tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097408555576085021.post3093116701389878450..comments2023-06-19T01:01:06.019-07:00Comments on Fœdero Schism: Personality CultsMark T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09673762599798493263noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097408555576085021.post-70901303032054029392008-05-08T06:27:00.000-07:002008-05-08T06:27:00.000-07:00Hi Sam,At one time I floated the idea of reviewing...Hi Sam,<BR/><BR/>At one time I floated the idea of reviewing <I>A Serrated Edge</I> chapter by chapter, much the same way Pastor Lane did <I>RINE</I>, but I have too much as it is and that would place a regular weekly burden on me that I don’t think I could carry.<BR/><BR/>That said, the book <I>A Serrated Edge</I> is a remarkable exercise in Scripture twisting and sophistry, and ultimately, it serves as his written exposition of an unwritten excuse for cruel and cutting remarks, which he uses to slash the brethren outside of any principles outlined in the book (if there are any). Or as another brother put it, it became his excuse to eat leg of lamb.<BR/><BR/>So I’m curious how you define “serrated edge,” because the character of Stalin I see described by Khrushchev is rather exhaustive — Stalin was arrogant, rude, thoughtless, inconsiderate, self-willed, forceful, unrelenting, downright brutal, completely unteachable, self-aggrandizing, and in the end extremely paranoid.<BR/><BR/>Along these lines, Patrick Poole applied the word “thugs” to the St. Peter Four and since then I have used the term freely to describe the Fearless Leader because it fits him better than most words. The problem with using good words, however, is that the law of diminishing returns applies to them as well. The term works once, twice, three times, but eventually it loses its meaning, or force, on the reader.<BR/><BR/>I point this out because Stalin was a thug, plain and simple. He even looked the part with his mug shot and the early photos. Likewise, Wilson is nothing more than an ordinary thug with extraordinary rhetorical skills, which simply means that he’s an accomplished liar. But he’s still a thug nonetheless.<BR/><BR/>Back to Stalin, I’m curious where you see the serrated edge in him.Mark T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09673762599798493263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097408555576085021.post-48646754829453124472008-05-07T22:09:00.000-07:002008-05-07T22:09:00.000-07:00Hi Mark, I'm only about 1/4 of the way through t...Hi Mark,<BR/><BR/> I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the lecture, but it is apparent that the first manifestation of Stalin's evil to be noticed by his contemporaries was a "serrated edge."<BR/><BR/> Thanks for your 'blog.<BR/><BR/>SamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com