Posted on 02/13/2003 6:03:04 PM PST by scripter
It's a good question. The only plausible answer I can come up with is that the poster has not yet paid for that series of lessons yet.
In the Christian East, a "philosophy of God" which is not grounded in the Church's experience of God as the All-Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a non-starter.
Incidentally for Orthodox and Latin Christians, though not for protestants, the doctrine of creation ex nihilo is Biblical: there is a passage in one of the books of the Maccabees (I don't have it to hand) in which a Jewish woman, exhorting her sons to steadfastness unto death in the face of Hellenistic pagan persecution speaks of God creating the world out of nothing. At least among the Orthodox, she and her sons are numbered among the saints of the Old Covenant, and commemorated on our calendar.
The reason the "Christian" philosophy of God outlined does not mention Christ is that it is a product of the Western Christian preference for speculation over experience (note the only Church Father quoted in the piece is Blessed Augustine), and is really a piece of Hellenistic philosophy rather than Christian theology.
Whew!
Oh, really? See my #15 above. This "Christian Concept of God" is full of holes. Care to discuss/debate it?
Let's see if it can be sucessfully critiqued.
Yes, let's.
I think I've figured it out. You can't argue logic with Mormons because logic doesn't apply. We can't cite their scriptures because we have no hope of possibly interpreting them correctly (if we show that their scripture proves a position they don't like, then we must not be reading or interpreting it correctly). We can't cite the Bible definitively because either it's been tampered with or without their scriptures to supplement it we only have one piece of the puzzle. We can't cite any sort of error or personal failing of Joseph Smit because we're attacking and not addressing the real issue. We can't post the works of any other Christian theologian or apologist because they're all easily proven to be liars and hypocrites (unlike Joseph Smith). We can't use logic because...wait, I already said that one.
Basically, all non-Mormon's have no business doing anything except believing and affirming Mormon theology because it's the truth and that's that. How do we know it's the truth? Well, we can't rely on our own logic or understanding, and we can't rely on God because it's our responsibility and not His. I can only think of two possible influences left...physiological change and Satan. Until you can show me the chemical reason for my rejection of Mormonism, I'll bet my carnal logic and less-than-theistic existence on the latter. I think the burning in my bosom is just from the fried fish I had for lunch.
1. Was Dr. Martin an ordained minister?
2. Does Dr. Martin claim a Doctor's Degree that he doesn't have?
3. Is Dr. Martin's degree legitimate?
From The biography of Walter Martin
The Reverend Walter Martin held four earned degrees and received his education at Stony Brook School and Shelton College. He completed his Master's degree at New York University, and his Ph.D. at California Western University.Was there supposed to be some disagreement about Walter Martin's degrees? If so, I don't see justification for it from the biography.Rev. Walter Martin was an ordained minister and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. He maintained an active pulpit ministry and taught every Sunday at the Newport Mesa Christian Center in Costa Mesa, California.
Dr. Martin held membership in the American Academy of Religion, The Society of Biblical Literature, the Evangelical Theological Society, the National Association of Religious Broadcasters and the National Association of Evangelicals. He served for 15 years as a founding board member of the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts and was a Professor in the M.A. program at the Simon Greenleaf School of Law in Anaheim, California.
Articles on Walter Martin can be found in Who's Who in the West, Who's Who in Religion, The Dictionary of American Biography, Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans, The International Registry of Profiles, Men of Achievement, Who's Who in Intellectuals, The International Register of Biographies, and Community Leaders of the World.
Early Mormonism, Laying the Foundation
For those of you interested in Dr. Walter Martin's biography, see the following:
Spreading this kind of garbage does not do credit to the LDS or you, especially since it is so easily disproven.
"The Christian Research Institute (CRI) was founded in 1960 by the late Dr. Walter Martin, the first evangelical Christian clergy to recognize the threat and opportunity presented to the Christian church by cults and alternative religious systems. First Peter 3:15 was the inspiration for CRI: But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
Quote from here.
He was asked umteen times in 1986 he all that time until he died to make corrections!
"Dr." Walter Martin Sues the LDS Church.
"About Hank Hanegraaff Hank's Biography
IS HANK HANEGRAAFF THE RIGHTFUL PRESIDENT OF THE CHRISTIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE?!
If they lie on this matter, what else will be lied about? i really see no point in argueing with liars.
"About Hank Hanegraaff Hank's Biography
IS HANK HANEGRAAFF THE RIGHTFUL PRESIDENT OF THE CHRISTIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE?!
So? Christians are looking into this stuff...if it's true, we'll "stuff" Hank.
You speak as if we fear the truth, since we haven't knowingly told untruths to begin with, why would we fear the truth?
Now, about the Beckwith Article?
Why don't you tell me which sections of the bible are "mistranslated"?
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