Posted on 11/02/2001 5:42:58 AM PST by Brian Kopp DPM
But at the same time, it is true that to Muslims, the distinctions between Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox are immaterial. In fact, the distinction between Christians and Jews is not particularly important to them. We must remember that one of the things that enabled Islam to conquer Spain and North Africa was the fact that Christians were fighting among themselves, sometimes over politics (Visigothic kingdoms in Spain) and sometimes over religion (Arian and other heresies).
As a pragmatic matter, we've got to put all this aside for awhile. The real enemy has revealed himself, and he's not any of us.
Let them just discuss among themselves.
There is nothing more hateful than an ex-Catholic.
Nothing dumber either.
A Missionary Strategy Missionaries in the future will, more and more, see that their apostolate among the Moslems will be successful in the measure that they preach Our Lady of Fatima. Mary is the advent of Christ, bringing Christ to the people before Christ Himself is born. In an apologetic endeavor, it is always best to start with that which people already accept. Because the Moslems have a devotion to Mary, our missionaries should be satisfied merely to expand and to develop that devotion, with the full realization that Our Blessed Lady will carry the Moslems the rest of the way to her divine Son. She is forever a traitor, in the sense that she will not accept any devotion for herself, but will always bring anyone who is devoted to her to her divine Son. As those who lose devotion to her lose belief in the divinity of Christ, so those who intensify devotion to her gradually acquire that belief.
The source of conversion should be Jesus Christ sink..We should preach Christ crucified..that isn't hateful it is scriptual..
He is. As Mary would say. She points to her Son and says "follow Him."
You convince no one, Mom. These doctrinal dust-ups don't do anything but make Christians look petty and foolish.
"My way is better than your way."
Or, even worse:
"My way is THE ONLY WAY."
The prayer for the Moslems is wonderful, but the reason Moslems flock to Fatima is because Jesus (to them Issa or Esau and God said "Esau I have hated") is supposed to come back at the end times and according t them, he's going to slay every Christian who doesn't bow down to Mohammed according to the Moslems. Why should we get excited about that? If Protestants followed a scripture that said that the Pope in the last days is going to kill all Catholics who don't convert to Protestantism, I wonder if you'd all be so excited if Protestants were lining up to visit the Vatican, or would you realize they might be lining up to see you killed (in this hypothetical scenario)? You know how they line up to see stonings and public executions in the Moslem world, well that's the concept here.
Catholics don't do this to them. They are free to have their threads about pre-destination, rapture, sola scriptura etc without even a single Catholic screaming about how they are wrong in what they believe. Catholics don't run around damning them to hell or calling their preachers anti-christs for their un-biblical ideas. Yet they always have to come into Catholic/Orthodox discussions to pick fights. Do they actually think they win anyone's hearts with their constant attacks?
So much hatred from people who call themselves christians...
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Not my way Sink..His way!
The source of conversion should be Jesus Christ sink.Regardless of what is preached Jesus Christ is always the source of conversion. It is neither the messenger or how he chooses the message, but the Word Incarnate that brings us home.
We should preach Christ crucified..that isn't hateful it is scriptual..Why dont you go and try, see if you get any conversions. In any case, of course they will preach Christ crucified as well. That doesnt mean we should ignore common ground and use that to our advantage.
patent +AMDG
maybe he could read the February 15 2000 PLO Vatican agreement...the deals have allready been doneHave you compared the agreement with the PLO to the agreement with Israel? Can you tell me what it is in the agreement with the PLO that offends you, that is not also in the agreement with Israel? And yes, I do actually expect quotes, your own personal paraphrase wouldn't be all that effective.
patent +AMDG
The prayer for the Moslems is wonderful, but the reason Moslems flock to Fatima is because Jesus (to them Issa or Esau and God said "Esau I have hated") is supposed to come back at the end times and according t them, he's going to slay every Christian who doesn't bow down to Mohammed according to the Moslems.
I happen to believe in the rapture of the Church, the chaste bride of Christ, at the end times. The 'slay every Christian' may actually be the source of the great lie the world will believe concerning the sudden snatching away, that the Moslem's 'Esau has disposed of these who would not bow to Mohammed'. Apostasy always has some grain of plausibility in it, a times mostly plausible, but there is always that small bit of leaven that leveneth the whole.
Recently I found this (from Buddhist sites)
In the mid-sixteenth century, when Father Francis Xavier arrived in Japan with the hope of converting its people to Christianity, he was shocked upon encountering so many Buddhist monks involved in homoerotic relationships; indeed, he rapidly began referring to homoeroticism as the "Japanese vice." Needless to say, Father Xavier decided it was his duty to rid Japan of the "sin of sodomy." Xavier wrote, "We frequently tell the bonzes [i.e., Buddhist monks] that they should not commit such shameful sins; and everything that we tell them amuses them since they laugh about it and have no shame when they are reproached about so vile a sin." It appears, however, that Xavier and his fellow missionaries did not manage to convince a majority of Buddhists. It is reported that on one occasion, as he and a group of missionaries were walking through the streets of Yamaguchi, a gang of youths began yelling at them, "So you're the ones who forbid sodomy!" The youths then began throwing their shoes at them.
Now you know why they would take a male child from every family in Tibet and other Buddhist communities and give them to the monasteries.
Well now that I've angered the Catholics and the Buddhists, I have to go (I have to take my son to his homecoming), and I'm NOT anti-Catholic for anybody's information.
Last time I checked, faith in Christ was working pretty well.
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