Posted on 05/28/2008 6:05:04 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
Hello fellow Freepers. I believe this is my first post on the Religion forum.
Over the past week or so, I put some thought into something I've been pondering for a while; my spiritual welfare. As it was, I had been part of the 'Sola Scriptua' school of thought (Evangelical Christian). By the Bible and only the Bible. Sounded good enough.
Well...what about before the Bible was put into word? It stuck in my head when reading an article earlier on FR concerning a deconstruction of Sola Scriptura and its inherent weaknesses as a foundation for one's faith.
This, combined with a genuine lack of churchgoing (as a family, we've been uncertain about going to various churches, given that top-down problems with Episcopal/Methodist/etc. churches and their increasing liberalization are a genuine problem for one's spiritual welfare), compelled me to make a decision.
I don't know if my family will follow me, persay, but I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge.
Next month, I'm going to the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle near my home, and I'm joining the Roman Catholic Church.
As is, I have a few volumes of the Magnificat pamphlet and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to read.
Any other pointers from other Catholic Freepers?
And, “Spiritual Exercises” by Ignatius of Loyola
The Koran should actually be mandatory reading — just like the Mein Kampf? Have you ever read these? You’d be surprised at the amount of insanity in those two books, the amount they contradict themsevles. For instance, inthe Koran, Mohammed, in the 6th century came to the conclusion that Abraham actually wanted to sacrifice Ishmael not Isaac — despite this not having even been imagined for 2000 years. Ditto about the Koranic version of the Birth Of Christ — Mohammed seems to have read revelations and gotten mixed up: the Koran says that MAry went to the desert and gave birth to The Christ under a tree...
The ultimate symbol of God’s grace is how HE has nurtured HIS Church even through bad popes and clergy.
“Roll” membership in an earthly institution, even one called a “church,” is not joining the Body of Christ. I did not join the Body of Christ by joining an earthly “grouping.”
I was baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13; Colossians 2:11, 12) and circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, and made a member of Christ by “the operation of God” (Col. 2:12). Joining an earthly “grouping” of believers does not enhance that standing, nor can not joining one hinder it.
Such a standing is available to any sinner who will come to Christ (not an earthly “grouping”) personally by faith in the all-sufficiency of His shed Blood for the satisfaction of God's Righteousness in the matter of payment for sins.
You know...I tried all that.
It didn’t work.
Eating the Real Body and drinking the Real Blood of Christ: that worked.
In near 52 years of life, I have been approached dozens of times by people who I really believe were interested in the well-being of my soul. There were some who I came to figure from the Scriptures could not correctly tell me what to do about the sin issue, and how to be truly reconciled to our Holy God. But I still believe they had a genuine interest in my soul.
The first one that I can remember was, when as a fifth or sixth grader, playing in the N. California tide pools, a young man handed me a tract introducing Jesus Christ, and asked me if I knew Jesus Christ. Since that time there have been many, most of them in the Midwest and the southeast regions of the USA. In Korea, (1975, 76) Christian military men witnessed boldly to me.
Even after I trusted the Work of Christ and accepted Him, and knew that I was saved by His Grace, very many people have approached me about my soul's need. My practice is, that I never cut them off, nor immediately inform them of my salvation, but I allow them to complete their presentation. If Biblical, I love to hear it. If un-Biblical, I like to learn what people believe, and I politely listen. Christians who appear to have an interest in my well-being deserve to be heard, and so I don't just cut them off. After they conclude, I then give them my testimony of salvation and of knowing Christ.
If the witnessing individual and I can then fellowship around the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, then it affords a wonderful opportunity to encourage each other in the faith and in our labours for Him.
If your testimony and conviction is that you found that receiving the Catholic Church's Eucharist is what put you right standing with God, then I believe you ought to knock on the doors of every house in your neighborhood, and, showing genuine interest in the souls of sinners, present your testimony and faith to the occupants.
I'm not trying to be obnoxious toward you or other Catholics. You see, in my half century, of all the people who have personally (I mean, one-on-one) approached me (and it still happens), not a single one was ever a member of the Catholic Church. Of the dozens of people who have knocked on my door over the years wanting to speak with me about spiritual things, not one has been a Catholic.
My father was a Catholic, raised under nuns in Ottawa, Ontario, but he never once even tried to present to me that I could find peace with God through the Eucharist. His entire family were solidly (French Canadian) Catholics, but not one time did my Grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins ever “witness” to me of the benefits of Catholicism.
Two of my mother's sisters married staunch Portuguese Catholics in California and lived nearby. We spent all of our holidays with them. Those aunts fully converted to Catholicism and their children (my age bracket) were all raised in Catholicism from birth, and through all of the sacraments. We romped and played with our cousins often. Not one time did any of my Catholic relatives show any concern for the eternal safety of my soul.
I had many, many Catholic comrades in the US Air Force over 6-1/2 years as an enlisted man. Not one time did a Catholic airman or officer “witness” to me about the Eucharist.
I am merely saying that if your testimony is that you believe the Eucharist to be the door to God's Heaven, then in obedience to Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; and Acts 1; etc., you should be engaged personally (one-on-one with your neighbors, colleagues, family members . . .) in taking that message to every creature. Pour it on!
Thick skinned posters hardly notice when others insult them or what the believe or hold dear. They turn the other cheek. They do not want the challenges or challengers removed but instead stand and deliver their rebuttal - toe to toe and eye to eye.
Well Said!!!
Rutles-"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee..."
That happens to be a salutation; not a prayer.
oh do I remember those days of little digs and sarcasm I would just cringe as the adults would in a subtle manner let if ever so slip out.
yikes!
lets hide so our blush don’t show
Don’t you know when to quit?
You’re boring.
In the magisterium's own words from the Catholic Encyclopedia is this admission:
"Guided by the clear sense of the living and luminous truth, which it bears within itself, by its likeness to faith defended at need against error by the Divine assistance, the living magisterium strives, explains, argues, and occasionally subtilizes
[subtilizes??? -- what an unusual choice of words!!! Where have we heard that word before??? Oh yeh, Genesis 3:1: "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field" -- subtle, Hmmmm!!! The serpent was subtilizing with poor gullible Eve.
So let us return to the magisterium's own words so it can finish its subtilizing]
"in order to bring forward texts which, if they lack an independent and absolute value, have an ad hominem force, or value, through the authority of the authentic interpreter, whose very thought, if it is not, or is not clearly, in Scripture, nevertheless stands forth with a distinctness or new clearness in this manipulation of Scripture, by this contact with it."
Here it is in the very words of that subtilizing magisterium itself: "subtilizes ... manipulation of Scripture".
And we wonder why they cannot understand the Scriptures as they are written. They cannot understand what they subtilize and manipulate.
God Bless you brother!
Some variety of Asperger's Syndrome perhaps?
Would you PLEASE stop confusing the situation with facts????
now Benny Hinn I view like one of those fake Hindu gurus — not really religious in any way, just out to make money.
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.