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Podcast
Conspiracy Theories
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Hi, I'm Dave DeWitt, and today I'd like to talk about what the Bible says about conspiracy
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theories.
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As a definition, a conspiracy theory is an unproven assumption that there's a secret
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plan by a group of people to do something considered wrong by another group of people.
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Some examples of conspiracy theories include the government's hiding the evidence that
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the world's flat, governments lying about the fact that we went to the moon, and the
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space program.
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The FBI assassinated Martin Luther King and framed James Earl Ray for it.
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The CIA hired Lehigh V. Oswald to kill President Kennedy.
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Princess Di was murdered.
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The American military, Area 51, is researching and experimenting on aliens and their spacecraft.
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We should wear tinfoil hats to shield our brains from electromagnetic mind control.
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The Republicans colluded with the Russians.
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The Democrats colluded with the Russians.
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American doctors paid Chinese researchers to develop and release the COVID-19 virus.
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Some things I want to mention in addition to these, I just call them corollaries to
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the definition.
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Number one, corollary theory.
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Conspiracy theories always include a judgment of motives.
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First Corinthians 4.5, therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait
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until the Lord comes who will bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose
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the motives of men's hearts, and each man's praise will come to him from God.
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Business people tend to say they're all in it for the money.
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Just follow the money.
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Politicians say they're trying to get more power.
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Hollywood actors claim they're in it for the notoriety, publicity, popularity.
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Motives are always included in a conspiracy theory.
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A second corollary, conspiracy theories are inevitable because people recognize their
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own sin in others.
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We're all sinful, and sinful people suspect others of doing what they're doing or are
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tempted to.
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It's like the lady who said this church is full of gossips.
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Wonder where she got that idea.
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One political party often accuses another political party of doing what they themselves
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are doing or would be doing given the opportunity.
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We tend to think people are committing the sins we are.
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Three, this is the third corollary, conspiracies are not theories, and theories are not conspiracy.
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Let's unpack that a bit.
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First of all, conspiracies are not theories.
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A conspiracy is a historical reality with a secret plan which is now no longer a secret.
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It was devised by a group of people to do something considered wrong, illegal, or harmful
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by another group of people.
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Conspiracies are a matter of historical record.
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They're not theories.
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The Bible records many conspiracies.
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The English word conspiracy is used to describe nine events in the Numeric Standard Bible.
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Here's a couple of examples, 2 Samuel 15, 12, and the conspiracy was strong for the
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people increased continually with Absalom, Acts 23, 12.
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When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath saying
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that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
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The Bible records many other conspiracies as historical events that happened in the past.
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Conspiracies occur regularly in war, business deals, politics, but all of these are the
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past and they're no longer secrets.
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Conspiracy theories are ideas about possible secrets kept by a certain group in the present.
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It isn't sufficient evidence yet that they are true or false, and they are not yet in
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public arena where they can be examined and debated.
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Theories are not conspiracies, so let's just look at it the other way around.
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That's because theories have evidence.
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Here's some theories with evidence.
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Gravity, Newton in 1687, every particle in the universe attracts every other particle.
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Copernicus in 1543 said the earth revolves around the sun and the universe is filled
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with planets that revolve around suns.
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Special relativity, Einstein in 1905, space, time, matter, and energy merge in such a way
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that speed reduces time and atomic energy can be used to make bombs.
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Plate titanics, Wagner in 1912 and Wilson in 1960, the earth's continents are moving plates.
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Quantum mechanics, the nature of objects and the cause and effect of events are influenced
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by observation.
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There are theories without evidence.
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Gravity is spontaneously generated from non-life.
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Lead can be made from gold.
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Blood leading should be used to heal sick people.
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The universe evolved from a big bank 13.8 billion years ago.
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Man-made carbon dioxide is responsible for dangerous global warming.
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These are theories without evidence.
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Theories are not conspiracies because they're not secret.
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Conspiracies are in the public domain and are open to public examination.
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Nonetheless, a conspiracy theory is a special form of theory, one that has not yet reached
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the public domain.
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So when it comes to evaluation, we can use the same criteria for testing a conspiracy
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theory as any other theory.
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Next, I want to point out that we cannot rely on science to evaluate a conspiracy theory.
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Much of what's called science today, especially by the media, is often just propaganda of
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the liberal progressive worldview.
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Real science follows a scientific method.
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This is a quote from Wikipedia.
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It involves careful observation, application, rigorous skepticism about what is observed,
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close quote.
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The scientific method can be understood as using three steps.
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One, actual observation of something in the real world.
