From: Howard J. Van Till (hvantill@chartermi.net)
Date: Thu Jun 26 2003 - 15:38:00 EDT
>From: "Terry M. Gray" <grayt@lamar.colostate.edu>
> As for [George's] comment about Enthusiasts,
> while I agree , I wonder how, in the view that Howard seems to be
> putting forth, one would defend this position. ... ...
> While I doubt that the Enthusiasts' appeal to experience is
> the same as Howard's appeal to experience, I wonder what significant
> difference there really is.
While I know practically nothing about "the Enthusiasts" as a particular
historical movement, I presume this can also refer to the claim of any
individual (or closely knit community) to have had some privileged
experience of the Sacred (God, if you prefer).
If so, my comment would be that all such reports would have to be submitted
to the broader religious community and the test of time. Whether in the
domain of science or theology, individual reports of anything stand or fall
on the long-term fruitfulness of the report, along with such things as
consistency with the experience of the larger community. Individual reports,
especially when highly unusual or accompanied by claims of privileged
status, deserve careful scrutiny.
Howard Van Till
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