Timdalf
Active Member
There is no point to reading crazy Dante unless one explores how he expresses the manifold errors of the Western Church in order for us to free ourselves from this degenerate heritage... For example, he creates(?)/reflects a doctrine of hell that is suspect to the Orthodox Church (lit.the Right-believing Church) -- the undistorted Church of the 4 patriarchates (Jerusalem, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria) from which Rome separated from 800-1054 to go their self-appointed way wandering into heresy and chaos. First, is the idea of Limbo. Apparently D A knows nothing of the Apostolic-Patristic (aka Orthodox) theology of the descent of the God-man Christ into hades to liberate the Old Testament patriarchs, prophets and righteous in the day between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.
Secondly there are serious spiritual leaders and theologians who are learning to teach that at the end of time all those who have exiled themselves from God into hell will be given a final opportunity to free themselves from their plight. If they remain recalcitrant and unrepentant, then they condemn themselves to eternal separation from God's River of Fire, His love... which they will perceive as the fire of remorse.
These two issues illustrate the mercilessness of Western Christianity with its legalism, punishment mentality and iron-c;lad rationalism... all of which have induced humanism out of disgust or a watered down sentimental modern Christianity. These then trace their roots to the medieval mentality of Dante, Aquinas, Anselm and ultimately Augustine with his rationalism and debilitating doctrine of predestination (itself baggage from the Manichaeism he believed in earlier, with its dualism of good and evil as eternal equals.
Secondly there are serious spiritual leaders and theologians who are learning to teach that at the end of time all those who have exiled themselves from God into hell will be given a final opportunity to free themselves from their plight. If they remain recalcitrant and unrepentant, then they condemn themselves to eternal separation from God's River of Fire, His love... which they will perceive as the fire of remorse.
These two issues illustrate the mercilessness of Western Christianity with its legalism, punishment mentality and iron-c;lad rationalism... all of which have induced humanism out of disgust or a watered down sentimental modern Christianity. These then trace their roots to the medieval mentality of Dante, Aquinas, Anselm and ultimately Augustine with his rationalism and debilitating doctrine of predestination (itself baggage from the Manichaeism he believed in earlier, with its dualism of good and evil as eternal equals.
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