Apocalyptic Fooferah

NCR ^ | February 17, 2008 | Mark Shea

[defconw]

I have a friend, a lovely woman and devout Catholic, who I am quite sure knows the faith. However, she has gone completely off the deep end when it comes to private revelations.

I think that's what Mr. Shea means.

[PetroniusMaximus]

Though I agree with the author regarding the extra-Biblical, Marian craziness, I’m afraid he’s throwing the baby out with the bath water.

There are some seriously amazing prophesies in the Bible that are well worth a person time to study. I believe I’ve read that over 70% of the Scripture is prophetic in nature. That strongly implies the importance of prophesy in God’s scheme.

Jesus said quite a bit more about the end times than just, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”

I think the author downplays a very important component of Scripture to his, and his reader’s, detriment.

[NYer]

I have a friend, a lovely woman and devout Catholic, who I am quite sure knows the faith. However, she has gone completely off the deep end when it comes to private revelations.

Ditto. One of my neighbors was a revert who came back to the faith after visiting Medjugorje. She got caught up in the daily messages of the BVM and believed everything she read in various forums and emails about y2k. 7 years ago, she put her townhouse up for sale because she believed the BVM was telling her to go to Maryland.

[defconw]

Precisely! I love my faith, I love BVM with all my heart. But.... there is a limit. I get tons of e-mails on these things from her. I tried to gently admonish her. To remind her of fads, such as the Prayer of Jabez, and the others as you well know.

I was taught to appeal to the BVM as Jesus would always want to please his Mother, but there is a limit. Our faith is so rich, there is no need for superstition.

Last April I married a Lutheran( by his own admission, not a very good one). He agreed to marry in the Holy Roman Catholic Church and we have no problems between us. His family and friends ( mostly non-doms in this discussion) were discussing the book of Revelations, and I had to bite my tongue sooooooooooo hard. LOL.

I have several books on the book of Revelations. I love that book. It's what heaven will be. But I have known so many good Catholics that fall for the 666 thing. (Major eye roll).

[Lee N. Field]

His family and friends ( mostly non-doms in this discussion) were discussing the book of Revelations, and I had to bite my tongue sooooooooooo hard. LOL.

I can imagine. Eschatology discussions confined to Protestant circles can get real heated (because, mostly, of one particular school of thought that the "same pathologies, different dress" comment would apply to).

Just keeping an eye on this thread, watching to see if anything interesting comes up.

[defconw]

I am surprised this thread did not get heated. I am glad it did not. I am a Catholic and I am educated in my faith. I stay out of Protestant discussions. There are just to many “schools of thought” to keep up with.