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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: On the organization of the Church
Message-ID: <3582@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 24-Feb-85 22:07:03 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3582
Posted: Sun Feb 24 22:07:03 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 25-Feb-85 20:23:40 EST
References: <690@topaz.ARPA> <3308@umcp-cs.UUCP> <160@sbcs.UUCP>
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Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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In article <160@sbcs.UUCP> amerige@sbcs.UUCP (Stephen Amerige) writes:

[Quoting me]
>> The Episcopal Church divides Christendom into three categories:
>> 
>>       (1)  Obvious heresies, such as the Mormons.  These are not
>>            recognized as part of The Church.

>   Although everyone is entitled to an opinion, shouldn't we at least
>agree that when it comes to `religion,' very few things are *obvious*?
>Don't forget, two thousand years ago the teachings of Jesus were
>heresies!

"Obvious heresy" was intended to mean that the doctrines of heretical church
X are not reconcilable with those of the Episcopal Church on key points.  The
Mormon doctrines on the nature of man, for instance, are so unlike those of
the Episcopal Church that there is no way to reconcile them, and so the
Mormon groups are not recognized as christian.
  
>	From my point of view, there are simply different systems of belief.
>It seems that the `crime' of heresy is imposed upon both the wicked and
>the great--remember Copernicus?  Understandably, the Mormons are a
>`threat' to the protestant models of christianity--they claim to
>represent God's Church.  But, there are also other churches which claim
>divine authority, so it seems to me that (1) might have been better
>said as:
>	(1)  Those churches which claim to be `the only divinely
>            authorized and complete church.'  These churches are not part of
>	     the fellowship of the protestant church.

Well, we recognize as christian certain churches which claim
"sole-church"-ness, such as the Romans and the Missouri Synod Lutherans
(although relations have exactly been fantastic :-)).  We also recognize all
of the Eastern (Orthodox) churches, and have reasonably good relations with
most of them; obviously, they cannot be considered protestants.

Charley Wingate    umcp-cs!mangoe