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?
St. Paul states that the Church is "THE pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)
The Catholics did not create the division, so, no, it isn't. As far as exclusionary, anyone is welcome to become Catholic who wants to.
I saw one of the anti's say to a former Baptist something like "glad you left". Can't you feel the love? :)
My comments are based on MY experience with the CATHOLIC church. Not the Protestant church. While I still attend the CATHOLIC church (although no longer the church mentioned in my previous comment) I do keep one hand firmly on my wallet. I have faith in God. But as far as any particular church? "Trust. But, verify." sums it up for me.
"the Catholic Church is not in the habit of having a yearly fundraising service where congregants are encouraged to pledge a sum of money."
Yearly? Heck, our CATHOLIC church was having monthly fundraising efforts for whatever community outreach program was next on the list. One of my first recollections of major fundraisers was when I was a young teen and our CATHOLIC church (NOT Protestant) was purchasing homes for Vietnamese refugee families in our area back in the early 70s. Yes, we were encouraged to put money in the basket. The "pitch" was always attached to the end of the sermon. Not a particular sum of money, mind you, but we were encouraged to donate whatever sum you were able to donate. They even published the weekly donation totals in the following week's church bulletin. They published a weekly total, a yearly total and they published the percentages being donated to whatever fundraisers that were running at the time.
In grade school, we had canned food drives for the local homeless shelters all the time. And if we didn't bring in any canned food, we were denied recess and had to write essays about helping the poor or serve out some other form of penance.
As to whether you think I'm lying or whether you believe me or not, I really don't care. I didn't set out to convince you one way or the other. I am citing my personal experience as it related to my "one hand on the wallet" comment.
Don't misconstrue my comments as having anything to do with my faith in God and Jesus Christ. But my comments DO have everything to do with the organized CATHOLIC churches I have been involved with in my life and how I have learned to approach these organizations.
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“...for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:24)
Did Jesus mean, by this statement, that the son was spiritually and irretrievably dead?
No.
Was I speaking of only non-Catholics? No.
If you lose your way in a snow-storm, is it possible for you to emerge from the blinding snow and find your way again?
Yes.
So, as long as one still draws breath, it is possible for him to to find his way, for the first time, or after being lost for a very long time.
Please allow this article to serve as an apology to you for “feeding the trolls” on your thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2023050/posts
I agree with both, the Baltimore for the ABCs clearly and easily understood and the Catechism for when you are more advanced.
Welcome Home!! I haven’t read thru all the posts, however, if nobody has mentioned it...I would recommend, “Rome Sweet Home” by Dr. Scott Hahn. I myself am a cradle to grave Catholic, but read the book and was quite impressed with his conversion story. You’ll be in our prayers!!
Exactly... Wait for my next post.
The Catechism is wonderful. Catholicism for Dummies/ Fr Trujilio, is very orthodox and great. We love EWTN. Welcome home.
About the baptism thing -- were you attening church regularly at the time? If not, and the pastor hadn't seen you, maybe the collection plate was the only way he had of checking. It used to be taught anyway that it was unfair abd wrong to baptize a baby as a Catholic if it was fairly obvious he wouldn't be brought up that way, because the baptized incur the obligations of the Faith, not just the "frills."
My daughter has the tackiest thing I have EVER seen -- a Calvinist Presbyterian friend of hers bought it for her as a birthday present -- it is an ENORMOUS Rosary made of zebra wood, I mean it's about eight feet long and the beads are the size of ping pong balls. The central medallion is about as big as the palm of your hand, and is painted in large garish letters, "Dios bendiga nuestro hogar." The crucifix could double as a two-handed broadsword. The whole thing should be registered as a deadly weapon.
You ought to have seen Father Crunk's eyes pop when daughter asked him to bless it for her (but he did.)
Seriously, IMHO stewardship is something Cahotics do ina very confusing and frustrtaing way. I have NO PROBLEM with "Stewardship Sundays" and the like. What I hate is being nickeled and dimed to death. We got ths Domincan Sisters and their new Convent, we have our linked Parish in Haiti, we have the Dominican "poor boys" (novices) on their annual begging tour, we have peter's pence, the Diocesan Appeal, the diocesan Youth appeal the Diocesan Catastrophe Appeal, the Church in Isreal, the Church in Appalachia, I could go NUTS here! I feel like walking into the parish office with my tithe in dollar bills, dumping them all on Father Brian's desk (and I really like and admire this guy) and saying "Here! YOU figure it out."
Hi, everyone. Would y’all please read my thread about feeding trolls at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2023050/posts .
Please keep in mind, I accuse myself, and seek reminders from each of you.
Petronski has reminded me of a great quote which is highly relevant:
“A strange game: The only winning move is not to play” — JOSHUA, “War Games”
Apparently in your haste to find arrogance you missed several things:
1) I left the Catholic Church and came back.
2) The Bible says that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth: 1 Tim 3:15 in case I am delayed, so that you may know how to behave in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Since the only "Church" was the Catholic Church, that must be the one and only Church that Paul is speaking about.
What does that have to do with anything? He didn't join for religiosity, he joined because of a philosophical argument against (a possibly misunderstood interpretation of) Sola Scriptura. If he is interested in theological and philosophical backing to his faith, then that has nothing to do with religious people who missed the relationship with Jesus.
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