[adiaireton8]

We say God is directly, and I think the Apostolic Church's position is that God turned over that responsibility to man.

There is that false dichotomy again. Either God is running things or man is. We don't have to choose between occasionalism and deism. We do not have to choose between divine omnipotence and human free choice. We do not have to choose between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. These false dichotomies spawn a host of errors.

-A8

[Forest Keeper]

FK: "We say God is directly, and I think the Apostolic Church's position is that God turned over that responsibility to man."

There is that false dichotomy again. Either God is running things or man is. We don't have to choose between occasionalism and deism. We do not have to choose between divine omnipotence and human free choice. We do not have to choose between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. These false dichotomies spawn a host of errors.

I don't believe you think that God turns His back on us, but I have been told that God is a respecter of the free will of men and will not interfere. I have also been told that men have the personal responsibility for themselves to decide whether to be saved or not. Further, I've been told that the men of the Church dispense salvation itself. That sounds like men being in charge to me. Presumably, if the Pope issued an ex Cathedra decree, which he could do using his free will, for the cessation of all administration of sacraments, then all Catholics would be lost! Now, I don't expect that to happen, but I'm just saying ... :)