Jonathan Rex said:
And how do you know that the Prophets were Prophets?
They said so? Circular logic (by your definition).
Your religion is based on circular logic. All religions are.
There is not a single religion that isn't based on circular logic.
This is firstly, a different argument, and one that you can't prove because you simply weren't there to see these prophets and find out why they were accepted as such, and secondly I don't accept anyone's individual claims because they say so, but only if the mind of the Church says so.
How is that left to interpretation? How many ways can you interpret, "Go into your room, shut your door and pray to God in private?"
He is talking of prayer, not worship, and the issue is one of bragging, showing off, wanting to look holier than your neighbour. Corporate prayer as part of worship is not like this at all and I pity you if you fail to see the difference. You really do sound like an ultra-low church Protestant.
Can you read? Seriously?
What is your definition of prayer and worship?
You're the one that has a serious problem with comprehension because you cannot see that prayer does not equal worship. They are not synonyms to anyone but the most narrow minded, iconoclastic Protestant. They aren't synonyms in English and they certainly aren't synonyms in Koine Greek.
What's the puzzle? Your understanding of Christianity sounds so Protestant that if you weren't generally anti, you'd be one. You clearly have absolutely no understanding of the beliefs of those of us whose churches long pre-date the last 500 years.
Interpretations? He says, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." He says that immediately after telling them not to pray in the synogogues in front of people like the Phairsees whom he calls Hypocrites. How many ways can that be interpreted. Give me another way that one could interpret this, please.
I told you how it should be interpreted above and, even without Holy Tradition it is pretty flipping obvious. The fact that you fail to see that this is the natural reading of that episode shows just how much your view has been warped by low church Protestant understandings.
You do know that Martin Luther is the one who conjured up the freedom to Interpret scripture nonsense, right?
Don't teach grandma to such eggs. I'm an ex-Lutheran myself and have been arguing against the lunacy of sola scriptura here from long before you arrived. I dare say I have a much greater grasp of the history of the heresy than you do, not to mention its ramifications. What I offered was not individual interpretation but the interpretation of the Church - the same Church that wrote and compiled the canon of Scripture in the first place.
Then don't believe it. Go your way then.
You have not provided another option.
You're just denying that it means exactly what it says.
Afraid not. I have repeatedly told you that this is not a ban on corporate worship and why. Now I've offered you the 2000 year old understanding of what it actually was a ban on, and that's actually exactly what it says. You simply want to deny Holy Tradition and prefer a Protestant flavoured individual interpretation (ironically after the Luther quip).
How do they maintain those fancy buildings? God drops money out of the clouds?
What, maintenance of unheated buildings? It's not exactly expensive. I'm on our parish council and know well. All the money we receive is from voluntary donations and most of it goes to help parishioners in need. There are no tithes. Some monasteries also make things like icons, prayer roopes etc. and these are sold. Historically, most of the 'fancy' buildings were gifted to the Church by rich patrons such as kings and restoration work, for instance in the post-communist era - is usually undertaken by government and/or charities as the Church rarely has enough money. Don't make assumptions that because a church is pretty the owners are rich. I'm pretty certain that most unadorned, American Protestant churches are way wealthier than my parish and even the poorest American parish is probably much wealthier than the parish in which I was married even though you'd probably assume the opposite if you entered the church, it being a 15th century historical, architectural and artistic treasure - and one which just happens to be located in a tiny village populated almost solely by subsistance farmers.
James
