I am interested in your post, if it is based on scripture, but if they simply say it is our tradition, and we do not need scripture to back it up, than please do not respond, since I can not, and will not debate philosophy since there is no way to determin what is right or wrong, since only the word will judge us.John 12:48. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
I'm sure you can understand why I say this. JH
Very true but not everything He said is in the Bible.
Thank you for your directness. I will refer to Scripture as I respond, although I don't expect to refer to many different passages than those that are already "on the table" for our discussion.
I'm not sure, though, what your definition of "philosophy" is - you can tell me if you think its important. A valid issue, I believe, is the question - How are we to understand Scripture? As the Ethiopian says to Philip, how will I understand if no one teaches me? I don't believe that questions concerning the proper way to approach Scripture are questions of philosophy, even though they require us to draw on the gift of reason that God has given us. And while reason certainly cannot bring us to God, this does not mean that we can't distinguish between good and bad reasoning.
I'm sure you can understand why I say this.
I'll try. My understanding, based on the brief amount of personal information I've seen you post and the approach to questions of faith seen in your posts, is that you have had bad experiences in the past due to relying on the teachings of deceitful men. I have been burned as well, although I have no way of knowing if our situations are comparable. As Scripture teaches us, "test the spirits." There is nothing wrong with diligently testing the arguments of another against Scripture.