re: Scholars of the OT: How would you rank the denominations of Christianity?

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The Bible is not easy to understand but that is by His design.

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Speaking of. Anyone have any good recommendations on a good "easiest to read" traditional Bible?

I want to get past trying to understand what every old English word may or may not mean. Also don't need to be modern to the point that it's woke. I don't want "he/she/they" non-binary pronouns garbage.

As a Southern Baptist it seems like the ESV is the pew version. Go that route or another? I'd love for it to be as close to old school traditional as possible, but not sure if that's out there.

Thx.

The sanest and truest in my mind is the Orthodox tradition. They view salvation as a mystery and hope to attain it.

The bottom of the barrel IMO is what's ironically called "Evangelical Christianity," where salvation is like a light switch, and typically the result of a mystical, permanent, and life-changing experience behind a Dollar General around age 10.

I think the "Evangelical" designation is ironic because many, probably most of these churches are Calvinist. What's the point of evangelizing if the "elect" were already picked by God and there's nothing you can do about it? (And isn't it funny that so many of the "elect" seem to hang out in metal buildings alongside rural American highways? Those people actually think they're better than you and there's nothing you can do about it!)

To be fair, the Southern Baptist Convention has never been able to agree on what they think of Calvinism. Imagine that, though... a supposed Christian tradition (and a seemingly strict one) where they don't even prescribe any real beliefs about damnation or the afterlife. Reminds me of what Walter Sobchek said about Fascism and Nihilism in Big Lebowski.

Or, put differently, the SBC is like the Conference USA of theology. No one really knows why they're there, but they're hoping to go somewhere better.

Christianity = Faith of Vampires and Werewolves if you ask me

Christians / Vampires drink blood

Christians / Werewolves eat human flesh

I am Irish Catholic & Roman Catholic, best of all worlds! With Vatican II they jettisoned the nun and the guilt. It is getting more like being an Episcopalian but without the big bank account.

Religion is what man has done with the belief and faith that God created, and is by its very nature corrupt and evil, IMO. I'm betting my eternity on the belief that Jesus weeps with the knowledge of what we have created for ourselves out of His beautiful and perfect instruction, and His sacrifice for us.

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Baptism is an outward profession of your faith but it doesn't actually MEAN anything in relation to salvation.

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Jesus, St. Peter, St. Paul and the Church differ. It’s a command from Jesus that was obeyed and carried on by the Apostles until now.

Like Old Testament circumcision was mandated for males and removed physical foreskins admitting the child to the covenant people of God, so does the mandated baptism of the New Testament “circumcise” the “foreskins” of hearts and transfers the baptized from the kingdom of darkness to God’s New Covenant kingdom of light.
It’s not just symbolic.
Something happens.
God commands, we obey, and God acts in the Sacrament of Baptism using the outward symbol of water to forgive and wash away sins.

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In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians 2:12-15

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And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Gospel of Matthew 8:18-20

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Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:36-39

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Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians 3:23-29

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AnaBaptist = Baptist

Neither came from the reformation, and as such are not Protestant (no matter what Catholics say). And Catholicism was not the “first” Christians. I guess one could say the Catholic Church “protested” out of the original church founded by Jesus.

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AnaBaptist = Baptist

Neither came from the reformation, and as such are not Protestant

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The Trail of Blood theory is the easiest of all current "Christian" doctrines to refute.

Anabaptists were born out of the Radical Reformation of the 16th century by splitting from the Zwingli reform movement. They felt the reformers didn't go far enough since they did not reject infant baptism. So, Anabaptists are Protestant in the fullest sense of the word.

Modern denominations that were formed from the Anabaptists would include such groups as the Amish and Mennonites. These groups place a huge emphasis on pacifism and community, they reject evangelism, they believe in salvation through good works, and that salvation can be lost, which is the exact opposite of what Fundamentalist Baptists believe on these matters.

In fact, the only things held in common between Anabaptists and Fundamentalist Baptists is that they are both congregationalist in structure and they both affirm believers baptism.

Fundamentalist Baptists are much closer to Calvinists in their beliefs (which is ironic, since they wholly despise Calvinism) than they are to Anabaptists. They also affirm such beliefs as King James Onlyism, Dispensationalism, and a pre-tribulation rapture; beliefs that were generally unknown to mankind until the mid-1800s, and which did not become popular until the 1900s.

I said all of that to say this.....Baptists are Protestants.

We ranking them by the amount of suffering they have caused?