Posted on 10/15/2001 6:54:40 AM PDT by malakhi
| Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue. - John Adams |
Agreed. On every point. Although I'm not sure what you mean by plenteous. Many thousands of copies of each book can be assumed, but that would still be only one copy per many thousands of population.
If you believe that the copies were only being made from the time of our earliest known fragments, you would have to propose a reasonable hypothesis as to why they were begun at that point. Revelations' first several chapters seems to provide a great example of this "hot of the presses" theory. The letters are to the "messengers" of the seven churches who could have very well been people entrusted with communicating the epistles and writings of the early church from local body to local body.
I don't believe that was my statement, and it was certainly not my intent. My disagreement was soley on the idea that copies were made immediately - before sending a leter to Rome for example. This would imply that the author knew that he was writting Scripture instead of a letter of instruction to one church. I don't believe that is a widely help belief and it would seem to be refuted by the text of virtually every letter. They are "themed" to respond to local problems (sexual immorality in Corinth, misunderstanding of Faith in Rome). If Paul intended copies to be made and distributed to the churches in the manner posited, he would have addresses them more globally (IMHO).
Agreed. There are millions of Catholic with little to no understanding of the things of their faith. This is to our shame and is a reason why your wife is blessed to have met you - she may never have "met" Christ in a real way within the Church but now is now bound for Heaven (unless I miss my guess). Despite all of my serious disagreements with much of Protestantism. I am infinitely more pleased with a "cradle Catholic" getting saved there than staying here in ignorance (not the same thing as calling her ignorant).
That having been said. If you had decided (perhaps with a group of other Christians), to observe two days of prayer and fasting (Scriptural, you agree?) - say over the financing of a new church building project or a missions project - and you then decided you were too hungry to continue so you snuck a cheeseburger. Would you not feel you had sinned?
Could you expand on that? I may be missing your point. Although I agree that there were many non-denominational quasi-Baptist churches (fundamentalist Bible-church types) that spotted the error right away. They just didn't get much press because they were single congregations. There were actually churches that were in favor of Roe (the idea, I guess, was fewer unwanted babies - but I cannot see it).
But on my original point. What Scriptural proof do we have that life begins at conception? My previous post was merely my opinion, I would love to see something definitive.
Why do ya need proof? If it does its a pretty serious matter if you're on the wrong side. If it doesn't, no harm no foul.
I guess that depends on who is deciding what is "conclusive" :-)
Actually I believe there are earlier copies of the Septtaugint (I believe that the Dead Sea scrolls may qualify) that certainly do include the contested books. The contest is based more on the fact that the Jews did not close their "canon" by some accounts until after the Christian canon was completed. So you have early Christians arguing that books should not be included in the OT if they were not Jewish Scripture.
I was taught in 4th grade catholic school that eating meat on friday was a "venial" sin. I even confessed to the sin a few times. The priest never once told me not to worry about it cuz it isn't a sin. Matter of fact I probably wasted a few valuable seconds of my life reciting more than a few "Hail Mary full of grace help me a find a parking place prayers.
See my response (1703?) re: the sin issue.
He must be layin' down on the job. :-)
How bout this one?
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
That's not true. I am an ex-catholic but I'm certainly not outside the Church.
Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa :-)
Sincere apologies. You are, of course, correct. Catholics normally refer to the RCC with a capital "C" to differentiate, but this merely to differentiate, not to exclude.
I know. Just messin' with ya. But I am interested to know what ya think of the scripture I posted?
Hey I remember this line from my short-lived 4th grade altar boy experience.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
I like it (what a silly thing to say about Scripture), but if the soul is added at three months, six months, or even a day before birth... these statements would still be True. It does come closer that the verses that originally came to mind.
Psalm 127:2-4 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Can we conclude from this one that the "fruit of the womb" is a reward for the entire duration?
I think in this Space, time and matter theatre we are Body, Soul & Spirit and as soon as the sperm and egg combined it was me.
It was still Jeremiah in the belly no matter what stage of the contruction.
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