How to side-step the 10 Commandments in only 3 moves...

[T-Bone]

I thought about putting this in Doctrinal – but I kept thinking this really belongs in About the Way because it addresses TWI's indoctrination process for justifying sin. Moderators feel free to move it to an appropriate spot…So anyway…here goes…

How can you side-step the 10 Commandments and still be a "good" Christian? VPW-based thinking provides an easy 3 step process:

1. Shift reference point from specific mandates – the 10 Commandments – to a nebulous thing called "love." I think the Bible does show an equivalency of love and obeying the 10 Commandments. And this is the point of departure for VPW. He does this at the beginning of PFAL, as he answers the question "what's the greatest sin that a man can commit?" from Matthew 22:34-40. He says something to the effect that if you love God and neighbor you won't go around breaking the commandments. At some point he rephrases his comment to something like "if you love God and neighbor you can do as you full-well please." In my opinion – this is a subtle shift in focus – from something objective/specific/static [the commands listed in Exodus 20:1-17] – to something subjective/vague/dynamic - one's own definition of "love".

2. Sever the connection of love from the 10 Commandments. This is easily done by hyper-dispensationalism, with the logic of "they were given under another administration…we're no longer under the law…we live by a higher law – the law of love." True – Christians are no longer bound to any ceremonial laws of the Old Testament – but I do not find any scriptural indications that release Christians from the moral laws of the Bible.

3. Re-define "love". Scripture offers both a "negative" description of love [like the 10 Commandments Exodus 20:1-17 – most are prohibitions – "You shall not", or in I Corinthians 13 – some passages show what love is not] and a "positive" description of love [like I Corinthians 13 – some verses are encouraging one to be kind, persevere, hope, trust, etc.]. There's actually quite a bit of ground to cover if we want to abstract from Scripture a comprehensive definition of love from every occurrence of the word and its synonyms and include passages where love is exemplified by someone. Bible study is great – and one way we learn is by categorizing and defining things in our own terms and things we're familiar with – but I believe Christianity is more about lordship than scholarship, about the love-defining moments of doing or NOT doing something. Here's my definition of Christian love: It's anything that I DO or DON'T DO based on specific biblical directives or exemplified by someone in Scripture. Yeah…it's kinda long and clunky…needs to be shorter and have some KJV words in it so it sounds Bible-ish…Maybe you'd prefer how VPW so elephantly put it – "the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation." – Hmm – what does that mean? Whatever you want. I've heard VPW say on many occasions, "Anything done in the love of God is okay". This malleable definition facilitates an "end justifies the means" decision-making process. If I think what I'm about to do is in the best interest of God or people [which includes me] then everything is fine. It's the kind of thinking that says: "I've so renewed my mind that something like that doesn't bother me…the love of God thinketh no evil…I'm spiritually mature and can handle that…Unto the pure all things are pure…It's just a walk – what I allow in my life – maybe you wouldn't allow in yours…Happy is he that condemns not the thing that he allows…"

…What do you think? Any comments or other ideas on this topic?

Edited April 23, 2007 by T-Bone

[Bolshevik]

Maybe you'd prefer how VPW so elephantly put it –

…What do you think? Any comments or other ideas on this topic?

elephantly?

I do love your post T-Bone. Please continue. Maybe with how "we don't just fulfill the law, we go beyond it." I don't know where they came up with that. Maybe it's in the Word, maybe not. What's beyond the law? The greater love? Throwing out the golden rule "love thy neighbor as thyself" with "love thy neighbor as Christ loves them". When you ask leadership what they think of someone they usually say "I think the Word of them!"

dude, keep going

[Listener]

Boy, I'll have to chew on that for a bit. Reading it brought a flood of thoughts...just need time to sort through them.

[waysider]

Good stuff. T-Bone.

[Son of the Master]

Easy to figure out... If you love God you will keep His commandments.

[T-Bone]

elephantly? ...

I'm glad you appreciated that, Bolshevik. And just for the record it is not the "wrong misnomer" or a proofreader's oversight – but actually an interpolation that whelped up inside of me. As I was drafting this post the phrase originally went like this: "Maybe you'd prefer how VPW so eloquently put it – "the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation." I had "eloquently" italicized to make a sarcastic point of how devoted followers have such a high regard for his words. But I'm prone to fits of silliness and thought "eloquently" sounds like "elephantly" – and after recalling how people thought his drivel was "heavy revey" I figured a big fat awkward elephant would better express my current opinion of his nonsense…All those wishing to see it in the original are out of luck since there's nothing original about a plagiarist .

Edited April 24, 2007 by T-Bone

[Bolshevik]

I'm glad you appreciated that, Bolshevik. And just for the record it is not the "wrong misnomer" or a proofreader's oversight – but actually an interpolation that whelped up inside of me. As I was drafting this post the phrase originally went like this: "Maybe you'd prefer how VPW so eloquently put it – "the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation." I had "eloquently" italicized to make a sarcastic point of how devoted followers have such a high regard for his words. But I'm prone to fits of silliness and thought "eloquently" sounds like "elephantly" – and after recalling how people thought his drivel was "heavy revey" I figured a big fat awkward elephant would better express my current opinion of his nonsense…All those wishing to see it in the original are out of luck since there's nothing original about a plagiarist .

I bet you could break down what just happened here into three steps.

[T-Bone]

Listener – take your time…this stuff is nothing new for GSC – sometimes it's like a never-ending CSI episode – people going over details of the crime scene again and again – more of the puzzle comes together…we all have something to contribute here…and personally I don't tire reviewing the doctrinal/practical aspects of TWI – it does a brain good! Sometimes it's reading someone's post – a detail will stand out and I think, "Wow – I saw that too" or "I felt the same way." It's healing…sanity affirming…Or sometimes it's the dynamic process of drafting a post – my internal editor is like an excited coach on the sidelines cheering me on, "Yes, yes, yes!!! That's how you got tricked!...Stay on point!...No – don't get into that yet – sort it out a little more first…See how that fits with what the other person said three posts back." Understanding…clarification…realization…great therapy!

Waysider – thanks brother!

Son of the Master – yup, simple answers rate high in my book too! Your comment made me think of Jesus' words in John 13:34 – a new commandment I give you – that you love one another as I have loved you. He did say that the law and the prophets [the entire body of Scripture that existed in His day] hang on love.

Bolshevik – thanks for mentioning the Golden Rule. Is it just me – or does it seem like TWI has such a complex/contradictory/convoluted doctrinal system compared to Jesus' simple theology of love? Maybe that's how people get tricked into breaking the commandments. TWI's complicated theology throws up such a smokescreen to the conscience. So it no longer feels like you're crashing through a barricade - it's just a little detour - walking around the NO Trespassing sign...And to respond to your challenge in post # 7 – I present the following steps to how any of my "interpolations" happen [in the format of my first post]:

1. Shift reference point from the man-a-god persona to what he was really like "back stage."

2. Sever the connection to Way-brain – acknowledge what your eyes and conscience tell you.

3. Re-define his character according to the picture you acquired in step 2.

Edited April 26, 2007 by T-Bone