Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Muslims are Converting to Christianity in Record Numbers
National Catholic Register ^ | Patti Armstrong

Posted on 01/26/2018 1:04:07 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose

We are in a time of the first ever mass conversions of Muslims,” Father Mitch Pacwa SJ told me in a phone interview. “God is doing a mighty work among them.”

Pacwa said that mass conversions are happening even in very fundamentalist countries. There is rapidly growing number of conversions especially on the edges of the Muslim world in the western and southern parts of Africa, he said. “Africa is now growing predominantly Christian despite crackdowns,” Pacwa said.

Some of the noteworthy countries he mentioned include Iran, reported to have 3 million Christians, and Indonesia with reports of 2 million a year converting.

“In Mongolia, the president opened the country to Christians and there’s even an archbishop,” Pacwa said. “They built a Catholic school there too. If I was younger, I would have gone.” He said that the desire for a Western education was the impetus to open up the country to the Catholic Church.

There are even conversions happening in many strict Muslim countries, according to Pacwa. He did not want to go on record with particulars for fear of increased retribution. Mass conversions are also being reported among refugees that are filling up the Christian churches left empty by Europeans. Many wonder if those are authentic conversions or just a response to improving their chances for amnesty, but time will tell.

Signs of this conversion are showing up in the U.S. too, Pacwa said. “I was about to celebrate Mass at a Maronite church in San Diego and I said hi to a man who introduced himself as Achmad. I asked if he was a Christian. He said: ‘Yes, I was recently baptized.’ He said he from Morocco. Christians do not have the name Ahmad—that’s a form of Mohammad.”

(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bornagain; catholicism; christ; christianity; conversions; convert; evangelism; god; holyspirit; islam; jesus; love; ministry; muslims; muslimsconverting; refugees; trinity
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 401-420421-440441-460 ... 1,001-1,010 next last
To: metmom
... the fact that the church is wrong for giving that title to its priests.

Perhaps it did so on purpose; to create a 'shiny object' for us ignorant PROTS to notice and spend SO much time observing.

421 posted on 01/29/2018 5:05:06 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 403 | View Replies]

To: Elsie
He said that the desire for a Western education ...

Hold this thought...


422 posted on 01/29/2018 5:05:59 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 251 | View Replies]

To: x_plus_one

“Official catholic dogmas does not recognize mary as coredemptrix. ”

They are “officially against homosexuality too, but support its practice in the Vatican.

The official position is the one everyone sees them tolerate, support, and endorse through actions or complicity.

You denied such a teaching about Mary existed in Romanism.

You were shown in less than 1 minute of effort that it exists.

Now, you have excuses.

Do you consider Wikipedia an official source of Roman dogmas now??


423 posted on 01/29/2018 5:29:01 AM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (Q is Baron Trump, time-traveling back from the future, to help his dad fight the deep state.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 400 | View Replies]

To: Freee-dame
>>Some Roman Catholic writers even say Mary is necessary for salvation....that without Mary's help you cannot come to Christ. <<

Please list a few of these Roman Catholic writers. Where did you hear about this concept about Mary? It is definitely not the teaching of the Catholic Church. I find it interesting that some people, uneducated about the teachings of the Catholic Church, feel free to speak so definitively about something that is factually untrue.

How many do you want?

The astute reader will note the contradiction of these statements with the New Testament.

http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/mary18a.htm

All the Elect obtain eternal salvation through the means of Mary. St. Ildephonsus

No man is delivered or preserved from the world-wide snares of Satan except through Mary; and God grants His graces to no one except through her alone. St. Germanus of Constantinople

Every good, every help, every grace which men have received and will receive from God until the End of Time, came, and will come, to them by the intercession and through the hands of Mary . . . the whole Trinity gave thee a name, O Mary, which after that of thy most holy Son is above every name, so that at thy name every knee should genuflect in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should confess the grace, the glory, and the power of thy most holy name. Bl. Raymond Jordano

No one can enter into Heaven except through Mary, as entering through a gate. St. Bonaventure

