minasoliman
posted on May 06, 2008 - 06:55 PM
My views:
Compelling and engaging. If I were to meet him face-to-face, it would be hard for me to disprove.
The only thing I would like to add is that the language used is still limited. When we mention the love of God, we still have to understand that the manner we use that word is limited and symbolic in the way He acts with us. There is a mysterious side to the Lord, and there's a side in which many people of different cultures can relate to. If one reads the Songs of Solomon, one can misunderstand the allegorical intent and think of God in an inappropriate manner, just like what I consider the unfair attacks against the "Western ideas" as "a sadistic bloodthirsty God."
I am pleased however that he addressed the "Infinite Sin" issue. On this I will agree, nothing else is Infinite but God. I've asked this question to some Roman Catholics, and I received a quote from St. Thomas Aquinas, which I still am confused to understand. But according to the Catholic encyclopedia, they seem to believe dogmatically that God was not bloodthirsty, that He was not in any need of a sacrifice but that it was humanity's need and a result of God's love and mercy and compassion for mankind, and that the sacrifice of Christ is WORTH infinitely more than we needed, which seems to smack down the "Infinite Sin" idea. If anything, it's pleasing to find from the Catholic encyclopedia alone that even the dogma of salvation does not separate the Orthodox from the Catholics, in my opinion and that they are not afraid to criticize whatever weak tendencies they find in some of the scholastic fathers they venerated, and include others that were condemned, like for example Peter Abelard.
On the other hand, Hany is admirable for his research of twenty years, and I can sense a love and pride of the Alexandrian Church in him. I noticed that the Arabic videos seem to add some extra stuff, like stuff by Fr. Matta el Maskeen (he put like 50 extra minutes after all).
God bless.
PS has he written a book or read a book by a Coptic metropolitan that seems to support his tone here?
Joined: May 22, 2003 | Posts: 1748