[sitetest]

Dear nickcarraway,

Some things are hard to figure out.

Others aren't.

"Don't you think before you come out and brand a person a heretic, you have to at least discuss the issue with them."

Smedleybutler didn't initially call goldenstategirl a heretic. He said her position was the Donatist heresy.

It is. It isn't a tough call. To say this:

"#2 - I've have heard that the Sacraments are valid even when the priest is not the most holy person. Personally, I have a difficult time believing this."

Is to say precisely what is the Donatist position.

That doesn't make her a formal heretic. Not even a material heretic, necessarily. But, of course, that isn't what Smedleybutler initially said to her.

He said that her position was Donatism. It is.

And she might have responded, on reflection, by saying something like, "Gee, I mispoke." or, "How so?"

Or, she might have done something really radical like read the article at the link, and then she might have said something like, "I didn't realize that this is what the Churh taught." or "Gee, thanks, I learned something valuable today."

Instead, she said, "What complete and utter BS."

And it deteriorated from there.

If you would like to scold Smedleybutler for getting down in the mud after goldenstategirl yanked him down with her inro it, have at it. That's another argument.

But his initial post had several very nice attributes: it was succinct; gracious; informative; and most important, TRUE.


sitetest

[nickcarraway]

Please read the posts again. God has perfect knowledge that never wavers. Humans don't. To say that we sometimes have doubts about something is to acknowledge being human. She said she sometimes has a ``difficult time believing,'' something, which is a lot different than saying it's not true. That mere statement is a lot different than proclaiming the Donatist heresy! Only an idiot would equate that to the precisely defined heresy of Donatism, and I think both of you are smarter than that.