God has entrusted the keys and treasures of Heaven to Mary. St. Thomas Aquinas

Mary is called "The Gate of Heaven" because no one can enter Heaven but through her means. St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

Holy Scripture was written for Mary, about Mary, and on account of Mary. St. Bernard

Mary is the dispensatrix of all the graces God bestows on man. St. Bernardine of Siena

For this reason, all creatures are obligated to render her respect and homage as to their Queen and Sovereign to whom they belong and upon whom they depend, and will depend, for all eternity. St. John Eudes

Just as we are indebted to Jesus Christ for His death, so likewise are we indebted to Mary for the salvation of the world. St. Albert the Great

O Lady, since thou art the dispenser of all graces, and since the grace of salvation can come only through thy hands, our salvation depends on thee. St. Bernardine of Siena

O Mary, we poor sinners know no other refuge but thee, for thou art our only hope, and on thee do we rely for our salvation. St. Thomas of Villanova

The foundation of all our confidence is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: that we obtain everything through Mary. Ven. Pope Pius IX

Sinners receive pardon by the intercession of Mary alone. St. John Chrysostom

Mary is our necessary and universal Mediatrix . . . If no one knows the Father but the Son and those to whom the Son has revealed Him, likewise no one knows the Son but His Mother and the Church to whom she has revealed Him ... How is it possible to find Jesus without Mary, since Jesus Himself did not come to us except with the consent of Mary? No one can go to the Son but by Mary, just as no one can go to the Father but by the Son. Only through Mary do we reach Jesus since Jesus came to us only through Mary; and because of this great truth, we should desire nothing but to make known to all nations this path, which is so sure to reach Heaven. Ven. William Joseph Chaminade

To reach the Eternal Father, we must go to Jesus, our Mediator of Redemption . . . To go to Jesus, we must go to Mary: she is our Mediatrix of Intercession. St. Louis Marie de Montfort

424 posted on 01/29/2018 5:33:32 AM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 368 | View Replies]

To: x_plus_one
Official catholic dogmas does not recognize mary as coredemptrix Presentation of Blog posts suggesting same is disingenuous and needlessly argumentative.

Perhaps you would care to disavow what Pope John Paul II had to say about this.

http://www.fifthmariandogma.com/articles/881/

More at the above link.

John Paul II’s official and repeated use of the title, Co-redemptrix, quickly remedies the silence at the Second Vatican Council. Within his first years as Christ’s Vicar, the Pope invokes the Immaculate Mother as “Co-redemptrix” on repeated occasions and makes whole again the relationship between the doctrine and the title. The title is legitimate, and the Holy Father expresses his conviction about this.

On September 8, 1982, Feast of the Birth of Mary, within the context of a papal address to the sick (who so much need to know the power of co-redemptive suffering), John Paul calls Mary the “Co-redemptrix of humanity” for the first time: “Mary, though conceived and born without the taint of sin, participated in a marvelous way in the sufferings of her divine Son, in order to be Coredemptrix of humanity.” (2)

As is well known, John Paul didn’t celebrate his own birthday of May 18, but rather his “name day” on November 4, the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, after whom he was named “Karol.” On this day in 1984 the Pope once again calls his Mother the “Co-redemptrix” in a general audience:

To Our Lady—the Coredemptrix—St. Charles turned with singularly revealing accents. Commenting on the loss of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple, he reconstructed the interior dialogue that could have run between the Mother and the Son, and he added, “You will endure much greater sorrows, O blessed Mother, and you will continue to live; but life will be for you a thousand times more bitter than death. You will see your innocent Son handed over into the hands of sinners . . . You will see him brutally crucified between thieves; you will see his holy side pierced by the cruel thrust of a lance; finally, you will see the blood that you gave him spilling. And nevertheless you will not be able to die!” (From the homily delivered in the Cathedral of Milan the Sunday after the Epiphany, 1584). (3)

The next usage of the Co-redemptrix title by John Paul is his most important. At a Marian sanctuary in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on January 31, 1985, he delivers a homily in which he professes the Co-redemptrix title within a penetrating theological commentary of scriptural and conciliar teaching on Coredemption:

