(February 24, 2014 at 7:11 am)max-greece Wrote:Quote:Gone so badly wrong? Stating that there are denominations within Christianity is one thing, to which I would agree, and then using that as an argument that things have "gone so badly wrong" is another. That is a non-sequitur logical fallacy.
Really?
Can they all be right? If they are all right - then they are all wrong in that each one claims to be the one true path and that all others are wrong.
There is a logical fallacy - but it ain't mine.
If one is right and the rest are wrong what else could it be but bad communications from God?
Quick story:
On a visit to Israel with the wife. We are at the supposed place of Jesus death. 3 churches are at war over the site. Wife is Greek Orthodox and wants to light a candle. The Greek orthodox shop is closed. We go to the open Coptic church shop. The monk, when he discovers that we want to put a candle in the Greek Orthodox part refuses to sell us one.
That is a personal experience of the mildest (but most entertaining for me) form.
I could talk about the "troubles" in Northern Ireland, Henry the 8th and his FED DEI title - awarded by the then Pope for his war on the Huguenots - obviously before he declared himself the head of the English, Protestant Church.
The council of worms. The schism between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Church of Rome. Endless wars and battles for supremacy between different sects.
Where two or more Christian denominations differ in their truth claims to the point that the claims are contradictory, it is evident that they cannot all be true. There is no debating this.
However to take this and then say that this necessarily means that God has messed up in communicating His will to His people is simply fallacious. The conclusion does not follow from the presmises and therefore is a logical fallacy of the non-sequitur type.
I do sympathize with you regarding the undeniable fact that within Christianity there are divisions. Those Christians who have failed to love one another and who have been the cause of division within the church due to selfish and self centered motives will be judged by Christ for not doing what they know is right.
It does not follow from this that God is to blame. Blame the men and women who desire to be called Christians but do not obey Christ's teachings.