Josiah said:
Bill -
Please read post 425.
Bill, NOTHING you quoted or stated here indicates that Scripture is "false, wrong and blaspheming" when it declares that Mary is Jesus' mother and that Jesus may be called God.
Bill, NOTHING here indicates that early Christians did not believe that Mary bore Jesus and that Jesus may be called "GOD." Indeed, it implies that they did.... indeed, they even used the title and terms the great majority of Christians still do: Mary the Theotokos (Greek for GOD bearer) and Mary the Matre Dei (Latin for Mother of God).
The reference to the HERETIC and allusion to the universally condemned HERESY of Nestorianism in your post is.... disturbing. See http://www.britannica.com/biography/Nestorius Read this.... note the information about the heretic you referenced. Read about the heresy a couple of people in this thread are promoting. Note how this heretic was universally condemned.... notice that the title had existed long before this condemned heretic questioned it and thus Scripture. Friend, I don't recommend you going to universally condemned heresy (including by Protestants) for support. Bill, think twice about aligning yourself with heresy and heretics - saying it "sounds good." Please.
Again, please read post 425. Consider it. Thank you.
Thank you.
Pax
- Josiah
.
What is disturbing is this dogged hanging on to a title
IMO, what is disturbing is saying that a HERETIC "sounds good", quoting a HERETIC to support one's position.... Did you read the link provided for you? Did you read about the heresy here, about the heretic you referenced to support your point - what you said "sounds good" about? Did you read about the Nestorianism being suggested in this thread that you noted "sounds good?"
The title "Bible" isn't found in the Bible, either. Thus you reject your own premise: that we are forbidden from using titles not found in the Bible...
LOTS of terms, titles, etc. are not found in the Bible. Trinity.... Sunday School..... Reverend..... Youth Pastor..... Youth group..... Bible..... none of these titles or words are found even once in the Bible. Do you therefore reject and condemn them? Are they thus "
false, wrong and blasphemy?"
Please read post # 425.
NO ONE here - no one, not one - has disputed that this title is INCAPABLE of being misunderstood or misused.... friend, EVERY title is capable of that. I've posted REPEATEDLY to you that I accept it CAN be misunderstood - I've even said to you it IS often misunderstood by a few modern American and Australian "Evangelicals" in the past few decades. That is not the issue ANYONE here is disputing. Not me. Not anyone here.
EVERYTHING can be misunderstood by ANYONE. No one here - no one - is disputing that.
As noted to you several times, the issue being disputed is the claim that the two things being affirmed are specifically "
false, wrong and blasphemy."
THAT'S the sole issue I'm and several others are discussing, THAT'S the discussion, THAT's the claim and the dispute: that these things are "
false, wrong and blasphemy." You referencing a heretic and a heresy to support the claim that these two things are
false, wrong and blasphemy is defending that claim... you saying that heresy "
sounds good" is disturbing. And does not make the point that, like everything, like every term, like every title, is capable of being misunderstood.
The teachings predates the RCC. The teachings are found in the Bible. See post # 425 where I quote the Bible verbatim, specifically stating both things. These and other Scriptures have been quoted to you, often. But you've always seemed to ignore and evade them.
The titles "Theotokos" and "Matre Dei" were not invented by the RCC. They both predate the RCC. And they are not exclusive to the RCC. The Oriental Orthodox use it to affirm these two biblical teachings. The Eastern Orthodox use it to affirm these two biblical teachings. The Anglican Church (some 90 million), the Lutheran Church (some 70 million) use it to affirm these two biblical truths. It is no more "RCC" than is the term "Trinity" or "Bible".
And your premise that if one affirms these two truths ERGO they pray TO Mary (this cause/effect point of yours) is still entirely unsupported. I affirm both of these truths (and thus the title), prove please that ERGO I pray TO Mary.
See post 425.
- Josiah