Blaine, I went back and re-read the scripture references in the excerpts you quoted from the orthodox web pages. You know, while I do see that we shall share in the "riches" of Jesus (which i do not believe means "become a god"), I did not find anything that convinced me that we would become gods, have our own multiple wives, have spirit babies, populate our own planets, etc, as the LDS teach. Sorry.
I also find it interesting that you would use as an example a religion that holds dearly to the Trinity doctrine, which mormons so vehemently deny, and a religion that is quite mystical in general. I have read a couple of books on eastern orthodoxy, including excerpts from the philokalia, and have not seen anything to make me believe that men become gods.
I guess you can find a religion that supports just about anything if you look hard enough and then throw out the doctrine that you do not believe in. I find that in general the mormons do that with the Bible, too.
Perry
From: "Charles Perry Locke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] to Perry on heretics--an apology Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 21:44:02 -0700
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Blaine: The doctrine of deification is quite plain in the Bible.
According to mormons, so is the "doctrine of polygamy" and the "doctrine of baptism for the dead", which I do not see in the Bible...yes, I have read the bible looking for those doctrines, but there is no doctrine there. Two "sticks" are the Bible and the book of mormon...the "other flock" is people in the americas...on and on...prooftext after prooftext. So when you use the words "doctrine" and "quite plain" in the same sentence, I am instantly suspicious.
As I said in a post to DavidM, I did not really need to go to the Eastern Church for support, except for the fact that apparently you are either ignorant of the Biblical passages supporting this doctrine, or you choose to ignore them.
Or else this doctrine is just not there.
On the one hand you claim to believe the Bible, on the other hand you ignore much of what it says plainly and clearly.
When you say "what it says plainly and clearly" I once again am quite suspicious.
I thought if you would not believe the Bible, perhaps you would realize the same doctrine is taught by another group with much the same roots as your own, yet having diverged on that doctrinal point and accepted the scriptures as plain evidence of the veracity of deification as a doctrine. You have me both astounded and confused--what more can I do than what I have done?
You can be patient while I make the time to re-read those passages and see if I can possibly see where your "doctrine" comes from, just like I am being patient waiting for you to answer the questions I posed to you a week or two ago.
I can only conclude that your stance of condemning the Mormon version of this doctrine as heretical is anti-Bible, and even anti-Christian, not to mention being anti-Mormon.
No, you only WANT to conclude that. If I disagree with what you read into the text, then in your eyes I am all those "anti"s. You also take my condemnation of the mormon views of polygamy and baptism for the dead to be anti-bible, but you are wrong. Those doctrines are not in the bible. You see them because you (or mormon apologists) started with the doctrines, then combed the bible to find prooftexts for them. I suspect that your "deification doctrine" is no different.
Slow down, Blaine. Take a few slow, deep breaths...you'll get through this.
Perry
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"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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---------- "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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