Replies

Thank you for the kind words.

It is through love for one another that must always be the first step for protestants and Catholic/Orthodox or any group to have open dialog.

That said,I find illogical for anyone to try and compare Joseph Smith,Ron L Hubbard to the Dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church.

You further go on to say..
“”To me, all of the doctrines and traditions of men – all of them across the board - are broken cisterns that can hold no water.””

Can you imagine where we would be today if the Catholic Church had NOT made the Divinity of Christ and Trinitarian Baptism and many other things Dogmatic, thus “concrete truth”?

You already have groups like Joseph Smith (who you felt compelled to compare to Catholic teaching) who deny the Divinity of Christ.

I thank God for the Dogmatic teaching of the Church that makes things “concrete” to protect against mass heresies from arising.

NARROW, RIGID, DOGMATIC

assumptions, presumptions, fabrications, fantasies, extrapolations, inferences

based on . . . faint fog, sky hooks and quick sand

are common to most RELIGIOUS groups sooner or later—the longer they exist, the worse it tends to get.

It’s shocking the numbers of RC edifice folks who are blind to such a common human and group phenomena.

I know there are RC edifice sociologists and psychologists. I guess it must be selective teaching as well as selective perception and rubberized texts.

Thank you for your reply and for sharing your concerns!

That said,I find illogical for anyone to try and compare Joseph Smith,Ron L Hubbard to the Dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church.

There are Freepers who believe very, very, very strongly in the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Joseph Smith) and in Scientology (L. Ron Hubbard.)

I'm quite confident that you would not consider their beliefs equal to your own. They would likely feel the same about yours.

In considering the key question "Who do you believe?" I provided a range of examples. They included the successful (Catholic, Orthodox, LDS) and the tragic (Applewhite's Heaven's Gate, Koresh's Branch Davidians and Jim Jones.)

As for me, again I testify that I love God, I believe Him and I trust Him. Him alone.

Can you imagine where we would be today if the Catholic Church had NOT made the Divinity of Christ and Trinitarian Baptism and many other things Dogmatic, thus “concrete truth”?

God is not powerless to convey His own words or to otherwise accomplish His own will. He would not have been stumped if Abraham or Moses or David or Mary or Esther (etc.) had said "no".

No mortal being - or collective of mortal beings - can thwart the will of God. Indeed, no thing at all can thwart the will of God.

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. - Luke 19:40

Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: - Isaiah 46:9-10

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying], Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. - Psalms 2:1-5

But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. - Matthew 19:26

To God be the glory, not man, never man.