{False Christs; True Christ [continued]}[16th March 1988]

[Redbook5:68-69][19880316:1300c]{False Christs; True Christ [continued]}[16th March 1988]

19880316.13

[continued]

The nature of the fundamentalist mind is, I think, such that by asking the question* I give them the answer: your Christ is false or you would know that he is true. But this is what I believe the Americans call a double-bind, since my belief that he is true does not (to them) make him true. The problem arises out of different frames of mind: but only my (open) frame of mind can see this as the problem, since their (closed) mind sees only what they perceive as capable of being truthfully perceived.**

They do, however, propose certain biblical tests:

'My dear friends,

not every spirit is to be trusted,

but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,

for many false prophets are at large in the world.

This is the proof of the spirit of God:

any spirit which acknowledges Jesus Christ,

come in human nature,

is from God;

and every spirit which does not acknowledge*** Jesus

is not from God,

but is the spirit of Antichrist,

whose coming you have heard of;

he is already at large in the world.'

(1 John 4:1-3) (NJB)****

(They may also be known “by their fruits” (Mt 7:15-20)# and by whether they keep Jesus' Commandments ([...]John [1]4[:15])#*

*[See last previous entry.]

**{cf. [[Redbook5:9-16][19880212:1155]{Multiple Viewpoints and Single Minds}[12^th February 1988] ] 9ff,

esp[ecially] [[Redbook5:14][19880212:1155g]{Multiple Viewpoints and Single Minds [continued (7)]}[12^th February 1988] ] 14.}

[So is it strictly speaking a double-bind for the writer? <20180105>]

***var. 'which dissolves (or breaks, splits, divides) Jesus.'

****[New Jerusalem Bible] (Cumbey (op cit) quotes [are] attributed [to] K[ing] J[ames] V[ersion])

[Catholic Online gives a slightly different NJB translation: '1 My dear friends, not every spirit is to be trusted, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets are at large in the world. 2 This is the proof of the spirit of God: any spirit which acknowledges Jesus Christ, come in human nature, is from God, 3 and no spirit which fails to acknowledge Jesus is from God; it is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you have heard of; he is already at large in the world.' (http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=69&bible_chapter=4)]

#[“15 Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. 18 A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. 19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. 20 I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.” (Mt 7:15-20) (NJB(Catholic Online) ]

#*[In the ms this is given erroneously as 1 John 4, but it is presumably John 14:15: “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” (NJB,CO]

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