Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven
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| Sunny Days in Heaven Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven |
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Tuesday, May 07, 2002 Thinking and Truth Dispatches from Outland has another blog in a series on Christian spirituality which asks (and answers) why don't Christians make much progress in their Christ-likeness? My own take on the matter has to do with some of what Roy says, " Saving faith has become mere mental assent to correct doctrine. Also, while the Bible is professed to be highly regarded, it seems to have little or no functional authority." Dogmatism and doctrinalism is both church preserving and faith killing. Creeds and formal constitutions preserve organized bodies and institutions, but can destroy reliance on Truth (God) in the long run. Doctrinalism becomes a substitute for thinking about Truth (God). I have often observed that people can be extremely logical and rational in their work or various analyses of problems or conditions, yet fail to use that same logic on matters of belief. Not simply religious folks, either. Atheists are some of the worst ideologues since they will insist on the logic of science and the rigors of abstract thought, yet consistently refuse to recognize that - 1) Something can never come from nothing, and 2) a contradiction in terms always occurs in their "logic" when reduced to its absurd conclusions. But religious people will often say, "I've got this book and that's all I need. I got it from God and that settles it." Except great claims demand great proofs. Christianity has, on the one hand, the greatest proof of all on the resurrection of Jesus - his willingness to demonstrate the reality of that truth over and over to sincere inquirerers; but on the other hand, this experiential "proof" is then extended to account for other claims as well; and logic, reason, and truth will not necessarily support the additional claims. The Bible is an Authority, but in a mighty perverse way. It illustrates all that is possible with God and what Man has gleaned from his encounter with Him. (Editor's note. I had so much more nearly completed when Blogger destroyed it. Sigh. I can't reconstruct it with the same energy. I had been smarter before when I used to write my drafts on my word processor before turning it over to Blogger, but I got used to trying to write quick, short blurbs while posting and getting away with it generally. But sometimes a brief blog becomes an essay and that's when Blogger gets you. Even then I try to frequently Copy as I go - thus you have the above - but you get on a roll and forget and that's when it gets you. And all for using the BACKSPACE key. Can you think of anything more frustrating and infuriating? Well, yes, but this is a supreme annoyance.) posted by Mark Butterworth | 2:25 PM | |
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