'It Is as It Was' (Peggy Noonan on the Pope's Viewing of "The Passion)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 12/17/2003 | Peggy Noonan

[pctech]

My friend you've lost my point completely on this whole matter, and as I said before I do not want this thread to become a huge "free-for-all." If you can't talk about this rationally, then don't talk about it all. Intelligent and honorable men discuss rationally and armed with their facts, not out of sarcasm and ridicule.

[pctech]

I do wonder why YOU insist on dialoguing with those who have impugned stalwarts of the faith as being demonic. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you don't seem to have a problem with people who impugn stalwarts of my faith as being Antichrist, which seems to me a little worse than demonic.

Just for the record, I -- not speaking for ArrogantBustard here -- do not think that Spurgeon was demon-possessed. Just badly mistaken. He now, of course, has altered his opinions ... somewhat.

Quite the contrary, I DO have a problem when people accuse stalwarts of faith of being "demon possessed." But what you don't realize is that we are never going to change their minds, all we can do is debate the issues logically and rationally. As long as we can do that there should be no reason why we can't converse. Am I wrong?

In addition, I've learned to trust my life to people who don't agree with me philosophically or religiously. I had to when I served this great country in the military. And while we didn't agree on everything, I did learn quite a bit from them on other matters. And while we may not agree with them on everything, we do agree that we must stand up for the principle of a free country. That's why we're here on Free Republic.

Finally, we cannot be "isolationists" in this area. We serve a great, loving, and judgemental God. We will be held accountable for our deeds, whether they be good or bad, in sin or out of sin. We talk, we discuss, we extort, we plead, we cry, but in the end if we choose to disagree, then we choose to disagree. That's all we can do. At that time, if we choose to "shake the sand from our sandals" then so be it. Until Christ comes, we can do no more.

[pctech]

Agree PC. I am not a Catholic either, but on matters such as these, I trust this man as one of the leading scholars on what Christ's last hours were like. He, and others like Billy Graham, are much better read on such matters than the average Christian and their opinions mean a lot as well read men of Christ. To admire him for his candor doesn't make me Catholic any more than admiring Billy Graham for his endorsement makes me Baptist.

I couldn't have said it better myself, and believe me I've tried!!!