To outsiders they're no more loopy than anything you'll find in Catholicism, or in any of the tens of thousands of other mainstream and fringe denominations.
The Bible has always been more of a political powerplay than a coherent text. It can literally be interpreted convincingly to support any moral position, from slavery and genocide of unbelievers to soup kitchens for the poor.
It's the ultimate meta-text - a patchwork of absolute inconsistency, which makes it possible for anyone with a yearning for political power to cherry pick from it for an effective Proof by Authority gambit.
And so all Christians invariably believe their own personal interpretation is the correct one and all other interpretations are more or less obviously wrong.
And some will literally fight each other violently over this.
A moment's thought should suggest there's something a bit strange and unconvincing about this.
The Bible has always been more of a political powerplay than a coherent text. It can literally be interpreted convincingly to support any moral position, from slavery and genocide of unbelievers to soup kitchens for the poor.
It's the ultimate meta-text - a patchwork of absolute inconsistency, which makes it possible for anyone with a yearning for political power to cherry pick from it for an effective Proof by Authority gambit.
And so all Christians invariably believe their own personal interpretation is the correct one and all other interpretations are more or less obviously wrong.
And some will literally fight each other violently over this.
A moment's thought should suggest there's something a bit strange and unconvincing about this.