what free will is...

Originally posted by knightmeister
Interpretation is one thing , distortion is another. If one interprets Jesus's mission to be to set up a supreme white race and be anti jewish (eg KKK) is this an "interpretation" or just plain lies? I think you know the answer.

No, I don't know the answer. There are many ways to interpret a text as varied as the Bible and everyone I have talked to about it interprets it in the way they want to.
There is no way for me as an independent observer to differentiate between your interpretation and that of a Jehovah's witness. Both look like at best 'creative interpretation' and at worst 'plain lies'.

Originally posted by twhitehead
No, I don't know the answer. There are many ways to interpret a text as varied as the Bible and everyone I have talked to about it interprets it in the way they want to.
There is no way for me as an independent observer to differentiate between your interpretation and that of a Jehovah's witness. Both look like at best 'creative interpretation' and at worst 'plain lies'.

Ah , but there are ways, it just takes a trained eye that's all. If you look closely at JW s they subtly erode justification by faith and put works in it's place. They also do this by eroding the theology that Jesus is equivalent to God and thus able to justify through faith via his sacrifice. This leads them to bypass the idea that faith saves and is a free gift to all and start talking about an elect 144,000 for example. It's a return to a form of Jewish legalism and religiosity.

I will concede this a fake Rolex and a real Rolex can look uncannily similar.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Sounds cool. Almost as good as secret decoder rings. The only problem is that the Holy Ghost seems to tell different things to each and every Christian. Or all but one Christian is lying when they say that the Holy Ghost told them something.

What do you mean "each and every" ? The vast majority of Christians get a similar message. In any case , sometimes the message is not heard correctly or comes through muffled , but it doesn't mean it's different.

I will agree that there is much confusion around though. Claims counter claims , distortions of truth, things that look similar that aren't , christians being encouraged to disagree , sects and cults forming that lead some astray. It's all to be expected though , this is what Jesus predicted. The enemy will do anything he can to copy , counterfeit , deceive and distort ....anything... it's clever stuff.

Originally posted by knightmeister
Ah, but there are ways, it just takes a trained eye that's all.

But you fail to explain what the technique is. All you are saying in your whole post is "I am right and they are wrong.".
By 'trained eye' you must therefore mean "I can see where they differ from me". At no point do you explain how you know that your beliefs are correct and theirs aren't.

Originally posted by knightmeister
What do you mean "each and every" ? The vast majority of Christians get a similar message. In any case , sometimes the message is not heard correctly or comes through muffled , but it doesn't mean it's different.

The vast majority of Christians are Roman Catholic. Are you? Do you think you have a similar message to them?

I will agree that there is much confusion around though. Claims counter claims , distortions of truth, things that look similar that aren't , christians being encouraged to disagree , sects and cults forming that lead some astray. It's all to be expected though , this is what Jesus predicted. The enemy will do anything he can to copy , counterfeit , deceive and distort ....anything... it's clever stuff.
So you are one of those who blame the devil for all bad things? Sounds like God is being a bit unfair by letting him loose on us. And again we come back to the problem of how you actually know which message is coming from God and which from the Devil. After all, is clever stuff he puts out.

Originally posted by twhitehead
The vast majority of Christians are Roman Catholic. Are you? Do you think you have a similar message to them?

[b]I will agree that there is much confusion around though. Claims counter claims , distortions of truth, things that look similar that aren't , christians being encouraged to disagree , sects and cults forming that lead some astray. It's all t ...[text shortened]... message is coming from God and which from the Devil. After all, is clever stuff he puts out.

QUOTE-------------

So you are one of those who blame the devil for all bad things? Sounds like God is being a bit unfair by letting him loose on us. And again we come back to the problem of how you actually know which message is coming from God and which from the Devil. After all, is clever stuff he puts out. WHITEY

RESPONSE---------------

And that's the clue. It's clever stuff. The ways of the enemy are often cloaked in sophistry and cleverness , but there are other ways. For example , if an evil man walks into a room alongside a really , loving gentle man then you can kind of tell who's who.. You don't need to figure it out , the vibes are there.

Originally posted by twhitehead
The vast majority of Christians are Roman Catholic. Are you? Do you think you have a similar message to them?

[b]I will agree that there is much confusion around though. Claims counter claims , distortions of truth, things that look similar that aren't , christians being encouraged to disagree , sects and cults forming that lead some astray. It's all t message is coming from God and which from the Devil. After all, is clever stuff he puts out.

[/b]Tempations will come, but is it the devil's, the world's, or our flesh's
fault, or our fault by an act of our will making it our choice if we go
along with that which is being presented to us during our temptation?
There should be blame when some try to lead another astray, yet going
astray is the fault of the one who does.
Kelly

Originally posted by knightmeister
And that's the clue. It's clever stuff. The ways of the enemy are often cloaked in sophistry and cleverness , but there are other ways. For example , if an evil man walks into a room alongside a really , loving gentle man then you can kind of tell who's who.. You don't need to figure it out , the vibes are there.

Ahh! So we should only accept the interpretations given to us by people with good vibes. Ok.
But what do I do if two people who are both emanating volumes of good vibes have different interpretations? What then?

Originally posted by twhitehead
Ahh! So we should only accept the interpretations given to us by people with good vibes. Ok.
But what do I do if two people who are both emanating volumes of good vibes have different interpretations? What then?

Everyone has different interpretations. Myself and my wife have very very similar interpretations but they are still different. There is a distinctiion between an interpretation and a distortion or deception.