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>> “There is a difference between mock and defy” <<
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And you’ll apparently never understand it.
Paul definitely mocked the Athenians when he told them he would declare their own “unknown god” to them. There was no defiance in that.
What’s to defy in a false god? As Paul said often, they are nothing.
The same goes for the other apostles. They weren’t so immature and ignorant as to defy a god that didn’t exist. Defiance would indicate something was there that could be defied.
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I think we’re talking at cross purposes here, but nonetheless, I’ve gained a useful expression from the exchange. It’s helpful to me to be able to describe Pam Geller’s activity as defiance, not of Mohammed - just some dead bloke - nor of his false god, but of his deranged and criminal followers. Hers is a political act, just as their murders are.