Dean wrote: > If this is true-Where does this place Jesus when he > called them hypocrites-foxes-blind leading the blind?
Jesus's style of argumentation was not one whereby he resorted to ad hominem attacks. Most of the recorded teachings of Jesus are void of any kind of name calling. In those few cases where he did employ it, they were not the result of his lack of arguments. Rather, he mixed in much explanation and forceful arguments for why he was applying the label. For example, read Matthew 23 where Jesus does a lot of name calling. He does not just get frustrated with his opponents and yell, "HYPOCRITE! BLIND MAN!" Rather, he cites many examples of how they practice their hypocrisy. On TruthTalk, while we do not allow ad hominem attacks, we do afford enough latitude such that you can use labels. For example, you can say, "I believe you are deceived David because you say ..." If your label is couched with information that can be responded to, that will be ok. Nevertheless, I would warn that it is a slippery slope to use labels in this way. People too often get lazy and rely on the labels rather than the arguments when they go down this path. Use labels sparingly and deliberately. If you find that the label you use causes the person you are addressing to withdraw from discussion, or it causes them to change the subject to defending themselves rather than defending their idea of truth, then you need to back off of the labels and apply yourself to discussing the concepts involved. The goal of this list is to discuss truth with people who have different systems of knowledge, not for people to fight and malign one another. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
