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Saturday, April 9, 2016

Quote Scripture, and be Applauded

I recently watched a video by a well-meaning individual. She was applauded as if she told her viewers something significant. I don't understand the response. The woman simply read a bunch of contextually unrelated scriptures and said she had proved her point. I couldn't figure out what the point was supposed to be.
I guess, for me, there has to be some intellectual basis for a claim that you are explaining something. I don't pull scriptures out of their original context and intent because that seems presumptuous on my part. Even if I ascribed to the idea that each person can interpret scripture to their own desire, it would not make the YouTube ramblings of many coherent.
The woman on this video claimed to be explaining the difference between God's peace, joy, light, etc. and Satan's counterfeit version. She quoted scriptures, said that shows it, and moved on to the next "point" without ever explaining the first one. I read the scriptures and put them in context, but even out of context, the "point" never revealed itself.
I knew another woman who proclaimed herself a pastor, prophet, and healer. She frequently posts scriptures which she uses improperly. We used to be friends. I used to make little comments to put the scriptures she quoted in context. She became very angry with me for pointing out what is obvious to anyone who thinks about it for more than three seconds. She was frequently told how "insightful" she was, even though all she did was take scriptures from their original context and apply them to something unrelated.
The only thing I can figure is that, if you are a protestant, all that is required for people to applaud your "knowledge" is that you quote some scriptures. It doesn't matter if they have anything to do with what you are saying. You don't have to form a cogent intellectual argument. Just quote the Bible and you will be applauded for your "insight".
The only insight I gained is the sure knowledge that I was correct in leaving Protestantism behind. Unfortunately, many people leave Christianity behind entirely because they can't see why they should blindly follow such ideas. I personally could not check my brain at the door to simply go along with everything I saw and heard behind the doors of the protestant church.
In Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, truth and faith were one. I found that the Catholic faith, as it is taught in the Church's magisterium, touches on intellect, the spiritual person, and the physical person.
It is good to study scripture. It is good to be able to appropriately quote scripture. It is an insult to use scripture improperly to garner attention for yourself. It is an insult to God to applaud those who improperly use His word. He gave us brains so that we could use them intelligently!

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