But at this point you are just arguing for the sake of being disputatious. I'm not going to cut off dialogue with you completely, but this nitpickery and hair-splittery has become entirely too much and I will engage in it no more.
But at this point you are just arguing for the sake of being disputatious. I'm not going to cut off dialogue with you completely, but this nitpickery and hair-splittery has become entirely too much and I will engage in it no more.
No, it is not mere tradition. It is a movement of the Holy Spirit. Which is why it has the power it has. It is the Living Word of God. Which is why God gives it the authority it has and no one has the authority to override it. "Church tradition," is the work of humans. Can it be useful? Sure. But it absolutely has to be checked against God's Word.
BTW, I do not claim any knowledge or authority of Orthodox tradition, but this notion of demons, angels and the spirit world as just being "nature", I've seen NO CHRISTIANS, of any type making this claim. So this strikes me as being less about some "tradition" and more about your own ideas. Specifically, trying to square up the supernatural with your ideas of "science." Which is nonsense. I know this because at one time, a very long time ago, as a foolish youth, I tried to do the same thing, before realizng they are not and it was silly to try. They are what they are. God has presented us mysteries, and are not in many cases meant to be unraveled while we are here. We see through a glass darkly until such time as we go there and much more is revealed to us, when we are in a position where it will truly be useful.
God's word is itself Tradition.
But at this point you are just arguing for the sake of being disputatious. I'm not going to cut off dialogue with you completely, but this nitpickery and hair-splittery has become entirely too much and I will engage in it no more.
No, it is not mere tradition. It is a movement of the Holy Spirit. Which is why it has the power it has. It is the Living Word of God. Which is why God gives it the authority it has and no one has the authority to override it. "Church tradition," is the work of humans. Can it be useful? Sure. But it absolutely has to be checked against God's Word.
BTW, I do not claim any knowledge or authority of Orthodox tradition, but this notion of demons, angels and the spirit world as just being "nature", I've seen NO CHRISTIANS, of any type making this claim. So this strikes me as being less about some "tradition" and more about your own ideas. Specifically, trying to square up the supernatural with your ideas of "science." Which is nonsense. I know this because at one time, a very long time ago, as a foolish youth, I tried to do the same thing, before realizng they are not and it was silly to try. They are what they are. God has presented us mysteries, and are not in many cases meant to be unraveled while we are here. We see through a glass darkly until such time as we go there and much more is revealed to us, when we are in a position where it will truly be useful.