I sincerely doubt the Holy Spirit would have "guided" pedophiles into the Church to cause multi-billion dollar costs. I also sincerely doubt the Holy Spirit would have "guided" the sales of indulgences only to rescind them 100 years later.
The Holy Spirit's job is to guide believers to all truth. Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit until our day of redemption. He is not here as some quasi-force to guide a nebulous Church that has shown they make poor decisions from time to time at best. He is real and personal to each believer.
Well, the Church's teachings on the Holy Spirit is a big one. For it to say, "The Holy Spirit is guiding us-not anyone else." is a bit cultish in my mind. However, I doubt if the Vatican would allow themselves to be corrected in this teaching.
: The Holy Spirit’s job is to guide believers to all truth. “Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit until our day of redemption. He is not here as some quasi-force to guide a nebulous Church that has shown they make poor decisions from time to time at best. He is real and personal to each believer.
“John 14:17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.”
Amen and amen!
***I sincerely doubt the Holy Spirit would have “guided” pedophiles into the Church to cause multi-billion dollar costs.***
He didn’t. It was men who did it and men who allowed it. We fell short and sinned.
***The Holy Spirit’s job is to guide believers to all truth. Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit until our day of redemption.***
They are marked, not put into a plastic baggies. The Holy Spirit guides, but so does the great deceiver.
***Well, the Church’s teachings on the Holy Spirit is a big one. For it to say, “The Holy Spirit is guiding us-not anyone else.” is a bit cultish in my mind.***
The Church does not say that the Holy Spirit only resides in the Catholic Church. It says that the Church is the Church of the Triune God. The Church is the creation of the Holy Spirit, not vice versa. God does what He does. The problem is that how does one know whether he is following the Spirit or not? The world is full of people who have cultish beliefs that can be ‘proven’ from Scripture.
But even the devil can quote Scripture for his own purposes and did during the temptation of Christ. If Scripture can be used by the devil, then another guide is required. And Jesus provided that: the Church.