Posted on 01/01/2005 3:35:56 PM PST by Rodney King
OK. I am 31 years old. I became a Christian at 26. I received absolutley no religious instruction from my parents as a kid. Once I was an adult, I sought Christ, but was misled as I went to the prominent Christian church in town. It was an Episcopalian Church where all the prominent citizens went. Anyway, being a critical thinker, it was obvious that God wasn't being taught there. I did not really know what God was, but it was obivous that nobody else there did either, so I thought the whole thing was a scam.
I came to Christ as a result of meeting a guy in a bar. After a softball game, my team went to a bar where I met a fellow from Texas who was new to the area. He wanted to play ball, and we needed another guy. He was a good Christian. He related how when he and his wife moved to my town (in CT) his wife called all the churches and basically had a quiz about their beliefs that she wanted them to answer. It was pretty basic stuff (is there more than one path to heaven, etc.). Anyway, only one minister passed the test.
He had been an episcopalian priest in the Boston area who was driven out because he would not say that homosexuality was ok. He had a patron in my town who set him up in a small church. There were 50-100 regular members. They have since become members of the Presbyterian Church of America. (not the liberal PC-USA).
My new friend set me up with this pastor, and we had a few meetings in his office and over lunch.
He correctly diagnosed my problem:
I am resistant to authority, and had trouble submitting to Christ's will.
With this recognition of my major problem, I came around and submitted to the will of God. I have been blessed by the Lord endlessly since.
Having not been widely exposed to many forms of Christianity, I have always had an open mind about other denominations.
As a kid in CT, most of my friends were Catholic. I always thought it was a fraud because they did sunday school and confirmation, but clearly didn't beleive in God anymore than the phony wasps at the Epsicopalian church.
A little bit later, I made two good friends who were very much Catholic (one is a Freeper). The equivalent of an "Evangelical Catholic" if there is such a thing.
All along, I have of course had problems with the Catholic sex scandals, as well as the liberal cardinals, etc.
I have since moved to Oklahoma. In the last few months, I have been watching EWTN frequently. I am drawn by two clear things:
1. The beauty and majesty of the masses, that appear to me to be such pure expressions of faith, and
2. The level of strict beleif on the newtork, from the unyielding belief in the teachings, to the activism as represented from Father Frank Pavones' show, and the willingness of the Priests in the daily mass to address issues such as abortion and euthanasia.
So, where does that leave me?
I have questions about the faith, and questions about authority.
First, about the faith:
Does Catholicism teach that priests are middlemen? I.E. do I really need a Priest to make me right and forgive my sins? Must I confess to a priest, and not just directly to God?
Does the beauty of the mass, and the worhsip of Mary and the Saint amount to idolatry?
Most importantly is the submission to authority. Submitting to authority is the biggest problem in my life. It was a problem with my parents, it has been a problem with my jobs (witness my day time freeping), and it was a problem with Christ. I have overcome it with Christ (although still struggle with it) and have made good progess with parents, bosses, etc.
Does a Catholic submit to an authority other than God? While I admire and trust the men I watch on EWTN, it only takes a few minutes of FReeping to be reminded of limp-wristed catholics. Or, to be more generous, by accepting the authority of the church, am I accepting the authority of the MEN who run the church?
In protestantism, one can walk away from a pastor with unsound teachings. However, how does one do this in Catholicism? What does one think when a Vatican offical utters something stupid (like criticizing Israel for not giving aid, when in reality Israel offered the aid and Sri Lanka rejected it)? Or, when local bishops have been complicit in covering up sex scandals and transferring priests to inflict their harm elsewhere?
I would be very grateful for any advice. My wife is on my case about my watching EWTN all the time, and of course this is very meanginful to me personally.
PS:
Who runs EWTN? It seems to be such a better expression of the faith than that presented by big city parishes.
Thanks again.
I'm not a Catholic and don't claim to be one. Catholic Freepers can probably point you in the right direction.
Thanks. I'm looking for both sides really.
Just read you Bible. Everything you need to know is there. Form your own viewpoints based on what you read in the Bible, not from other's viewpoint. Salvation must be worked out by only you. I'm not Catholic so can't tell you. But I got straight to God through Jesus. There ya have it!
I have pinged those on the Catholic threads that I think can help you!!!
BTW, I left two Catholic churches that were leading me to false teachings.
Parish shopping in not unknown in the Catholic Church.
Thanks!
Please give your input!
What is EWTN anyway???
Also, for any questions that FReepers can't answer, try Catholic 101!
http://www.kensmen.com/catholic/101.html
Eternal Word Television Network
A Catholic network started by a cloistered nun named Mother Angelica. She was a hoot! Health problems are holding her down now.
Thank You......
I'm responding to this as it is/was my problem too. You have to first decide whether or not you believe the word of God to be perfect. If you do; recognizing at the same time that you are NOT perfect, it becomes easy.
The question wont be about authority, it will be whether or not you believe the words in your Bible or not. When you really believe it, you wont have this problem.
I know for a fact that I am the least perfect person living, but I believe in the word, and pray for forgiveness.
As a non-Catholoc Christian, I can tell you my view on confession:
The only confession that means remission of sins is the confession to Christ of your sins. However, the Bible also mentions that we should confess our sins to each other. This, I believe, is to strengthen us and to provide a means of accountability in our lives. If other people know what we are confessing, then we would be less likely to fall for that temptation again.
I believe that this teaching is the basis for confessing to priests, but (not being a Catholic), I cannot state that for certain.
On the other issues, being a Christian means being in a relationship with Christ. That relationship is personal and should not be relegated to Sunday morning formal church services. It should be a 24 hour, 7 day/week relationship--even closer than the relationship you have with your wife. Being this kind a relationship, a pastor (of whatever name or title) should be there for guidance and advice--not forgiveness of sins.
Does that help?
Always focus on Christ. He is our life, our comfort, our security, our righteousness, our purpose in life, our connect with God. He's our all. The extent to which any individual church or denomination diverts your attention away from Christ and to itself should be the determining factor in whether you choose to fellowship there.
May I suggest this article by Scott Hahn, former Presbyterian to explain the biblical basis of your doubt...
http://catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0095.html
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