So if a church says Mary was taken up to heaven without tasting death, well...the scripture is silent, so believe what you want.
OTOH, when a church says Mary remained a virgin forever, well...there are multiple passages that indicate otherwise. If you choose to believe it REALLY meant cousin, I cannot stop you, but I expect you to understand why I reject what you say.
And when a church rules that a bishop (elder) must be single, that contradicts scripture. Again, I cannot prevent you from believing it, but you ought to understand why I reject it and the church that makes the claim.
Not all prophecies were written down and accepted as scripture. That doesn’t make them false, but if they contradict the scriptures, THEN they are false.
Also, there is no continuing revelation to the church. Paul told the elders in Acts 20 that he taught the whole counsel of God - not part, with some hidden. And John told Christians in 2 John to “abide in the teaching of Christ”.
If you wish to add other teaching (Papal Supremacy, Indulgences, Purgatory, Transubstantiation, etc), I cannot stop you. But for me, I’ll be content to abide in the whole counsel of God as taught by the Apostles.
Excellent post!
“And when a church rules that a bishop (elder) must be single, that contradicts scripture. Again, I cannot prevent you from believing it, but you ought to understand why I reject it and the church that makes the claim.”
Interesting. So you concede that Priests (Presbyteroi) do not have to be married, and that barring them from marrying is legitimate?
All the scripture says is that the Bishop must be a husband of but one wife. This does not say that the bishop is permitted to get married. As Apostle Paul defends the right of Apostles to be unmarried, it seems reasonable that the bishops may be unmarried as well.
You are correct that there is nothing barring one who is married, and remains married to his wife to become a bishop. There is nothing that requires that the bishop be married. This would also exclude a man who has remarried for he would have two wives.
“OTOH, when a church says Mary remained a virgin forever, well...there are multiple passages that indicate otherwise. If you choose to believe it REALLY meant cousin, I cannot stop you, but I expect you to understand why I reject what you say.”
I do understand. Do you also interpret the city Philadelphia to be the city of blood brotherly love? The same word, Adelphoi, is used in the passage as in the city of philadelphia.