[danielf]

Originally Posted by Chris

The whole point of a theistic religion (which is just about all of them) is living to a set of external moral absolutes that derive their authority from the God - or gods - that hand them down.

In Christianity, morality is a reflection of God's character. He, personally, is what is good, right and moral. As his character cannot change, so what is good, right and moral cannot change. The way in which societies in the Bible have been instructed to deal with the bad, wrong and immoral has changed and developed as God's plan for his people has been progressively revealed, but the definition of what is moral has not.

Some sections of some churches in the UK have indeed abandoned some core beliefs and what they espouse is less and less a reflection of Biblical and historical Christianity as a result. No doubt they would still describe themselves as Christian and possibly get quite angry if someone suggested they may not be - but there are most certainly a lot of other churches even in the UK that are not afraid to stand up and question them on this point. How much of Christian belief can you jettison and still be Christian?

The Anglican church is the main one slowly to be tearing itself in pieces over this at the moment, although the Church of Scotland is having a go as well. Nevertheless, if you talk to an Anglican bishop from anywhere in Africa you won't find any doubt or equivocation on this issue.

I was going to say: If the Bible is the unadulterated word of God, then there's no arguing really, is there?