(November 29, 2011 at 3:45 am)apophenia Wrote: Telling me what it would enable me to do is not telling me what it means. Not to mention that you've essentially simply restated your first statement using different words. You remind me of the Scientologists I recently spent time with and asked them, given their advocacy of human rights, just what a [human] right is. They responded that all humans have them, if you're human, you automatically have them. Alas, I wasn't interested in who possessed them, but what exactly one was. Your answer is similar, and appears to be little more than a tap dance to avoid actually answering the question..
I think you are right!
So, we start again. You asked what the difference between tradition and theology is.
Traditional legends were handed down from times that precede the appearance of theology and organized religion and they tell us what the people believed before they were told by the priesthood what to believe. They are of pure popular origin.
Theological issues, on the other hand, are inspired by traditional legends but originate in the minds of philosophers and theologians.
The difference between them is that the legends have some value while theological ideas have none.
The Old Testament becomes the atheist’s best friend when the atheist can show that a portion of the text is based on the legend and the rest on theological imagination leaving no part having anything to do with the words or the writings of some God.
I am afraid I can do no better .