How do Protestatnts defend the canon of the NT

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Gabriel_of_12 said:
Here’s my take on this, all of what you mentioned here, a person by himself outside of unity can never Love thy neighbor as thyself, or give his cloak away, or turn the other cheek etc.

The unity begins when a person is in unity with Jesus Christ himself that one is able to do all things. The baptised are (sacramentally) partakers of Jesus divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4) which proves a child of God is never alone but is united with the blessed Trinity. In fact no one can take these out of the Fathers hand.

Peace be with you
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Well, you’ve gone and changed the idea of unity we were discussing. We were discussing the unity of denominations.

But I will comment on this: you are wrong to suggest that only Christians can love a neighbor as much as oneself. Your suggestion to the contrary is incredibly self-righteous and narrow.
 
larkin31 said:
But I will comment on this: you are wrong to suggest that only Christians can love a neighbor as much as oneself.
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Only someone who has responded to God’s invitation to love can “love a neighbor as himself.”

It is purely a response to God. Which is why a Samaritan, who presumably had never heard of Jesus (in the parable), was the example of “love your neighbor”–he had the love of God in his heart.

However, I have put a challenge out to many atheists and agnostics to find an example of a non-believer who can give *self-sacrificial love *to the point of dying for a stranger, ala Maximilian Kolbe…and no one yet has been able to respond with an example.
 
PRmerger said:
Only someone who has responded to God’s invitation to love can “love a neighbor as himself.”

It is purely a response to God. Which is why a Samaritan, who presumably had never heard of Jesus (in the parable), was the example of “love your neighbor”–he had the love of God in his heart.

However, I have put a challenge out to many atheists and agnostics to find an example of a non-believer who can give *self-sacrificial love *to the point of dying for a stranger, ala Maximilian Kolbe…and no one yet has been able to respond with an example.
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I have never heard of an atheist who gave his life out of love for a stranger.

One would think that this would make a great news story.
 
monina said:
I have never heard of an atheist who gave his life out of love for a stranger.

One would think that this would make a great news story.
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Theists can be very good people. No one denies this. 😃
 
larkin31 said:
Well, you’ve gone and changed the idea of unity we were discussing. We were discussing the unity of denominations.

I thought we were getting off topic? your examples reflected individuality, not community unity, so you are correct I addressed unity of persons from your example, that is why I posed the question getting off the OP subject.
But I will comment on this: you are wrong to suggest that only Christians can love a neighbor as much as oneself. Your suggestion to the contrary is incredibly self-righteous and narrow.
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Well, if Iam wrong please prove your love to me outside of God? One way to prove Iam wrong is by your definition of what Love is? For one to love his neighbor (not wife, children or close relative) as himself apart from the Spirit of God, then one’s love comes from the world, which is for self gain, for emotion satisfaction, pleasure or other.

The Love the scriptures speak of is not of this world, because LOVE is God. For one to Love his neighbor as himself comes from God who is in the one loving his neighbor as himself.

So tell me, if you can love your neighbor as yourself (self sacrifice) then it is from God which you do not know who Loves you so that you can Love as God loves you.

Can you define this “Love” one can have for his neighbor or enemy for me? Because I know of no love in the world that one can love his neighbor and or enemy apart from God.

If you love your neighbor as the scripture teaches, then God is with you and you begin the road to fulfill the second of the two greatest commandments from God. For one to love ones neighbor as himself, comes first from loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength.

Peace be with you, and God will always love you.
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Gabriel_of_12 said:
Well, if Iam wrong please prove your love to me outside of God? One way to prove Iam wrong is by your definition of what Love is? For one to love his neighbor (not wife, children or close relative) as himself apart from the Spirit of God, then one’s love comes from the world, which is for self gain, for emotion satisfaction, pleasure or other.

The Love the scriptures speak of is not of this world, because LOVE is God. For one to Love his neighbor as himself comes from God who is in the one loving his neighbor as himself.

So tell me, if you can love your neighbor as yourself (self sacrifice) then it is from God which you do not know who Loves you so that you can Love as God loves you.

Can you define this “Love” one can have for his neighbor or enemy for me? Because I know of no love in the world that one can love his neighbor and or enemy apart from God.

If you love your neighbor as the scripture teaches, then God is with you and you begin the road to fulfill the second of the two greatest commandments from God. For one to love ones neighbor as himself, comes first from loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength.

Peace be with you, and God will always love you.
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I don’t come here to argue over whether God exists or not. You are free to say that love comes from God because God exists.

I disagree, but choose not to debate this point.
 
