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Andrew Crook
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« on: June 17, 2012, 02:52:22 AM » |
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Hi everyone,
I have a question and I put it on this part of the forum, because I'd love to get the Catholic perspective as well. Were the councils decided by majority vote, and if so why? I know that voting had taken place, but if everyone decided for or against a theological issue -- is that how things were settled?
If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The implications of that would be astounding. But I have talked to others who didn't really understand how Councils went down, that thought it was determined by "majority vote" and had some of these issues with that idea.
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I have changed over time. My previous posts might or might not reflect my current understanding of life, religion, God, or politics. I apologize for the confusion.
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NicholasMyra
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« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2012, 02:56:32 AM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. |
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« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2012, 05:12:01 AM » |
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I add another question to your question.And if the majority decides at Ecumenical Council, than why aren`t we in joined communion with the Roman Catholics according to the council of Florence.
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« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2012, 07:51:29 AM » |
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"in joined"?
Upon return of the delegates from Florence, the clergy and the faithful rejected the agreements made at Florence. That is part of the process of the work of Ecumenical Synods (Council's)---though Florence was attended by representatives, it was not "Ecumenical," anyway; the decisions of the Ecumenical Synods must be accepted by the greater church, and must be ratified by a subsequent synod.
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« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2012, 08:03:05 AM » |
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Hi everyone,
I have a question and I put it on this part of the forum, because I'd love to get the Catholic perspective as well. Were the councils decided by majority vote, and if so why? I know that voting had taken place, but if everyone decided for or against a theological issue -- is that how things were settled?
If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The implications of that would be astounding. But I have talked to others who didn't really understand how Councils went down, that thought it was determined by "majority vote" and had some of these issues with that idea.
The vote at the council is the easy part. The hard part is the question of whether the council was an Ecumenical Council or not. |
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ialmisry
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« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2012, 11:05:32 AM » |
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Hi everyone,
I have a question and I put it on this part of the forum, because I'd love to get the Catholic perspective as well. Were the councils decided by majority vote, and if so why? I know that voting had taken place, but if everyone decided for or against a theological issue -- is that how things were settled?
If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The implications of that would be astounding. But I have talked to others who didn't really understand how Councils went down, that thought it was determined by "majority vote" and had some of these issues with that idea.
The Councils were not like a vote in Congress, but rather like a convention of physicians gathered on discussing the treatment of a disease, so it they are more like a session of WHO (World Health Organization). |
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Kerdy
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« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2012, 12:26:57 PM » |
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Read The Orthodox Church by Timothy (Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia) Ware, if you have not already done so. Part of the book explains the Ecumenical Councils and the process they took.
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« Reply #7 on: June 17, 2012, 02:13:35 PM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. |
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J Michael
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« Reply #8 on: June 17, 2012, 08:24:38 PM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. |
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« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2012, 11:00:16 PM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. The terminology used by the Holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Synods for promulgating their decisions begins with the scriptural formula, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." |
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« Reply #10 on: June 17, 2012, 11:27:39 PM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. |
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witega
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« Reply #11 on: June 18, 2012, 12:00:28 AM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The answer to that question depends on who was being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition. Which is also why the 'voting' at Ecumenical Councils is nothing like 'majority-rules democracy'. It was not a matter of at least 51% of the bishops voted for homoousious or the Theotokos and so those terms won the day. Rather the bishops discussed it in council until it was clear that a concensus had been reached and the 'vote' as such was a mere formality which allowed each bishop to publicly declare his support for the concensus. We honor the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council or the 350 Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical not because 160 or 176 of them voted correctly but because all 318 or 350 affirmed the Orthodox teaching promulgated by that council. |
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Achronos
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« Reply #12 on: June 18, 2012, 12:04:32 AM » |
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« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2012, 01:18:50 AM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth.
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« Reply #14 on: June 18, 2012, 01:25:21 AM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth. ------------- ----- ----- ------------- ----- ----- ------------- ------------- |
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« Reply #15 on: June 18, 2012, 03:55:56 AM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth.
