To Argue or Not to Argue

Hi everyone!
Hmm, not really sure what prompted this post, but probably a variety of different things. I have found myself in many discussions lately. They just seem to happen. A lot of people these days have a "no-opinion" attitude--they say that this is Christlike. Anyway, it kind of made me think what is the right way to argue things. Is it ever right to argue? What does arguing mean anyway? I looked up the definition for arguing in the dictionary and got a variety of things--including to give reasons for or against things, to contend or disagree in words, to give evidence of, to consider the pros and cons of. . . I don't think any of these are necessarily bad if done in the right context.
So I went to the scriptures for some advice. . .
First of all, you shouldn't argue with a fool, who you have no hope of reasoning with. Proverbs 26:4, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." There is a time to argue with a fool though as it says in the next verse, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." I think that the only way we can know what to do in such a circumstance is to listen to the Holy Spirit. As it says in Ecclesiastes. . . "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. . ."
There is a benefit in good discussions though. Proverbs 1:5, "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shal attain unto wise counsels." Every person needs wise counselers.
One of my pet peeves is when people turn a discussion into a fight, because they simply cannot defend their believes. This is wrong. We should be ready always to give an answer. (1 Pet. 3:15). and be able to act like adults. 1 Cor 14:20, "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." There is a way to say things. . . "speaking the truth in love." (Eph 4:15).
Just remember above all, that God is the only one who understands all things and is right. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death." When I discuss things, I keep an open mind; this does not mean that I'm "carried about with every doctrine," though. I try to take everything with a grain of salt.
Anyway, I would welcome any discussion on this matter :D

Bible Version Debate

Somebody asked me about Bible Versions. So here's some information that I found. Basically, it's a text issue. I think that people should study the two different texts from which all versions originate. The KJV is the only translation from the Textus Receptus and all the others are from the Codex Sinaiticus. Anyway, I've tried to find some easy to understand information about this topic. First of all, I don't see anything wrong with going back to the original Greek to understand something a little bit more clearly and I do NOT believe that everyone who uses a different versino is going to hell. I believe the KJV is the most accurate translation, but I believe that God can use other versions to speak to people.

Consider these facts and oddities relating to the Codex Sinaiticus:

1. The Sinaiticus was written by three different scribes and was corrected later by several others. (This was the conclusion of an extensive investigation by H.J.M. Milne and T.C. Skeat of the British Museum, which was published in Scribes and Correctors of Codex Sinaiticus, London, 1938.) Tischendorf counted 14,800 corrections in this manuscript (David Brown, The Great Uncials, 2000). Dr. F.H.A. Scrivener, who published A Full Collation of the Codex Sinaiticus in 1864 testified: "The Codex is covered with alterations of an obviously correctional character—brought in by at least ten different revisers, some of them systematically spread over every page, others occasional, or limited to separate portions of the manuscript, many of these being contemporaneous with the first writer, but for the greater part belonging to the sixth or seventh century." Thus, it is evident that scribes in bygone centuries did not consider the Sinaiticus to represent a pure text. Why it should be so revered by modern textual critics is a mystery.

2. A great amount of carelessness is exhibited in the copying and correction. "Codex Sinaiticus 'abounds with errors of the eye and pen to an extent not indeed unparalleled, but happily rather unusual in documents of first-rate importance.' On many occasions 10, 20, 30, 40 words are dropped through very carelessness. Letters and words, even whole sentences, are frequently written twice over, or begun and immediately cancelled; while that gross blunder, whereby a clause is omitted because it happens to end in the same words as the clause preceding, occurs no less than 115 times in the New Testament." (John Burgon, The Revision Revised)It is clear that the scribes who copied the Codex Sinaiticus were not faithful men of God who treated the Scriptures with utmost reverence. The total number of words omitted in the Sinaiticus in the Gospels alone is 3,455 compared with the Greek Received Text (Burgon, p. 75).

3. Mark 16:9-20 is omitted in the Codex Sinaiticus, but it was originally there and has been erased.

4. Codex Sinaiticus includes the apocryphal books (Esdras, Tobit, Judith, I and IV Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus) plus two heretical writings, the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. The apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas is filled with heresies and fanciful allegorizing, claiming, for example, that Abraham knew Greek and baptism is necessary for salvation. The Shepherd of Hermas is a gnostic writing that presents the heresy that the "Christ Spirit" came upon Jesus at his baptism.

5. Lastly, Codex Sinaiticus (along with Codex Vaticanus), exhibits clear gnostic influence. In John 1:18 "the only begotten Son" is changed to "the only begotten God," thus perpetuating the ancient Arian heresy that disassociates the Son Jesus Christ with God Himself by breaking the clear connection between "God" of John 1:1 with "the Son" of John 1:18. We know that God was not begotten; it was the Son who was begotten in the incarnation.
   

About the Textus Receptus

• Textus Receptus is based on the vast majority (over 95%) of the 5,300+ Greek manuscripts in existence. That is why it is also called the Majority Text.

• Textus Receptus is not mutilated with deletions, additions and amendments, as is the Minority Text.

• Textus Receptus agrees with the earliest versions of the Bible: Peshitta (AD150) Old Latin Vulgate (AD157), the Italic Bible (AD157) etc. These Bibles were produced some 200 years before the Minority Texts (like Vatican and Sinai) favored by the Roman Catholic Church.

• Textus Receptus agrees wih the vast majority of the 86,000+ citations from scripture by the early church fathers.

• Textus Receptus is untainted with Egyptian philosophy and unbelief.

• Textus Receptus strongly upholds the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith: the creation account in Genesis, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth, the Saviour's miracles, his bodily resurrection, his literal return and the cleansing power of his blood!

• Textus Receptus was (and still is) the enemy of the Roman Catholic Church. This is an important fact to bear in mind.

Anyway, I would welcome any comments or discussion on this. . .

"Reaching Out"

"Reaching Out"--a video about sign language. My final video project.

Abortion Holocaust

A audio documentary that we did for Audio Productions class in school. By Jonathan Gatlin, Travis Brinks, and Joanna Baer.

My New Blog

Hi everyone!!! This is my new blog!! I started it because I decided that this would be better than wordpress. I hope to be able to put some video and audio stuff on here. My life has been pretty busy lately--working and taking an online class from Moody (not to mention all of the bear hunting, moose and goat butchering, and all of the other crazy things that we do here in MT). I can't wait until Nov 1st when I find out from Moody Bible Institute, whether I'm accepted there or not. I applied for the spring semester Electronic Media Major. Most of my credits should transfer from PCC. I'm absolutely loving the fall. I had no idea how much I missed it. There aren't really any seasons in FL. . . . Everyday I wake up to the sun rising over the mountains and thank God for MT. I'm totally excited about hunting season and snowboarding. Hope all is well with everyone.