Posted on 07/09/2006 4:41:38 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
I'm glad I left.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I too left the Catholic Church for all the reasons you stated and for the reason in message #60.
Wow, I made the LA Times. "Rock,Scissors,Paper" was my entry.
Congratulations! You're famous!
The trouble is, I don't want to be famous in that left wing rag, the LA Times.
Some Catholics promote heresy.
That is not news.
What's your point?
When I encounter heresy in a priest, I challenge him and make him back down. Its not as hard as it may seem. Thats the beauty of Catholic doctrine being so crystal clear - you can force wayward priests into a position where they have no choice but to affirm doctrine.
True, ideally you should not have to worry about your pastor being a heretic. How sad that you allowed yourselves to be chased away by the sins of fools.
Thousands of denominations and hundreds of versions of the scriptures later decisions such as yours guarantee there is no unity - the unity Jesus longs for in scripture. So sad. We could have used you - instead you ran away.
"When I encounter heresy in a priest, I challenge him and make him back down."
Sure you do.
What heresy are you refering to?
The heresy of praying to saints?
Or
The heresy of Purgatory?
So this is the liberal Christianity that was supposed to be the Christianity of the future: disarray, schism, rapidly falling numbers of adherents, a collapse of Christology and national meetings that rival those of the Modern Language Assn. for their potential for cheap laughs. And they keep telling the Catholic Church that it had better get with the liberal program — ordain women, bless gay unions and so forth — or die. Sure.A number of comments on this thread make it clear how often American Catholic churchmen have toyed with these ideas. The fact that they got no farther than they did is evidence of the Church's divine guidance.
Well stated.
You reminded me of a Catholic conference I attended about 20 years ago. It was held for the purpose of initiating new converts and lapsed Catholics back into the fold.
The liberal Priests and Nuns were explaining doctrine to us lay facilitators, new converts and the lapsed. When the Eucharist came up for discussion I raised my hand and asked: "what is the exact definition of the Eucharist?" What followed was total silence. It's as if I had just farted. The teachers were dumbfounded that someone would ask such a question. Then the lady seated next to me, a lay facilitator, quietly handed me her copy of the Baltimore Catechism.
I haven't attended mass in 20 years. When/if they go back to the pre Vatican II Latin mass I'll reconsider.
Re: purgatory:
In 2 Timothy 1:18, St. Paul prays for Onesiphorus, who has died. We don't pray for people in heaven since they need no prayers (having already obtianed eternal happiness).
Praying for the already dead - with the idea that they were in some location other than heaven since no one needs prayers if they are already in heaven - was what all Christians did until Luther came along and decided to ignore both scripture and the traditions that existed even prior to the NT.
As for asking saints for their intercession: if you think that saints on earth who are not in the Lord's immediate presence can no longer offer petitions once they die and ARE in the Lord's actual presence, then you are not a very lucid thinker - nor very biblical.
That is not news.
What's your point?
The thing I like about the Catholic Church is that you're free to choose any interpretation you want. But the only one that counts comes from the Pope.
Biblical interpretations of Protestant denominations and their leadership/members are all over the map. Just pick one that conforms to your current life style.
..on this Rock I will build my Church.
"Paul prays for Onesiphorus, who has died."
That is very different than praying TO Onesiphorus.
Can you show me scripture where anyone has prayed TO a dead person?
I pray to the Father in Jesus Name. Jesus Himself said that is how we are to pray!
When the Catholics ADD to the Bible things like Purgatory and prayer to saints...how then can I trust that the RCC is the font of Biblical truth?
Sorry, but I've been to a lot of protestant demoninations.
They are far more consistant on what the Word says and doctrine than the RCC. And they don't need to raise money by buying fewer days in purgatory.
You are doing a good job of pretending to be blind.
Please re-read http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1662668/posts?page=71#71
Paul recommended praying FOR a dead man. The man was dead. Onesiphorus would only need prayer if he had not already attained heaven. But if he was not already in heaven (and thus in purgatory - which is loosely defined as a place of preparation for heaven) then the prayer would not be futile. Catholics believe Paul was not asking for futile prayers for a man already in heaven (who had no need of prayers). We beleive in stead that his request for prayers for a dead man meant that such prayers could do some good for a dead person who was not yet in heaven (in purgatory).
I also addressed the issue of asking prayers for saints.
Please tell me which version of scripture you use, and why. Just pick one and explain why it is God's Word more than the others are:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1662668/posts?page=36#36
It's very disconcerting to see the number of churches and other religious organizations (e.g., the local branch of the American Bible Society) in our blue state area that claim that they represent "progressive Christianity", and not that "bigoted", "boring" and "outmoded" orthodox or fundamentalist variety. Even several ELCA Lutheran churches that I used to belong to when I lived in other parts of the country also raise the banner of "progressive Christianity", and hold forums and seminars on such "theologians" as Spong and Borg.
The there is the threefold "progressive" progam of our ELCA mis-leaders in Chicago, including the feminazi, anti-Trinitarian new hymnal, "how-to-read-the Bible-like-a-"progressive", and the ever metastasizing gaysbian agenda. Our mis-leaders also have no plans to abrogate the "full communion" agreements with the fast-disintegrating and heretcal Episcopal and Presbyterian/UCC, etc.. "churches" either.
I have news for all these instututions and people. "Progressive Christianity" is no more Christianity than same-sex "marriage" is marriage!!!! As my Serbian Orthodox priest says, "progressive" "churches" are not churches, but CLUBS!!!! It is "Progressive Christianity" that is boring and outmoded--it is stuck in the 1970s!!!!
"Progressive Christianity" has NO appeal to anyone younger that the youngest Boomers. They are just plain NOT INTERESTED in 1970's issues like neutering or feminizing God-language, or those BORING 1970s-style "liturgies" and "hymns". And many younger people go beyond that, by being interested in orthodox (or even Orthodox) Christianity!!!!
"Progressive Christianity" is totally BOGUS, and headed for the scrap-heap! And the election of Jefferts-Schori and the shenannigans at that Presbyterian convention have acclerated the decline and eventual death of "Progressive Christianity" by at least a decade!!!!
My post #76 is for you, too!
Keep on blogging!!!!
This is the LA Times? I would have thought they would be celebrating....
progressive Christianity
&&&&&&&&&
Progressive?
Is that like cancer that progressively grows worse until it is terminal?
Liberalism will corrupt everything it touches.
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