Posted by Jaypeeto [Jaypeeto] on April 01, 1999 at 20:13:32 {feW1wc1uNQ0hi4VK0MIQHq/lZhRVmk}:
In Reply to: ***WTS/Freemansonry/Crowley Links posted by I amost forgot... on April 01, 1999 at 12:03:49:
You read too much Russell (Charles T.).
This is one of the most nonsensical posts I
have ever read.
Easter was a universal observance from the very beginning of the Church. Good lord,
IRENAEUS went to Rome to appeal to
Bishop (POPE)
Victor in the 2nd century not to excommunicate a huge bloc of the eastern churches over a difference in the DATE of it's observance.
The observance was universal, there was debate over the DATE and how to agree upon
it.
Jesus NEVER commanded a MERE "annual" observance of his death. You are simply offering a PRIVATE (and rather unique) interpretation of his words.
And the Christian church, FROM THE BEGINNING,
NEVER observed this merely as an
"ANNUAL" observance. It was celebrated every Sunday.
The Bible NOWHERE predicts a TOTAL apostasy
of the visible Church. Comparing the relevant
texts vis a vis the PROMISE of Jesus regarding
the INdissolubility of his Church,
EVER, with Paul's VARIOUS texts on the Church AND his warning that YES, an apostasy WOULD come, prove that this is NOT a prediction of an EARLY and TOTAL apostasy.
The parables of the net filled always with GOOD and BAD fish and it's
close cousin, the field filled with BOTH Wheat AND Tares at all times
are absolutely about the fact that the church would GROW and come to include SINCERE believers as well as a lot of HYPOCRITES.
This claim of a total apostasy
is
simply a convenient DODGE for every modern
day Johnny-Come-Lately CULT to avoid addressing the historical FACT that NOBODY can be found in the first 3 centuries of Christianity, who holds to the basic SET of doctrines which these
modern cults CLAIM the entire early church ONCE TAUGHT
and which, the cults claim, the early church
GRADUALLY apostasized from.
A GRADUAL apostasy in a church as geographically widespread as the church described in the book of ACTS
alone (get your book of Acts, a pen, a pad, and write down the names of the towns, regions, cities, etc., with congregations in them, active and evangelistic, even at THIS early date),
such a GRADUAL apostasy in such a
WIDESPREAD
church over a period of decades would leave us
LOTS of evidence of infighting and evidence of BOTH parties (JW-Compatible VS. NOT JW Compatible)
doing pitched battle for their positions.
We have lots of evidence of
the main body of early Christians, who certainly do not hold JW-compatible basic doctrines, as well as numerous early sects WHICH WERE OPPOSED BY the church at large of those times, and WHO also OPPOSED the church at large of those times.
None of THEM
resembles basic Watchtowerism either.
Thus, the gradual apostasy nonsense is shown up for what it is: an evasion. No apostasy from your basic SET of beliefs EVER took place.
Picking on JWs? NOPE.
Same goes for the
Latter-day Saints.
They weren't there either. It's a plain
matter of FACT.
Jaypeeto