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Friday, May 30, 2008 - 4:01pmSanction this postReply
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Thanks for sharing this video, Mr. Stolyarov II; and welcome back.

When I was a Christian Fundamentalist, I was a Protestant, and -- to my knowledge -- Protestants have got to work their way into Heaven (while Catholics get to merely repent their way into Heaven). However, when explaining Protestantism (not sure if that's a word, really), when explaining Protestantism, you down-played good works and emphasized faith.

I think that that's an inaccurate portrayal of Protestantism. I think that Protestantism says that 'faith without works is dead.' Though this is really only a petty detail when compared to the good service you're providing with this video; a video which clarifies the argument immensely -- and that can't ever be a bad thing.

Ed


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Friday, May 30, 2008 - 6:09pmSanction this postReply
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when explaining Protestantism, you down-played good works and emphasized faith.

I think Stolyarov was speaking historically, not contemporarily. 

I sanctioned the video. Very well done, sir.



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Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - 9:48amSanction this postReply
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Greetings.



Ms. Isanhart is correct to say that I was mainly discussing historical Protestantism. Of course, religions end up being much more than their official doctrine – and the doctrine itself changes over time to adapt to a particular cultural and intellectual environment. As I like to say to encourage a bit of reflection in my religious friends, “Religions evolve.” Hence, various kinds of Protestantism – especially the Calvinist strains – which in their doctrines denied the necessity of good works for salvation – actually developed the famed “Protestant work ethic.”

 

Of course, one can do a lot of elaborate theological argumentation to justify such changes – but I believe that the real cause for the emergence of said work ethic was much simpler. Upon coming to the New World, various Protestant sects – including the Puritans – were faced with an incredibly hostile environment, always on the verge of starvation and Amerindian attacks. In order to survive, they had to work extremely hard – and naturally, theological justifications for doing the imminently and obviously right thing were readily forthcoming. A highly brutal natural selection process selected in favor of those Protestants who took matters into their own hands, rather than leaving them in God's.



Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II

Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com

Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html


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