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Two, repetition of skeptical examination of these observations leading to a formula or
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a hypothesis.
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And three, modifying the hypothesis as directed by further observation.
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So real science is based in actual real world observation, followed by a critical analysis
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and a change of hypothesis when new observation is demanded.
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But what liberal progressives call science is circular reasoning.
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It's based on proclamations, not explanations.
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Some liberal progressive professor or doctor, or maybe Al Gore with a slideshow, makes a
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speculation consistent with the progressive agenda.
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That speculation then is quoted by others as evidence, while evidence to the contrary
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is simply ignored.
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Scholarly, in quotes, scholarly journals will only publish articles and universities will
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only hire professors favoring the liberal progressive agenda.
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Then it's claimed that the progressive speculation about, say, climate change, evolution, life
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on other planets, the nature of the virus, biological support for homosexuality, is supported
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by a consensus of scientists.
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So it's called settled science.
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Timothy 6, 20 to 21, in the King James, reads,
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O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babbling
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and oppositions of science falsely so-called, which some professing have erred concerning
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the faith.
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Now I want to talk about evaluating a conspiracy theory.
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When you hear a conspiracy theory, two basic questions should come to mind.
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A, should this conspiracy theory be evaluated?
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And B, if this theory needs to be examined, how should we go about it?
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So first, should this conspiracy theory be evaluated?
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Now remember, the Bible tells us truth, the way things actually are.
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Science, good science that follows the scientific methods, gives us theories that change with
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new evidence.
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In evaluating theories and conspiracy theories as a Christian, we should initially ask four
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questions.
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Number one, is there a biblical basis for assuming it's important to spend time and
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energy evaluating it?
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Before you spend time on a conspiracy theory, make sure the issue being discussed is an
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application of a biblical principle.
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Is spending time reading and talking about this something Jesus and the apostles would
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do?
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Is this something the body of Christ was commanded to do?
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The world's full of lies and foolish ideas.
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Is there some reason I should look at this one?
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Second Timothy 2.4 says no soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of
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everyday life.
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Now they may please the one who existed him as a soldier.
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Number two, is the conspiracy theory in question taking people away from a focus on building
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the word of God into faithful men who will be able to teach others also?
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Is it distracting believers away from the gospel message?
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Second Timothy 2.17 and 18 says, and their talk will spread like gangrene, among them
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are Harmoneus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth, saying that the resurrection
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has already taken place and upsetting the faith of some.
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Number three, does the conspiracy theory attack the credibility of the Bible?
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For example, the Da Vinci Code in a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown claimed that the
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Catholic Church ignored and covered up manuscripts proving Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene.
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This is a blasphemous lie that needs to be addressed because some of it is being taught
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by many progressives, many universities, as a way to discredit the Bible.
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The truth is after searching 2,000 years, only 27 first century Christian writings have
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ever been found, ending with Revelation, and they're all in the New Testament.
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And we have found over 25,000 of those in New Testament manuscripts.
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Over 5,800 in Greek, plus 10,000 in Latin, and another 9,300 in other languages.
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Hierarchical writings all came after the first century.
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Titus 1, 10, and 11, for there are many rebellious men, empty talkers, deceivers, especially
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those of the circumcision who must be silenced because they're upsetting whole families.
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Four, does the conspiracy theory take our focus off of the fear of God?
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Isaiah 8, 12, and 13 says, you're not to say it is a conspiracy in regard to all that
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the people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread
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of it.
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It is the Lord of hosts who you shall regard as holy.
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He shall be your fear, and he shall be your dread.
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Having decided that a theory needs to be dealt with, there are four investigative questions
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to consider.
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Number one, does the theory use some additional authoritative source for understanding Scripture?
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Number two, does the theory take away from a clear biblical teaching?
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Number three, does the theory contradict any direct biblical statements?
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And number four, does it deny or alter the biblical author's clear intended meaning?
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Well, as a conclusion, a conspiracy is a historically established past event.
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A theory is an unproven assumption in the public domain.
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A conspiracy theory is a suggestion, a form of a theory, that some group of people have
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a secret hidden agenda which is in some way wrong, which when we hear conspiracy theory,
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we need to ask, is this issue discussing something Jesus and the apostles would have addressed
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as false teaching, which opposes the Word of God or is a danger to the people of God?
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If it is, then it needs to be shown how this theory or what it reveals is contrary to the
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truth revealed in the Bible.
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Thank you for listening.
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A longer paper on the subject with footnotes and quotes is available on our website relationalconcepts.org.
