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Flame war and childishness |
Posted on 07/14/2014 9:20:18 AM PDT by NKP_Vet
To my Protestant brothers and sisters:
It's time to come back to Mother Church. We want you, we need you, we love you.
I've spent a lot of time in dialogue with activist atheists recently, and the direction we are going is not pretty. We are witnessing a rapid cultural decline into amorality.
Satan seeks the ruin of souls through the destruction of marriage and family, and the quickest route to his goal is the profanation of sex. The truth and meaning of human sexuality is our era's cultural fault line, and unfortunately, Protestant denominations have been tumbling into its widening crevace at an alarming pace.
The first cracks denying the sacred nature of human sexuality began mere decades ago with the first tentative acceptance of contraception by a Christian church (the Anglicans). After 1,900+ years of unbroken Christian teaching on the immorality of contraception (including 400+ years of unbroken Protestant teaching), a moral evil was suddenly declared good. The entirety of Protestantism, although horrified at first, soon followed suit.
"Woe to those who call evil good" -- Isaiah 5:20
Then came other issues -- sterilization, masturbation, abortion, fornication and cohabiting, homosexual activity and homosexual "marriage". One by one, Protestant communities have broken from Christian teaching and sided with the secular culture. Many Protestant communities do not accept all the aforementioned evils as good, of course, and some are making a valiant attempt to fight one or more of them. However, there is no guarantee that those denominations won't eventually accept other sexual sins in the same way they accepted contraception, sterilization and masturbation. A majority vote by church leaders could launch an unsuspecting Protestant from the Spirit of the Gospel right into the spirit of the age -- the Planned Parenthood age.
Look where you are standing. Unless you stand with the Catholic Church, you may already have one foot off the cliff.
How to guarantee that you'll stand firmly on the ground of moral Truth? Come back home to the Catholic Church.
For over two thousand years:
The Catholic Church has never taught that contraception is a moral good, and she never will. The Catholic Church has never taught that sterilization is a moral good, and she never will. The Catholic Church has never taught that masturbation is a moral good, and she never will. The Catholic Church has never taught that abortion is a moral good, and she never will. The Catholic Church has never taught that fornication is a moral good, and she never will. The Catholic Church has never taught that homosexual activity is a moral good, and she never will.
The moral teachings of the Church have never changed, and they never will.
Human sexuality is transcendent, life-giving and sacred, and the Catholic Church will teach that Truth till the last day.
Dear Protestant, a church with a changing morality is a church built on shifting sand. If you want to build your life and eternity on something solid, build it on the Rock of Peter. Don't be carried about by every wind of social change; come back to the Catholic Church and stand strong with us -- one united Body as Jesus intended.
America may not survive many more generations at the rate we are going, but the Church and her teachings will stand regardless, speaking the same Truths, undisturbed, till the end of time. Believe me, it's a really nice place to be in a storm. Extremely peaceful.
So, come on. You'll like it here, living in peace and joy and certainty. It's your rightful home anyway.
Come back to Holy Mother Church. It really is time.
Popes don’t worship Mary.
We can't rely on church or ourselves for salvation as salvation comes only through Jesus Christ alone. It's given freely to man to accept or reject. All should strive to live by the standards listed in The Bible. WE strive to do so but we as humans will fall. We pick ourselves up and ask forgiveness and try and correct our actions. Such is the state of man until GOD either calls us home or send Christ to bring home the believers {The Bride which is all He calls His own}
You can go to any church or Mass everyday and still go to hell unless you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. You ask Him for His forgiveness, His help, and salvation through Him. All it takes is a prayer and a contrite heart. Remember The Lords parable about the two men going into the Temple to pray? One says Lord forgive me a sinner?
Protestants and Catholic churches need to end the childless nonsense of trying to convert each other. There are many who need to hear the message. You are in the church called you to be. So is the Protestant. The division that came caused The Gospel to spread further faster. Were we not told in the later days in Daniel knowledge would increase? GOD has poured out His Spirit and knowledge upon believers for His purpose to His Glory not ours. I no more believe any one church by earthly name holds the keys to heaven anymore than only reading The King James Bible is the right Bible.
The keys? The keys are this. Man now is reconciled to GOD through Christ. Through Christ blood we are cleansed so that we may approach and fellowship with Him. GOD looks upon us and see's His Son in us. We are not dependent upon men, upon preachers, or Priest, to ask of GOD our forgiveness or petitions but rather as brothers of Christ and sons of GOD we can ask of Him directly in Jesus name and He is faithful to answer.
Your description of the Catholic church is identical to a description of the Pharisees.
Jesus wasn’t kind to the Pharisees.
“No, Christ founded the Church of those who had been born-again, NOT the catholic church.”
