Things are not always what they may appear. There is a great work being done here which is not always visible to the posters Mad Dawg. Much is done behind the scenes as "God works All things toward the good"...and according to His purposes. We may not like what we see but we can be assured His good will will indeed come from it. The fact there are indeed EX-Mormons attests to this work, who are now truly saved and serving God.
In some cases you may only see the battle field....othertimes...the retreats...and still others a general tit for tat. The absolute fact that ex-Mormons are in the best place to see the deceptions, understand the arguments and address them accordingly cannot be argued as I see it.....they have an inside scope the rest of us do not. They know what we do not. They understand where we cannot.
Further when one is dealing with cults and counterfeit Christianity the overall approach and ministry to is different than winning a soul to Christ. There are strongholds to take down, the enemy of God does not let go of those He has claimed easily by any means. These strongholds are oftentimes deeply held teachings which are not of God at all but believed to be....they must be revealed for what they are and the emotional attachment to them loosened BEFORE the victim can see where they are in their relationship to the Lord. It IS a battle not between the victim and those ministering to him....but against he who has gravely captured them.
I think sometimes your questions are not answered because they have been asked and addressed before.....apparently not to your satisfaction it would seem, or making it an issue for you would not be occurring perhaps. Other times might be because those fighting and in the heat of the battle cannot give pause when they know who they are addressing is at a critical point. It is then we all must not take personally that our posts might not be answered...but follow the tempo of the thread and see what God is doing....being careful not to judge too quickly...but pray for those in the debate.
Here is a thread about intemperate and indiscreet zeal and the rest.
Here am I arguing against those who argue against the topic of the thread.
When I am not, as a Catholic, enduring slander about how seriously I take Scripture, I find my arguments from Scripture are ignored.
Not me. My Arguments. My arguments in support of the topic of the thread.
When I note this, and note the appearances, I get, not arguments, but sententious words not really defending but just sort of kind of explaining that the reason my argument in support of the thread’s topic are being ignored is that they have been heard before or other people have other things to do.
So the thread poster makes point A. People argue against it. I engage their arguments in support of Point A. They have better things to do.
It could be. But, as I was just informed, appearances are deceptive.
It’s like the river Platte is said to be: a mile wide and a foot deep. The same artillery fired from the same position, but the follow up knife work never happens.
And this confirms my view that a thoughtful Catholic reads Scripture more deeply, more comprehensively, and maybe even more comprehendingly than a thoughtful Protestant. The great Reformation principles are drawn from Paul (rightly or wrongly) of unconditional election, irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints. I go to another theme of Paul’s and suddenly it’s .... Where’d everybody go?
Well, now I have to go pay bills. Yuck.