Not Helping

[tealin]

Would someone please make Pat Robertson sit in the corner for a while?

Top US evangelist targets Islam

Comments

Re: Part 2 (it was too long to post together)

[(Anonymous)]

I truly appreciate your reply, however brief. I certainly understand how a lack of time and/or energy can impede upon the desire or ability for lengthy debate(I am certainly in no position to judge anyone else, and certainly not you, for having non-instantaneous replies lacking depth or thoroughness). I did fear (I guess I still do!)that you felt ambushed by a friend undeservedly, or that you deemed my questions and/or assertions to be so ignorant as to be unworthy of recognition. For what it's worth, I really respect the breatdth and depth of your knowledge of things secular and spiritual, and would not bother to discuss such matters if I didn't really want your input and insights. Sadly, I have often embarked on what I saw as an enjoyable, friendly, mutually-enlightening debate with friends and family, who saw it as me picking an unprovoked, particularly tiresome fight, bludgeoning them repeatedly, pointlessly, and unimaginatively with MY same self-righteous, arrogant points and opinions, ad nauseum, until they fled my presence in frustration, anger, and/or disgust. I keep telling myself I'm not going to do that to people anymore (ironically I reserve such behavior for people I value and trust) but, well...
My apologies for my sloppy wording ("modern" instead of "modernist" - you are right, a BIG difference!), and, although it took some initial wading and digging, I actually got a lot out of the article you kindly refered me to on Modernism! My simplistic grasp of the overall concept (allowing for variance and different degrees)is that it basically denies the possibility of true miracles, formerly documented or in the future, and asserts that only personal revelation is valid, that noone has the right to truly divine revelation on behalf of another (even if they are the appointed ecclesiastical authority) - obviously there's a lot more to it than that, but am I close? Anyway, since you must be dying to know more of my personal thoughts on this (Shh!!), I fall in the contemptible catagory of so-called Christians who do not deny the possibilty that any/most/all of the miraculous events described in the scriptures could have happened (although I strongly suppose, for example, that the Book of Job may be more of a divinely-inspired parable than actual history [that whole thing in "V for Vendetta" about how a so - called "lie" can help you understand a true principle]), and that church authorities may very well be divinely appointed and inspired to council and prophecy on my or others' behalf...but I reserve the right to personally question and/or accept the validity of each and every claim on a case-by-case basis, judging everything against personal study/research, experience, careful contemplation, and by seeking individual spiritual confirmation. Which, I fear, pits me with those who are "neither cold nor hot", but "lukewarm", fit only to be spued.(KJV, Revelations 3:15-16). But such is my perspective at this point in my life, and I reserve the right to revise it, in the face of new, compelling evidence, at any time.:)Yeah, I'm "solid as a rock"!
Although I really would like to know more about the Crusades and the Inquisition, I realize it isn't your job to educate or enlighten me, or anyone else, and you inspired me to to do a little research of my own on the subject (I suspect that a lot of your readers are similarly inspired to learn a lot more about everything, not just to find ammo to refute your assertions, but to have some clue as to what the CRAP you're talking about! For that alone, I dub thee Sir Awesome-Cool). Anyway, if you do ever have the time or inclination to expound upon these subjects more lengthily in your journal, please let me know - I look forward to reading