|
|
Post by marcus on Mar 8, 2010 17:52:27 GMT -8
The Bible presents a seemingly paradoxical perspective on warfare and the use of force. It's like you want to ignore that in your narrow reading of Jesus' words from the sermon on the mount. I don't think Solomon would include maintaining a strong conviction as an "extreme" either. But I do think Solomon knew that warfare was not intrinsically morally evil.... and so did Jesus. I agree about Solomon, but he wasn't a Christian. You won't be able to defend the Jesus statement very well. |
|
|
|
Post by Josh on Mar 9, 2010 12:36:34 GMT -8
Jesus taught a higher way to bring about and maintain his kingdom; he did not condemn warfare. How could He, when God himself sanctioned it at times. Jesus wasn't saying, "that was wrong" (divinely sanctioned or just warfare such as we find in the OT), He was saying, "this is better" (turning the other cheek,etc.)
|
|
|
|
Post by moritz on Mar 18, 2010 2:56:15 GMT -8
Maybe if you weren't so quick to label contradictions in Scripture you'd find some great paradoxes instead. I don't understand that.  My (and my encyclopedia's) understanding of the word paradox is that it refers to "an unresolvable contradiction". If contradiction is the essential part of the term paradox, how is a "great paradox" better than a contradiction?? I don't get it. Me stupid foreigner.  |
|
|
|
Post by Josh on Mar 18, 2010 11:25:55 GMT -8
Is that really the only defintion you found in German? The most common definition in English is: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. dictionary.reference.com/define/paradox |
|
|
|
Post by moritz on Mar 18, 2010 12:23:52 GMT -8
Is that really the only defintion you found in German? The most common definition in English is: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. dictionary.reference.com/define/paradoxWords are the best medium of communication we have and yet they are so incredibly weak. Just look at the second definition of your source: paradox = "a self-contradictory and false proposition." That's definitely the way the word is used over here. And quite different from your definition #1. How are we supposed to understand each other? But then again... acknowledging the fallibility of all human assumptions implies that even what we perceive to be false propositions could in reality be correct propositions. But that goes for everything and always cuts both ways. |
|
|
|
Post by Josh on Mar 19, 2010 10:49:44 GMT -8
c'est vrai
|
|
