The advent of the Internet allows human beings to communicate in ways that have never been possible before. New perspectives on a topic such as, 'once saved always saved' may emerge now that debate is not confined to prayer groups and discussions in church halls. Wider audiences and deeper debate should lead to more sure opinions.
Dreadful atrocities have been committed in the name of Jesus in the past. People have been tortured, flogged and burnt at the stake by others who have taken upon themselves the right to pontificate about what should and what should not be believed. The rules that they set out for the system of religious truth that they hold to is called dogma.
History records cruel atrocities committed in the name of Jesus by people who have completely lost sight of His message. Miters and long purple robes are retained still but seem more and more incongruous in the twenty-first century. In the same way that some religious people might cling to vestments they may also cling to dogma, insisting on trivial points that do not matter.
Change has been one of the few constants for people living through the post Second World War era. Many previously unquestioned beliefs and values have been probed and exposed as being questionable. As a result absolute values have tended to decline and relative values have become more widely accepted than previously.
Most linguists agree with Shakespeare that 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. The flower may be called 'bara' in Japanese, or roza in Polish. Language is arbitrary and speakers of different languages attach different meanings to various sounds.
An assertion such as, 'once saved always saved' is complicated when viewed in relative terms. The verb is used twice but this does not make its meaning clearer. Any debate around the assertion must first agree on what the word means before it can proceed to discuss the difference between 'once' and 'always'. Consensus could be difficult to come by.
Dreadful atrocities have been committed in the name of Jesus in the past. People have been tortured, flogged and burnt at the stake by others who have taken upon themselves the right to pontificate about what should and what should not be believed. The rules that they set out for the system of religious truth that they hold to is called dogma.
History records cruel atrocities committed in the name of Jesus by people who have completely lost sight of His message. Miters and long purple robes are retained still but seem more and more incongruous in the twenty-first century. In the same way that some religious people might cling to vestments they may also cling to dogma, insisting on trivial points that do not matter.
Change has been one of the few constants for people living through the post Second World War era. Many previously unquestioned beliefs and values have been probed and exposed as being questionable. As a result absolute values have tended to decline and relative values have become more widely accepted than previously.
Most linguists agree with Shakespeare that 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. The flower may be called 'bara' in Japanese, or roza in Polish. Language is arbitrary and speakers of different languages attach different meanings to various sounds.
An assertion such as, 'once saved always saved' is complicated when viewed in relative terms. The verb is used twice but this does not make its meaning clearer. Any debate around the assertion must first agree on what the word means before it can proceed to discuss the difference between 'once' and 'always'. Consensus could be difficult to come by.
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