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 %EXCLUSIVELY BIBLICAL AUTHORITY EITHER/OR THINKING 971030                       
                                                                                                                               
     Some  religious  people  are  prone  to   "either/or"                                                                    
thinking  which leads them to think of the Bible as  being                                                             
the sole source of authoritative guidance, or as being not                                                            
at all reliable.    Such people think of other  people  as                                                               
being  dedicated  to  the  Bible as  the  sole  source  of                                                            
authoritative guidance,  or as being not at  all reliable.                                                             
It  is "either/or"  in each instance and people who try to                                                                    
integrate  more  than  one  source  of  authority  into  a  
coherent whole are excluded from favorable consideration.                       
                                                                                                                               
     People  who regard the Bible as the  sole  source  of                                 
authoritative  guidance   are rarely entirely coherent  in                                                                     
their daily behaviors.  They rarely act as if the Bible is                                                       
the sole source of authoritative guidance about:                                                            
                                                                                                                               
     1.  Stock investments.                                                                                                    
     2.  Favorable airline fares.                                                                                              
     3.  Good vacation deals.                                                                                                  
     4.  Good house builders.                                                                                                  
     5.  Good real estate agents.                                                                                              
     6.  Reliable automotive service agents.                                                                                   
     7.  Reliable medical services.                                                                                            
     8.  Weather forecasting and road conditions.                                                                              
     9.  Bus, train and airline schedules.                                                                                     
     10. Internet providers and business opportunities.                      
                                                                                                                               
     Such  people   rarely articulate the  criteria  which                                                                    
they  use  for  deciding  when  to go  to  the  Bible  for                                                                     
authoritative guidance,  and when they go to other sources                                                            
for  authoritative  guidance ---  for to  articulate  such                                                                     
criteria would expose their collusive game of mutual self-                            
deception about  how exclusively they regard the Bible --- 
as the sole  reliable source of guidance for daily living.                                                            
If  such  people cannot be honest about how they  approach                                               
the Bible,   how reliable are they likely to be in regards                                 
to other things which they say, or are unwilling to say?                                                               
                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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