No, Christ founded the Catholic Church and through Christ’s sacraments (given to and now by the Church) and faith in Christ, people become born again. Hence, Acts 22:16 and 1 Peter 3:21.
“I’m suggesting that you open yourselves up to that accusation when you justify every tradition that’s come down over the last 2000 years by claiming that Paul proactively okayed it with his statement regarding traditions that had been established up to that point.”
Okay, so I was right - the premise I posted seems to be your premise. Now, about your comment above: What does it matter if we open ourselves up to FALSE accusations by ignorant people? If we have done what is right in the eyes of God what does it matter if fools think we have done something wrong? Remember, it’s a false accusation. We are more than willing to suffer the slings and arrows of those who hate Christ or His Church.
“By the way, I don’t have any problem with new traditions developing, as long as they don’t contradict scripture (which is, incidentally, the actual meaning of sola scriptura, in contrast to the way it tends to be misportrayed in these debates).”
I have no problem with new traditions either - as long as they are small “t” traditions. The Advent Wreathe is a new tradition Catholics borrowed from Protestants. I don’t have a problem with that. That’s not the kind of Tradition we’re talking about.
Not only do they worship her they put her in place of God.
Let’s take the prayer of Prayer of Pope Pius XII. [http://catholicism.about.com/od/tothevirginmary/qt/Honor_Immacula.htm]
I’ll use just the bolded excerpts from the prayer.
we cast ourselves into your arms
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (When did we need to replace God with Mary?)
confident of finding in your most loving heart appeasement of our ardent desires, and a safe harbor from the tempests which beset us on every side.
Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (once again Catholics replacing Christ with Mary)
O crystal fountain of faith
Romans 12:3 according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. or "a measure of faith." (but Mary is the “fountain of faith” for Catholics)
Lily of all holiness
1 Samuel 2:2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. (for Catholics however, “all holiness” is given to Mary)
Conqueress of evil and death
Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. (but Catholics claim it was Mary who conquered death)
Convert the wicked
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; (Catholics have even replaced the Holy Spirit with Mary)
Statement by catholic Bishop Liqouri “.......We often more quickly obtain what we ask by calling on the name of Mary than by invoking that of Jesus.....” She...is our Salvation, our Life, our Hope, our Counsel, our Refuge, our Help” Need I go on? Catholics have replaced virtually every attribute and working of God and given that to Mary in their worship.
“Jesus wasn’t kind to the Pharisees.”
And yet He told the people to obey their teaching when they taught from Moses’ seat: Matthew 23:2
“Statement by catholic Bishop Liqouri”
Yeah, you know his writings so well that you can’t even get his name right.
I didn't say that, and you should be ashamed of implying that very thing. My point is that being saved by the grace of Jesus Christ does not need a gold-plated giga-church full of pomp and circumstance. One only needs to trust that Jesus paid the price for our own sins on the cross.
That being said, there is a church that I am very active in. The bible is read, studied, and taught there multiple times each week. We are a body of believers in Christ. Our pastor is a very humble man, but an excellent teacher of God's word. We don't waste God's money keeping a few thousand gaudy, opulent palaces running. He drives an old minivan instead of an armored popemobile. Instead, we support spreading the love and good news of Jesus Christ all over the world, from Swaziland to Kenya to Liberia to Honduras to Tibet to Canada to our own back yard. This is from a body of only a few hundred believers.
So much of what the Catholic church is about is superfluous to what the original church described in Acts found important. Yet you hold this nonsense as sacred.
“A majority vote by church leaders could launch an unsuspecting Protestant from the Spirit of the Gospel right into the spirit of the age...”
Sola Scriptura. Standing firm against the traditions of man for 2000+ years!
Of course, the Roman Catholic church believes in an evolving tradition, allowing new doctrines to rise to the surface.
Why don't they ask her living Son instead of a dead woman?
CynicalBear is quoting herself (from when she quoted others):
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3046031/replies?c=196
For clarity, those tongues were actual languages of the region.
What message did Peter preach that day?
The clear message of the Gospel of salvation through repentance and belief in Christ.
Acts 2:37-41 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
He founded the universl church.....not the Catholic church we have today.
Which is not supported anywhere in Scripture....only in some of the writings of the early church fathers. And they were not in 100% agreement over this.
you're getting the idea.
Nothing in the Bible says we should look only to the Bible for all truths. Notice that?
This is typical dodge the question when you can't provide an answer based on using the Bible.
You gonna start citing the Book of Mormon?? Maybe the Koran??
The poster is right...there is nothing in the Bible saying we are to pray to Mary of the saints. Nothing.
Question is...are the quotes right?
Again, all you can do is attack the messenger when the facts are against you.
“you’re getting the idea.”
Already had it: Protestants (ignorant about the truth) make false premises (based on that ignorance). That’s what I said in the next post.
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