[Gamecock]

Not to mention that the Roman Catholic church would insist that children be raised as Roman Catholic.

I suspect the Roman Catholic crowd will be along and howl that this is bashing Roman Catholics. But for them to be honest they would have to admit their position, as incorrect as it is, that we Proddies hold to damnable heresies.

[MarMema]

Mary as "mother of God,"

She is not the mother of God????

[icwhatudo]

“Of course a Roman Catholic can be saved in spite of his church.”

Now why would anyone claim this thread is bashing Roman Catholics? LOL

[HarleyD]

Does this person actually think that his wife would want to attend an OPC? For someone who wants to go into church ministry, he seems a bit naive. Of course, I will admit, so was I. I thought all Christians believed in man's depravity, God's sovereignty, and the inerrant word of God.

Perhaps he should read the posts on FR for the next 1 1/2 years and then I think he'll have the answers to his questions.

[BillyBoy]

I don't think your post is necessarily "Catholic bashing". You're just stating your beliefs and why they're incompatible with Catholicism. That's fine with me. I have more problems when I go on a crevo thread and I'm told I'm "not a Christian" because I don't think the world is less than 6000 years old. No wonder most freepers avoid those threads like the plague. I will be avoiding them in the future.

But I see no "Catholic bashing" in discussing your own beliefs on this thread and what beliefs of Catholicism you don't agree with. I suppose I could start by looking at your profile.

>> I agree with many of the writings of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. (The dead guys up above) <<

Haven't read much of Augustine or Calvin, I'm familiar with some of Luther's writings. I agree with many of the problems he had with the Catholic church at that time (such as the church selling indulgences), I also have problems with many of writings, like his bitter anti-Jewish pamphlet "On the Jews and their lies" he published in his later years.

>> I believe that placing your faith in life and death of Christ is the only way to enter the Kingdom. <<

I diagree. Would you say devout extremely piously, faithful Jews who accept God the father but do not know God the son have no chance at entering the Kingdom of heaven and are doomed to hell for all eternity? I certainly wouldn't accept that.

>> I believe that He was born to a virgin named Mary, who was a real person, worthy of respect, but not to be prayed to, through, or whatever. <<

I don't believe in praying to Mary or worshiping her, I do believe in petitioning the Virgin Mary and evoking her name to God during prayer. This has been around since the earliest days of Christianity, as has the title "Mother of God". I don't see why any protestant would have a problem with the title of "Mother of God" if they fully agree that Jesus was divine (God made flesh) and that Mary gave birth to him. It certainly doesn't claim that gestating in Mary is the REASON he is divine and that his divinity springs from her.

>> I believe Christ grew up in a house with at least one brother. <<

The bible uses "brother" is many contexts besides physical flesh-and-blood "brother". Jesus had no earthly father, so in a real sense he couldn't have a biological "brother", at least not a full brother. And the idea of fully human "half brothers" just strikes me as bizarre. I never considered the idea growing up.

>> I believe that He died nailed to a cross, was resurrected three days later, and as we say, "Sittith on the right hand of God the Father almighty." I believe in the Godhead. <<

I fully agree.

>> I believe Man’s chief end is to “Glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” (Westminster Catechism, Question 1) <<

I fully agree.

>> I believe that people worshiping in certain denominations, who are not fighting to reform them from within, or leaving for a denomination/church that preaches the truth, are in spiritual jeopardy. <<

I can see you have a valid point here.

>> I believe in Sola Scripturum. I believe that the Bible is the only key to salvation. <<

I disagree. The present "canon" of the bible was first compiled around 395 A.D. at the earliest. Are we to believe that for the first 400 years of Christianity, those Christians had no chance at salvation because they only followed certain portions of scripture and not the entire holy bible? Did the apostles have no chance at salvation because the new testament didn't exist yet when they followed Jesus?

>> Yes prayer is critical, but let’s not forget, many sins are committed in the name of religion by people who "pray". Prayer should be checked against God’s Word. Remember, without a prayerful, distraught monk reading the Bible, there would not have been a Reformation. <<

I agree prayer is critical, but not the key to salvation.

>> Could there be some errors? NO! Since God gave it to the original writers, He can certainly guard over it as it is transcribed over and over. For it is written: ”The grass withers, the flowers fade, But the word of our God stands forever.” <<

God's word doesn't contain errors, but man's translation of it does. Human beings are imperfect and made mistakes, and whenever man is charged with writing down God's word and translating into their tongue, they are bound to get some parts of it imperfect.

>> In the eyes of God, a homosexual’s sin is no worse than mine. Yes, there will be homosexuals in heaven (gasp); those who accept the atoning death of Christ, and renounce their lifestyle, will be there. Those who seek to have the church approve of, and celebrate their lifestyle, will have some explaining to do (as will the church leaders who play into this). <<

I agree with this, being homosexual in and of itself doesn't cause anyone to go to hell.

