Re: Terry, this is probably bad form on my part, but since I'm leaving the AS...

Ed wrote,

> CHRISTIANITY RUNS THE GAMUT …
> From silent Trappist monks and quiet Quakers -- to hell raisers and
> serpent-handlers; ETC

A fascinating list of secondary and often irrelevant differences. The miracle
here is that in spite of the extraordinary gamut, virtually all of these
diverse groups are in agreemeent on the much more important essentials, and such
agreement has existed amongst very diverse Christian groups for the last two
thousand years. Namely:

 I believe in God, the Father almighty, 
creator of heaven and earth. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, 
born of the Virgin Mary, 
suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified, died, and was buried; 
he descended to the dead. 
On the third day he rose again; 
he ascended into heaven, 
he is seated at the right hand of the Father, 
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, 
the holy catholic church, 
the communion of saints, 
the forgiveness of sins, 
the resurrection of the body, 
and the life everlasting. AMEN.

To so concentrate on the secondary differences that one misses the underlying
unity of the primary issues would be less than honest intellectually.

Paul

    
Received on Tue, 12 Oct 2004 19:11:17 EDT