In fact, at Calvary she united herself with the sacrifice of her Son that led to the foundation of the Church; her maternal heart shared to the very depths the will of Christ “to gather into one all the dispersed children of God” (Jn. 11:52). Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the Mother of all the disciples of her Son, the Mother of their unity . . . . The Gospels do not tell us of an appearance of the risen Christ to Mary. Nevertheless, as she was in a special way close to the Cross of her Son, she also had to have a privileged experience of his Resurrection. In fact, Mary’s role as Coredemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son. (4)

425 posted on 01/29/2018 5:50:06 AM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 400 | View Replies]

To: Elsie
Different feet. 😀😆
426 posted on 01/29/2018 6:44:19 AM PST by Mark17 (Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 407 | View Replies]

To: bboop; metmom

What do you do, when you come across false doctrines?


427 posted on 01/29/2018 7:01:12 AM PST by Mark17 (Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 395 | View Replies]

To: papertyger
And as soon as Revisionists in general start condemning the use of the term “father” rather than saving that condemnation exclusively for the common Catholic practice I’ll at least have some respect for your “belief.”

You may find this of interest:

Roman Catholics call their priests “father,” and the Pope is the “holy father.” Abbots take their title from the Aramaic word abba, which means “father.” This is clearly unbiblical. The priest as “father” is problematic. In the case of “holy father,” there is no doubt this title is unbiblical. No man can take on the title of “holy” anything, because only God is holy. This title gives the Pope a status that is never intended for any man on earth. Even the apostle Paul made no claim to holiness, referring to himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Although as Christians we have exchanged our sin for the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), holiness will not be attained until we are in heaven and have left the last vestiges of our sin natures behind. Until then, the Pope has no more holiness than the average Christian and is not entitled to be called “holy father.”

What about the apostle Paul’s reference to “our father Abraham” and his implication that he himself is a father to Timothy and Titus? When Paul refers to Abraham as “our father” in Romans 4:12, he is not making the same mistake as the Pharisees. Paul is saying that the promise that saves us was first given to Abraham who in faith believed. Paul is pointing out that God began His plan of redemption of all nations with Abraham and that Abraham is the model of justification by faith, apart from the Law (verse 3). Paul is not raising Abraham to God’s level or assigning an official title to Abraham but merely acknowledging his faith. Abraham is the metaphorical “father” of all who believe in Christ in the sense that he is the prototype of faith.

More here: https://www.gotquestions.org/father-Matthew-23-9.html

428 posted on 01/29/2018 7:08:57 AM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 397 | View Replies]

To: Elsie
MANY of Rome's members are so POORLY Catechized?

I know I certainly was. Praise God for that. 😁😁😆😄

429 posted on 01/29/2018 7:18:55 AM PST by Mark17 (Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 420 | View Replies]

To: Mark17

I don’t take false doctrines personally nor do I try to ‘fix’ those whom I believe are ‘tainted.’ I just go about my life, side-stepping what is false and holding dear to what is True.


430 posted on 01/29/2018 8:36:23 AM PST by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 427 | View Replies]

To: GoldenState_Rose

Psalm 1:1 - Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.

Lots of mockers here on this thread.


431 posted on 01/29/2018 8:41:49 AM PST by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bboop

“I just go about my life, side-stepping what is false and holding dear to what is True.”

To do so is to ignore the rest of Scripture.


432 posted on 01/29/2018 8:54:22 AM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (Q is Baron Trump, time-traveling back from the future, to help his dad fight the deep state.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 430 | View Replies]

To: ealgeone

Lots of talk - but never officially the catechism. You can quote people and popes and blogs all year but not find it in the catechism. If you want to prove that Mary is officially the catholic coredemptrix - find an official source, not a blog or a personal statement of faith by the pope. The same goes for protestant dogma - lots of talk on every topic under the sun can be found online. You don’t want to open that can of worms. There are more protestant denominations than can be counted - fractal fragmentation due to confused dogmas that spring up like kudzu.


