Malin wrote:
Cheers all, though I must say Dox 47, I'm not a big fan of the word 'opinion'. If someone says 'That's just what I believe' then they don't believe it. People never say 'It's 4 o' Clock, but that's just my opinion', they just say that it is 4 and anyone disagreeing is wrong.
In answer to Patrick, I'm from nowhere, - a very secluded west coast spot, but currently inhabiting Glasgow.
Are you also in Scotland?
In my opinion

an opinion is a conclusion that is drawn from an independent perspective gained from observable facts. Opinions vary according to perspective. When I talk about Christianity, for example, I can quote scripture. The FACT is that the Bible is a source of scripture and, in the case of Christianity, it is THE source for scripture. It is a FACT that the book of Genesis describes creation as having occurred over a 6-day period. The Bible does NOT say that those 6 days were necessarily consecutive, nor is it contradictory to believe the days were nonconsecutive or non-24-hour days. Literalists can agree on the chronology (or the order in time, rather) of the "days" of creation, but the Bible does not support YC, OC, or even evolution/abiogenesis/Big Bang/M Theory/etc. So whether the earth is 6,000 years old, 6 Billion years old, or anything in between is a matter of
opinion until such things can possibly be firmly established.
Much of Christian doctrine and practice is built on a number of opinions based on the Gospels and Epistles. We've established the facts that there was a man named Jesus and that, through His works, demonstrated that He was and is the promised Messiah. Of that there is no dispute. But whether there ought to be prayers for the dead depends on the opinions of those who practice it. What Biblical support is there for it? According to us Protestants, there is none. For Catholics, there is the inclusion of OT apocrypha not even believed by the Jews to have been inspired writings that does lend only vague support (though it's a misquote from "scripture" taken out of context). Thus it is only my opinion that apocrypha should NOT be included in the modern Bible, whereas a Catholic might argue otherwise. Even in Paul's writings, he expressed his opinion that men and women should not marry but practice lifelong celibacy. Such is clearly marked as a personal sentiment and should by no mean been seen as applicable to all people in all situations. If all Christians practiced this, Christianity would be nonexistent in less than a century.