Posted on 01/15/2008 3:52:23 PM PST by wagglebee
You might want to look into the Inquisition a little more deeply, too. Thomas F. Madden, professor and chair of the department of history at Saint Louis University, makes the point that the Inquisition actually saved the lives of many people who would otherwise have been torn apart by politically-motivated lords or mob hysteria.
It was not unheard-of for accused criminals held on charges by secular courts, to intentionally commit some technical blasphemy in order to get their case transferred to the Inquisition, where they could hope for careful inveestigation, greater procedural justice, and more clemency in sentencing.
In addition to the link I had above, here's a second Thomas Madden link.
Intriguing quote:
"After the reforms, the Spanish Inquisition had very few critics. Staffed by well-educated legal professionals, it was one of the most efficient and compassionate judicial bodies in Europe.
"No major court in Europe executed fewer people than the Spanish Inquisition. This was a time, after all, when damaging shrubs in a public garden in London carried the death penalty. Across Europe, executions were everyday events.
But not so with the Spanish Inquisition. In its 350-year lifespan only about 4,000 people were put to the stake. Compare that with the witch-hunts that raged across the rest of Catholic and Protestant Europe, in which 60,000 people, mostly women, were roasted. Spain was spared this hysteria precisely because the Spanish Inquisition stopped it at the border.
"When the first accusations of witchcraft surfaced in northern Spain, the Inquisition sent its people to investigate. These trained legal scholars found no believable evidence for witches’ Sabbaths, black magic, or baby roasting. It was also noted that those confessing to witchcraft had a curious inability to fly through keyholes.
"While [Protestant] Europeans were throwing women onto bonfires with abandon, the Spanish Inquisition slammed the door shut on this insanity. (For the record, the Roman Inquisition also kept the witch craze from infecting Italy.)"
If there's no "teaching authority" in the Church as such, then St. Paul is very much in error for saying that God appoints teachers; and if the same Holy Spirit teaches equally through the Gay Christian advocates, then by whose authority can anybody say they're wrong?
1 Corinthians 12: 28-30
Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you is a part of it.
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles,
second prophets,
third teachers,
then workers of miracles,
also those having gifts of healing
, those able to help others,
those with gifts of administration,
and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
Are all apostles?
Are all prophets?
Are all teachers?
Do all work miracles?
Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues?
Do all interpret?
The Spirit teaches the individual as Jesus specifically said. In a society where the vast majority of the people can't read of course someone will have to read it to people and explain the basics as a part of evangelizing. This explains why the same greek word translated as "teacher" in the passage you quoted is also translated as "pastor" throughout the NT. Please show me a single passage that says the teaching of the Church is necessary to understand the Bible or the Spirit - I know of none. I know of several which say the presence of the Holy Spirit in the individual is necessary to understand and know Christ.
Look, I am hard core Sola Scriptura. You obviously are not. Neither of us is going to change the other's opinion. I agree to disagree.
Ephesians 3:5
"...which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets"? There are things which were not made known to all men, but only to Apostles and prophets?
Since you are hard core Sola Scriptura, who would you refute the arguments made here by these gay Christians?
Try Passage 1. I'm interested in your answer, because Ihave a close relative who is a gay Christian and I would like to save him from his delusion, but I've made no progress because he is convinced that the Holy Spirit has said nothing to condemn "loving" homosexual relations,and he justifies his argument on th basis of "Gay Bible Studies" such as these.
Homosexual cult alert.
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