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To: Vicomte13

In that case, all you practice is an extension of paganism. Faith, by definition, requires acceptance of an authority without reason. I have accepted the Bible (both books) as an article of my faith (again chosen without reason). Until someone updates my copy, that is my doctrine of faith. Now, you choose to follow some additional texts written by professional priests. And then you will have doctrines based on those doctrines that were previously written by a previous generation of professionals. It is a lot easier to stick to an original text. Until someone really starts performing miracles, I will continue to believe the final dispensation of truth from God, and you can choose to believe other doctrines based on some other doctrines written by professionals.


114 posted on 04/19/2005 4:38:07 PM PDT by econ_grad
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To: econ_grad

Why did you choose that particular book, the New Testament?
Why did you settle on it?
Who taught you that THAT particular collection of books was the one to place faith in, and not any other book?

You were not born with that knowledge.
You did not come up with idea out of the blue and decide that the New Testament was the be-all and end-all.
You learned that from somebody.
Why did you give that somebody credence?
The New Testament does not recommend itself. It doesn't even refer to itself in its text.

I have no particular problem with your giving tremendous authority and placing great faith in the New Testament.

My problem is with the snarky arrogance and hurling of lightning bolt charges of idolatry and worse from the top of Mt. Olympus, while pretending that you are immune from traditions.

The fact that you place such faith in the New Testament was TAUGHT to you. You learned that tradition from somebody. An angel did not appear and hand the book to you. And you were not born knowing that the book existed, let alone being able to read it.
So, you have a tradition, learned from somebody. You just pretend that you don't. The pretence lies in hurling rhetorical lightning bolts at anybody who is honest and traces out the tracks of his tradition. You pretend not to have one, but that is simply untrue. Now, perhaps you are not aware of that, so perhaps you are not aware of how dishonest it sounds to attack all tradition, while refusing to own up to yours.

So, I've just made it easy for you.
Somebody taught you what you know about the New Testament, and its basis for authority. You didn't know that before that somebody taught you. So, that somebody was your spiritual father. Which is great. But why did HE have authority? Once again, the New Testament DOES NOT SAY to place your faith in the New Testament, so if you're asserting the strength of belief you have in the New Testament, you aren't getting that from the New Testament. You're getting it from a tradition outside of the New Testament.

You're merely denying the obvious reality, while denigrating another tradition in your pretence that you don't have one.


118 posted on 04/19/2005 4:54:00 PM PDT by Vicomte13 (Et alors?)
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