Well hallelujah! Say goodbye to the other muckrakers, because the Lord has not forgotten and is coming back to remove you from the pit you have fallen into.

Larry, I’m sure glad that god has favored you, out of all the billions on the planet, to reveal his plans for me – someone you don’t know from a hole in the ground.

Karen – just humor him and blaspheme the holy moly – uh – spirit and maybe Larry will get it (but I have grave doubts).

Cthulhu, I actually did that (blasphemed) after watching Brian Flemming do the same in “The God Who Wasn’t There.” I was very relieved that lightening didn’t strike me down! (seriously…)

So, I have good news for you. (Oops – maybe bad news in your case.) You can’t get un-born again. Ever. Now, eventually this will be good news!

Karen – just humor him and blaspheme the holy moly – uh – spirit and maybe Larry will get it (but I have grave doubts).

Wow. Just.. wow. The irony.. .. I wanted to write a response here.. but I am at a loss for words… ….I am absolutely speechless.

Not only are you still saved, but the Lord has not removed the calling of evangelist which He placed on your heart years ago. Do you still remember how your heart yearned to do His will? Do you remember the promises you made to Him?

Well hallelujah! Say goodbye to the other muckrakers, because the Lord has not forgotten and is coming back to remove you from the pit you have fallen into.

Then, you can write the books that He wants you to write. Not this fairy tale stuff.

I would like you to cut through the jargon and explain in plain English, how you can de-convert yourself from being born again? Or would you rather call it, being un-born again?

Just trying to consider all the possible reversals that would have to take place for you to possibly be un-born again is mind blowing. It would entail Jesus going back to the cross and somehow reversing every prophecy and work of the Father at the cross. Cannot be done!

How about sending Superman into outer space and having him spin the earth backwards for a while – would that work? Seriously, that idea makes about as much sense as what you’re proposing above.

Let’s simplify things: I once believed in Christianity, accepted Jesus as my savior, prayed, studied the bible, attended church regularly, etc. My behavior was all predicated on my sincere belief.

Then, I re-evaluated my belief, realized Christianity and theism in general was not true, and my behavior changed accordingly. That’s not too tough to follow, right?

So, I have good news for you. (Oops – maybe bad news in your case.) You can’t get un-born again. Ever. Now, eventually this will be good news!

Well hallelujah! I love it when Christians proclaim that I’m still “saved” and not in danger of hell. It makes me feel so much better. (Not.)

Please unzip your fly so you can see the world around you.

I would like you to cut through the jargon and explain in plain English, how you can de-convert yourself from being born again? Or would you rather call it, being un-born again?

Just trying to consider all the possible reversals that would have to take place for you to possibly be un-born again is mind blowing. It would entail Jesus going back to the cross and somehow reversing every prophecy and work of the Father at the cross. Cannot be done!

So, I have good news for you. (Oops – maybe bad news in your case.) You can’t get un-born again. Ever. Now, eventually this will be good news!

Hmmm….. so you’re sayin”””””””” that people tend to stumble forward with their eyes and ears shut, and just hope for the best? And….. that they don’t learn from the past?

Yes, hard to believe, isn’t it? I was thinking of the myriad blatant scams that specifically target Christians by using Christian-eze wording, appeals to scripture and “you can trust me – I’m a brother in the lord!” testimonials. It’s sad, but I’ve seen a ton of religious people (including several relatives) get taken by this tactic, and not just once but several times. Sigh.

This could be a publication in a major journal and above the banner headlines in major newspapers. But then everyone would forget it all in about 3-4 months when it gets knocked off the radar by Miley Cyrus’ Playboy spread.

Tee, hee … all too true, Leo!

I’m intrigued that you linked to a post of mine as an example not only of theological jargon, but of a distinctly postmodern sort! Perhaps I’ve moved on from a modern to a postmodern perspective more than I’ve realized, but since the discussion was mostly about the language Paul Tillich introduced into theology, I wonder how much of the issue specifically relates to postmodernism.

I used that link because it was the most recent in a series of (failed) attempts I’ve made to read and understand “sophisticated theology.” If it’s not postmodern, I apologize for mischaracterizing it.

However, that mistake only illustrates my point further: The jargon runs so thick that I can’t tell the difference between theological writing that is liberal, postmodern, New Age, etc.

And lest you assume that I’m a rube unable to wrap my neurons around truly complex material, let me say that I make my living as a writer and editor who specializes in turning complicated information into readable text for non-specialists.

Great ideas can be crystallized into digestible prose that doesn’t take a doctorate to follow. In artistic terms think of wonderful poetry. In religious terms think: “I believe in god the father, almighty, maker of heaven and earth … ” or “The chief end of man is to glorify god and enjoy him forever.”

In atheist terms, check out the writing of Sam Harris, or the blogger Ebonmuse. The clarity and persuasiveness of their prose is beautiful stuff, as is the inspiration of astronomy blogger Phil Plait talking about the Phoenix landing photo snapped from space.

Looked at the post you linked. Like it. Especially loved the bits you put in there from Sagan’s book. I just may go out and read a Sagan book or two for fun.

The bits from Carl Sagan’s book “The Varieties of Scientific Experience”, for those who haven’t followed the link:

Thomas Paine made an argument that is as powerful today as ever: “We have never seen, in our time, nature go out of her course. But we have good reason to believe that millions of lies have been told in the same time. It is therefore at least millions to one that the reporter of a miracle tells a lie”

According to the Bible, God gave great and undoubtable signs – parting seas, fire from heaven, and so on. Yet Sagan asks the pertinent question: “why should God be so clear in the Bible and so obscure in the world?”

Just great James.