[LMB] Apocrypha

[Stewart Dean]

To paraphrase the HHG2G, "Church men are not proud of their lesser books 
and never invite them round for discussion". To be absolutely cynical, I 
wouldn't be surprised that, in the canonization process, lesser stuff 
and even junk was included in the Apocrypha , so they could say, see 
this is the stuff we left out....whereas there were substantial 
competing Scripture from other Christianities that was expunged.
a) I find a lot of the arguments of devoted Christians starting from an 
hypothesis and then choosing the data to substantiate it. That's fine if 
you're imparting the articles of your faith, but isn't rigorous analysis
b) It is a commonplace that when the direct spiritual experience of God 
is institutionalized into a society/culture-tied religion, the spirit 
leaves and what is left is a very thin gruel. As may be, religion works 
for many and generally, real spiritual quest and encounter is upsetting 
to a society and the individual. Say what you will, 1) I don't think 
Christ would think much of or even recognize most religious Christianity 
as His and 2) to name a signal example, Christianity has no place now 
(or even a place in its historical family tree) for the Gospel according 
to Thomas. It never happened. See item a) above
c) I am a devout daily practitioner of my own spiritual discipline and 
firmly believe it is just one of many. I *believe* in and experience my 
God and leave others to theirs....even if "It's turtles all the way 
down" ....
>
> As Thomas Huxley concluded a lecture on Darwin, he was immediately 
> accosted by a little,old lady who challenged him to refute her 
> conviction that the world, which was flat, rested on the back of a 
> turtle. Before Huxley had a chance to respond, the lady concluded:
>
> "I know what you are going to ask, Mr. Huxley, and the answer is 
> ‘turtles all the way down.’"
>
So why the fuss? Because someone said, it's this way; behold the 
seamless garment. Oh well.....

// Stewart Dean == Kingston, NY

// home: 845-336-4815  sdean at sdean.net
// work: 845-758-7475, sdean at bard.edu