433 posted on 01/29/2018 10:05:15 AM PST by x_plus_one ( I pray Gods eyes may once again gaze upon me and remind me that I am still His child.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 425 | View Replies]

To: aMorePerfectUnion

What’s that? Berate everybody who doesn’t agree with you? But you see, I am not a leftie. The Lord has me on a path doing His work in my small way. I speak the Truth but do not argue with everybody who disagrees with me, nor do I mock them.


434 posted on 01/29/2018 10:08:32 AM PST by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 432 | View Replies]

To: x_plus_one
The quotes all came from a Roman Catholic website. They sure seemed to indicated he was exercising his "teaching" authority in proclaiming this.

Your issue is with the Pope and how he addressed the issue and how it was presented on the website.

435 posted on 01/29/2018 10:09:22 AM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 433 | View Replies]

To: bboop; aMorePerfectUnion

Have you read Galatians?


436 posted on 01/29/2018 10:09:56 AM PST by ealgeone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 434 | View Replies]

To: bboop

“I speak the Truth but do not argue with everybody who disagrees with me, nor do I mock them.”

I did not mock you.

I pointed out your claim ignores the rest of Scripture, while your posts judge those who follow it.


437 posted on 01/29/2018 10:48:25 AM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (Q is Baron Trump, time-traveling back from the future, to help his dad fight the deep state.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 434 | View Replies]

To: x_plus_one; ealgeone
Lots of talk - but never officially the catechism. You can quote people and popes and blogs all year but not find it in the catechism. If you want to prove that Mary is officially the catholic coredemptrix - find an official source, not a blog or a personal statement of faith by the pope.

And yet, here you are, the one who posted to us in post 400 from THESE websites.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-Redemptrix

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/mary/general-information/the-four-marian-dogmas

So you do not hold yourself to the same standards of proof that you hold others to.

And it's there for all to see.

That's called "hypocrisy"

If non-catechism sites are good enough for you to use to prove your position concerning Catholicism, they're good enough for us to use as well.

438 posted on 01/29/2018 12:35:47 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 433 | View Replies]

To: x_plus_one
Lots of talk - but never officially the catechism. You can quote people and popes

The official teaching of the Roman church is the one modeled and implemented by the Vatican.

For example, here is their official teaching on GAY SEX...

Vatican cops bust drug-fueled gay orgy at home of cardinal’s aide

Vatican police raided a drug-fueled gay-sex party at an apartment belonging to an aide of one of Pope Francis’ key advisers, according to a new report.

The Holy Father is “enraged,” since the home, inhabited by Francesco Cardinal Coccopalmerio’s secretary, belongs to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith — the arm charged with tackling clerical sex abuse, the Italian paper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported.

Cops raided the apartment in late June after neighbors voiced concern about multiple people acting strangely while streaming in and out of the residence, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

Once police were inside the apartment, they said they found multiple men engaged in rampant drug use and homosexual activity.

They then arrested the priest — an aide to one of Pope Francis’ key advisers — after taking him to a clinic to detox from the drugs he’d ingested.

This Vatican homosexuality has been going on through a series of popes. It is allowed to remain. The gay priests, who are also drug users, are allowed to work for the pope and cardinals.

What the leadership tolerates and ignores, they bless.

Mary as Co-Redemptrix is no different. It is tolerated and officially ignored.

439 posted on 01/29/2018 2:57:23 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (Q is Baron Trump, time-traveling back from the future, to help his dad fight the deep state.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 433 | View Replies]

To: Elsie
Is the following still in force?: "One indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved"

Absolutely. There is no salvation outside the Church. Period. Full stop.

But don't make erroneous assumptions about what "outside the Church" means. Just a few weeks ago was the feast of St. Emerentiana. She died a catechumen: she was never baptized. And of course the good thief was likely not baptized either. Were they members of the Church? Yes. Just not in the typical way.

And we have generally accepted the validity of heretics' Baptism, as long as there is proper form. If you are baptized Protestant you are by that very act incorporated into the Catholic Church....although of course just like any Catholic you can lose your salvation due to heresy, schism, etc.

440 posted on 01/29/2018 3:27:41 PM PST by Claud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 249 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 401-420421-440441-460 ... 1,001-1,010 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson