Greatest Sect of Christianity

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ah, I must have missed it... but I think full posting may help Albi.

Also this one

2 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

[Elok]

I don't (think it will help Al; you edited!). He will, in all likelihood, simply repost about round pegs and square holes, or maybe it was t'other way around.

[Elok]

Here it was:

I recently read a blog by an Orthodox priest addressing the question "Is the Bible true?" In it, the priest referred to Jesus as "the Truth," while the Bible served as record of the Truth. My favorite from the comments: "Uh-oh, somebody's not going to like you putting Jesus above the Bible like that!"

I actually got that comment from a friend of my wife's on Facebook, after she posted a link to it there. But maybe somebody's made the same remark (or a similar one) on the actual blog by now.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I don't (think it will help Al; you edited!). He will, in all likelihood, simply repost about round pegs and square holes, or maybe it was t'other way around.

I did edit . Alas, I agree with you. I find it sad that so many atheists today don't realize the long intellectual tradition that Christianity (especially the Catholic Church, the Othodox Church, the Churches in Alexandria and Syria, etc) has had. And they don't realize that they've dealt with these questions (which some atheists thing they've just "stumped" Christians with) for centuries.

[Elok]

The bigger problem is that Christians tend not to be aware of the Christian intellectual tradition. At least, not in the US.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I won't argue with that. One of the main reasons for that, of course, is also that reason which gave Christianity a needed shot in the arm - the Protestant Reformation. The problem is that the pendulum has swung too far the other way. Sola Scriptura means, for some, that tradition doesn't matter at all - so why bother with the intellectual tradition as well. After all, it's plainly written in the Bible (never mind 2 Peter 3:15-16 which I posted above). This is a point of view that the early Protestant thinkers (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli) would have never adopted.

[Al B. Sure!]

All this 'tradition' stuff is just things written by mere men. The Word of God is eternal. - Every true Christian

[Imran Siddiqui]

The "Word of God" was written by mere men as well. Men inspired by God, but still just men. It is their attempts to write down the revelation that they experienced. After all, Jesus didn't write a Gospel - he was the Word in flesh.

[Jon Miller]

All this 'tradition' stuff is just things written by mere men. The Word of God is eternal. - Every true Christian

And the Word of God is Jesus Christ.

Who is eternal.

JM

[Felch]

The bigger problem is that Christians tend not to be aware of the Christian intellectual tradition. At least, not in the US.

It's no accident that Protestants tend to be the most anti-intellectual of Christians.

[Al B. Sure!]

The "Word of God" was written by mere men as well. Men inspired by God, but still just men. It is their attempts to write down the revelation that they experienced. After all, Jesus didn't write a Gospel - he was the Word in flesh.

Yes. Go tell your fellow Christians that the Bible was written by men who made mistakes and see how well that goes over. Especially your new-found Last Days Christians or whatever it is you are now.

[MOBIUS]

This thread is ongoing proof that God doesn't exist - how else would a bunch of so-called Christians get their panties in a twist for over 300 posts arguing like this!?

Keep it up, BTW.

[MOBIUS]

Yes. Go tell your fellow Christians that the Bible was written by men who made mistakes and see how well that goes over. Especially your new-found Last Days Christians or whatever it is you are now.

Or brain donors like Kid and Ben...

[Jon Miller]

It's no accident that Protestants tend to be the most anti-intellectual of Christians.

Protestants have the most intellectual and the least intellectual denominational traditions. You would be amazed at how little so many Catholics know, for example. And how much study some of the protestant traditions do.

JM
(It is true that certain protestant traditions are anti-theological tradition... )

[Felch]

Individual Catholics aren't called upon to be experts. But at least we don't just let any old fast talking snake oil salesman start up his own parish. Protestantism doesn't just reject tradition, it rejects the very idea of expertise and accumulated understanding.