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textman
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/ Newgroups > alt.philosophy & alt.religion.apologetics /
/ Forum > TheologyOnline: Philosophy ~ Religion / 28Sept02 /
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On the Radical Essence of Truth
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"Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood,
and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we
are all members of one body" (Eph.4:25/NIV).
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Now Lord Russell claims that the virtues of truthfulness and
intellectual integrity "are more likely to be found among those
who reject religious dogma than among those who accept
them" (from "Can Religion Cure Our Troubles?"). Now I tend
to disagree with this claim in the general sense in which is
intended (and I think that the recent stock market woes support
this disagreement), but I will allow that, in general, most
scientists and philosophers have a greater respect and capacity
for honesty and truth than most believers and theologians do.
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Now this criticism in and of itself ought to be more than
enough to knock all of the pride, vanity, and arrogance out of
these post-modern scribes and pharisees; and yet it seems that
this reality makes no significant impression upon our more
popular and influential teachers and defenders of the Faith
(ie. they prefer to ignore the problem entirely). Nothing so
well illustrates the popular corruption of the Faith than the
common assumption that doctrines and beliefs are more valuable
and important than reality (ie. truth and history). And it is
this uncritical idea of the primacy of all manner and type of
theological thinking that justifies replacing historical truths
with pious, pleasing, and prideful historical fantasies.
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But if Christianity wishes to survive the 21st century some-
what intact, it can only do so by overcoming more than two
thousand years of creeping corruption through the recovery
of these primal virtues of truthfulness and intellectual
integrity. And if this ultimately involves saying good-bye
to our most cherished beliefs and doctrines (eg, the famous
'Apostles Creed'), then that is a small price to pay for the
necessary purification of the Faith.
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For example, the idea that Jesus is equal to God, and in fact
IS God, is due more to the influence of the passionately pious
early churches than to a rational interpretation of the Greek
scriptures. Certainly Jesus himself never harbored any such
delusions. Hence the self-reference 'Son of Man' has a meaning
closer to 'prophet' than to 'God' (see OT for details). But
even so, for the overly pious early Greek churches it seemed a
small step to move from 'Son of Man' to 'Son of God', and then
directly to 'God'. And yet this pious theological necessity has
less to do with truth and history, and much more to do with the
pressing need to enhance Jesus by magnifying his authority (ie.
through elevating him up into the sublime sphere of divinity).
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But my love for Jesus, and my faith in him, does not rest upon
this belief that he is some kind of supernatural freak (ie. a
god-man hybrid). Nor is his authority over me enhanced (or in
any way dependent upon) his supposed divine status and nature.
If our love for Jesus is false and in vain unless we believe he
was virgin-born, or made a sacrifice in order to "pay God" for
universal human sin, or was not a real human person, then we
have made the truth into the slave of lies and illusions.
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And yet this is precisely what the early churches did in their
zeal for Jesus-Christ (and what today's churches continue
to do). By replacing historical realities with pious fantasies,
the churches have made it all but impossible to recover the
true history of the early New Testament documents (as well
as the corresponding history of those early churches that
generated these Greek scriptures), and this sad situation
has left all Christians ignorant of the true origins and
development of the Faith, and also unable to distinguish
between fantasy and reality.
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The failure to make all these necessary distinctions makes the
Faith impotent and unable to address the spiritual condition
of all serious-minded people today. Christianity is thus not so
much in need of reformation as in demand of a complete over-
haul (ie. an essential renewal from the ground up). And this
can only occur if believers value truth over dogma, and history
before theology. Otherwise, the corruption of the scribes and
pharisees will continue, and the Faith will be no fit place
for any rational creature.
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We do not need to believe that Jesus was/is God in order to
love him. We do not need to believe that he "died for sin"
in order to obey his commands. The Lord's authority does not
reside in the creeds and dogmas and historical fantasies of the
churches. No. Ultimately, his authority rests upon the Spirit
of Truth; the same Spirit of Truth and has inspired all the
prophets from Akhenaton to Tolstoy. An authentic love of
Christ is thus best realized not in worshiping Jesus as God, but
rather in paying heed to all those who manifest the fruits and
workings of the Spirit of Truth. Love and truth are the two
cornerstones of the Faith, to be sure, but the love of truth
can never be the plaything of pious emotions and theological
imperatives.
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But if Christians are offended by the truth of things (eg.
by the truths of history), then they have no business being
Christians in the first place. Being a believer does not
require one to choose love over truth, or to favor doctrine
over reality. True believers should also never imagine that
they are forced to choose between Love and Truth, or place
one before the other (as if it were somehow better), for such
distinctions are so sublime (pragmatically speaking) as to be
meaningless (which is to say, worthless), and also completely
contrary to the true spirit of the Faith anyway.
