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From: ken@qantel.UUCP (Ken Nichols@ex6193)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re:  The Bible as God's only word.
Message-ID: <306@qantel.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 13-Nov-84 12:37:21 EST
Article-I.D.: qantel.306
Posted: Tue Nov 13 12:37:21 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 15-Nov-84 03:13:54 EST
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Organization: MDS Qantel, Hayward, CA
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(I was told that this posting was damaged.  For this reason I'm trying again.)

Byron writes,

>>The only truth that man can know is revealed in the Bible.  Where is your
>>source of truth?
    				...
>>Where is this said, not in the Bible.  God's word is my only source of truth.
				...
>>The arrogance of men is their failure to take into account all of God's
>>attributes (as stated clearly in creation and the Bible) and instead to
>>pick out only the ones that will fit well into their theology!
   
> But is that not exactly how the Bible was created?  It is well
> documented that the canonization of what we now know as the New
> Testament -- a process which took place in the 2nd through 4th
> centuries C.E.  -- was one of culling through many documents and
> discarding those which did not fit with the theology of the time.  We
> aren't dealing with a set of documents set down by the Diety, but a set
> of documents selected by men from a much larger body.  One must not
> underestimate the power of the Roman Church in its efforts to purify
> the Apostolic faith.  Do not forget that history, as someone has said,
> "is written by the winners."

Is the Catholic Church more powerfull than God himself?  If God wanted to tell
us the way of salvation, wouldn't He make sure that all the *inspired* works
were included?  Does God have no power over a few men?

The ultimate power and authority that God has makes me believe that not only
are all the scriptures insprired by Him included in today's Bible, but also
that His word has been preserved through the ages in much the same form that
it was written.  

Most people don't seem to take into account that if the God of the Bible
does exist, He would be able to keep His word free from the error of man.

>>I only speak what I have read in the Bible (which can only be understood with
>>the Holy Spirit living inside after salvation).  I do not take parts of God
>>and parts of His Word to make my theology.
   
> ...but by your own admission, you do.  There are other Christian
> perspectives on the nature of G-d and Christ that can be fruitfully
> examined.

>                                         Byron C. Howes

My statement above meant that I do not take portions of today's Bible and use
just those to make up a theology.  This is how much of today's Biblical error
has crept into the Christian faith.

I do not believe in the inspiration of any other documents besides those in 
today's Bible.
---
"...holding forth the                     Ken Nichols
 word of life..." Phil. 2:16              ...!ucbvax!dual!qantel!ken
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