John defined legalism as: > It is the imposition of their interpretations upon others > and the elevation of their understanding to the status > of Ex-Cathedra.
John, do you consider the interpretation that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ to be something that we should be legalistic about? Should we impose this view upon others in this world or not? John wrote: > We don't need to rid ourselves of rules and laws > -- what we need is fewer legalists !!! I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that we need rules and laws but that we should not have anyone who imposes these rules and laws upon others? Do you consider Judges and our Judiciary to be legalists? Should they be? I would love to hear others on this list answer these questions. Apparently some here hate the idea of legalism and consider it something that is wrong. I do not hate legalism. My view is that legalism should be tempered with love and mercy. If you think legalism is bad, please contribute to this discussion. As a sidebar, let me say that I have often considered the idea of a utopia as being a society with absolutely no rules or laws at all. If everyone would walk in love, I don't think we would necessarily need laws. The problem is that if there is anybody who does not walk in love (if there is anyone who sins), then we need to define the boundaries through rules and laws. So while I don't reject legalism out of hand as something evil, I tend to like the idea of a society where legalism could not exist because of the absence of laws, but only if everyone in that society walked in love and did not sin. Peace be with you. 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 If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
