“I thought everything I was responding to was in #180 -— ...discussing Catholic belief.”
Indeed, you responded to what I wrote to another and claimed I was telling you what you believed. Not so.
“Anyhow, the aggravation caused by Fun-House Mirror reflections about what Catholics believe -— proffered without asking actual Catholics, of course, why would a person want to do that??”
First, because they do not believe it is a ‘fun-house’, but reality.
I can only imagine a catholic, tooling along, believing everything they’ve ever been taught, coming in contact with someone who knows the truth and tells them that what they thought was from Christ is pagan. What they thought was Christianity is nothing but religious works than never save. No one ever appreciates it when you invalidate their life experience. Still, Christ did it to Paul on the Road to Damascus.
“Which is always a much dicier proposition anyways, since you don’t have a nice concise Catechism, like we’all have.”
Well, you could always read any of the great protestant confessions of faith.
“Though in Purgatory I might have a couple of years to burn through.... :o)”
No worries, just another false catholic doctrine that denies the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice and resorts to additional works that can neither save nor purify. You will either go to heaven to the presence of God, or you never entrusted yourself to His gracious gift.
“As to your expertise about Catholicism, you say:”I grew up Catholic and have studied the teachings of Catholicism. Alter boy. Confirmed.”In all charity, what can I say?”
Not a thing required. In addition to my exposure to Catholicism first-hand, I spent 4 years in seminary, studying theology, church history, and most importantly, the Sacred Scripture (far more Bible than your priests cover in their seminaries). We covered every verse. Every chapter. Every book. And I’ve now read the Scriptures regularly since 1976, when I came to know Christ and my eyes were opened to Him.
best.
AMPU, as you surely know, when I referred to "Fun-House Mirror reflections about what Catholics believe", the phrase "Fun-House mirror" modifies the word "reflections", not "what Catholics believe" -- in other words, your (and other people's) reflections have a "fun-house" quality which distorts the true picture of what Catholics actually believe.
If you don't see that --- ahem--- please diagram that sentence. (My irrepressible schoolmarmism comes through once again!)
The problem is that YOU evidently believe the "fun-house mirror reflection" is not a distortion, but the reality. It does not accurately convey Catholic doctrine.
Since you are interested in scholarship, wouldn't you want to pursue that?
Anyhow, thanks for sending me the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Here's the Catechism of the Catholic Church right back at'cha.
Reading each others' catechisms does seem like a strangely fair-minded and sensible thing to do, in the midst of these FReepin' fracases.
