Posted on 05/17/2007 10:08:04 AM PDT by Gamecock
Reading Francis Beckwith's interview with David Neff in Christianity Today, reminded me of how idyllic the Roman church can seem in the minds of those who embrace it (Click here: Q&A: Francis Beckwith | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction).
But then this news report appeared today which gives a much different picture of the supposed glories of Romanism (Click here: Pope to canonize first Brazilian saint - Yahoo! News).
All discussion of justification, the authority of Scripture, and reciting the Creed aside, the Pope is heading to Brazil to canonize Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao, a Franciscan monk who is credited with 5000 miraculous healings. Over 1 million people are expected to be in attendance. The healings supposedly come as a result of swallowing rice paper pills prepared by the monk over two hundred years ago. According to the AP news report . . .
"The Vatican has officially certified the medical cases of two Brazilian women as divinely inspired miracles that justify the sainthood of Galvao. Both of these women spoke of their faith with The Associated Press, claiming that their children would not be alive today were it not for the tiny rice-paper pills that Friar Galvao handed out two centuries ago.
Although the friar died in 1822, the tradition is carried on by Brazilian nuns who toil in the Sao Paulo monastery where Galvao is buried, preparing thousands of the Tic Tac-sized pills distributed free each day to people seeking cures for all manner of ailments. Each one is inscribed with a prayer in Latin: `After birth, the Virgin remained intact. Mother of God, intercede on our behalf.'
Sandra Grossi de Almeida, 37, is one such believer. She had a uterine malformation that should have made it impossible for her to carry a child for more than four months. But in 1999, after taking the pills, she gave birth to Enzo, now 7. `I have faith," Grossi said, pointing to her son. I believe in God, and the proof is right here.'
Nearly 10 years before that, Daniela Cristina da Silva, then 4 years old, entered a coma and suffered a heart attack after liver and kidney complications from hepatitis A. `The doctors told me to pray because only a miracle could save her,' Daniela's mother Jacyra said recently. `My sister sneaked into the intensive care unit and forced my daughter to swallow Friar Galvao's pills.'"
So, if you "return home" to Rome, you get the whole ball of wax, including the beatification of saints who give out Tic-Tac size rice-paper pills which supposedly heal. And Pope Benedict XVI will be there to bless it all.
By the way, confessional Protestants affirm the historical evangelical doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, and the full authority of Scripture. And yes, we even recite the Creed every Lord's Day and we use a biblical-text based liturgy which is quite similar to that described by Justin Martyr in the second century.
Too bad Dr. Beckwith didn't consider a confessional Protestant church before embracing Romanism. Now he's stuck with Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao and his rice-paper healing pills.
The bigger the number, the more dramatic the conclusion.
I think we may have been through this before. Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant. She carried Jesus Christ, true God and true man, within her. It is a big deal.
And I can’t quite fathom why you wouldn’t say the same. Because I bet you believe that every birth is a big deal. (Let alone, the birth of Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!)
Just one thing. The logic is that “faith” is sometimes enhanced by reliance on physical objects. This obviously the is the basis of most superstittion, including things like lucky charms, or crystals aroubnd the neck. Of course is there is danger of idolatry when one associated the object with spiritual powers,but the spiritual danger is the identity of the spirit that is worshipped. The puritanical notion of eliminating all sacramentals works against the fundamental fact that we are composites of body and souls, and that we psychologically need tangible objects to give us confidence and we need to express our faith physically and that the faith is in the One God, not any false god.
Well, someone MADE that Bible you read. You would abolish printers and book binders?
Huh huh huh huh huh
You said "Count Floyd"
So only Christ can work miracles? Peter couldn’t. Hmmmm...
>> You guys are and always will be the Roman Catholic Church because the bishop of ROME lives in ROME.<<
Uh, see that’s exactly it. The Bishop of Rome lives in exile from the City of Man, Rome. Although Martin Luther did not know this (making the slandrous nature of his claims obvious), the Vatican is on the OTHER side of the river from Rome, built on the site where the Romans dumped Peter’s body.
I have no problem with “Roman Catholic,” to distinguish from “Orthodox Catholic” but “Romanism” is plain and simply intended to be incindiary, and developed historically as an attempt to link the Catholic Church with the Whore Babylon. The use of the term pretty much signals to the rest of the world that the author is a polemic crackpot. The effect is like blogging in all caps or spelling America with a “k.”
You know, up until this year I kept hearing it was 30,000, then all of a sudden we zoomed up to 40,000, then dropped back down to 30,000 - in fact, we even had multiple reports claiming that number just in the last month - and now you say it's gone up to 33,000? BWA HAHAHAHA
Get your stories straight, Catholics. At one point this year, you were saying we had over a million....
I’m calling you on this one. I’d like to see a link to a post where a Catholic criticized you for referring to his church as the Catholic Church.
Old... tired... wrong...
>> As Harnack and many other historians have noted, popes Zephyrinus and Callixtus I, who were Monarchian Modalist heretics were the first Roman bishops to apply Matthew 16:18 <<
The sources you people will quote sometimes to back your argument are amazing. You seem to be referring to Adolf von Harnack, a German who promoted the “social gospel,” the Protestant equivalent of liberation theology, and who asserted, among other claims, that the Gospel of John was spurious and denied the existence of miracles. He’s about as credible as the Queer Theory “historians” who claim that Jesus and John were homosexual lovers.
As a Asian Greek preaching in France long before the era of swift transportation or telecommunication, wouldn’t it be downright odd for Irenaeus to specify an Italian bishop?
The point Irenaeus was making amidst the heresy was that when you don’t know WHICH bishop to follow, follow the one in Rome.
Simple truth : Our lord Jesus was crucified on a THURSDAY, not friday, count on your fingers : THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS. Also, dec 25 is the roman god Jupiter’s “birthday”, Jesus was born in early january as the eastern orthodox believe. Many more truths to know, as the little book that tastes sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach.
Real nice statement, you bigot. Say, don't you have to go to some soldier's funeral and wave your "God hates fags" banners or something?
Discuss the issues all you want, but do NOT make it personal.
You got ‘em good.
placemarker
There’s no way I can find that post, but it’s true. I was criticised for saying “catholic” instead of Roman Catholic. I’ve also been criticised for not capitalizing the first letters, something that I also don’t always do with methodist...my own denomination.
You’ll just have to trust my memory and my reputation.
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