[Alamo-Girl]

What makes you think you are so much smarter and "in tune with the Spirit" than all the heretics of the first four centuries?

What we (any of us) think doesn't matter. Only God matters. His name, His will, His kingdom.

Our challenge is to walk in His Light and not wander off into the darkness of our vain imaginings.

[Quix]

INDEED, A-G.

Adiareton . . . the hazards are common, of course.

But, truly, in my experience, tradition, nor size, nor homogeneity, nor consensus, nor even fasting rigors [though helpful often enough], nor any kind of law keeping or hoop jumping; nor spiritual lineage; nor Scripture memorization; nor flagilation real or symbolic or psychological/emotional; nor wide acclaim; nor oratory; nor logic; nor any other feature of a group . . . unless perhaps the rare uncommon Lovingkindnesses and humility of very, very, very few and small groups . . . but practically speaking . . .

NO FEATURES OF ANY GROUP I’ve ever been part of or in close observational contact with—nothing has vetted the group sufficiently spiritually to allow anything remotely close to the respect and submission that you seem to treat so casually and seemingly faithfully in an almost blind faith kind of way.

When I’ve dared travel that route, I’ve suffered greatly and repeatedly. It has been as though God has smacked my hands and burned my buns good for daring to do so vs trusting HIM AND HIM ALONE. Not that I believe we are all best as lone rangers. Not that at all.

There is wisdom in many counselors to a degree. That is a Biblical truth. But there’s just no substitute for God directly AND NO SAFETY, PER SE, . . . CERTAINLY NO AUTOMATIC SAFETY in any group—ANY group’s construction on spiritual reality.

Not in my experience and not in my reading of the Scriptural record of New Testament times groups.

[adiaireton8]

What we (any of us) think doesn't matter.

Yes it does. St. Peter writes, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies [αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας]" (2 Pet 2:1)

And St. Paul tells us that those who practice "heresies" [αἱρέσεις] "shall not inherit the kingdom of God". (Gal 5:20-21)

If it didn't matter what any of us think, then there would be no such thing as "damnable heresies". But since there are "damnable heresies", i.e. heresies that can damn one's soul and keep one from inheriting the kingdom of God, therefore it does matter what we think; our eternal destiny hangs on it.

-A8