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Jellyfish Christianity
水母基督教
(J.C. Ryle, “The Importance of Dogma” 1900)
(J.C. 赖尔，”教条的重要性” 1900年)
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(You will find it helpful to listen to the audio above, as you read the text below.)
(在阅读下面的文本时，你会发现听上面的音频很有帮助。)
Eighteen centuries ago the apostle Paul forewarned us, “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear!” 2 Timothy 4:3
十八个世纪前，使徒保罗警告我们说：”时候要到，人必厌烦纯正的道理，耳朵发痒，就随从自己的情欲，增添好些师傅，要满足他们的耳朵！”提摩太后书4:3
The natural man hates the Gospel and all its distinctive doctrines, and delights in any vain excuse for refusing it.
自然人厌恶福音及其所有独特的教义，并乐于寻找任何无谓的借口来拒绝它。
The plain truth is, that the root of the whole evil lies in the fallen nature of man, and his deeply-seated unbelief in God’s infallible Word. I suspect we have no idea how little saving faith there is on earth, and how few people entirely believe Bible truths.
简单的事实是，整个罪恶的根源在于人的堕落本性，以及他对上帝无误话语的根深蒂固的不信。我怀疑我们并不知道地球上有多少拯救的信仰，以及有多少人完全相信圣经真理。
One man is proud–he dislikes the distinctive doctrines of Christianity, because they leave him no room to boast.
一个人是骄傲的——他不喜欢基督教的独特教义，因为它们不给他留下任何自夸的空间。
Another is lazy and indolent–he dislikes distinctive doctrine, because it summons him to troublesome thought, and self-inquiry, and mental self-exertion.
另一个人懒惰且怠惰——他不喜欢独特的教义，因为它召唤他进行令人烦恼的思考、自我反省和精神上的自我努力。
Another is grossly ignorant–he imagines that all distinctive doctrine is a mere matter of words and names, and that it does not matter a jot what we believe.
还有一个人极度无知——他想象所有独特的教义只是文字和名称的问题，认为我们信什么一点也不重要。
Another is thoroughly worldly–he shrinks from distinctive doctrine, because it condemns his darling world.
另一个人完全世俗化——他回避独特的教义，因为它谴责他心爱的世界。
But in one form or another, I am satisfied that “original sin” is the cause of all the mischief. And the whole result is, that vast numbers of men greedily swallow down the seemingly new idea that doctrine is of no great importance. It supplies a convenient excuse for their sins.
但无论以何种形式，我确信”原罪”是所有这些祸害的原因。最终的结果是，大量的人贪婪地吞下这个看似新颖的观点，即教义并不那么重要。这为他们的罪提供了一个方便的借口。
The consequences of this widespread dislike to doctrine are very serious in the present day. Whether we like to allow it or not, it is an epidemic which is doing great harm. It creates, fosters, and keeps up an immense amount of instability in religion. It produces what I must venture to call, if I may coin the phrase, a jellyfish Christianity in the churches–that is, a Christianity without bone, or muscle, or power.
在当今，这种普遍对教义的厌恶所带来的后果非常严重。无论我们是否愿意承认，这是一种正在造成巨大伤害的流行病。它在宗教中制造、助长并维持了大量的不稳定性。它产生了我冒昧称之为——如果我可以创造这个词——教会中的水母基督教，即一种没有骨骼、肌肉或力量的基督教。
A jellyfish, as everyone knows who has been much by the sea-side, is a pretty and graceful object when it floats in the sea, contracting and expanding like a little, delicate, transparent umbrella. Yet the same jellyfish, when cast on the shore–is a mere helpless lump, without capacity for movement, self-defense, or self-preservation.
正如每个经常去海边的人都知道的那样，水母在海中漂浮时是一个漂亮优雅的物体，像一把小巧、精致、透明的伞一样收缩和膨胀。然而，当同一只水母被冲到岸上时——它只是一团无助的软体，没有移动、自卫或自我保护的能力。
Alas! It is a vivid type of much of the religion of this day, of which the leading principle is, “No dogma, no distinct tenets, no positive doctrine.”
唉！这是当今宗教的一个生动写照，其主导原则是”无教条、无明确信条、无确定教义”。
We have hundreds of jellyfish clergymen, who seem not to have a single bone in their body of divinity. They have no definite opinions–they belong to no school or party. They are so afraid of “extreme views”–that they have no views at all.
我们有数百名水母般的神职人员，他们的神学体系似乎没有一根骨头。他们没有明确的观点——不属于任何学派或党派。他们如此害怕”极端观点”——以至于根本没有任何观点。
We have thousands of jellyfish sermons preached every year–sermons without an edge or a point. They are as smooth as billiard balls–awakening no sinner, and edifying no saint.
我们每年都有数千场水母般的讲道——这些讲道毫无棱角或要点。它们像台球一样光滑——既不能唤醒罪人，也不能启发圣徒。
We have legions of jellyfish young men annually turned out from our seminaries, armed with a few scraps of second-hand philosophy, who think it a mark of cleverness and intellect to have no decided opinions about anything in religion, and to be utterly unable to make up their minds as to what Christian truth is. Their proud hearts are not satisfied with truths which satisfied the godly of former years. Their only creed is a kind of “Anythingism.” They believe everything–and are sure and positive about nothing!
我们每年都有大批水母般的年轻人从神学院毕业，他们武装着一些二手哲学的碎片，认为对宗教中的任何事物都没有明确观点，完全无法决定什么是基督教真理，这是聪明和才智的标志。他们骄傲的心不满足于曾经满足过往年虔诚者的真理。他们唯一的信条是一种”万物主义”。他们相信一切——却对任何事都不确定和肯定！
And last, and worst of all, we have myriads of jellyfish worshipers–respectable church-going people, who have no distinct and definite views about any point in theology. They cannot discern things that differ, any more than color-blind people can distinguish colors! They think that . . .
最后，也是最糟糕的是，我们有无数水母般的崇拜者——那些体面的教会常客，他们对神学上的任何观点都没有明确和确定的看法。他们无法辨别不同之处，就像色盲无法区分颜色一样！他们认为……
everybody is right–and nobody is wrong,
每个人都是对的——没有人是错的，
everything is true–and nothing is false,
一切都是真的——没有什么是假的，
all sermons are good–and none are bad,
所有讲道都是好的——没有坏的，
every minister is sound–and none are unsound.
每个牧师都是正统的——没有不正统的。
They are “tossed to and fro, like children, by every wind of doctrine!” They are often carried away by any new excitement and sensational movement. They are ever ready for new things, because they have no firm grasp on the old Scripture truths.
他们”像孩子一样被各种教义之风摇来摇去！”他们经常被任何新的刺激和轰动性的运动所吸引。他们总是准备好接受新事物，因为他们对旧的圣经真理没有牢固的把握。
AI解释：
J.C. Ryle 选择使用”水母”（jellyfish）这个比喻是因为：
- 水母在水中看起来美丽，但在岸上则失去形状，变得软弱无力。
- 这比喻象征缺乏坚定信仰和教义的基督教：表面上可能看起来吸引人，但缺乏实质和坚定的立场。
- 水母没有骨骼，暗示这种基督教缺乏”骨气”或坚定的信念结构。
- 水母随波逐流，象征这种基督教容易受外界影响，缺乏自身的坚定方向。
通过这个比喻，Ryle 批评了他认为缺乏坚实教义基础的基督教形式。