XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis, rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: donnellaf@gmail.com   
      
   Joseph wrote:   
   > "Stan Brown"   
   >   
   >>I'd go further: Joseph's argument is essentially that the "big   
   >>picture" gives contradictory answers from the "chapter and verse".   
   >>That's ridiculous -- like saying that when you look at trees you see   
   >>wood and leaves but getting high above the forest reveals it's   
   >>actually made of marshmallows.   
   >   
   >   
   > I didn't say that at all   
      
   But that is exactly what you're implying, although from your point of   
   view it is those of us with the microscopes who think it is made of   
   marshmallows, while you from the distance can see that it is really trees.   
      
   There is no fundamental disconnect between the big picture and the   
   little picture, and study of one necessarily informs study of the other.   
      Both, interpreted correctly, lead to the same conclusions.  These   
   conclusions are not cut and dry, as different people give different   
   weight to different evidence.  I would not say that any of the people in   
   this newsgroup that you are disagreeing with have lost sight of the big   
   picture, but their view is different from yours, and that in opening a   
   dialogue between the two views they are pointing out some of the details   
   that provide the basis of their interpretations.  Responding to them in   
   a condescending antagonistic manner, especially to those who have been   
   around here some time and are quite knowledgeable about these matters,   
   is going to make some people mad, and a lot of people are easily given   
   over to flames, so that is why you have attracted such responses from   
   some folks.  Trying to understand the other side and learn something is   
   much better than calling them names.   
      
      
   Andy   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)