That's just your opinion (page 2)

Terry

Words can trip us up.

Where we stand in time and which direction we look can fool us.

For instance, was Judaism a formal religion that you joined or were kicked out of?

How would Jesus have responded to the question: "What religion are you?"

Did such a question have any meaning at all for people in the 1st century?

Ideas and stories spread by people telling about them and other people listen. But, how a person hears/understands is a separate feature of transmission.

Everybody who calls themselves "christian"--if you examine their thinking--believes in a DIFFERENT idea.

That is because people, although human, are not clones.

When it comes to BELIEF you can substitute "opinion". Dragging "god" into it only amplfies the hubris.

The idea of a "church" is something today it was never thought of two thousand and umpity ump years ago.

There were people who believed in certain ideas and tried to conform to the morality of them. While, at the same moment, somebody sitting

in the same room with them had different ideas and might mightily disagree with the first guy.

When Jesus was with his disciples there was a lot of confusion, misunderstood communication and awkward bickering.

Jesus spoke a parable about wheat and weeds in which he indicated you couldn't tell them apart and should NOT TRY to separate them out!

You might just get rid of wheat while trying to excise the weeds!

But, men are faulty even with the best of intentions.

The Catholic Church became (that indicates a slow process) something and continues to become something and can only be said TO BE something

from moment to moment. Which is to say it didn't ORIGINATE so much as it coalesced.

In our vocabulary and grammer a word REPRESENTS meaning without itself BEING a meaning.

As a majority of writers and speakers change what that word intends to express.....the dictionary eventually changes to INCLUDE the new use. When the old use dies out the new use BECOMES the meaning, but--importantly--it is still the SAME WORD.

BOTTOM LINE?

Human thought, ideas, beliefs and bodies of knowledge tend to bend, warp, melt, coalesce and redefine over time.

There is opinion and it is either very soft on one end or very solid on the other end......but--it has to stand the test of its own claims to be anything at all.

Terry

Larsinger 58.

I have a strong tendency to put too many thoughts down in too many words. I'm aware of it---and I try not to do it.

But, I fail. An art teacher told me once that communication is about making choices: what to leave in and what to take out.

You and I need to leave out alot more than we put in.

For one thing, people are far less likely to even read a long series of densely worded paragraphs.

I'll try harder if you will. What say?

steve2

Larsinger58 - with all due respect, your sincere but long posts hide the otherwise good ideas you communicate. If you want people to read your posts, try to reduce their size - otherwise the scroll-down button gets overused.

Terry

We can distinguish among opinions, certainly.

Mere opinion is whatever somebody thinks is true absent any real knowledge or understanding.

Consensus is group opinion with a statistical averaging of intellects, educations and bias.

Expert opinion is informed by study, academic credentials and devotion to a specific field of research.

Religious opinion, on the other hand, is called ABSOLUTE TRUTH because there is not a humble, self-aware skeptic around to challenge it.

return of parakeet

From "The Big Bang Theory":

If you're not familiar with the comedy series, Sheldon is a theoretical physicist working at CalTech in Pasadena. Leonard is an applied physicist at CalTech and Sheldon's roommate.

Sheldon [having gone back home to Texas over a job crisis] [speaking to Leonard]: "No, this is my home now. Thanks to you, my career is over, and I will spend the rest of my life here in Texas trying to teach evolution to creationists."

Mrs Cooper [his hair-raisingly bigoted born-again mother]: "You watch your mouth, Shelly. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion."

Sheldon: "Evolution isn’t an opinion. It’s fact."

Mrs Cooper: "And THAT IS YOUR OPINION!"

Sheldon [to Leonard]: "I forgive you. Let’s go home."

Mrs Cooper [smiling, to Leonard]: "Don’t tell me prayer doesn’t work."

Terry

Even with very important health matters of life or death we seek a 2nd opinion from medical professionals.

Why? Are we shopping for somebody who is willing to tease our hopes? Or, are we acknowledging that one person

is less likely to know everything and more wisdom is to be had from a larger pool of expertise?

I wish the Watchtower GB waaaay back in their history had had enough intellectual honesty among the leadership to

invite members of other religious groups to meet with them to engage on an objective level of discussion.

I can hear you laughing!

It could never have happened because there has never been humility inside Bethel at the top.

Hubris by the ton only!

Phizzy

But when you are God's Chosen Channel , chosen by Big J and Little J in 1919 *, you are entitled to have tons of Hubris topped off with a good layer of arrogance.

* There is some proof thay were chosen in 1919 isn't there ? anybody ??

Or is that just the GB's opinion ? No more valid than if I claimed to be the Christ.