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Exactly, but what you're saying is that when the church rules on this there is no hope for that person. Again, big shoes to fill.

With all due respect, this is not at all what Pilgrim was saying. He said:

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One of the main objectives of excommunication; to officially send a person "outside the camp" is to impress upon the person the seriousness of the situation and that unless repentance is forthcoming, that person's eternal destiny is in jeopardy. Put another way, fellowship can no longer be tolerated by the people of God for the person is no longer "one of them".

The church excommunicates primarily to communicate the seriousness of the person's spiritual jeopardy and to convince him to repent and be restored. It is always done with the hope and even expectation that the person will see the sinful error of his ways and repent.

Last edited by gotribe; Tue May 17, 2005 3:02 PM.
Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love and the future to God's providence." - St. Augustine
Hiraeth