I never said that was the case, I specifically asked why they should have.
Why should there be informational affirmative action for kooks? If a gang of nutballs decide tomorrow that ace MLB pitcher Rollie Fingers is a deity who created an alternate universe 11 billion years ago, does the Southern Baptist Conference or the Catholic Church have any obligation to place a brochure about their theories in every pew?
Get real.
Must not have been too important then.
When every book is handwritten and perishable and their are a limited number of copyists, even very important texts are sometimes unintentionally sacrificed.
Informational note: the printing press wasn't invented until the 1450s.
I can opine on anything I wish. I don't recognize the authority of anyone to tell on what I can or cannot opine.
And I can opine on whether or not a particular flyfishing lure is effective. Of course, I know next to nothing about flyfishing.
No, we are reading them now because of the internet and the reach it has.
Plenty of Gnostic books have been in print for centuries.
If we relied upon religious authorities, we would never know of these documents.
If you rely on people whose job is being a Christian pastor to be your personal servants who provide you with every last scrap of irrelevant data that happens to pass through your mind, then you're in a quandary. Why hasn't the post office or the AMA been more aggressive in disseminating Gnostic propaganda as well?
And I do think they are worried somewhat, otherwise they, and you, wouldn't devote so much time to it.
The MSM devotes a lot of time to misrepresenting the facts about these texts. Christians spend a tiny fraction of their time pointing out the lies.
Because then, and now, religious leaders fear that their "flocks" will read these books and documents, and ask them some hard questions.
What hard questions could they possibly ask? Question: "Father, are there really twelve aeons composed of twelve luminaries?" Answer: "What the heck are you talking about?"
And to my knowledge, hardly anyone has ever feared that people might have differing views and opinions about George Washington.
I don't know anyone who is afraid of someone having a different opinion of Jesus? They may feel pity for someone who is so spiritually at sea, but not fear.
Doesn't bother me. A point of view was deliberately suppressed by church authorities. At one point, people who asked heretical questions or who didn't follow the teachings of the "authorities" in the church were murdered by the church. But, that's YOUR church, so YOU defend it.
"If a gang of nutballs decide tomorrow that ace MLB pitcher Rollie Fingers is a deity who created an alternate universe 11 billion years ago, does the Southern Baptist Conference or the Catholic Church have any obligation to place a brochure about their theories in every pew?"
No, but if that gang of nutballs started getting millions of converts, PAYING CONVERTS, the Catholic Church would be raising holy hell about it wouldn't they?
"even very important texts are sometimes unintentionally sacrificed."
True and it is sad. Someone tried to save the Judas Gospel and they succeeded, although the document was partially destroyed. You don't suppose that other documents didn't survive because someone thought they were heretical and they destroyed them because they didn't want others reading them do you? Of course not, because they had anything to fear did they?
"Informational note: the printing press wasn't invented until the 1450s."
Gee.
"And I can opine on whether or not a particular flyfishing lure is effective. Of course, I know next to nothing about flyfishing."
Well there you go. We agree that we can opine about something if we wish. Now that wasn't so hard was it?
"Plenty of Gnostic books have been in print for centuries."
And I repeat, that knowledge or views of those books couldn't have the same reach until the invention of the internet.
"If you rely on people whose job is being a Christian pastor to be your personal servants who provide you with every last scrap of irrelevant data that happens to pass through your mind, then you're in a quandary."
In that respect I have no worry. I quit going to church a long time ago. I still see no reason to go back.
"Why hasn't the post office or the AMA been more aggressive in disseminating Gnostic propaganda as well?"
I don't know, but I bet if you had anything to say about it, you would oppose it if they tried wouldn't you? Your question then would be: "What business does the Post Office or the AMA have in disseminating Gnostic propaganda?" C'mon admit it, you would be furious!
"Christians spend a tiny fraction of their time pointing out the lies."
Of course, it's because they have nothing to fear. I suspect though, that a LOT more than a tiny fraction is being paid to "pointing out the lies" now isn't it?
"What hard questions could they possibly ask?"
Well, one hard question would be to ask if it is true that some people have spirits but not the divine spark. After all, Jesus "survived" death, but no one else has since then. How come? Were, are, the gnostics right?
"I don't know anyone who is afraid of someone having a different opinion of Jesus? They may feel pity for someone who is so spiritually at sea, but not fear."
Some of the religious leaders of old were not only afraid, they were downright punitive. "Confess your heresy" was heard by a lot people before they died from their tortures. But hey - those were the "authorities" so it was all good.
Another question that could be asked is: "Father, is it true that in the Middle Ages the Catholic Church actually taught that there were evil dragons? And do you believe in dragons Father? Have you seen them? And If the Catholic Church believed in dragons then, but doesn't now, what other things did they preach that are no longer "operative?"