Posted on 06/21/2018 9:48:25 PM PDT by boatbums
Over the years, I’ve had several Catholic friends and converts ask why I ultimately didn’t convert to their denomination. During my first two years of college, I spent a significant amount of time with Catholics, including at the (then?) US Opus Dei headquarters in NYC. I attended these gatherings with a good friend, who eventually decided to convert from Evangelicalism. I came close to converting, but ultimately decided against it. This has surprised some Catholics. I suspect this is because the standard narrative is that Protestants, especially Evangelicals, are crossing the Tiber in great droves.
Statistically, the narrative isn’t quite so neat: in recent years, Catholicism has lost millions of adherents, most of these converting to a kind of nonreligious spiritualism/secularism or to Protestantism, while millions more Protestants remain Protestant. For every one person who converts to Catholicism, about six leave the church.
Still, the notion that Catholicism is attracting large numbers of Protestant converts, with no movement in the other direction, can create the impression that there is something irresistible about Catholicism to anyone who studies it. My reasons for remaining Protestant haven’t changed a great deal, although they have become more refined, especially since seminary. I would like to share some of them here.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
yet Roman Catholicism continues to double down on the dogma.
One of the biggest issues I’ve notice amongst our Roman Catholic posters is the lack of understanding on how to interpret the Bible in context. It seems many are bereft of Biblical knowledge. I know when I’ve tried to introduce this concept of context it has seemed to be alien to many Roman Catholics.
And to be honest, I was a similar young enthusiast at one time, until someone took the time to challenge me with Gods word...………………………..
yes....I've seen what beginningcatholic.com has done to the Ten Commandments.....and I understand why....and it's wrong.
Give up knowing Christ, assurance of salvation, and amazing grace...
For a man-made system of false sacraments, eternal insecurity, and The Catholic Hamster Wheel of Guilt??
Ha!!
For a man-made system of false sacraments, eternal insecurity, and The Catholic Hamster Wheel of Guilt??
A very poor choice bro. If it’s all the same to you, I think I won’t do it. 😁🤣😆😊
YES!
That is why you have the homily,there are now devotional booklets such “The Word Among Us”, “Living Faith”, etc. Also the online postings from Msgr. Charles Pope.
Any questions?
The SEVEN letters to the SEVEN churches always comes to mind in these discussions. Also the Remnant...
A Multitude from the Tribulation
Revelation 7
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
I would never consider becoming a Catholic. However, I do like some of their traditions, and the more modern Protestant church I attend now only has a few remaining. That, and I’m guessing the Catholics still get to use real wine instead of juice!
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Honestly, I like traditions! I really love ‘high church’ worship, chanting the liturgy, etc.
Most traditions at least. As long as they don’t contradict Scripture. The problem arises when tradition becomes more important than God. So if we do traditions, I want to make sure that my flock knows why we do them, what they mean, and how they relate to Scripture.
If only other people would read the Bible when being told not to read it, we might not have as many annoying ignorant atheists around.
That’s not what some of your fellow Catholics claim.
The other problem for the Roman Catholic, and in fairness many non-Roman Catholics, is a lack of knowledge of the original languages used to write the Scriptures. Without that the exegesis, though it can be performed, is short changed.
***
The excuses for not knowing the original languages are growing thinner and thinner. Even if you might not be fluent in them, there are myriad Internet resources dedicated to parsing and studying the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
What would have taken our fathers hours of study and a pile of books can be done for us with a few clicks.
In not every case, but in most cases, not studying the original languages is coming more and more down to refusal to do so rather than inability.
"Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
(2 Corinthians 11:1-3).“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. But do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I could not be a servant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ,”
(Gal. 1:6-12).
No. Hearing the word is not the same as listening to and understanding it.
The parable of the soils demonstrates that.
And while that may have been the official position, it did not filter down for a LONG time because when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s we were still discouraged from reading the Bible.
We were told that only the priests and nuns who were trained for it, could really understand spiritual stuff like that and that they would explain it to us.
Seems that in a lot of areas there is a huge discrepancy between the official position of the church and what actually happens at the grassroots level.
Seems that in a lot of areas there is a huge discrepancy between the official position of the church and what actually happens at the grassroots level.
And maybe even the Republicans…………………………...
I support your decision to let nothing take you from the simplicity in Christ!
We need both for a healthy diet...……………………………..
Yes, I’ve noticed.
Since they can argue both sides against the middle, no matter what you say, some Catholic or democrat, will tell you that you’re wrong and find something to support themselves.
And while one is condemning you for being wrong just because of who you are, there will be the rare person who swill tell you that you are right.
Proves that I am right.
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