I believe in corporate worship, the encouraging of brothers and sisters. I believe the only solution to the race problem is God. I believe the only answer to any problem is God.

I agree.

>> I believe that there is a big problem with legalism. (Read about the Jewish leaders in the New Testament) I think many of us are wound to tight (one of my sins) and should be more supportive of those who are not as far along in their spiritual journey. (Don't confuse supportive as encouraging sin, but lifting up from sin) <<

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying here.

>> I believe that The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul is one of the best books ever written. <<

I haven't read it. Please provide some details.

I believe that there are two times when I am as close to God as I can be in this world. When I am with someone who is about to die, or when I am in the delivery room at a birth. “Be still and know that I am God” <<

This is rather vague, but I like it in a poetic way. Ironically it kind of reminds me of McCain's statement on evolution that "I believe in evolution, but when I see a beautiful sunset on an Arizona night I know God's hand is responsible". I would agree with him on that.

[Salvation]

[Salvation]

Of which heresies do you speak?

[Salvation]

Of which heresies do you speak?

And exactly who says they are heresies?

Wouldn’t you be surprised at the moment of your death that all these things you THOUGHT were heresies are actually true — and that you were headed the wrong way in clinging to your false beliefs about the Catholic Church?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Marrying a Roman Catholic can work if the Roman Catholic becomes a Protestant.

From darkness to light.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I recently read a Pew poll that said for every one Protestant who becomes Roman Catholic there are four Roman Catholics who become Protestant.

Encouraging.

[Mad Dawg]

I suspect the Roman Catholic crowd will be along and howl that this is bashing Roman Catholics.

That wasn't my first thought. I was more interested in the ecclesiology, the sorrowful ecclesiology of some Protestants who say, "We may be wrong, but you still have to abide by our judgment, even with respect to whom you marry."

And as for the "we may be wrong," once again an otherwise reasonable answer (within the system) is tainted by falsehood NOT about the truth of what we hold, but about what it is that we actually hold.

When will somebody notice that the urge to condemn us feelthy papists is so strong that many of those who yield to it promptly give up their regard and care for easily ascertainable truths? Anyone who sets himself up as a kind of OPC "Dear Abby" ought at least to spend the five minutes it would take to find out if "co-redemptrix" is indeed what we teach.

So it's not bashing in the first degree, but it is bashing, or it bears to bashing the same relation that manslaughter bears to murder. It's not intentional because it's ignorant, but some harm is done nonetheless.

But for them to be honest they would have to admit their position, as incorrect as it is, that we Proddies hold to damnable heresies.

AS long as it's clear that its the heresy which is damnable, that what is objectively a heresy can be held to in error rather than stubbornness, and so the holding, while a heck of an impediment, is not necessarily "mortal", then, yeah.

I don't get the outrage that disputants have because the other party is a disputant. Some people think I'm wrong; I think some people are wrong. Duh.

But when the people who think I'm wrong keep on saying I'm wrong because I think something I do not think or insist on something on which I do not insist, then I get at least perplexed and sometimes downright ornery.

This morning's verbosity brought to you by Boca Java ....

[markomalley]

I suspect the Roman Catholic crowd will be along and howl that this is bashing Roman Catholics. But for them to be honest they would have to admit their position, as incorrect as it is, that we Proddies hold to damnable heresies.

Actually, I agree that mixed marriages are generally a terrible idea. In fact Canon 1124 prohibits it without a dispensation (after an interview process).

You OPC types aren't ever going to agree with actual Orthodox Christianity, but that's not the point of this piece you wrote, I don't think.

If I was her fiance's pastor, I would counsel him to look elsewhere. He doesn't need to be mixed up with a heretic, particularly a Calvinist one.

[Campion]

I suspect the Roman Catholic crowd will be along and howl that this is bashing Roman Catholics.

It's funny you should say that, because the inverse thread, saying that Catholics should not marry Protestants, got a rather vigorous counter-reaction here just a couple of weeks ago.

Catholics should marry Catholics. I have an older catechism on the shelf that says that even dating a non-Catholic with any sort of seriousness is something that has to be brought up in confession.

A friend of mine was in the PCA. He converted to Catholicism. His wife divorced him over it, apparently with the approval of her minister. The same thing almost happened to Scott Hahn; a Presby minister friend counselled Kimberly to divorce him after he converted.

That's more than sufficient evidence for me to say that Presbyterian marriage vows do not mean what Catholic marriage vows mean.

Margaret: "Is that final, father?"

More: "Yes, Meg, so long as he's a heretic, that's final."

[starlifter]

Lighten up, Frances.

[marshmallow]

I suspect the Roman Catholic crowd will be along and howl that this is bashing Roman Catholics.

Well we'd certainly hope so.......... :-)

What's the point of good flamebait if everyone just ignores it.......... :-)