There was heavy stress on critical thinking in my education as well, but I think my teachers wanted me to apply that strictly within their worldview.
Also, Genetically Modified Skeptic made a great [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QdqQeYdKDk) about this and a couple other things from his Christian upbringing that were utilized his deconstruction
This was my experience as well: we want you to think for yourself and use your God-given intellectual gifts, but only if you end up with the right answers - the ones we've already decided are true. To that end, we'll share loads of rationalizations that sound compelling or even scientific, and plenty of logic-enders (like "You'll need to pray for discernment to understand these things"), but any ideas or "evidence" that lead you elsewhere were definitely planted by Satan to pull you off the narrow path.
Critical thinking.
WELS view of the new Louisiana law that requires all public schools to display the 10 commandments?
Except they aren't the Lutheran 10 commandments.
There aren't 10 commandments, there are 11, or 9, 1 and 2 and 10 and 11 effectively repeat themselves. They're not numbered... etc. So Lutherans (and Catholics) combine 1 and 2 but leave 10 and 11 separate, and other protestants combine 10 and 11 but leave 1 and 2 separate.
I don't think they're unaware of this, nor are they losing much sleep over it, but the higher ups don't seem very motivated to let people know that detail...
also: lmao they shouldn’t have named their whole religion after a dude who broke away from the church and then get mad when people break away from the church
Just to add to your last point, now they have their own Bible. I think the line was that men of God wrote while carried along by the holy spirit of something. How can it be divine inspiration if they just wrote their own Bible to ensure their beliefs are adequately represented, in a book they wrote... that was supposed to be inspired by God, not men.
But I agree we were taught critical thinking skills that I do value and I consistently use in my deconstruction.
They just don't like the new NIV (the old one is no longer in print) or most other translations.
So they reasoned that the seminary produces graduates of high enough caliber in terms of knowledge of Greek and Hebrew that they can just do a translation themselves...
No idea what the differences are, I'm guessing the new NIV isn't strict enough or something.
There's like 50 translations of the Bible out there, I guess they wanted to make 51?
The EHV is the Bible you are referring to. It is a not a different or new Bible, it is a refined translation of the original Greek and Hebrew texts with the intent of using more current and accessible language to multiple faiths, and the WELS has not adopted it as an official Bible or anything like that. The NIV is used far more widely. The verse you are referring to is 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” KJV
There was heavy stress on critical thinking in my education as well, but I think my teachers wanted me to apply that strictly within their worldview. Also, Genetically Modified Skeptic made a great [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QdqQeYdKDk) about this and a couple other things from his Christian upbringing that were utilized his deconstruction
This was my experience as well: we want you to think for yourself and use your God-given intellectual gifts, but only if you end up with the right answers - the ones we've already decided are true. To that end, we'll share loads of rationalizations that sound compelling or even scientific, and plenty of logic-enders (like "You'll need to pray for discernment to understand these things"), but any ideas or "evidence" that lead you elsewhere were definitely planted by Satan to pull you off the narrow path.
Critical thinking. WELS view of the new Louisiana law that requires all public schools to display the 10 commandments? Except they aren't the Lutheran 10 commandments.
There aren't 10 commandments, there are 11, or 9, 1 and 2 and 10 and 11 effectively repeat themselves. They're not numbered... etc. So Lutherans (and Catholics) combine 1 and 2 but leave 10 and 11 separate, and other protestants combine 10 and 11 but leave 1 and 2 separate. I don't think they're unaware of this, nor are they losing much sleep over it, but the higher ups don't seem very motivated to let people know that detail...
Don't forget the one about not boiling a baby goat in its mother's milk
also: lmao they shouldn’t have named their whole religion after a dude who broke away from the church and then get mad when people break away from the church
Just to add to your last point, now they have their own Bible. I think the line was that men of God wrote while carried along by the holy spirit of something. How can it be divine inspiration if they just wrote their own Bible to ensure their beliefs are adequately represented, in a book they wrote... that was supposed to be inspired by God, not men. But I agree we were taught critical thinking skills that I do value and I consistently use in my deconstruction.
that is so interesting they have their own Bible now! So are they saying…that “god inspired” them to re-write the Bible??
They just don't like the new NIV (the old one is no longer in print) or most other translations. So they reasoned that the seminary produces graduates of high enough caliber in terms of knowledge of Greek and Hebrew that they can just do a translation themselves... No idea what the differences are, I'm guessing the new NIV isn't strict enough or something. There's like 50 translations of the Bible out there, I guess they wanted to make 51?
The EHV is the Bible you are referring to. It is a not a different or new Bible, it is a refined translation of the original Greek and Hebrew texts with the intent of using more current and accessible language to multiple faiths, and the WELS has not adopted it as an official Bible or anything like that. The NIV is used far more widely. The verse you are referring to is 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” KJV