Postcard to Angela

The reference you deleted was a response to what Servetus posted from Tertullian.  Are quotes from the Church Father's now harrassment posts? If Tertullian can be quoted to mock Christians, then surely Ignatius of Antioch can be quoted to counter that!  Or, do you allow Christians to be mocked here continuously, and then when they defend Christianity, resort to your tyrannical "deletions" and bannings, etc.  ?

If only heretical opinions regarding Christianity are allowed here (and Tertullian was heretical in many ways) then come out clearly and post that rule.  But don't make a pretense of being even-handed, SK, because you are not.

I was responding to Servetus, not to you. 

Also, who are you to tell me to "go away?"  Are you a monitor now?

Furthermore, I don't consider the mocking of the Christian faith to be a laughing matter, as you obviously do. 

�If Tertullian can be quoted to mock Christians, then surely Ignatius of Antioch can be quoted to counter that!�

Dear Athanasius,

It�s too bad that I couldn�t hear the rejoinder; I do empathize  with your plight.

At any rate, and in case this is Judgement Day, I shall hereby mount my defense.  Tertullian was not in this case quoted to mock Christians.  I quoted Tertullian (to Angela) not least as proof that a pugnacious Church Father, identified in my above post as �troubled� exactly because of his little foray into Montanism, himself recognized that one of his chief contentions, that Christ had been resurrected, was absurd.  He then employed that absurdity to his polemical advantage.  Just exactly because it was absurd, it was therefore to Tertullian believable.  He had a fantastic sense of paradox, as I see it, and employed it well in this dialogue.  I am, at times, quite a fan of his, actually (although more so of Origen), and do wish that I had paid a bit more attention in Latin so that I could read him in the original.

As for mocking �Christians,� in that massively generalizing sense of the word, well, were I to do that, I would have both Hell and my mom to pay, now wouldn�t I?

Continuing here with the post-card theme:  �having a heck of a time, oh dear, glad you are here.�

Regards,

Serv