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- one who struggles for truth - textman ;>
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P.S. "Touchstone's question, 'Hast any philosophy in thee,
shepherd?' will never cease to be one of the tests of a well-
born nature. It says, Is there space and air in your mind, or
must your companions gasp for breath whenever they talk with
you?" - from letter to 'Nation', 21Sept1876, by William James
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/ Subject > Re: On the Radical Essence of Truth /
/ Newgroups > alt.philosophy & alt.religion.apologetics /
/ Forum > TheologyOnline: Philosophy ~ Religion / 29Sept02 /
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> On 29Sept billwald wrote: The people who win the war write
> the history books . . . and burn the rest. How far back
> must we go to find a starting place? The Septuagent? (The
> Masoretic text was compiled after the Destruction in AD 70)
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textman replies: How far back? At least as far back as the
beginning of writing in Ancient Egypt. Or even earlier. Say
about 4000 BCE? ... The Word is much older than most people
generally suppose.
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/ Subject > Re: On the Radical Essence of Truth /
/ Newgroups > alt.philosophy & alt.religion.apologetics /
/ Forum > TheologyOnline: Philosophy ~ Religion / 30Sept02 /
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> On 30Sept billwald asks: So the situation is hopeless?
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tx say: Not at all. Fortunately, much of the vital evidence
remains intact (more or less).
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> If we have to go back to 4000 BC before we have authentic
> instruction from God
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You don't have to go that far in order to find authentic
instruction from God, since such things are readily available
(in and out of the scriptures) to anyone who cares to seek
them.
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> then how should we worship GOd?
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"Pure & Unstained Religion before God the Father is this:
To visit Orphans & Widows in their Affliction, AND to keep
oneself from being defiled by the WORLD!" -- Jm 1:27
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> Or should we forget it and get on with living?
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Could do that, for sure. Religion can be such a bother
at times! :)
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- the partially bothered one - textman ;;>
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/ Subject > Re: On the Radical Essence of Truth /
/ Newgroups > alt.philosophy & alt.religion.apologetics /
/ Forum > TheologyOnline: Philosophy ~ Religion / 04oct02 /
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> On 4oct servent101 wrote: The essence of Truth.... concerning
> the cannon... The four Gospels were written, each to bring
> the message of the Truth... the Truth about Jesus... A good
> starting point. If we seperate the Bible into the Old
> Testament, The Four Gospels, and the Leters of the Apostles
> we have a better understanding of the whole. In my opinion
> People need to realize the difference between the Gospel
> and the letters of the Apostles more. Time place and
> circumstances have to be taken into account much more to
> understand the letters of the Apostles, where as, the
> Gospels were written specifically to explain the ministry of
> Christ. The Gospels in my opinion hold a more special place
> in the foundation of the Truth than the Letters.
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textman say: Hi servent101. I think you're right about the
priority of the Gospels. Soren K. once said that if all the
scriptures were somehow lost, except for the Gospel of Mark,
that one document would be enough to keep the Faith alive and
active in human affairs. Such is the power of the Holy Spirit!
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However, I can't say that I'm much impressed by your three-
fold division. For one thing there is no room in your scheme
for the Acts of Apostles (which is inseparable from the Gospel
of Luke). Indeed, the one book Lk-Acts is altogether different
from the three gospels, and ought not to be lumped together
with them, as if the differences were entirely insignificant.
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Group One - The Letters of Paulos of Damascus:
/ The Persecution Tradition (Paulos and Silvanus):
1&2 Thessalonians (ie. the four letters A, B, C, D) /
/ Miscellaneous Letters: Philippians; Philemon; 1&2 Cor. /
/ The Great Epistles: Galatians / Romans /
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Group Two - The Good News of the Anointed One:
/ The Gospel of Mark & Peter / The Gospel of Matthew /
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Group Three - The Post-Pauline Epistles:
/ Ephesians & Colossians / 1Peter / 1&2 Timothy; Titus /
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Group Four - The Apostle Called John:
/ 1John & Gospel of John / 2&3 John /
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Group Five - The Prophet Of Patmos:
/ The Apocalypse (or Revelation) of John /
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Group Six - A History Of The Faith From Jerusalem To Rome:
/ The Gospel of Luke & Acts of Apostles /
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Group Seven - The Prophets Of Egypt:
/ Hebrews / James & 1Clement / Jude & 2Clement; 2Peter /
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Something along these lines might be better suited for
a serious study of the New Testament, I think.
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- one who rightly divides the Word - texxtman ;>
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