Thanks for your thoughtful and detailed response. Interesting to read your POV on the subject.
The reason for this topic was to list seven BAD reasons to judge a doctrine as false.
The parenthetical statements accompanying each choice reveal why.
Interestingly, there were nearly 21 pages of responses, most choosing their personal BAD reason. - LOL
What makes a doctrine false?
Please quote what you would like to respond to. Thanks.
1. You've never heard it before. (knee-jerk defensive response)
2. You have heard of it before, but assume it's false. (haven't looked into it)
3. Doesn't align with your church's doctrine (your church would say it is false)
4. Doesn't align with your personal doctrine (your views differ)
5. YOUR "Bible" says it is false. (other biblical opinions don't matter)
6. It makes you uncomfortable. (therefore it must be wrong)
7. Everyone knows it's false. (except those who believe it)
]
Well since you are interested, I will give you even more of my thoughts from my years of Christian Blogging as an Eastern Christian and a Psych major and Grad student (very handy when it comes to Epistemology, including in Christianity). I do
1) Naive Realism
A lot of your points, boil down to this. Naive Realism is the belief that people see "reality" perfectly clearly (Tabla Rasa) These people do not realize that they "interpret" the Bible and that interpretation is actually affected by their beliefs, culture, past experiences, and various other kinds of assumptions that might not be that correct. So they are like the fish, that doesn't know that it is swimming in water. Anyway, we all "See through the Glass Darkly" as the Bible says.
2A) Before there was a Bible, there was the Apostolic Preaching
I find this point really important dealing with certain Fundamentalists etc. because it is a big ingredient when it comes to dogma etc.
2B) Besides being "Biblical" there is something called "Phronema" (mindset) that also is very important! The basic attitude or mentality applied to something. The New Testament actually uses the word "mind"
Nous quite a few times to talk about this sort of thing.
3) Paradosis is also very important. This is rendered "tradition" in English translations. This is seen often as negative by some, or maybe as a nice supplementary thing by conservative magisterial Protestants but it is more than that. Jesus had a lot to say negatively concerning the activities of the Pharisees, but saint Paul used it positively to describe his work on two occasions in the epistles. But more important this concept actually describes the Bible (and Canonization) itself. Paradosis literally refers to the act of passing on something like a heritage to the next generation. And yes it definitely fits the history of the Church and the Bible in terms of it being a curated product etc.
4) Besides all this the Church is Concilliar body when it comes to hearing the Holy Spirit etc. Acts 15 especially drives that point home as far as the demands made of the gentiles for being converted. And this precedent goes back to the early days of the Jews, all the way back to Moses and Aaron and the tabernacle, and the 70 judges that assisted Moses etc.
5) The Term "Binding and Loosening" mentioned in the Gospels and at least one "Great Commision" is a rabbinic term. It actually originally refers to governing halacha, (how the many commandments of the Torah would be implemented practically as everyday practice).
but the concept is very significant. (In the past I have brought these concepts dealing with Sabbatarian groups).
6) The Biblical principle of "In the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses" things are established a very common saying not just for the Old Testament but cited by Jesus and saint Paul, and maybe other apostles. (This principle bolsters the previous two making ancient Christian Church practice authoritative).
7) I do invoke Bible passages that speak about honoring people in leadership when talking about certain Church fathers, especially Ignatius of Antioch because I think he more than anybody outside the Bible should be respected for his experience (being mentored by saint John the Divine)m his Martyrdom etc. and I think people dismiss these ancient believers leading Christianity just outside of the New Testament times too easily.
