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From: CONS.ELF@AIDA.CSD.UU.SE (Ake Eldberg)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: The Bible vs traditions of men
Message-ID: <Jan.25.00.51.19.1991.13399@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 25 Jan 91 05:51:22 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
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Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

gibson@b11.ingr.com (Stanley) warns us that tradition will not make
us wise, nor will they save us. He claims that the bible alone is
sufficient to guide us.
 
The bible itself is indeed our central source, and it warns us
against the traditions of men. But there are two sides to this coin.
On the one hand, Men have always tended to invent traditions and
interpretations which, consciously or not, serve to defuse the Word
of God, make it powerless and easier to live with. That's why we
are warned against such traditions.
 
On the other hand, there are dozens of sects and churches who
claim to follow the Bible alone, and they all disagree. We all
too often see people quoting the bible against each other. So
you may say, the bible is still sufficient if it is interpreted
correctly. But who is to do that? How can you *know* that your
interpretation is the right one, when there are thousands of
honest, intelligent, praying Christians out there who have so
many different understandings?
 
I think history proves that the bible has not been enough to
set us on the One Right Track. Even if it does contain all that
we need to know for salvation (as I believe it does), the Church
needs its own history and experience, too.
 
There is no need to put the Bible on one side and "the traditions
of men" on the other, as if they were the only alternatives. What
if there are traditions which were inspired by God, through His
word and His spirit, to help us understand? What if there are
things that indeed came directly from Jesus Christ himself, and
have been brought down to us through tradition, even though they
were never written down by the biblical authors?
 
Ake Eldberg