Tec, I don't doubt your experience for one minute. And I don't mean to say your experience was something other than what you say it was. And if you think I did say it, then I won't say it any more.
Theological Arguments, Human Realities
by AllTimeJeff 161 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
soft+gentle
Sulla, be careful - you are heading towarding getting yourself thrown off this board and that would be a shame.
Regarding the trinity my understanding is that the doctrine was postioned between 2 extremes - Sabellism and Arianism. At stake I think was whether or not the Son was independently divine whilst being one substance with God (the trinity), or whether or not on the one hand, God manifested via 3 different modes (sabellism) and on the other hand whether he was an incaranation of God's wisdom and became the son when he was born existing as the word before coming to the earth. The middle position would then be the doctrine of the trinity. Although I may be quite mistaken about this as it is quite complicated.
I agree that we as xjws are very prejudiced against theology.
-
THE GLADIATOR
Sulla I have read this thread with interest but without comment so far. Your remark to AllTimeJeff a respected and polite poster, was totally uncalled for.
I no longer have any interest in what you have to say. You have proved to me that whatever your beliefs they are not desirable.
-
Pistoff
Sulla, you are obsessed with an unproveable idea about imaginary beings.
Get a life.
-
Sulla
The Gladiator, I don't know what you are talking about. I snarled at designs, who has gone out of his way to dish out his own personal attacks. But AllTimeJeff and I have, well not exactly kissed and made up, but had something of a rapprochement. But even if I was too mean, what does that have to do with my argument? Or are you just trying to point out mean people suck?
S&G, I think you are correct. And it is worth considering that the earlier attacks were from the side that insisted Jesus couldn't have really been a man since, as designs has so thoughtfully pointed out, God can't suffer and die. That said, PSac makes what I think is a valid point about the influence of the Greek thinking on the language used to frame the debates and to finally make the doctrine explicit. There is, after all, the weird fact that we distinguish between natures and persons, but the Latin term is personna, which means mask (like what an actor wore) and the idea of a sequence of masks is what they are explicitly trying not to say.
-
AllTimeJeff
Sulla, I think our conversation demonstrates the crux of why I started this particular discussion.
Theology has been around for thousands of years, yet the fruitage of it is, to be kind, below average. I allow that Christianity has morphed into a kinder, more liberal and accepting form of itself these last 200 years or so. That in of itself is a seperate discussion as to why.
I do think one reason why is that we live in the west with liberal democracies, where all are allowed to follow the dictates of their conscience, and have the freedom to explore non Christian alternatives. The focus was no longer on the theology of the church, but on the autonomy of the individual.
The Human Reality is simply that I, we, are more important then Jesus.
And I know this must be very hard to wrap your head around, but having read the bible many times, I am quite positive that Jesus wouldn't have it any other way.
-
AllTimeJeff
Gladiator, thanks for having my back. However, I didn't take Sulla's comments as abusive. I have characterized them very forcefully in previous comments, so I am good. :)
-
shamus100
** the monkey enters with a machette to protect ATJ **
-
AllTimeJeff
for the monkey. :)
-
soft+gentle
jeff
The Human Reality is simply that I, we, are more important then Jesus.
this is a very egocentric view to take and is part of the reason why theology has its place imo.
edit: by the way I'm not saying that you are egocentric but that the view is egocentric.