No, the church always knew the truth, "...the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3: 15), the Ecumenical Synods enabled the church the opportunity to promulgate the truth, dogma, that is considered infallible upon acceptance by the greater church and ratified by subsequent Synods. |
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J Michael
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« Reply #16 on: June 18, 2012, 09:56:22 AM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The answer to that question depends on who was being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition. Which is also why the 'voting' at Ecumenical Councils is nothing like 'majority-rules democracy'. It was not a matter of at least 51% of the bishops voted for homoousious or the Theotokos and so those terms won the day. Rather the bishops discussed it in council until it was clear that a concensus had been reached and the 'vote' as such was a mere formality which allowed each bishop to publicly declare his support for the concensus. We honor the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council or the 350 Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical not because 160 or 176 of them voted correctly but because all 318 or 350 affirmed the Orthodox teaching promulgated by that council. Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"? |
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« Reply #17 on: June 18, 2012, 10:53:22 AM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth.
No, the church always knew the truth, "...the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3: 15), the Ecumenical Synods enabled the church the opportunity to promulgate the truth, dogma, that is considered infallible upon acceptance by the greater church and ratified by subsequent Synods. So why did they need to meet in order to promulgate the truth, if they already knew the truth? Either they already knew the truth or councils served the function of promulgating the truth (implying that the truth was unknown by all beforehand). For both to be true would be nonsensical. The latter is precisely what I mean by the divining rod mentality. Even though you admit that a council is not automatically infallible, you still fall until this mentality, because you have your own magic formula which guarantees in your mind that a council will be infallible, its acceptance by the 'greater church'. There simply is no magic formula, no string of words, no acceptance by the pentarchy, no acceptance by any number or percentage of bishops, presbyters, deacons, monks or laymen which guarantees that a council will be infallible. |
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« Last Edit: June 18, 2012, 10:57:28 AM by Cavaradossi »
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« Reply #18 on: June 18, 2012, 10:54:08 AM » |
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Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"?
Perhaps he doesn't feel like he needs to say it. |
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witega
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« Reply #19 on: June 18, 2012, 11:06:04 AM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The answer to that question depends on who was being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition. Which is also why the 'voting' at Ecumenical Councils is nothing like 'majority-rules democracy'. It was not a matter of at least 51% of the bishops voted for homoousious or the Theotokos and so those terms won the day. Rather the bishops discussed it in council until it was clear that a concensus had been reached and the 'vote' as such was a mere formality which allowed each bishop to publicly declare his support for the concensus. We honor the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council or the 350 Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical not because 160 or 176 of them voted correctly but because all 318 or 350 affirmed the Orthodox teaching promulgated by that council. Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"? Yes. |
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Ariel Starling - New albumFor it were better to suffer everything, rather than divide the Church of God. Even martyrdom for the sake of preventing division would not be less glorious than for refusing to worship idols. - St. Dionysius the Great
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J Michael
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« Reply #20 on: June 18, 2012, 11:19:26 AM » |
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Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"?
Perhaps he doesn't feel like he needs to say it. Maybe, maybe not. But he did say it. And I asked, not because I was trolling, but because I was interested if that was what he really meant. Turns out it was. Interesting. |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
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J Michael
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« Reply #21 on: June 18, 2012, 11:21:22 AM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The answer to that question depends on who was being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition. Which is also why the 'voting' at Ecumenical Councils is nothing like 'majority-rules democracy'. It was not a matter of at least 51% of the bishops voted for homoousious or the Theotokos and so those terms won the day. Rather the bishops discussed it in council until it was clear that a concensus had been reached and the 'vote' as such was a mere formality which allowed each bishop to publicly declare his support for the concensus. We honor the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council or the 350 Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical not because 160 or 176 of them voted correctly but because all 318 or 350 affirmed the Orthodox teaching promulgated by that council. Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"? Yes. Thanks. Can you cite other examples where bishops, in "Ecumenical" Council, were not faithful to Apostolic Tradition? |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
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witega
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« Reply #22 on: June 18, 2012, 11:31:41 AM » |
