“A serious and fair discussion would involve both parties being transparent. I still, after all these years, do not know which type of Protestant you are. I pinged Gamecock in this thread out of courtesy and respect because he and I have had discussions before and he was honest and open enough to indicate that he was I think, a Baptist with some Reformed theological heritage [I think that is accurate and he can correct me if I am wrong]. So at least when I was having a discussion with Gamecock, I new the theological foundations from which he was making his points.”
If you read what I write, you will know exactly what I believe. I am not hiding anything I believe. If it brings you comfort, you can always ask what I believe about a particular topic. I will do my best to answer, if it is in any way relevant.
“I don’t know anything other than you are against Catholicism. Fine. but again, you did not come up with your theological world view in a vacuum. There has to be some theological tradition from which you have as a starting point.”
I am certainly not against every Catholic teaching. Just the ones made up out of thin air, the ones that are pagan in origin and they ones that do not pass the test of Scripture. Everything else I am supportive of. So we have some things in common.
“So I will be honest, I have been here years and many of the FR Prots will jump in together in a thread and I can detect that many of these same Protestants have world views on some issues that are world apart yet when there is a Catholic, they all jump in and ping the manure out of me and I have no idea if one is Reformed, Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, or any variation of those traditions, etc.”
I haven’t pinged anyone. I don’t blame you for not liking dealing with that scenario. I think the best thing to do in that case is ignore those you weren’t in a conversation with. I often experience a similar thing. I respond to one poster and they don’t respond to prove their position, but three others jump in who I wasn’t talking with.
“If you read what I write, you will know exactly what I believe. I am not hiding anything I believe. If it brings you comfort, you can always ask what I believe about a particular topic. I will do my best to answer, if it is in any way relevant”
Well thanks for the response. I still don’t know what Church you belong to, despite your post here.
“I am certainly not against every Catholic teaching. Just the ones made up out of thin air, the ones that are pagan in origin and they ones that do not pass the test of Scripture. Everything else I am supportive of. So we have some things in common.”
Not sure what you mean in the context of pagan. In another thread, I mentioned that St. Paul quoted from pagan Greeks in 3 places. He was quoted in Acts 17:28 “In Him we live, move and have our being” which is a quote from Epimendes. He also quotes the Greek poet Menander in 1 Cor 15:33 and in Titus 1:12 he again quotes from Epimendes. Now, in 3 places St. Paul has quoted from Pagan Greek Poets. Of this, Saint Thomas Aquinas writes “One who is learned in Sacred Scriptures accepts truth wherever he finds it. This is why Paul, on several occasions, refers to the sayings of pagans. It does not follow that all of their teaching is approved, but what is good is drawn out and retained. For Truth comes from the Holy Spirit no matter who speaks it [Saint Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Titus]. In this vain, Thomas was comfortable taking the truths he found in Aristotle and using them for the development of Theology just as Augustine had done the same with Plato [now there are some here that do not like the use of Greek Philosophy to help theology, but it is clear that both Augustine and Aquinas did so, which is consistent with Aquinas thoughts in is Commentary on Pauls 1st Letter to Titus.
This goes in line with what Pope John Paul II said in Faith and Reason and this conflict thesis that atheist charge the Catholic Church as being against Science [that is a whole different debate, but I can cite some of the great scientist who were Catholic Priests, St. Albert Magnus, Dun Scotus, Copernicus, Roger Bacon, Fr. Lemaitre, the Cosmologist and forerunner of the Bing Bang theory]. To sum, Pope John Paul, in his Papal Letter “Faith and Reason” [that which science shows] have their same foundation and source in the one True God. Since God can’t contradict himself, Truth from faith and science can’t be in contradiction [we human may have a hard time reconciling them 100% in our head] if God is TRUTH [and he is] then Truths of Faith and Truths of Science are both from the source of TRUTH [God].
“I haven’t pinged anyone. I don’t blame you for not liking dealing with that scenario. I think the best thing to do in that case is ignore those you weren’t in a conversation with. I often experience a similar thing. I respond to one poster and they don’t respond to prove their position, but three others jump in who I wasn’t talking with.”
Correct, and on this point you have demonstrated decorum and behaved like a proper Gentleman so my “snarky comments” were not directed, or more accurately, should not have been directed at you. I was frustrated with the ping fest from some of the other posters who chime in and hijack a thread and take it to where they want it as opposed to where two posters have the taken their take or perspective on the thread.