You should never have left the One True Church. I pray for your soul.
I accept the Books as a scholar would. First hand accounts (ie the four gospels) are given the highest priorities. Then second hand accounts (eg most of Paul’s letters). Then books by unknown authors. God gave me a brain and doesn’t ask me to accept things willy nilly.
Did you accept all of the books of the Catholic bible and now reject the deuterocanical books just because Marin Luther said so? Do you now reject transubstantiation, confession and the sacraments just because some preacher told you to? Nope, everyone must find their own path. You may believe yours is the correct, or only way, but I am not so certain. I respect my fellow worshipers, even though I don’t agree with them.
I would like to start a conversation with you but I couldn't - I have no start button. Do you? If so, shoot me a conversation, if you want, and we can dive into this, but rest assured it will not be short. You cannot simply post the things you do to prove your "scholarly" knowledge. It simply doesn't work that way. That's the Pharisee way and you should know that. By the way, you seem to have so many things wrong with your thinking I'm not so sure I can straighten them out. Have you ever been diagnosed as a narcissist?
Just wondering. How many of these do you qualify for:
-They feel compelled to talk about themselves, and they exaggerate their accomplishments and dominate conversations.
-They seize opportunities to demonstrate their superior knowledge and insight. They seem to have the inside info on everything.
-They feel they deserve special treatment, whether they're among friends or at a restaurant. Whatever their needs are, they need to be met now. They want automatic compliance because they are that important.
-They tend to believe they are naturally special, part of an elite class that deserves only the best. They fantasize about how much more powerful they can be, how much more special, how much richer. They also prefer to associate with other "high-status" people and may obsess over status symbols and even belittle anyone who they don't perceive to be part of the same exclusive club.
-They have to make themselves out to be superior to somebody else in a relentless quest to prove their dominance. The opponent could be a stranger or someone you love.
-They care deeply about maintaining their idealized image of themselves, and have trouble tolerating any sort of disapproval or insult. No matter how small a criticism, it feels like a huge assault, a personal attack, and one they're unlikely to forget. If they feel slighted, or abandoned, they don't get over it. Rather than deal with their hurt feelings, they get angry and seek revenge, in one form or another.
-They refuse to be held accountable for their mistakes and bad behavior and instead shift the blame to someone else. Even within a close personal relationship, they believe there is always a winner and a loser, and they'll do what it takes to win.
-Taking advantage of people may not be intentional, but it happens, because they tend to view situations in terms of what they mean for them, and them only. The reason? A lack of empathy. The inability to turn into the emotional world of others is a cornerstone of them—and what makes it so dangerous. They expect others to revolve around their needs, but they refuse to do the same for anyone else. That means to get what they want they aren't afraid to manipulate or bully whoever is in their way. Because in the end, it's always all about them.
