"Greg, the discussion was degraded to meaningless, the moment you refused to consider statements of truth until you could determine some acceptable authority (worldview)."
That's false I simply asked for how you justified your "statements of truth". You balked at that and continue to do so. I'm afraid we're on the verge of losing any hope of further discussion but I remain hopeful.
<<<This statement is completely accurate. There is zero misrepresentation in it!>>>
"Crapola..."
You give no reasoned argument why that is not the case, or how eastern Pantheistic Monism is really moral to the core, (which is what you need to show in order to establish your claim that he has constructed a Straw Man) just excrement.
<<<Can you summarize the central complaint that God has against Man in that passage? (It's not hard)>>>
"Summary: In any event, Paul seems to be pleading with the Romans to give him a chance to preach in their setting, allowing that righteousness in the eyes of God is a spiritual matter of the heart, not of birth right or association with a particular population's allegiances (worldviews). He talks some about how peops have got it all wrong, using their dogmas to excuse the inexcusable and justify the unjustifiable. He is encouraging them to consider and accept the way of Jesus as the only real alternative."
Unfortunately that misses the specific point of my question by quite a wide margin. Perhaps I should have been more precise, I was referring to Romans 1:18-32.
God's Wrath Against Mankind
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
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The main complaint that God has against Men is that they suppress the truth about God that is plainly and clearly available to them "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." and that they have replaced the truth about God with false images and idols.
"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. ...."
They have replaced worship of the Creator for worship of the creation. In doing this they "are without excuse", and are justly, under the wrath of God. I mentioned this because you have asserted that the bible does not teach such a separation of God from the Creation and yet the bible consistently teaches that failing to make that distinction is not only false but that God considers it to be wicked.
I would be happy to discuss this more but I have some important work that needs to get done so it will have to keep until later.
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