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So why did they need to meet in order to promulgate the truth, if they already knew the truth? Either they already knew the truth or councils served the function of promulgating the truth (implying that the truth was unknown by all beforehand). While I'm pretty sure I understand (and agree) with what you are getting at here, there is actually a 3rd option in phrasing. It's possible 'they' (as in most of the bishops coming to the council) already knew the truth, but the truth was under attack by a significant enough (defined either in terms of numbers or political power) threat that they needed to meet in council to determine how to best phrase the Orthodox rejection of said attack (not to mention simply to make clear on which side of the contemporary debate the bishops of the Church as a body fell on--whatever this or that heresiarch might be declaring). |
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witega
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« Reply #23 on: June 18, 2012, 11:36:51 AM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The answer to that question depends on who was being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition. Which is also why the 'voting' at Ecumenical Councils is nothing like 'majority-rules democracy'. It was not a matter of at least 51% of the bishops voted for homoousious or the Theotokos and so those terms won the day. Rather the bishops discussed it in council until it was clear that a concensus had been reached and the 'vote' as such was a mere formality which allowed each bishop to publicly declare his support for the concensus. We honor the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council or the 350 Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical not because 160 or 176 of them voted correctly but because all 318 or 350 affirmed the Orthodox teaching promulgated by that council. Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"? Yes. Thanks. Can you cite other examples where bishops, in "Ecumenical" Council, were not faithful to Apostolic Tradition? (Let me clean this up a little) From an OO perspective: Chalcedon, which why they reject it. From an EO and RC perspective Ephesus II (which is why Chalcedon was necessary to overturn it) Hiera (the Iconoclast "Ecumenical Council") Constantinople IV/the 8th Ecumenical Council (RC consider 869 a true council and 879 a false council, EO though opposite, but either way *one* of them is an example of a council that fit all the formal criteria of an Ecumenical Council that was not faithful). From an EO perspective Lyons II and, of course, Florence. |
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« Reply #24 on: June 18, 2012, 11:39:03 AM » |
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There were no "votes." As we read through the Acts of the Council, they talked and talked until resolution was unanimously made. On dogmatic matters, we read "All exclaimed, this is the Faith of the Apostles...etc." It was simply a recognition of what was already the Faith and dogma of the Church. It was not considered resolved until "all exclaimed." Even in pragmatic matters, for example, in the 4th Ecumenical Council with regard to the deposition of a bishop, we have all sides making their cases. They did not have unanimous resolution in the 11th session so they still needed to delve further into the canonical tradition and the facts of the case. Finally, through extensive discussion, we read at the end of the 12th session: "All exclaimed: 'This is a just judgment...the two were installed contrary to the canons. Let the provision of the canon regarding them prevail. The the archbishops' proposal prevail."
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J Michael
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« Reply #25 on: June 18, 2012, 12:07:57 PM » |
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If they were settled that way, does this mean that the Revelation of Jesus Christ is subject to the votes of we mere mortals? The Holy Scriptures were written by mere mortals. If one has a not-so-negative view of mortals and a positive view of the Holy Spirit, it isn't problematic. Exactly. If you believe the Holy Spirit guides the Church then the voting of the Bishops of the Church is not a problem at all. Then, if "the faithful" reject the council, e.g. the Council of Florence, was the Holy Spirit with them and not with the Bishops? If He wasn't with the Bishops, then.....well, then what? Possibly a naive question, but one I had to ask. The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The answer to that question depends on who was being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition. Which is also why the 'voting' at Ecumenical Councils is nothing like 'majority-rules democracy'. It was not a matter of at least 51% of the bishops voted for homoousious or the Theotokos and so those terms won the day. Rather the bishops discussed it in council until it was clear that a concensus had been reached and the 'vote' as such was a mere formality which allowed each bishop to publicly declare his support for the concensus. We honor the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council or the 350 Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical not because 160 or 176 of them voted correctly but because all 318 or 350 affirmed the Orthodox teaching promulgated by that council. Are you saying, then, that the bishops at, for example, Florence were *not* "being faithful to the Apostolic Tradition"? Yes. Thanks. Can you cite other examples where bishops, in "Ecumenical" Council, were not faithful to Apostolic Tradition? (Let me clean this up a little) From an OO perspective: Chalcedon, which why they reject it. From an EO and RC perspective Ephesus II (which is why Chalcedon was necessary to overturn it) Hiera (the Iconoclast "Ecumenical Council") Constantinople IV/the 8th Ecumenical Council (RC consider 869 a true council and 879 a false council, EO though opposite, but either way *one* of them is an example of a council that fit all the formal criteria of an Ecumenical Council that was not faithful). From an EO perspective Lyons II and, of course, Florence. So, there seems to be some confusion about just who is and who isn't faithful to Apostolic Tradition and who the Holy Spirit is and isn't with. All of which seems to put us back with Wyatt's answer above, "The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." And round and round the merry-go-round goes.....  |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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witega
Is it enough now, to tell you you matter?
