I find it common among false teachers and heretics that ...
1. They themselves CLAIM for they themselves alone that they are especially guided by the Holy Spirit, that they are just ever so brilliant and superior in brain, and that THEY uniquely understand. The rest of Christianity is just wrong cuz they are right. They can't care about the words in Scripture, they don't care about the church fathers or church councils or the witness of the church because the Holy Spirit only teaches ONE (them) and there is only ONE who infallibly learns and follows (them).
2. They hold that the Holy Spirit did a really HORRIBLE job of inspiring the Scriptures. Indeed, the Spirit never got it right. BUT (thanks be to God) THEY uniquely and individually know what the Holy Spirit should have inspired (if He didn't goof so often). They'll even quote Scripture but deny the words there, changing them to correct the Spirit (adding a "NO" or "NOT" or "ONLY" etc. to correct God). They hold that God really appreciates their corrections. So much of "Ignore that the Bible states, what it MEANS is ... well... the opposite."
3. They won't discuss, they can't be talked to. Because they themselves hold that they themselves can't be wrong. God can be (and often is the words He put in the Bible) but they cannot be. They claim more for self than the Pope does because they don't have to agree with the church or councils, just themself. False teachers just rant.... on and on and on and on... never listening, never thinking, just regurgitating the same falsehoods ad nausium. They are like deadly black holes - just trying to suck in others (misery loves company). And they HATE it when anything or anyone gets in their way.
@Lamb
False teachers are always looking for new territory, new folks to such into their black hole, longing for those who will bow before them in utter adoration, those they can rip away from historic, biblical Christianity, those for whom they can destroy the Gospel.
Probably is, they quickly turn off Christians. At most sites, Christians just right them off as the false teachers they are. They rather quickly shoot themselves in the foot, and occasionally engage in flaming others at the site (which just turns off even more). Their "audience" grows smaller and smaller and may vanish completely. And staff grows tired of their flaming, spamming and complaints to staff - and eventually ban them. And so they look for fresh meat.
I hold that discussion forums like this should be open. Let them shoot themselves in the foot, let them prove their error, let them destroy their audience. BUT here's MY problem: I have a hard time letting heresy go.... letting a false teacher destroy the gospel and damage faith - especially of new or simply vulnerable believers. You can't tell the heretic anything (they don't listen, they won't read things, they won't think) BUT it's hard to me to leave HORRIBLE error up for all to see and not respond. Even though sometimes this only feeds like (Black holes such in everything).
Merry Christmas to you and yours...
- Josiah
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