Posted on 05/19/2008 11:09:17 AM PDT by Between the Lines
Maybe the Islamic folks would appreciate the Pope’s words. Look at how they view conversion.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2018188/posts
“The Vatican published in December a doctrinal note reaffirming the mission of all Catholics to pursue conversion of non-Catholics, including other Christian denominations.”
Sorry, Yer Holiness, ya lost me with that one. Christ is our ONLY mediator and advocate. I’m doing fine with my one-on-one relationship with Him.
Lost you with regard to what? Catholics have the right to seek converts from other Christian denominations, do they not?
I understand you may not think it’s for you, but if the Holy Spirit leads a person in that direction, what’s the problem?
Without the Eucharist that one-on-one you tout falls awfully short and that comes straight from Christ Himself.
This is brilliant. Using the idea of religious freedom to assert the right of the Church to proselytize! LOL...sweet.
I still feel it isn’t right to evangelize among Jews-—unless the Jewish person wants to convert.
Just why should Jews have an immunity from the outreach of the Christian Church? Does the Christian church enjoy immunity from agitation against it by secular Jews? Why should not Jews be subject to the same rubs and chafes of the world as everybody else?
I would say yes. They not only have a right they are mandated by the Bible to make disciples of all the nations. If Catholics believe that people in other denominations are lost then they should out of a love for the lost seek to convert them.
OTOH Catholics should not complain when other denominations through the same Biblical mandate and motives of love seek to convert Catholics to their own denomination or seek to baptize their dead.
He probably got lost on the idea that the Pope needed to say it's OK to follow Christ's command.
But it's their Bible, so quit reading it. You wouldn't understand it without the Pope telling you what it means anyway. </sarcasm>
Of course, and why would it be any other way?
What Christian denomination do you know of that doesn’t celebrate communion? And BTW, Christ said that we’re to remember him whenever we engage in the breaking of bread, not that we’re to believe a wafer and a half-shot of wine literally turn into His blood and body. That would require that he be crucified repeatly, and scripture is clear that He said, “It is finished” - ONCE for all.
Agreed - but sadly, many Christian denominations spend more time poaching from each other than reaching those who have never heard the Good News. I understand this is one of the reasons that the church in Agrica is thriving: they’re wining the lost, not chatting up the “misguided”.
Uh - “winning”, not “wining” (although depending on your denomination, they may be wining as well, I guess...)
Argue what you will, but the Bible is straight forward. I am not an orphan because I reject the authority of the Pope. Jesus commanded that we try and convert the world. Nowhere does he command that we accept the Pope's proclamations as truth.
The Counselor that will be with us forever is the Holy Spirit, not the Pope. We do not follow Jesus' commands because the Pope tells us to, we follow Jesus' commands because they are Jesus' commands.
Oh, we'll still complain! If we stopped complaining about that, believing what we do about the nature of the Church, we'd be stinkin' liars. :)
NOW you want to get me going. Given the history of the Church re: forced conversion of Jews, I think it’s better if we left the Jews alone. Now when you speak of agitation against the Church by secular (and even some religious) Jews, that’s a different ball game. In Brooklyn there was the story of an Italian man who lives in a very Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. He put up a Nativity scene in his front yard and these Hasidic guys harrassed him and demanded he take it down. He refused, and they continued their abuse. I am not sure of the outcome. As far as the police are concerned in that neighborhood, the Hasidics are untouchable and treated with kid gloves. Now this kind of assault should be challeneged all the way. The same with those secular atheistic Jews who are so offended by the sight of a cross. I don’t mind if a menorah is put up for Hanukah, so give equal time to others. But even though this “assault” as you say occurs-—and quite regularly, nonetheless, Jews aren’t trying to convert Christians. Assault must be met with assault—I am not talking physical violence—but legal, through the media and those kinds of means—shame is a very good weapon.
You are aware are you not (both of you) that way back in the 1800s the fellows who founded Reform Judaism in America spent so much time at the task they ended up losing their families to the Lutherans, Methodists and other Protestant groups.
Just one of the ironies of proselytizing among the Orthodox I guess.
You guys did know about that didn't you?
And yet, more often than not, these same liberals are silent in the face of violent (i.e., Mohammedan) evangelism.
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.