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« Reply #26 on: June 18, 2012, 12:39:51 PM » |
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So, there seems to be some confusion about just who is and who isn't faithful to Apostolic Tradition and who the Holy Spirit is and isn't with. All of which seems to put us back with Wyatt's answer above, "The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." And round and round the merry-go-round goes..... I think you and Wyatt are getting the arrow of causality wrong. It's not which Church you belong to that determines Apostolic Tradition, but which Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets (i.e., faithful to the Apostolic tradition) which is the Church you should belong to. |
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« Last Edit: June 18, 2012, 12:40:40 PM by witega »
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Ariel Starling - New albumFor it were better to suffer everything, rather than divide the Church of God. Even martyrdom for the sake of preventing division would not be less glorious than for refusing to worship idols. - St. Dionysius the Great
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Wyatt
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« Reply #27 on: June 18, 2012, 01:22:30 PM » |
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So, there seems to be some confusion about just who is and who isn't faithful to Apostolic Tradition and who the Holy Spirit is and isn't with. All of which seems to put us back with Wyatt's answer above, "The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." And round and round the merry-go-round goes..... I think you and Wyatt are getting the arrow of causality wrong. It's not which Church you belong to that determines Apostolic Tradition, but which Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets (i.e., faithful to the Apostolic tradition) which is the Church you should belong to. I'm well aware of that. I'm also aware that you and I and many others on this forum disagree on which Church is most fully built on the foundation of the Apostles...it's the nature of being in schism with one another. |
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J Michael
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« Reply #28 on: June 18, 2012, 01:30:05 PM » |
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So, there seems to be some confusion about just who is and who isn't faithful to Apostolic Tradition and who the Holy Spirit is and isn't with. All of which seems to put us back with Wyatt's answer above, "The answer to that question depends on which Church you believe is truly the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." And round and round the merry-go-round goes..... I think you and Wyatt are getting the arrow of causality wrong. It's not which Church you belong to that determines Apostolic Tradition, but which Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets (i.e., faithful to the Apostolic tradition) which is the Church you should belong to. According to your criteria then, the Church I "should" belong is the one Wyatt and I do belong to  . (Which is not to say that the Church you belong to.....well....dare we go down that well-worn rut again??) |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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Peter J
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« Reply #29 on: June 18, 2012, 02:22:08 PM » |
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There were no "votes." As we read through the Acts of the Council, they talked and talked until resolution was unanimously made. On dogmatic matters, we read "All exclaimed, this is the Faith of the Apostles...etc." It was simply a recognition of what was already the Faith and dogma of the Church. It was not considered resolved until "all exclaimed." Even in pragmatic matters, for example, in the 4th Ecumenical Council with regard to the deposition of a bishop, we have all sides making their cases. They did not have unanimous resolution in the 11th session so they still needed to delve further into the canonical tradition and the facts of the case. Finally, through extensive discussion, we read at the end of the 12th session: "All exclaimed: 'This is a just judgment...the two were installed contrary to the canons. Let the provision of the canon regarding them prevail. The the archbishops' proposal prevail."
Who were the two mentioned there? |
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"Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit."
- Barack Obama
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Azul
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« Reply #30 on: June 19, 2012, 12:30:29 PM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth.
No, the church always knew the truth, "...the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3: 15), the Ecumenical Synods enabled the church the opportunity to promulgate the truth, dogma, that is considered infallible upon acceptance by the greater church and ratified by subsequent Synods. And who is the "greater church" ? |
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Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent.
Mahatma Gandhi
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primuspilus
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« Reply #31 on: June 19, 2012, 01:00:02 PM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth.
No, the church always knew the truth, "...the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3: 15), the Ecumenical Synods enabled the church the opportunity to promulgate the truth, dogma, that is considered infallible upon acceptance by the greater church and ratified by subsequent Synods. And who is the "greater church" ? The believers everywhere. We dont really have one, or a few folks that state, "this is ecumenical". PP |
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"I confidently affirm that whoever calls himself Universal Bishop is the precursor of Antichrist"
Gregory the Great
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Azul
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« Reply #32 on: June 19, 2012, 01:38:55 PM » |
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Ah, the ecumenical councils. From the way people talk about them, you would think that they were divining rods straight out of the I Ching, used by the Church to discern the truth.
