Why shouldn't men become gods? (Jehovah's Witnesses, spirits, protestant, Episcopal)
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Exactly so. I never suggested that their writings should supersede scripture. But they are useful for historical purposes. They are useful in studying the evolution of Christian theology over the ages, and demonstrating that ideas most people believe to have originated in relatively modern times by "heretics" were actually taught by respected Christian leaders in the early centuries of Christianity. My point was merely that they apparently saw in the scriptures an indication that God planned to enable man to acquire attributes and qualities of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to eventually attain divinity. C.S. Lewis saw it, too, and nobody I've ever talked to considers him a heretic because of it.
Acquire attributes? No. But we are made righteous by Christ.
Exactly so. I never suggested that their writings should supersede scripture. But they are useful for historical purposes. They are useful in studying the evolution of Christian theology over the ages, and demonstrating that ideas most people believe to have originated in relatively modern times by "heretics" were actually taught by respected Christian leaders in the early centuries of Christianity. My point was merely that they apparently saw in the scriptures an indication that God planned to enable man to acquire attributes and qualities of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to eventually attain divinity. C.S. Lewis saw it, too, and nobody I've ever talked to considers him a heretic because of it.
It was the same sin that got Satan cast out of heaven. He thought he could be God.
Who? Just so you know, there has never been... and there never will be... an Angel cast out of Heaven. Once an Angel, always an Angel. The very fact of being an Angel, means "no sin."
So, therefore, the story about Satan is untrue. It was Adam and Eve, who by their own thoughts of superiority, determined they could be God. They were wrong and they suffered the consequences of their bad decision. No other entity was involved. There was no serpent. They did it to themselves.
Having "divinity" in your soul, doesn't make you a God. It means that you possess the attributes or qualities of soul which God has. This is God's gift to us to either accept or reject... Divine Love... Soul Love. If we desire immortality, then receiving Divine Love is a prerequisite.
Perhaps you have no desire to do so, but to me, striving to acquire His many positive attributes is the highest honor we could possibly pay Him. He set a perfect example for us -- of love, charity, forgiveness, wisdom, loyalty, mercy, justice, compassion, honesty, etc. Why on earth would anyone not want to pattern their life after His and strive towards becoming like Him? And why on earth would God not want us to be as much like His Only Begotten Son as possible?
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But we are made righteous by Christ.
I can't comment until I understand what you mean by this. If you think that by having faith in Christ, you are suddenly transformed from an "unrighteous" person into a "righteous" one, I disagree. I believe that Jesus Christ imparts to each of us His grace, and that it is through this grace that we can become -- not without a great deal of effort on our part -- something much greater than we could ever even hope to become without that grace.
It was the same sin that got Satan cast out of heaven. He thought he could be God.
That's a great over-simplification of what actually happened, and it's also completely different from what the early Christian fathers and C.S. Lewis taught.
That's a great over-simplification of what actually happened, and it's also completely different from what the early Christian fathers and C.S. Lewis taught.
C.S. Lewis was not inspired. Neither were the church fathers.
C.S. Lewis was not inspired. Neither were the church fathers.
And you know this how? Because no one has been inspired after the deaths of the apostles or because their theology doesn't match up with yours? I think most Christians find C.S. Lewis to be quite inspired, to be perfectly honest. Did God whisper something in your ear that He didn't intend for the rest of the Christian world to know?
And you know this how? Because no one has been inspired after the deaths of the apostles or because their theology doesn't match up with yours? I think most Christians find C.S. Lewis to be quite inspired, to be perfectly honest. Did God whisper something in your ear that He didn't intend for the rest of the Christian world to know?
Do you have them in your Scriptures? If not...better get them included.
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