Perhaps in overseas communities where if you feed a village they are then all considered Catholics, but find me the stats for the US that shows converts chose to join the Catholic Church with no previous connection to it, and I’ll admit I was wrong.
And when did you become the world's counselor? How do you know who would be comfortable in the Catholic Church. Again, you are speaking nonsense here. Pure opionion.
You no doubt have opinions why you’d never be a Baptist or a Methodist, and I’m just giving you my personal feelings about rituals, and customs, and statues, incense, candles, bells and etc. As a non-Catholic, I believe a majority of NC’s feel the same way, that’s all.
Have you even tried to learn the truth about the Catholic church? Not what others mistakenly believe the Catholic Church to be. It's not scary. We don't bite.
I probably know your religion much better then the average Catholic, and I’ve studied much of your history, and that may be the main reason why I could never be a Catholic.
A really good book for anyone that is interested in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church can be found here:
The church with a small “c” started out quite innocently for the first three hundred years, then it started becoming a political power, and rejected the warning of Jesus Christ in Matthew 20:25-26, Mark 10:25-26, and Luke 22:25-26. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
When they rejected three warnings from Christ, they forfeited any potential they had to lead the church of Christ.
There is only one church in existence that has maintained the commands of Christ, and that’s the only temple that God dwells in today.
1 Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Acts 17:24-25 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
The gates of hell have prevailed countless times over the Church that men built, but it can never prevail over the temple that God dwells in.
If your such a history buff, tell me which Old Testament translation was your official Church Bible, the Latin Vulgate taken from, Jerome’s translation from the Hebrew text, or the Septuagint Greek?
JH :)
"Perhaps in overseas communities where if you feed a village they are then all considered Catholics, but find me the stats for the US that shows converts chose to join the Catholic Church with no previous connection to it, and I’ll admit I was wrong."
I don't have any stats. You can Google as well as I can. Look it up. What do you mean by "no previous connection"? Can you know someone who is Catholic and then convert? Or marry a Catholic and convert? What if you are bouncing around from denomination to denomination trying to find one that fits and come around to the Catholic church? These things happen all the time! You don't have to be raised Catholic or have it in your background somehow to become a Catholic. There are many faith journeys out there that have led even Catholic haters to the Church. And what difference does this make, anyway? The Catholic faith is nearly 2000 years old. Most people around here have some knowledge of it's existance even if their beliefs about it are all wrong.
I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I talk to him daily through prayer and meditation. I try to serve our Lord in just about everything I do. I realize that I am nothing without him and don't ever want to lose touch with him. I read my bible. I come to different conclusions than you. I also read books written by Catholics. I'm sure this influences my thought process but it only affirms what I already believed. How is it that my interpretation is wrong and yours is correct? How do you KNOW????
You said you'd studied much of my history. It's your history, too. It's the writings of the early church fathers. That is what I read. The daily problems and exchanges of those early Christians. I try to live my life accordingly. Am I doing a perfect job? Of course not! Have all the priests and bishops been perfect? Of course not! Jesus said there would be evil within the walls of the church but that evil WOULD NOT prevail and it hasn't. We have scandal in the Church now but it will not be the end of the Catholic church. There's a little housekeeping going on. It's happened in the past and will no doubt happen again in the future. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church will always be here. The gates of hell have not prevailed.
Jesus gave his apostles the power to teach. Why would I not listen to my teachers now? In writings as early as the first century from St. Clement tell me I should. It is not in conflict with what the bible teaches.
ST. CLEMENT OF ROME
The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was sent from God. Christ, therefore is from God and the Apostles are from Christ. Both, accordingly, came in proper order by the will of God. Receiving their orders, therefore, and being filled with confidence because of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and confirmed in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Spirit, they went forth preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that was about to come. Preaching, accordingly, throughout the country and the cities, they appointed their first-fruits, after testing them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should believe.
ST. CYPRIAN
Our Lord, whose precepts and admonitions we ought to observe, describing the honor of a bishop and the order of His Church, speaks in the Gospel, and says to Peter: 'I say unto you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven' (Mt. 16:16-18). Thence, through the changes of times and successions, the ordering of bishops and the plan of the Church flow onwards; so that the Church is founded upon the bishops, and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers. Since this, then, is founded on the divine law, I marvel that some, with daring temerity, have chosen to write to me as if they wrote in the name of the Church; when the Church is established in the bishop and the clergy, and all who stand fast in the faith.
There are many more examples but know that you consider yourself an historian. I love reading the early Fathers. I am not a history buff, per se. I've lost a few brain cells since I've had children and am lucky if anything sticks! :-) I have no idea the answer to your question about the Old Testament translation. Since I've seen you ask this several times now, I'm assuming you know the answer. So instead of trying to quiz us why don't you just enlighten us?