In Reply to: An interim response to Allan and all posted by Eva on January 06, 2004 at 14:42:35:
Eva,
You wrote:
"One thing I have to say though is that I've noticed that Allen’s ‘tactic’ is to pick certain phrases out of my posts, often taking them out of context of what I'm actually trying to say, and then he blows them up out of proportion, thereby putting words in my mouth and making my posts ‘say’ things they are
not actually saying, which I find offensive and objectionable. Allan you are not hearing what I'm actually trying to say, all you seem to be able to hear is what you want to hear."
Eva, my so-called "tactic" is to repeat what you have written. I have taken great pains to fairly quote you in context, and I often quote entire paragraphs of your writings, just to make it clear what you have stated. Words mean things, but when you are confronted with facts and are challenged about accusations you have made, you evade the question, deny you ever said it, dance around like a politician and attack your opponents.
You write:
"Also Allan, I don't have “a doctrine” and I'm not even trying to take any particular ‘doctrinal stand’ on any of the issues I'm bringing up. I just have a lot of big (so far unanswered) questions and some open-ended, ‘could change tomorrow’ hypotheses. And, although my questions and current opinions may be strongly put forward, I don't feel I'm being “preachy”, unlike you."
Eva, most of what you have posted on this board has been in the form of strongly worded declarations about what you believe or don't believe. You have asked few questions. There's nothing wrong with having a doctrine, but it's disingenuous to deny you even have one. Even atheists have a doctrine, theirs just doesn't include God in the equation. You certainly do have your own doctrines. One of your doctrines is your rejection of everything Apostle Paul ever wrote. That's a doctrine, all right, and I contend it is a dangerous one. You've even gone so far as to suggest that Christians don't need the Bible at all. They can just rely upon the spirit of Christ to guide them. We exers have heard that doctrine before, and in my post titled "To Eva: The heart of the matter," I quote David Berg where he bemoans the difficulty of getting some followers to swallow his false doctrines because they are familiar with the epistles of Paul.
You wrote:
"What is really happening here is that, because I have (from my own point of view) a justifiable mistrust of the rigid ‘closed-inness’ of the Christian fundamentalist view in general, I am recklessly shooting down all your sacred cows just for the fun of it, and you are whipping yourself into a Scriptural frenzy to try to prove me a 'doctrinal heretic'."
No Eva, what I have done is to challenge you to prove your accusations, and have included an occasional Bible verse which contradicts your statements. I have challenged you to list your advanced academic degrees which qualify you to declare what is and what is not canonical scripture. I have even asked you your beliefs regarding some basic Christian doctrine, such as is Christ the only way to salvation. You haven't provided any answers, even when you reply with lengthy messages. You take delight in "recklessly shooting down all your sacred cows just for the fun of it," and then drive quickly away from the scene of the crime. (neat metaphor, eh?)
You wrote:
"I find it amusing that you don't have any qualms about calling any other belief system ‘false’ or a ‘cult’ - to the offense of those who adhere to those belief systems, and yet you take great personal offense when I suggest that your own closed belief system might also be cultish. In other words, you don't care if you're offending others of other belief systems, but you object to being given the same treatment. Can you see how hypocritical and one-sided that is? I don't have any qualms about calling closed belief systems cultish either, but I don't adhere to one myself."
Eva, that's so hypocritical. You scold me for identifying cult beliefs, but then you admit you do it too! At least I am guided by the Biblical principles which Christ, his disciples, and the apostles recorded in the Bible. What is your standard for discerning true from false? Based upon what you've written, I suspect you have no belief in absolutes. Your world is only shades of grey...truth is relative, and it doesn't matter what anybody believes, since there is no right or wrong in a relativistic philosophy.