Originally posted by Conrau K
1. If so, there is no dilemma.
2. Theologians have disputed it for centuries.
3. Obviously a Christian must follow Christ, not you. That should be obvious.
4. A Catholic must accept this. You are right, it is dogmatic. Hence there is no dilemma. I do not wish to enter a debate about means and ends. It need only be said that a Catholic can never tolera ...[text shortened]... accordingly.
7. Perhaps divine justice.
8. There would not be much of a body to resurrect.
1. There is still the annoying possibility that abortion is morally justified the grounds stated. Once they answer "I don't know", they can't rule it out. It's non-trivial, too. Cold comfort at best.
2. Very well - for those who do believe it, it does nothing to escape the dilemma.
3. Nobody follows Christ all the time, or does everything he says. And now, I've provided them with an even better reason not to on this issue.
4. Dogma is a poor substitute for critical thinking. It ought to be possible to be a catholic without checking your reasoning skills at the church door. Also, you lose points for claiming not to want to debate means and ends, yet giving an example that attempts to do so. Make up your mind!
5. A "Christian" is just a follower of christ's teachings. There is no guarantee that they agree with everything in the bible.
6. Still, if they were asked to guess a percentage of how many on earth would be saved, I doubt it would be very high. If they make it over 50%, one wonders why we need the church in the first place.
7. Still, seems strange to base the relationship of 100 gazillion years on that infinitesimal sliver of time spent on earth.
8. OK - but how important is that compared to the fate of the soul? And couldn't they be given a new body in heaven? I thought the saved got those.