“And countless others believe all religion is simply belief in different forms of magic!”
When it comes to some Christians and some Jewish folks, I am not referring so much to core beliefs, as I am beliefs in certain practices, which, without scriptural backing, claim to endow the practitioner with certain “benefits” from God. Some practices are even worngly claimed to contribute to “salvation”, like Catholic “last rites”, or Orthodox Jewish restricive practices around the Sabbath. The “benefits” of many of these practicdes have been solely accrued to the clergy/priesthood, making of their station in life more than scripture suggests it is.
making of their station in life more than scripture suggests it is.
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It always amuses me that so many religious-minded people naively believe that what they consider to be divinely inspired has countless different meanings for countless people, most all of whom steadfastly believe their own interpretations are absolutely certified by the Holy Ghost! And the fact that there have been countless translations and many variously worded copies written and printed over the course of centuries seldom causes them any concern at all! I suspect a large number of these people are actually Agnostics who are not really true believers at all!