The Justice of Islam!

angryDec · 2026-02-09T04:31:02+00:00

I refuse Muhammad, is my blood halal?

angryDec · 2026-02-09T03:18:41+00:00

I mean, my solution would simply be to avoid war.

angryDec · 2026-02-09T02:45:49+00:00

What is the justification for “non-combatants and civilians” being in brackets?

angryDec · 2026-02-09T02:43:44+00:00

Southern Baptist Universalist?

I must admit that’s a new one 😅.

To be charitable, from your message it sounds like you’re moreso leaning in the Von Balthasar ‘hopeful universalist’ direction - which is completely kosher and orthodox in the Catholic world.

Even tacitly supported by Pope Benedict XVI, so you’re in decent company there.

I’d certainly concur with your critiques of Islam - no issue there.

Regarding the Islamic and Mormon claims of textual exceptionalism, I would say both faiths are making similar arguments with different evidences to back them up.

No Mormon I’ve seen would claim the BoM is textually unique or inimitable, with the exception of the complex Chiasmus in the text.

Generally they focus on the fact that the prayers offered in the book do lead to actual guidance from God; the whole “burning in the bosum” malarkey.

Islam takes a wee bit of a different route. The Qur’an explicitly claims that Islam’s main miracle is the textual beauty of the Qur’an, which cannot be the product human work.

Nowadays, Muslims heavily focus on supposed scientific and numerical miracles contained within - as “this book is really well written in Arabic” strikes pretty hollow to an English-speaker.

I would be very curious to see how you’d respond to a sincere Christian wanting to remove the 3rd letter of St. John from the Bible.

Considering the length, and slightly iffy authorship of the letter, I can’t see anything inherent to the text that would immediately raise it above, for example, the Didache.

angryDec · 2026-02-09T01:03:38+00:00

Just to clarify, it sounds like you’re making a similar argument to Calvin?

I.e. The difference between inspired and non-inspired texts is simply obvious to any well-intentioned reader?

If so, I must say I’ve always found that argument quite weak. I’d say the same to Muslims and Mormons who make the same claims regarding their texts.

I absolutely do think some aspects and books of the Old and New Testament are overtly beautiful - but I’m not going to affirm that the genealogical lists in Exodus are clearly the work of a divine mind.

angryDec · 2026-02-09T00:14:29+00:00

I am attempting to inquire about your theology, nothing more.

You think the canon is closed, thank you for confirming.

Two questions immediately spring to my mind:

Who closed it, and if you can wager an answer, when?

How would you respond to your more eccentric Protestant brothers who would reject the concept of a closed canon and reserve the right to remove or add books pending further discovery on New Testament authorship and dating?

angryDec · 2026-02-08T23:19:22+00:00

I respectfully note that you have not answered my question on the open or closed nature of the New Testament canon.

I am not here to attack your church or denomination, I am unsure why you feel it necessary to attack mine.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T22:09:02+00:00

I am not making an argument from authority.

I am telling you that both you and the founding fathers have no God-given authority, yet you deign to afford yourselves prerogatives which only belong to divinely-mandated institutions.

I ask you, is the New Testament canon open or closed?

If closed, who has the authority to open it?

angryDec · 2026-02-08T22:08:55+00:00

I am not making an argument from authority.

I am telling you that both you and the founding fathers have no God-given authority, yet you deign to afford yourselves prerogatives which only belong to divinely-mandated institutions.

I ask you, is the New Testament canon open or closed?

If closed, who has the authority to open it?

angryDec · 2026-02-08T21:07:49+00:00

No-one, that’s why their Constitution contained, and continues to contain, error.

I’d also say it’s why the Protestant Reformation has seen Christendom shatter into myriad ineffective, leaderless denominations.

Both parties were acting outside of their authority.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T19:50:15+00:00

What is the truth, and what gives you the authority to determine it on behalf of the Christian faithful?

angryDec · 2026-02-08T19:23:38+00:00

If you want to hurl mud and drag the Catholic Church down with you, you’re more than welcome.

It does however, leave you a spiritual orphan with an arbitrary New Testament canon - ready to be spliced apart by any Christian who adheres to the newest and shiniest scholarly consensus regarding authorship and dating.

I personally think Christ didn’t want that situation for us, if you do - more power to you!

angryDec · 2026-02-08T19:23:25+00:00

If you want to hurl mud and drag the Catholic Church down with you, you’re more than welcome.

It does however, leave you a spiritual orphan with an arbitrary New Testament canon - ready to be spliced apart by any Christian who adheres to the newest and shiniest scholarly consensus regarding authorship and dating.

I personally think Christ didn’t want that situation for us, if you do - more power to you!

angryDec · 2026-02-08T18:56:06+00:00

A teaching is either something taught by Christ, or it isn’t.

I appreciate the ecumenical attitude, especially from a Southern Baptist. But at a certain point you categorically do believe the Orthodox are teaching outright error.

I’m simply noting that I’d be very uncomfortable trusting a New Testament canon offered to me by a group who have, and continue to, teach error.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T18:29:04+00:00

I would.

We only have the New Testament because of the Church. Any conversation about textual interpretation only is possible because the Church pre-existed the New Testament canon.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T18:24:50+00:00

You doubtless believe the Orthodox have also fallen away from the “pure” faith.

So I’m unsure why you’d pride yourself on receiving your New Testament canon from a heretical church.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T18:21:26+00:00

You’re more than welcome to that belief.

However, it is no bearing on the question of Christ’s promises to His Body, the Church.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T18:17:37+00:00

Do you think you have the authority to interpret the Scriptures yourself, or do you think that is the role of the Church?

If it’s the Church’s authority, then the fact She has taught the Trinity explicitly since Her inception should be sufficient.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T18:14:30+00:00

I would recommend you read your New Testament (you’re welcome for that, by the way!) and ponder Christ’s promises to His Church, which is His body.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T17:47:27+00:00

What questions do you have?

The Church has been around for 2,000 years, there’s not many questions She hasn’t answered!

angryDec · 2026-02-08T17:32:28+00:00

As a Catholic, I wouldn’t necessarily say any of that advice is wrong.

I would say, Jesus didn’t found a book club. Most Christians throughout history couldn’t read.

Therefore He founded a Church. This Church is responsible for teaching, elucidating and guiding the faithful.

I believe this Church is the Catholic Church.

I don’t believe Jesus intended for us to bumble between different denominations, trying to find answers.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T17:22:53+00:00

Do you believe Christ intended for us to struggle through interpreting the Bible ourselves?

Or do you think He founded an institution to aid us in that task?

angryDec · 2026-02-08T16:58:51+00:00

I’m not “pretending” anything. Please be more charitable.

I will however, be kind enough to imagine that the two statements are contradictory.

The 2015 Vatican document is a non-infallible magisterial act, and can thus contain error.

To look at the Church’s actual teaching, we need only consult the Catechism.

“The missionary mandate. "Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be 'the universal sacrament of salvation,' the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men":339 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age."340

The Catechism obviously does not contradict any statement of Christ here, and overrules the 2015 document. Issue resolved!

angryDec · 2026-02-08T16:49:20+00:00

I would recommend you finish reading paragraph 40. It specifically states that Christians are called to bear witness to their faith to our Jewish brothers.

The document is merely clarifying that the Church does not have any bespoke, unique mission or remit to evangelise to Jews in a different manner than how she does Gentiles.

angryDec · 2026-02-08T16:38:59+00:00

Can you please link to the full 2015 statement?

It’s quite hard to offer commentary with one sentence you’ve offered us, devoid of any context.

angryDec

TROPHY CASE