Page 2 of 4

PostPosted: April 3rd, 2008, 2:51 am
by rusmeister

PostPosted: April 3rd, 2008, 1:35 pm
by Dan65802

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 4:02 am
by rusmeister

G.K. Chesterton on Tolstoy

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 4:55 am
by rusmeister

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 1:52 pm
by Dan65802

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 2:42 pm
by Stanley Anderson

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 4:02 pm
by Dan65802

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 7:22 pm
by Stanley Anderson

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 7:42 pm
by Dan65802

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 8:31 pm
by Stanley Anderson

PostPosted: April 4th, 2008, 8:35 pm
by Dan65802

PostPosted: April 5th, 2008, 3:56 am
by rusmeister
Dan, for a person of your obvious intelligence, it is extremely odd that you cannot see that your study and your conclusions = your interpretations, not the Bible "interpreting" itself.

It is true that you can find explanations in other parts of a document that help explain a lack of clarity in one part. But when third parties find equally valid explanations of a completely different understanding, also using Scripture, then this method of 'interpretation' breaks down. It comes back to:
You: "This is the correct interpretation."
Other": "On whose authority do you say that?"
You: "On my intellect and study; that is, on my own."

If you try to use that approach to run a court of law it will break down into instant chaos. You will wind up having to say to other intelligent people who have also committed their lives prayerfully to study and yet disagree strongly with you that your explanation from Scripture is better than their explanation from Scripture because you say so. If you are in, say, a property dispute you are not going to win the case except in your own mind. You can point to the laws (Bible) all you want, but anywhere you have points of disagreement, then you cannot maintain unity with your neighbor. Both of you will claim that the law says each is right and get nowhere in the convincing of the rest of the (unbelieving) world that your understanding is the correct position that everyone should submit to.

Who decides who's teaching correctly?

BTW, Nobody has been talking about checking their brain at the door when they submit to the authority of the Church. (This is what you seem to think is the case.) It's a lot more about acknowledging what we don't know and even can't know. I have a simplistic, surface understanding what I read - my priest points me to what was written to explain it in, say, the 2nd and 4th centuries and agreed upon by the whole Church over time, and I find it to be a lot wiser and deeper than my surface impression - that it was my knowledge that was deficient all along.

PostPosted: April 5th, 2008, 6:35 pm
by Stanley Anderson

PostPosted: April 5th, 2008, 9:36 pm
by Guest

PostPosted: April 5th, 2008, 9:53 pm
by Guest