Rzman, I'm going to forego my usual snide sarcasm and ask you a very simple, direct question, and I hope you will answer it directly and succinctly. Will you at least think about doing that?
Here is a former Calvinist who, upon becoming Orthodox, feels the need to embrace evolutionism. You in a later post remark that Orthodox seminars are free of the theological liberalism of most western churches, yet evolutionism is the very essence of theological liberalism. So it looks like you fail that argument.
Nevertheless, here is my question. Please give me a straight answer: when a Fundamentalist Protestant joins one of the ancient apostolic churches, is he/she required to abjure and denounce young earth creationism? Is young earth creationism a formal, official heresy? If not, why is it that every single member of every single ancient apostolic body attacks it?
What if a person simply in good conscience cannot dismiss the first eleven chapters of Genesis as didactic parables? What if that person's conscience screams at him/her that doing this is a terrible thing and gravely wrong? Is this person still welcome in the ancient apostolic churches or should he/she settle for his inferior semi-chrstianity rather than pollute and defile the pure apostolic body with his Biblical literalism?
I'd kind to like to know the answer to this because this is precisely what happened to me, and why I walked out (and I was attending an Armenian rite church at the time) six years after converting.
If young earth creationism is forbidden, then the ancient apostolic churches should make this clear to all potential converts. To ignore the topic in official credal statements while continually attacking the young earth creationist position in all other venues whatsoever is confusing.
If young earth creationism is forbidden, then make this an official dogma . . . please. It will save a lot of emotional and intellectual torment, believe me.
Cerveza, I'd like your thoughts as well.
Please give me a straight answer: when a Fundamentalist Protestant joins one of the ancient apostolic churches, is he/she required to abjure and denounce young earth creationism? Is young earth creationism a formal, official heresy? If not, why is it that every single member of every single ancient apostolic body attacks it?
>>Orthodoxy and Catholicism are agnostic on this matter. They don’t have any sort of official teaching that is binding on their communicants.