No, the church always knew the truth, "...the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3: 15), the Ecumenical Synods enabled the church the opportunity to promulgate the truth, dogma, that is considered infallible upon acceptance by the greater church and ratified by subsequent Synods. And who is the "greater church" ? The believers everywhere. We dont really have one, or a few folks that state, "this is ecumenical". PP so how would the great church know when the great apostasy has come? |
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Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent.
Mahatma Gandhi
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primuspilus
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« Reply #33 on: June 20, 2012, 10:16:31 AM » |
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so how would the great church know when the great apostasy has come? It very well could have, or is still to come. I dont try to think on those things. I just try to focus on obedience. PP |
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"I confidently affirm that whoever calls himself Universal Bishop is the precursor of Antichrist"
Gregory the Great
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J Michael
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« Reply #34 on: June 20, 2012, 10:20:37 AM » |
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so how would the great church know when the great apostasy has come? It very well could have, or is still to come. I dont try to think on those things. I just try to focus on obedience.
PP Amen to that! |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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Azul
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« Reply #35 on: June 20, 2012, 11:38:54 AM » |
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you both suck  .. blind obedience is not good.. obedience to a church who might have fallen in apostasy is not good either.. |
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Every formula of every religion has in this age of reason, to submit to the acid test of reason and universal assent.
Mahatma Gandhi
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J Michael
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« Reply #36 on: June 20, 2012, 12:14:16 PM » |
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you both suck .. blind obedience is not good.. obedience to a church who might have fallen in apostasy is not good either.. Hey...thanks! You suck, too . Who said anything about "blind obedience"? |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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biro
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Και κλήρονομον δείξον με, ζωής της αιωνίου
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« Reply #37 on: June 20, 2012, 12:41:04 PM » |
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you both suck .. blind obedience is not good.. obedience to a church who might have fallen in apostasy is not good either.. Okay, take it outside, you. |
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phthalyl.podomatic.com
the-cornet.blogspot.com
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J Michael
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« Reply #38 on: June 20, 2012, 12:58:15 PM » |
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you both suck .. blind obedience is not good.. obedience to a church who might have fallen in apostasy is not good either.. Okay, take it outside, you. (Was that a "you", a "youse", a "y'all", a "yins", a "yuns", or a "yins all, y'all"?) Ahh, c'mon biro--where's your sense of adventure ? And he (she?) did use a smiley, as did I, so we're just havin' fun with each other. Aren't we, Azul? |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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biro
Ursus maritimus
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Και κλήρονομον δείξον με, ζωής της αιωνίου
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« Reply #39 on: June 20, 2012, 01:16:33 PM » |
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Don't you kids make me come back there, or I'm stopping the car.
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phthalyl.podomatic.com
the-cornet.blogspot.com
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J Michael
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« Reply #40 on: June 20, 2012, 01:30:48 PM » |
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Don't you kids make me come back there, or I'm stopping the car.
Are we there, yet, are we there yet, are we there yet??? c'mon ma, are we almost there............??  |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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Asteriktos
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« Reply #41 on: June 20, 2012, 01:32:34 PM » |
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Mom! J Michael is touching me! he's touching me!
Ok, he stopped touching me but now he's looking at me! Make him stop looking at me!
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J Michael
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« Reply #42 on: June 20, 2012, 01:34:02 PM » |
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Mom! J Michael is touching me! he's touching me!
Ok, he stopped touching me but now he's looking at me! Make him stop looking at me!
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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J Michael
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« Reply #43 on: June 20, 2012, 01:34:44 PM » |
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Mom! J Michael is touching me! he's touching me!
Ok, he stopped touching me but now he's looking at me! Make him stop looking at me!
And then.........  |
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"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
— St. Augustine of Hippo
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Ortho_cat
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« Reply #44 on: June 20, 2012, 01:45:57 PM » |
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Mom! J Michael is touching me! he's touching me!
Ok, he stopped touching me but now he's looking at me! Make him stop looking at me!
son didn't I tell you to stay away from those creepy old guys??  |
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