Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl00605)

Dear Daniel,

As long as you say "It is totally unaceptable to say that we
can interpret to suit our own thinking," we don't have much of
a basis for a dialogue, because I believe that people must do
their own thinking, & come to their own decisions. I don't find
it very fruitful to just parrot a Truth that somebody else has
told them is the Truth. I myself need to know first how the
other person arrived at this great Truth. Is he (or she) other
than a human being? Can he ( or she) perceive the entire
Universe at a glance, & thus realize what Truth is? You might
say that Jesus is able to do this, & I'll agree with you, but
you're not Jesus ... only a human person using Jesus as a role
model, trying to make Jesus' words come alive, as they're
recorded in the NT. That brings me to my 2d point. Your role
model is too bloodthirsty for me. He is peace, & but He also
comes to destroy the earth, & the wicked, & is a figure to be
feared. Why must He be so to you? I think of my role model as
being kind, gentle, loving, healing, protective. Were I a
follower of Jesus, I would see these qualities in Him, & I
would try to imitate Him in these ways. The Jesus of the Bible
had these qualities.

Liesel