Steve: The Roman Catholic Church certainly preserved the documents it inherited, and its role in keeping the flame of Truth burning through the Middle Ages is undeniable. But the canon of scripture was pretty well determined by the third century, long before there was a Vatican. And even after Rome became Rome, it was not the monolithic entity it is commonly portrayed. The Orthodox Church, for one, would likely have something to say about whether the Roman church was the single authority that defined and preserved the Word of God.
]]>So, your authoritative inerrant bible is certainly that but, only by the Authority of the Catholic church. Every time you use that book, you are picking fruit from a tree you did not plant. Bible alone and faith alone are unbiblical. God bless.
]]>Joseph was accused by someone to be part of the Illuminati and people just laughed it off but he does believe that the God of the bible is a “demented genocidal blood thirsty maniac” (his words), that the good guy is the one that wants to give us access to knowledge, the biblical serpent (think gnostic), that there is no “eternal debt” to be paid so this reders Jesus’ work worthless. He encouraged the listeners many times to “get your noses out of that book” (the bible), believes that what is given to Man by revelation is a lie and deception and that the Book of Rrevelation is the product of a global elite who will use it in the last days to fullfil their own prophecies.
If you are a christian, no matter which denomination be it Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, etc…dear Joseph an “ennemy of the cross of Christ” Phil 3:18. It’s too bad because I think he’s a brilliant researcher.
My 2 cents.
Jean Claude
]]>I just heard Joseph P Farrell say: “I am a firm believer in karma. I really am.”
His academic record isn’t going to get him through the pearly gates. We must strain EVERYTHING he says no matter how brilliant he is because ultimately he is BLIND to the Truth.
]]>I also believe that God was still in the business of answering hungry hearts even before Christ was born on earth.
I didn’t mean to imply disregard for philosophers; I’ve taken several courses. What I had in mind was material Farrell references that are of an esoteric nature. Occult really. I’m also not into the Zohar, nor do I find it edifying to learn the details of pagan “mythology” such as Horn writes about in detail.
]]>My perspective is as follows: extra-Biblical sources are fine so long as they confirm Biblical truths. What I have found is that there are some that do (i.e. Flavius Josephus).
Plato and Aristotle, while not Christian, are very important. So are many of the wisdom traditions. These sources confirm an important Biblical fact: all of creation emanates from an absolute truth.
Now where these sources fall short is in their failure to recognize the Lord as that absolute truth and Christ as the Logos. That must be mentioned and noted. But it should also be noted that these sources began their search for truth after the fall. The fall, in my opinion, brought a spiritual amnesia that made it humanly possible only to gain fragments of the truth. So we can’t be too judgmental. In such a climate, it is easy to see way people were so prone to paganize the truth or fragment it. It took Jesus Christ coming to earth for man to receive truth in it fullness.
So recognize the truth these sources share while acknowledging their shortcomings and you’ve done no wrong.
And if you want to finance a writer’s work, buy his/her book. That’s my opinion on that issue. I don’t believe in taking up a collection for someone like that.
]]>It is not beyond even the highly educated to stretch facts or interpret facts in such a way that supports their theses. It would certainly help if a whole program was devoted to asking such people exactly what they believe.
George Ann Hughes solicits donations for Farrell because “we want to keep him writing.”
I know people who work at paying jobs but don’t always have food in their houses. Is it the church’s responsibility to finance writers?