Re: " Heresies & Hereticks"
Aloha brother VR,
Thanks so much for the compliment. I also have enjoyed your Posts (especially your sense of humor), and I appreciate any and all comments or suggestions that you may make. {I have never claimed "
infallibility" for my Posts -
Like I do for my Bible . 
}
I believe that we really are not very far apart on our understanding of the difference between an Apostate and a Heretick.
I believe that an Apostate is someone that has abandoned (or forsaken) his/her religion or sect (beliefs or doctrines) entirely, or nearly so. And who (normally) embraces a new or different religion or sect (beliefs or doctrines -
often in opposition to what he/she believed before.)
While a Heretick is someone who
professes to believe in a particular religion or sect but who
twists, or
changes, or
subtracts or
adds to one or more (but
not many) major tenants of that religion or sect.
I don't think that I did a very good job expressing what I believe in the Post (limited space - is just as good as any other excuse
). However I will endeavor to explain myself more fully in the following. For example I Posted:
1. A person who - Does not believe in God (The God of the Bible) = an
APOSTATE, Atheist or Agnostic.
It would have been more self-explanatory had I perhaps done it this way:
1. A person who - Does not believe in God (The God of the Bible) = an Atheist, or an Agnostic, or (possibly) an
APOSTATE.
The point that I was trying to get across is that (Biblically) while it is possible for an Apostate to walk away from (forsake) his religion or sect (for example - not believe in God anymore), a Heretick (Biblically) cannot do that without becoming an Apostate. {Whereupon they lose their "
heretick"
status and become something else!}
I didn't mean to "lump" Apostates with Atheists and Agnostics as being the same. But I can see where someone could have gotten the impression (from my Post) that
all Apostates
do not believe in God, and instead, what I was trying to convey is that an Apostate (Biblically) can (possibly) hold to a belief that there is no God, but a Heretick (Biblically) cannot. Thus the whole purpose was to try to differentiate between the two.
There is a "
line" that a Heretick must cross in order to become an Apostate and the purpose of the Post was to try to illustrate that "
line". or "
lines", (said "
illustrations", I in no way claim to be "perfect")
Although there is a fine line between the two - Someone who is an Apostate cannot possibly be a Heretick, since an Apostate turns his/her back on their religion (beliefs or doctrines) and forsakes it, while the Heretick will hang in there and pretend that he/she believes what everyone else in his/her religion or sect believes, but in reality they do not believe
EVERYTHING that they profess to believe. {In other words a Heretick is a "wolf in sheep's clothing", while an Apostate is a "
wolf"
in wolf's clothing!}
It's pretty easy to spot an Apostate, while on the other hand, a Heretick is "
horse of another color"!
{a "false brethren" perhaps?}
I would think that all Cults and Religions that profess to believe in God (or a god) Mormons, JW's, etc,; Islam, Baha'i, etc.; are not technically "
atheist", since they profess to believe in "god", I would classify them under the title of unbelievers or non-believers.
Your comments on "major" or "minor" doctrines is well taken, and that is why I listed most of (what I consider) the "major" doctrines in my Post (although I couldn't Post all) - and certainly there may be some that genuine Bible believers may disagree on, but I think most reasonable believers could come to an agreement on most.
I have a question though about your take on "Mormons" or "other Cults" - If they never believed the Truth (The Gospel and the Major Biblical Doctrines) I cannot understand how they can be "heretics" (in the Biblical sense), since they never believed the Truth in the beginning?
I believe that if we were to sit down and hash this thing out face to face (verbally), that there wouldn't be one iota's difference between us.
Again brother, let me say (sincerely) that I appreciate any and all input from brethren that I know who are also sincere (present company accepted!) I am willing to be corrected anytime, since I desire to embrace as pure doctrine as I possibly can.
Your criticisms are appreciated and please don't hesitate to comment on my Posts. I may be an "old curmudgeon", but I'm a good listener when it comes to brethren that I respect and care for. {"
Humanists", "
Sophists", and "
Heretics" are another story.}
