Re: Re: [asa] Random and design

On 11/25/06, Pim van Meurs <pimvanmeurs@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Is that what Janice really meant? I'd like to hear from her
> directly ~ Pim

Fair enough. Janice, have I misstated your views? ~ Rich

@ No.

~ Janice

At 10:46 PM 11/25/2006, Rich Blinne wrote:

> You don't understand her correctly. When we "expect" the worst we
> are not surprised by it and are prepared to forgive any future
> transgressions, particularly personal ones. It is also a means of
> great optimism because when social institutions and movements (and
> churches and individual Christians for that matter) fail, we are not
> depressed nor dismayed as that is not where our confidence lies. We
> wait for -- as J.R.R. Tolkien coined -- the eucatastrophy as best
> exmplified by the Cross. ~ Rich
>
>> Given the extent of altruism and reciprocal altruism found not only
>> amongst men but also on other levels of His Creation, I do not see
>> a logical link
>> between the two, in fact I see 'love thy neighbor' as an essential
>> teaching, showing that we should not distrust them. That's the
>> message of love I find
>> in the Scriptures. ~ Pim
You show precisely the misunderstanding of the lawyer that caused
Jesus to follow up the Golden Rule by the parable of the Good
Samaritan. When Jesus said "love thy neighbor" it was immediately
replied with the question who is my neighbor? The reason for the
response is the implied assumption that our "neighbor" deserves our
love. [N.B. The Calvinistic Westminster Larger Catechism exegetes the
command to not bear false witness as preserving our neighbor's good
name. Thus, slandering our non-Christian neighbor violates not only
Christianity in general but also Reformed Christianity in
particular.] Rather as the parable teaches, all our neighbor provides
is the need of our love. Whether our neighbor is "good" or "evil" is
totaly irrelevant to what Christ expects of us. In fact, Calvinism
makes Jesus' admonition even more powerful. On a relative basis, the
difference between our "good" and our neighbor's "evil" pales in
comparison to both our need for a Savior. We are to forgive because
we have been forgiven and love because we have been loved.This frees
our good works from moralistic superiority and political
grandstanding and thus ultimately glorifies God. ~ Rich

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Received on Tue Nov 28 00:25:43 2006