[Gamecock]

[Campion]

Having traveled to numerous developing areas it never ceases to amaze me how pagan symbols are incorporated into everyday indigenous Roman Catholic practice.

"Indigenous Roman Catholic practice"???? You're citing a trinket stand, no doubt run by a Turkish muslim, selling Greek Orthodox icons with some sort of Turkish charm on them as emblematic of "indigenous Roman Catholic practice"???

There are fewer than 30,000 Catholics in all of Turkey. The Turkish population is 71 million. You do the math. What kind of "indigenous Roman Catholic practice" do you think there is in Turkey?

Would you care to cite that authoritative Roman Catholic declaration that this house is authentic?

[Campion]

Interestingly, just next to the Mary House there is a sign providing the visitor verses from the Koran than mention Mary. No such passages from the Bible are presented.

You're in a Muslim country, one that just barely tolerates any practice of Christianity at all. Did you miss that?

The house at Ephesus is not a shrine owned or run by the Catholic Church. Did you miss that, too?

[marshmallow]

Dude, a tour through the sites of the early Christian communities is awesome and the pictures are beautiful. Traveling in the footsteps of St. Paul and the early evangelists is a wonderful experience and they become very much alive, IMHO.

But did you really have to spoil it with the obligatory dig at us "pagan" Catholics? Come on, give it rest for a day. You're on vacation.

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

Thanks for the post! I visited Ephesus in 1982 - not caring much for the things of God at that time. There was a man on the stage, reciting Shakespeare, and he could be heard at every “seat” in the house. I studied Architecture in college and such things interest me to this day.

Your report of the pagan influence in that Catholic joint is one of a thousand examples of what happens when a church tries to influence the culture by befriending it, rather than be satisfied with proclaiming the Gospel and trusting God.

[Between the Lines]

...it never ceases to amaze me how pagan symbols are incorporated into everyday indigenous Roman Catholic practice.

Are you trying to incite a riot?

[Gamecock]

As you wish....

[Between the Lines]

And for the Muslims they have these:

Evil Eye Souvenirs Outside Virgin Mary House, Turkey

[Augustinian monk]

Well, did you buy yourself an ‘evil eye’? You could hang a few on the porch like a wind chimes.

[arthurus]

Turkey is a Moslem country and the sign with Koran citations is a Moslem thing. Christians don’t need Bible quotations there and such would invite vandalism and worse from eager paynim.

[LordBridey]

Thank you for sharing.

[Gamecock]

Did I ping you to this?

If not, please accept my apologies.

[Antoninus]

As a faithful Catholic, I am placing this thread on

IGNORE

If you are Catholic, be aware that this thread contains slanders about the Catholic Church. We should not reward invincibly ignorant anti-Catholic bigots by engaging them in futile debate. Therefore, please do not respond to any of the lies about the Catholic Church contained on this thread.



Saint Paul pray for those who hate the Church.