QUOTE=larkin31;6688359]I don’t come here to argue over whether God exists or not. You are free to say that love comes from God because God exists.
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I disagree, but choose not to debate this point.
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I respect your views larkin. Though please allow me the courteousy to correct your misunderstanding of what I stated Love is; “LOVE is GOD”, Christians are partakers of his Love (divinity).

I hoped to not debate you on the existance of God, but how do you define “Love” your neighbor as yourself, or how can one Love his enemy? as we Christians have done in the past by their martyrdom, and the lifestyle of the Catholic Saints yesterday and today, a quick example; Mother Theresa.
 
larkin31 said:
Theists can be very good people. No one denies this. 😃
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No one denies it, indeed. They can be very nice.

But are there any atheists or agnostics who have given their lives out of love for a stranger?

If you were Franciszek Gajowniczek in a concentration camp would you be hoping for an atheist out there to come to your rescue or a Christian? My guess is you’d be sweating it out if there were a bunch of atheists…

Catholic history is overflowing with men and women who did unthinkably heroic deeds out of love.

What can atheism brag about?
 
monina said:
No one denies it, indeed. They can be very nice.

But are there any atheists or agnostics who have given their lives out of love for a stranger?
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I don’t know. I don’t really care. I don’t add things up like murderers or rapists or do-gooders who are atheists/theists.
What can atheism brag about?
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Not lying to children about a “heaven”? 🤷 Who cares about “bragging”? If I believed that I had a God on my side who valued humility, I would be wary of bragging.
 
Gabriel_of_12 said:
I respect your views larkin. Though please allow me the courteousy to correct your misunderstanding of what I stated Love is; “LOVE is GOD”, Christians are partakers of his Love (divinity).

I hoped to not debate you on the existance of God, but how do you define “Love” your neighbor as yourself, or how can one Love his enemy? as we Christians have done in the past by their martyrdom, and the lifestyle of the Catholic Saints yesterday and today, a quick example; Mother Theresa.
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I am not going to debate that “Love is God” for the reasons I have already stated. It is all the same debate. I will only say that if you think that Christian love is somehow truer or better than, say, Buddhist love or Hindu love because they worship false Gods, then I likely would at least make a few remarks. But let’s not debate whether there IS a God or not.
 
larkin31 said:
I don’t know. I don’t really care. I don’t add things up like murderers or rapists or do-gooders who are atheists/theists.
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Said the man with nothing to brag about. 🤷
Not lying to children about a “heaven”? 🤷
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LOL! You can take “not lying to children about a heaven” and we’ll take saving lives and tending the sick and helping orphans and starting universities and hospitals…
If I believed that I had a God on my side who valued humility, I would be wary of bragging.
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Well, you can’t even say that, since you don’t know if God values humility, do you? That would be a truth that comes from the Bible, which you feel is in error. 😃
 
monina said:
Said the man with nothing to brag about. 🤷

LOL! You can take “not lying to children about a heaven” and we’ll take saving lives and tending the sick and helping orphans and starting universities and hospitals…

Well, you can’t even say that, since you don’t know if God values humility, do you? That would be a truth that comes from the Bible, which you feel is in error. 😃
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Whatever, monina. You’re getting snippy and personal. I don’t believe in God, and see no logical reason that anyone who does believe should think that the Bible is inerrant simply because it was written by believers. If you want to mock that opinion (which is actually debated by believers) or start to make comparisons between killers and rescuers around the world, go for it. I am not even an atheist myself, but at least I try to understand their point of view with some charity, the same way that I try to understand the theist view (and I was a believer for many years).
 
T_More said:
Larkin, this is confusing. Which is it?
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agnostic

I cannot say with certainty that there is none, but I believe there to be none. This is a fairly common agnostic position. For simplicity’s sake, I will state that I do not believe that there is a god.
 
larkin31 said:
agnostic

I cannot say with certainty that there is none, but I believe there to be none. This is a fairly common agnostic position. For simplicity’s sake, I will state that I do not believe that there is a god.
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Why don’t you believe in God?
 
T_More said:
Why don’t you believe in God?
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Larkin and I have had some chats here regarding divorce in the past.

My own opinion–and I acknowledge that it’s just a “general sense”–is that his parents’ divorce caused him to question his faith.

As Pope JPII said, “As the family goes, so goes society.”

If the family is broken it’s quite easy to see that one’s sense of faith and trust will be broken as well.

Edit: I am NOT saying that all children of divorce will end up agnostic. I’m just saying it may play a factor.
 
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