Posted on 07/14/2007 12:22:58 PM PDT by franky1
(CNN) -- Non-Catholics who are up in arms of the proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI that the only true church in the world is that of Catholicism shouldn't even bother getting upset. Just chalk it up to an old man trying to get a little attention.
For him to even suggest that only the Catholic Church can provide true salvation to believers in Christ shows that he is wholly ignorant of the Scriptures that I have known all my life.
Sorry, let me take that back. I've really only known the Bible for the last 13 of my 38 years. That's because those first 25 years were spent as a die-hard Catholic.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I didn’t mean they didn’t know Scripture, but just that there is lots of Scriptural foundation for the Church, for Peter and his successors, and for an organized deposit of faith that is to be protected and handed on through the Church, which opens the way to salvation by continuing Christ’s saving work (not to mention, of course, the Eucharist).
But there’s no foundation whatsoever for the principal of independent decisions on what part of Christ’s message appeals to you and what doesn’t, which is the essence of any type of Protestantism (and thus also precisely the reason there are so many different types of Protestantism!).
As I posted on another site. I don’t understand how many non Catholic Churches close down during the summer. I always felt that they were part time beliefs.
Show me a Bibical foundation for “every man his own Pope” and I might grant you that. But there is absolutely no foundation for the basis of all forms of Protestantism, which is that each individual has to build his own “church” based on hints that he believes he has found in Scripture. On the other hand, there’s lots and lots of evidence that Christ founded the Church to keep his teaching pure and unified and not subject to individual whims or situations, as well as to transmit this ongoing contact with him through the Sacraments (which can only be authentically dispensed through the Church as traced back to the Apostles).
Every bishop when he is consecrated receives his “episcopal pedigree,” which is a statement that he was consecrated by Bishop A, who was consecrated by Bishop B, who was consecrated by Bishop C, etc. The records were destroyed in the 16th century when the French (I believe it was) burned the Vatican, but theoretically the records of a bishop should go back to the Apostle who was the one from whom that line of bishops comes. I believe some of the Eastern Churches have at least some idea of who the Apostle from whom some of their bishops are descended. And that goes right back to the Gospel and Epistle accounts themselves.
“Non-Catholics who are up in arms of the proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI that the only true church in the world is that of Catholicism shouldn’t even bother getting upset.”
All religions should claim that their teaching is the only truth available for salvation and should pray for members of the other religions for their conversion. If one is not totally convinced that his/her religion is the only one to possess the fullness of truth he/she has the obligation to look for it elsewhere. Remember that in matters of religion there is no gray - it’s either truth or falsehood. In matters of religion one can only deal with moral absolutes.
Now, if I carry on and on, in a verbal hissy fit, feel the need to go on CNN to continue my tirade, I must consider the moonbat who is the target of my anger a real threat.
Or something.
Just saying.
So, how along ago did you make up your religion?
Strange thing.
That's exactly how muslims feel about their holy book. In between explosions, of course.
There are Churches that CLOSE??? Come on.....that’s a JOKE right? although when Christmas fell on Sunday last year, a lot of them had NO SERVICE!!! That was WRONG!
OK.....so I wrote this essay about them but they're still irrelevant......OK???!!!
There were churches who did that every year a number of years ago. There are churches that still do it. The overall problem has always been the parishioners “lose interest” and the lack of “obligation”.
Example:
“SOUTH BARRINGTON, IL – In perhaps the most extreme example to date of churches halting ministries during the traditionally slower summer months, Willow Creek Community Church – one of America’s prototypical mega-churches – has decided to close its doors until after Labor Day.
“The church leadership took a look at where attendance and giving were last summer, and when you look at the numbers, the case for closing shop just makes a lot of sense,” said Willow Creek Senior Pastor Bill Hybels. “For years we’ve been trying to justify the expense of operating throughout the summer when schools are closed and people are on vacation. We just couldn’t do it any more. If people are going to put their spiritual growth on hold until September anyway, why should the church fight it?”
http://www.holyobserver.com/detail.php?isu=v02i02&art=willowcreek
OMG....I had NO idea....what are they thinking??? That God doesn’t CARE if they go to Church every Sunday??? That is unbelievable.
Actually, he didn’t say they’d make it to heaven.
He said they were defective and not really churches. That means that the folks who attend there are less likely to get the “real deal.”
Without the real thing, they’ll spend a long time in hell or it’s kissin’ cousin, Ma Purgatory.
BTW, I entirely reject the Pope’s position. It is borne of aggressive denominationalism.
What gets me is that these documents are carefully crafted, reviewed, prayed over, revised, considered, and finally published. This a-clown fires off this rant calling the Pope names and accusing him of attention seeking.
The depth of the Holy Father’s intellect contrasted with the shallowness of the man’s protest could not be more clear.
I heard it said once that the problem with theology is that we can know everything except the most important things. I leave the mechanics of salvation it the hands of the most high God, and His Son Jesus Christ.
I have to admit though, that I thoroughly enjoy the sparring with the protestants on here. A bit of a guilty pleasure.
It never actually says he killed them... it says they dropped dead. It doesn't say the Lord killed them either. They could have had heart attacks.
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land? Act 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
I used to dread the summer in church when I was a kid because week after week it seemed like the same old thing until Advent finally arrived. Now, having been busy in the church for the last 9 years, I find the summer to be a blessed time of peace and tranquility.
Likewise, I have posted that the Pope stated that Protestants are defective and that their churches aren’t properly churches. One reason given for this is because they don’t have the actual Eucharist.
Now, you answer me, since you think I’m a liar. (That’s a personal attack by the way. Is it just possible that I have a different opinion on this than you?)
Here’s the question: Is an unbeliever comes to church is his eternal soul safer if he is in a Roman Catholic Church or in a Protestant Church? Why or why not?
I would suggest about my previous thread that it could be re-opened. It has simply been closed for now. It is no more or less rancorous than the thread about “The Nativity” movie and Mary. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it opened again. If not, I can always post another.
I would also suggest that I was absent when it was closed, so I was not the one who started the “flamefest” to which you refer.
>>Now, you answer me, since you think I’m a liar. (That’s a personal attack by the way. Is it just possible that I have a different opinion on this than you?)<<
No. Slander is slander. It’s not an opinion, it is the deliberate misrepresentation of someone’s words, in print, that does harm to that person’s reputation.
You continue to say this...
>>Actually, he didn’t say they’d make it to heaven.<<
It’s slander. One Protestant lady called you on it on the closed thread. You are intentionally misrepresenting the document to cause harm. The first time can be a mistake, now it is intentional.
CORRECTION, 3rd asterisked paragraph:
Likewise, I have posted that the Pope stated that Protestants are defective and that their churches aren’t properly churches. One reason given for this is because they don’t have the actual Eucharist.
Now, you answer me, since you think I’m a liar. (That’s a personal attack by the way. Is it just possible that I have a different opinion on this than you?)
***Here’s the question: ***IF*** an unbeliever comes to church is his eternal soul safer if he is in a Roman Catholic Church or in a Protestant Church? Why or why not?
I would suggest about my previous thread that it could be re-opened. It has simply been closed for now. It is no more or less rancorous than the thread about “The Nativity” movie and Mary. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it opened again. If not, I can always post another.
I would also suggest that I was absent when it was closed, so I was not the one who started the “flamefest” to which you refer.
See my corrected post in #39. I had a typo in the first post.
I more than supported all my points in the previous thread.
In a court of law, Levada’s diocese WAS convicted.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.