Posted on 08/24/2015 11:58:39 AM PDT by damonw
A number of years ago I lived in a small town in Central New York. On one corner was the white Baptist church on the next corner was the African American Baptist church. I always found that interesting.
That’s the way it is now. Any one of those groups could leave the Queen out of everything if they wanted, now. And they would if the Queen demanded they fire their new prime minister or gave 50% of GDP to Britain or something. So they are separate groups, right?
Freegards
Consent of the governed. They still consent, so they are not separate groups.
They will not consent if the queen tells them to disarm their military or wear all blue every odd day. How can they be the same group?
Freegards
Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!” He said, “Nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”
He said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?” He said, “A Christian.” I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?” He said, “Protestant.” I said, “Me, too! What franchise?” He said, “Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” He said, “Northern Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.” I said, “Me, too!”
Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.” I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.
She won’t. Absurd hypothetical. Could ask the same thing about the Pope, but you won’t.
I can give examples of the Pope firing bishops and declaring dogmas. The ones that disagreed left, they were then two separate groups.
I guess I am missing why authority isn’t a good way to tell if two groups are separate or not.
Freegards
Were they two groups, or one, prior to the firings & dogmatic declarations?
>> Like if one group writes to another group telling them to change something or fire someone and they obey, they are the same. If they don’t accept it, everyone recognizes they are different. <<
By that standard, the 38,000 count is very low. The SBC can tell any Southern Baptist Church to make a change, and certainly be ignored.
One?
Freegards
What would the SBC do if a SB preacher denounced the Trinity or some other ridiculous thing?
Freegards
If there is no one on earth who can infallibly interpret Scripture or infallibly teach Christian doctrine, then why does any individual Christian have to obey the teachings of any denomination?
Wouldn’t each Christian be his own “denomination”?
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Only the Holy Spirit can interpret scripture, and he only does it for the individual that reads prayerfully.
No church can interpret scripture; that is the doctrine of nicolaitanism that Yeshua denounced.
Wherever two or more are gathered in his name is where he is found. He doesn’t live in boxes built with hands.
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The Holy Spirit started all of these contraditory sects 500 years ago? Wasn’t the Holy Spirit supposed to guide us into “all truth”?
Where 2 or more are gathered in Jesus’ name is “the pillar and foundation of truth”?
It’s obvious to me that Luther’s non-biblical tradition of “Sola Scriptura” can only result in the private interpretation of Scripture, the twisting of Scripture and doctrinal chaos.
Why do you post a strawman to me?
Sects all are started, and propagated by men. They are not of God. None of them.
Even the most Torah dedicated messianic church has some error in their doctrines. There is no church on Earth that is not based on the doctrines of men.
Thus it is fortunate that we are not judged on the church that we may attend, but what is in our hearts.
There is only ONE Catholic Church....among it various rites. Are you familiar with them?
No Christian has to obey the teachings of any denomination. Christians choose to walk together when they agree. The Bible is filled with passages of individual discernment.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
If there was an infallible source on earth, why do these verses exist? Instead these verses should say, "Only believe the spirits from Rome" or "If some preaches a gospel contrary to the Pope"
Are we to look towards God and His written word, or are we to look towards men?
Galatians 1:11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
The gospel was delivered by the apostles. The teachings of the Roman Catholic Church not found in scripture are part of man's gospel: taught from one man to another. I'll stick with the True Gospel as revealed by God through the apostles.
While we are to strive for unity, this world is imperfect and divisions are a fact.
The idea of an infallibly magisterium is silly. No one can say "This institution is infallible", while they acknowledge that their individual opinion is fallible.
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