Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheese
Based on the bold sections I highlited above and the final section in red, is there a specific sect of Christianity or otherwise that has understood the teachings correctly?
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Nope. Not even the one I subscribe to.
Notice, however, that most of the different sects change and "evolve" their understandings. It's not because the teachings are fundamentally flawed, but because humans are fundamentally flawed.
It's similar to Plato's idea of the ideal. We are unable to properly see the ideal - it is obscured from us somehow. Time, bias, incomplete records and imperfect learning all keep us from being able to understand that ideal. But it's still there. Just because we are not able to fully grasp it does not mean it is meaningless, or that it is futile to try. In fact, the act of trying is in my mind a virtue.
Christian teachings acknowledge this (as do most of the sects. "modern" big-box style American christianity does attempt to minimize this fact, however, as it doesn't fit with their "feel good" style). In fact, the idea that humanity is flawed is central to the religion. It is something that most non-believers find the hardest to accept, mostly because they don't like the implications of it. But when was the last time you met a perfect human?