What God wants me to do. That I might do it, granted His Light and Grace.
Quite a few posts back, I said that I always preferred to argue with atheists and Darwinists, rather than argue with Christians.
It's interesting to me, but both camps seem to share a common feature: Both are relentless doctrinalists.
Which is to say that: The written word of their respective doctrine is absolute and final.
In the case of atheists and Darwinists, I would say their "written word" is incomplete.
But the harrowing fact about some Christians is that their regard for the written word as completely "complete."
That is, if you understand the doctrine, it will save you. Just believe in it; you don't have to do anything else to be saved.
My problem is, any form of written language always refers to something greater than itself. It cannot be an "end in itself" in principle; its function is to point to a higher, greater Truth, of which the written word is but a declension.
But it seems so many Christians nowadays think that the mastery of the written word as an end-in-itself is what saves.
I do not believe this. Indeed, there is a word that describes this attitude: bibliolatry.
Bibliolatry substitutes the Holy Bible for God Himself, and His Living Word.
The Holy Scriptures cannot be a "reduction" of God, or a God substitute, in any way.
If we miss that point, then we cannot really hear the Word of God speaking actively in our souls.
It just means that we can read words, "flattened" according to our own level of comprehension.
FWIW.
I'm really done here. Think I'll go find an atheist, or a materialist, or a Darwinist to talk to.
It's a much less painful experience for me....
Take note, you STILL have yet to answer my question.
Do you believe Mormons are Christians and WHY?
It’s really not that difficult of a question...
Wow, just wow.
The Bible is how God speaks to us. It never replaces God.
You really need to take some basic catechism classes.
Then do it.
What do you want to 'see' from the REST of us anti-MORMONism folks?
After we've loved 'em, and raked their grass and praised their nice children, noted their empty jails and applauded their conservatism; just WHAT are we to DO about the HERESY they believe in?
Duh!
MORMONism's 'doctrine' is demonic.
There is really NO other way to describe it.
Now; how we gonna LOVE the deceived ones out of it?
Why?
Can't you handle a MORMON?
I've not seen an atheist, or a materialist, or a Darwinist posting in this thread.
Practice what you preach.
painful, It’s called conviction.
Betty...I tend to generically agree with what you're saying here -- Jesus said something similar one time (John 5:39), which I'll quote below...
The issue here tho is context. Sometimes a poster can say something 100% generically on the mark -- and yet leave the door wide open as to how that remark applies to the thread discussion.
That was my thought coming away from this comment. Which poster or posters do you either know well enough, or discern from this thread, that are guilty of this? Be specific...'cause on my next post re: your post in #512, I'm a bit preturbed over your moral judging of others in a thread in which you claim to only judge "facts."
Now, as I mentioned, Jesus did say something similar to your comment:
39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me... (John 5:39)
IOW...yes 'tis too easy for as Christians to "abort" this process of living testimony and forget that it leads us every minute to relate to Christ Himself. So, while ALL of us can use this general reminder; I'm not sure if you're actually also pointing fingers at given posters here re: this reminder.