The picture is coming together. Not only do some non-catholics deny the authority of "Rome" (duh) but they deny the essential requirements of argument.
It's Nominalistic ethics metastasized! The freedom to choose this or that, regardless of right or wrong, is prized above all else.
In addition, one can only see the truth if one has a sort of gnostic experience of the Holy Spirit. While they will take recourse to logical argument, if they lose, they will just say that it's human understanding or something of the kind. Reason is just a disguise they put on when it suits them.
Finally, the construct of dispensationalism is sufficiently artificial that it can't stand a clear presentation. One has got to be hand-led into it or one might suddenly look to either side and see how artificial and ridiculous it is. So they confine themselves to cryptic hints and teasing partial disclosures. Their rebuttals clearly refer to a system of interpretation, but they aren't up front with it, for the same reason.
And, since reason itself is discredited, there is no problem with asking the same question over and over again. It's not just that they don't know what "substance" means in the framework of transubstantiation. It's not that they haven't heard that the Council of Constance settled the time of the transubstantiation. It's not that it hasn't been said more than a dozen times that the transformation is into the substance of the "Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity" of Christ. It's not that no one has pointed out that it is the risen (or "spiritual") body of Christ, not an earthly body that we are talking about.
It's that, with respect to Logos, they are gnostic libertines. They have the secret knowledge. They are delivered from the constraints of courtesy or of logic. It is not necessary for them to know what we believe and teach. It is not what they believe and teach so it must be shouted down by whatever means necessary.
Unfortunately, for some of them "whatever means" means incessant repetition of the same assertions and meaningless put-downs with no effort to show how they apply to the topic at hand. I guess the underlying strategy is that sheer boredom will finally compel us to agree with them.
So there it is. Dialog really isn't in the cards here ...
Dispensationalism teaches you to analyze, and not accept everything that is presented. It shows you where you are in God's Plan for Man, and gives you His outline for a particular time. You are working hand in hand with God's Word and His commission for you. THere is no confusion about grace, law, kingdom, tribulation. You are a mature member of the Body of Christ. Able to stand strong when others are being swept around with every wind of doctrine that comes along, and smooth talkers who speak of Jesus, but not the SAME Jesus, who preach a gospel, but not the Gospel of Salvation. And you can tell the difference IMMEDIATELY. It doesn't take weeks of going back and forth, wondering, maybe..No you know immediately.
This is why RELIGION attacks Dispensationalism. There is no chance of fooling someone who KNOWS where he is in God's Plan, knows why he's there, what he's to do, and where he's going when his work is completed.
Actually . . . I’d have to go through them one by one again with a fine toothed comb . . . however . . .
my growing sense as I read through that post was that . . .
a huge percentage of the RC’s who post most frequently on such threads are many times worse about those negative habits than the worst of the Proddys are on their worst days.
I’m more than a little shocked that you don’t see that.