FOM: theologians

[eva hersh]

You assert, as if it were common knowledge, that
rabbis or Catholic theologians have reasoning
methods by which they obtain reproducible results
and near unanimous consensus.  This "fact," you
say, shows that my characterization of mathl by
its reproducibility of results with respect to
argument about ideas is false.

I must tell you that no one who has any acquailntancae
with rabbis or theologiansd would make such a
claim.  As far as rabbis, they  have a common
method of argument, by referring to scripture and
commentators, but this does not in the least give them
reproducibility or consensus.  Among orthodox rabbis, as you can
easily learn by asking an
observaant orthodox Jew, there are vast differences
and bitter quarrels.  If you don't know an
observant orthodox Jew, just look at the first page
of most any issue of the Jewish English Weekly Forward.

Catholics are a different story.  They have a Pope,
and when he chooses he can say, "Shut up or get out."

The disagreement among the American clergy about
birth control and the Latin American about
 liberation theology show that until the Pope
says shut up or get out there is continuing deep
controversy among Catholic theologians

A lame "countexanple.

All the best,

Reuben

 
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