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To: jo kus; annalex
And that means that all oral teachings go away? Scripture verses, please...

There certainly are verses that tell about bad teachings of any kind, but I don't need to go there. I have never said or implied that ALL oral teachings must go away. I'll try to say it another way. I might welcome oral teachings as a compliment to scriptures if they are in support of what is already in the Bible, or at the very least, not contradictory to it.

For example, if you came to me and said: "Forest, I have been praying about fasting recently, and I believe that the Lord has led me to deny myself not only food for a short time, but also electricity for a long time. So, I'm going to turn the power off in my house for a month. I believe the Lord has led me to this and I pray that it will bring me closer to Him." My immediate response would be to congratulate you on the blessing of the revelation, to pray for you, and to wish you well in the experience. Even though it is not a technical denial of food, it is still a denial of self, which is the overarching Biblical principle. Therefore, I would support you completely.

3,990 posted on 03/24/2006 12:47:42 AM PST by Forest Keeper
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To: Forest Keeper
I might welcome oral teachings as a compliment to scriptures if they are in support of what is already in the Bible, or at the very least, not contradictory to it.

That's well and good, but one's interpretation should not be the rule of faith of Christianity. Christianity is NOT a religion of the book, but of a God-man, Jesus Christ. If anything, it is quite amazing how Christianity often had to SEPERATE themselves from the "book", the commonly-held interpretation of the Bible. For example, "he who hangs on a tree is condemned". The book says Jesus is condemned. But we base our religion on the experience of the Risen Lord, which was prophesied by reading this book in a CERTAIN MANNER! As a result, by slavishly following "the book" while disregarding Christian interpretations of it, I find it difficult to understand how one can accuse those first Christians of "contradicting" Scripture, as if that disqualifies one from being Christian. The Bible was NEVER their first and only rule of faith! Christians found that they HAD to "contradict" the commonly-held notions to explain their cognitive dissonance that they experienced.

Before condemning an interpretation, one SHOULD look at what the FIRST Christians did and practiced. It is possible that your own interpretations might be incorrect - since you are far removed in time and culture from the original authors of Scripture, the Apostles.

Regards

4,001 posted on 03/24/2006 7:37:20 AM PST by jo kus (I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore CHOOSE life - Deut 30:19)
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