Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Yes indeed, the famed church of the dark ages, did produce a semblance of oneness, enforced by the removal of the scriptures and reinforced by the tip of the sword. That's like a couple of old diehard commies bemoaning the splintering of their great empire into multiple nations after Gorbechev and perestroika and glasnost ruined everything. How nice it must be to chug vodka and reminisce the unanimous elections of all their public officials. "Thems vere the dayz comrade."
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While there were problems within both the RCC and the Eastern tradition, that can be said of every one of our modern splinters. Yet despite the apparent loss of emphasis on salvation through faith, I'm not sure that faith was even lost. Just the emphasis in preaching. The RCC really was just on a diversion. A recent edict had created these indulgences during one of the more egregious popes to raise money. And Martin Luther was rightly confused when he put it up against scripture.
But the "dark" picture that we have had painted for us may have been altered by intentionally leaving a dark filter on the lens. We in Protestantism, and especially those who have gone through a "superior" group like the LRC, are taught that everything before them is just plain wrong. We like to think we get over it. But do we? Or do we just continue to believe parts of it without really looking into it?
Yes, you have experience from the RCC. But do you think that you would not have stood before Christ as a Christian if you had remained there and listened, learned, etc.? Do you believe that you wound not have had faith in Christ? Did you have to have a definition of "by faith alone" for it to have been faith that would save?
Are we dismissing the process just because it is not lined up in the way that a different process is? There is more than one way to get form here to there. But they both have to, and do, pass through faith. One majors on it and the other brings you to have it without hardly mentioning it. Does the lack of mention make the latter one wrong? Maybe a little deficient. But our Protestant lens, altered by the LRC lens, declares "fallen!"