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To: editor-surveyor
It is Theologians that gave us “Junk Religion.”

Yehova definitely did not give us “Theologians,” the adversary did!

There certainly are quack-theologians just as there are quack scientists. But there are many religious quacks that are not theologians. Mega preachers who focus on the doctrines of sending in money for blessings more than serving the Kingdom of God certainly come to mind.

But theology is a science in the broad sense. It is not an Empirically driven methodological science like physics, but the word actually means the "science of God". Just as the word "biology" means the "science of life".

More specifically a "theologian" is simply one who takes the study of God seriously, and uses reason and evidence as carefully as possible (or as carefully as the particular theologian actually does in practice). Obviously there are going to be some wrong guesses and false theories....as in any science. And such errors are harder to correct by controlled experiment, being that the subject matter is far bigger than we are. But still there is plenty of evidence for a careful and reasonable student of God to learn.

A person who makes a good honest reasonable effort is what we call a "theologian". Those that short cut the process and have disdain for those that don't are not, on my view, more likely to get closer to the truth about God.

Saint Paul was a theologian. He made the point in the first chapter of Romans that based on natural theology that the existence of God and His eternal nature should be obvious to all, and that people are without the excuse of saying they didn't know a righteous God existed. To be fair, Paul was talking to smart academic thinkers...not common people. He may have cut the average Joe a bit more slack.

Many of the great thinkers who founded modern science and mathematics were also theologians to some extent or another. Particularly in the area of natural theology (what can be determined about God without appealing to special revelation).

Currently I am very much enjoying a study of one such brilliant mathematician named Rene Descartes, who wrote "Meditations of First Philosophy" in which he brilliantly demonstrates the principles Saint Paul was talking about. This work is not easy to understand, it makes one think, and think very deeply, before one gets what he was saying beyond the first couple of meditations. But I assure you, it is the polar opposite of "junk religion".

120 posted on 09/21/2017 10:25:04 AM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: AndyTheBear

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I agree about the money gospel, but the only ‘science’ for the scriptures is read, hear, and obey.

The scriptures are a plain language manual for eternal life, and need absolutely no interpretation. They require prayerful study daily.

If someone offers to interpret the scriptures for you, run like the Devil is after you, because he is!
.


129 posted on 09/21/2017 1:53:13 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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