RAIDER said:
We all are aware of the "traditions of men" that permeate many false religions. Many of these traditions are taught as a means to salvation by these false religions. I do not believe that Baptists I have known have traditions that add to salvation's plan. On the other hand, I would say that Baptists have traditions on which we stand strong but they have no Biblical backing. Not that they are wrong. Not that they are unGodly. What would you put on this list?
The 3rd verse is often the most important verse of the song. This is where the Death and Resurrection are usually mentioned. We often skip the 2nd verse
A standard 4 verse hymn usually looks like this:
Verse 1 - Theme of the Song
Verse 2 - Expanding on the Theme
Verse 3 - Application Verse - Salvation
Verse 4 - Hope/Heaven/2nd Coming
Think about "It is Well with my Soul" or "How Great Thou Art"
I find this hard because there are degrees of various things that, on the one end, ARE wrong.
For example, I'm fine with respecting the pastor. Many churches have a reserved parking spot for him, as a way to show him respect or honor. But, for a pastor to insist that his staff always exalt him to "the members" (implied lower-class) is wrong. It's one thing to use a pastor as a spiritual counselor; it's another to think he is "the" spiritual counselor, or to state (or imply) that one cannot determine the will of God without first talking to the pastor.
One tradition that drives me crazy is skipping the 3rd verse of hymns. It seems to be almost universal to sing 1st, 2nd, and 4th.
