ejh@sei.cmu.edu (Erik Hardy) (02/25/91)
In article <Feb.17.22.49.30.1991.21149@athos.rutgers.edu> st0o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Steven Timm) writes: = [given as a comment on David Wagner's post about the Messiah] =I think it is essential to remember that we as Christians can learn from =all peoples and all religions (Satanism excluded). If we are so sure of =ourselves that we have nothing more to learn, then why have we not all =been taken to heaven because we are perfect? There are some that read this newsgroup that would exclude the Roman Catholic church, as it has been shown to them that the RCC is truly the work of the Devil. Now I don't believe this for one second, and I'm sure you don't either. But the folks that espouse this view are clearly talking from ignorance. I'm sure there are other examples that various people could raise. My point is: on what grounds would you exclude any religion, given your statement above? I'm not saying that there is some Eternal Truth (tm) to be gained from the study of Satanism; I'm suggesting that studying (and understanding) a religion, from the point of view of its practitioners, may give one insight into one's own, as you implicitly acknowledge above. That's what I'm trying to do [no, I'm not equating Satanism to Christianity; I'm just trying to understand the basis for beliefs of others]. Also, cannot the study of Satanism give one insight into the workings of the enemy of God, so that one might know better how to counter Satan? Seems to me that 'know thy enemy' isn't bad advice. > > >Steve Timm erik [While many anti-Catholic postings strike me as the work of confirmed no-nothings, I think you may be misunderstanding the nature of some of what has been said here. E.g. one of our regulars takes the traditional Lutheran position that the Catholic Church has allocated to the Pope authority that belongs only to God, and thus has some of the marks of the anti-Christ. I do not believe this position is based on ignorance, though you may regard it as extremist. One can take this position while realizing that individual Catholics (possibly even including the Pope) are saved, and that the church may even in many cases be teaching people about Christ. --clh]