Brian45,
If we look hard enough we can find people and statistics to back up just about any position on any issue. This is how most people approach the quest for truth. I am a political conservative. So, what did I do on the issue of global warming? I went out and found statistics and expert opinions that agreed with the conservative view on the matter. Did I seek out the raw data and spend hours trying to figure out what is really happening on the global warming issue? I must admit I did not. I think you probably did not either.
Most people approach eschatology in the same manner. We begin with our traditions and we look only for evidence to confirm our beliefs and to disprove other beliefs. Rarely do we find individuals who give all the major eschatological viewpoints equal footing and then explore each one with an honest desire for the truth.
I want to encourage all of us to be the exceptions. If you are really interested in eschatology, then study eschatology not just one narrow view of the end times. Read the best futurist, historist, idealist, and preterist works you can find. If you keep the view that you started with, then all will respect you. However, be warned. Most people who take this journey do not hold on to all of their traditions. So, if you love your tradition more than truth, then stay in your own little corner of the eschatological world, but don't expect those who love truth to respect you.
Ozark
If we look hard enough we can find people and statistics to back up just about any position on any issue. This is how most people approach the quest for truth. I am a political conservative. So, what did I do on the issue of global warming? I went out and found statistics and expert opinions that agreed with the conservative view on the matter. Did I seek out the raw data and spend hours trying to figure out what is really happening on the global warming issue? I must admit I did not. I think you probably did not either.
Most people approach eschatology in the same manner. We begin with our traditions and we look only for evidence to confirm our beliefs and to disprove other beliefs. Rarely do we find individuals who give all the major eschatological viewpoints equal footing and then explore each one with an honest desire for the truth.
I want to encourage all of us to be the exceptions. If you are really interested in eschatology, then study eschatology not just one narrow view of the end times. Read the best futurist, historist, idealist, and preterist works you can find. If you keep the view that you started with, then all will respect you. However, be warned. Most people who take this journey do not hold on to all of their traditions. So, if you love your tradition more than truth, then stay in your own little corner of the eschatological world, but don't expect those who love truth to respect you.
Ozark
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