise property taxes by 24%) but, the Southern Baptists got together and protesed his bill (which was about to pass) in the thousands [impressive considering my town has less than ten thousand residents] and said that if the measure passed, they would vote them all out of office. They are fundamentalists also; they tried to bully my state into legalising the teaching of creationism in schools, fortunately the State Supreme Court stopped them.

[Meryuma]

How are Baptists persecuted? "Persecution" has a specific meaning, you know, and I don't believe it includes "other people disagreeing with you."

I just read it somewhere online, though I am not sure if they were persecuted as in beaten or killed, or persecuted as in people disagreed with us.

All I know is that they got on the bad side of both Protestants and Catholics.

You're thinking of Anabaptists. Baptists, IIRC, are Protestants.

It is because the Witnesses believe that the Holy Trinity is three different Gods instead of one. They are polytheists.

That's the Mormons (though they'd contest the semantics). The Witnesses don't view Jesus as divine, and don't view the Holy Spirit as an independent entity.

Also, Jesus says the Old Testament is still valid. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17)

When you consider that he also said the entire law is to love God and your neighbor, it's a little more up for interpretation than that.

O.P says they don't follow the Old Testament.
Minutes later, O.P follows Old Testament.

Again, explain the logic in that.

What I mean is that I follow both, but if one testament has a view that contradicts the view of the other testament, I go with the New Testament.

[Nordengrund]

I just read it somewhere online, though I am not sure if they were persecuted as in beaten or killed, or persecuted as in people disagreed with us.

All I know is that they got on the bad side of both Protestants and Catholics.

You're thinking of Anabaptists. Baptists, IIRC, are Protestants.

It is because the Witnesses believe that the Holy Trinity is three different Gods instead of one. They are polytheists.

That's the Mormons (though they'd contest the semantics). The Witnesses don't view Jesus as divine, and don't view the Holy Spirit as an independent entity.

Also, Jesus says the Old Testament is still valid. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17)

When you consider that he also said the entire law is to love God and your neighbor, it's a little more up for interpretation than that.

What I mean is that I follow both, but if one testament has a view that contradicts the view of the other testament, I go with the New Testament.

I do not understand your image.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Indifferent, really.

As long as they don't try to meddle in my affairs, I'm fine.

[Des-Bal]

I do not understand your image.

"Moving the goalposts"

[Nordengrund]

I do not understand your image.

"Moving the goalposts"

I know what they are doing, I just see how it was relevant about my sentence he quoted.