But the addicted "really wants" and thus, believes in what is noble and right; the beleaguered wife "compromises" and thus acknowledges what she believes to be right; the black boy who secretly weeps lives a life that trumps what he knows is right (thus the tears); and the gay and lonely son who is driven by guilt because, and only because, he "knows" what he believes but is lost without a teacher (lost does not mean lost, in this case). Tears, guilt, compromise, restless addictions are all testaments to the possession of truth.
Izzy wrote:
John says what we do is an irrelevant thing, because our addictions, compromises with truth, and homosexuality are all testaments to the possession of truth. That is the complete opposite of what we maintain. They have embraced the Lie; that there is no way out.
John wrote:
Here is a deliberate falsification of what has been said by me. Absolutely no one, certainly not me, has said anything similar to what we do is an irrelevant thing. ... Neither did I say that addictions, compromises with truth, and homosexuality are all testaments to the possession of truth. I did not come close to saying this.
Izzy
John, thatâs what I heard you saying. Iâm sorry if I misunderstood you. (Maybe we live in parallel universes?)
John wrote:
This is a script list, Linda. You cannot play innocent on this one. You heard nothing. It was in black and white. You misused what I said, actually changed it into wording that I do not believe and did not write and THAT is not done by honest hands. It is deliberate and unworthy.
I am very surprised by this exchange. Surely you know as a counselor how important it is in communication for the one who listens to repeat back what they are hearing in their own words. This is exactly what Izzy was doing here. She is not guilty of being dishonest as you accuse her. Please stop being so judgemental. She gave you ample opportunity to clarify what you meant, even apologizing to you if she misunderstood you, and instead of using this as an opportunity to clarify your position, you used it to tell her that she cannot "play innocent." This is shameful coming from a counselor.
I am still interested in hearing you explain what you meant if Izzy got it wrong. It sounds to me like you were saying that the evidence of someone having truth is if they struggle with sin, whereas the evidence of someone rejecting truth is if they have no struggle with sin. Therefore, the homosexual who is torn by his lust for sexual relations with someone of the same sex is following the truth whereas the person who gives himself over to homosexuality and has no struggle is the one who has forsaken truth. This is what I heard you say, and this is what I heard Izzy reiterate you as saying. If you believe something else, then please clarify your position. Our goal is to understand one another clearly, not to fight and divide over who is dishonest and unworthy. Set aside personal judgments of one another and discuss the subject matter.
The question is: what do you believe the relationship is between truth and sin? Is the one who embraces truth set free from sin and walks in peace, or is the one who embraces truth in a constant struggle with sin and lives a life of constant turmoil and sense of continuing episodes of feelings of guilt?
David Miller
---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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