Posted on 03/29/2011 3:19:02 PM PDT by Paragon Defender
sure it is, while not mentioned by name (they were soon however known as Catholic)Christians were admonished th be baptized for entry into the church and for the forgiveness of original sin. For 1,600 years (give or take a few) christians were, indeed, Catholic. It's not until Martin and the others decided that they could branch out and do things their own way that much of any discussion was held on this subject at all. While all Christian Baptisms are probably valid, as long as the proper terminology is used, there is still only one church that you can be baptized into and that is the original Christian (Catholic) church. You don't have to be baptized in one of their buildings, just validly baptized. By the way, not everything that happens in Christianityis specifically mentioned in the bible. Remember, until the Catholics put it together, there was no bible at all.....Jesus never read a bible....there wasn't one, but there were certainly those alive who became known as Christians and for a long time, they had virtually no written records to read. (old testament only and most couldn't read them anyway)
Advocating purely theological reasoning and abandoning a combination of theological and scientific reasoning?
That is exactly how control over members of religious sects is maintained.
Abandoning scientific reasoning, which complements theological reasoning, in the face of irrefutable facts is a fool’s errand.
I can see why mormons would advocate blind obedience [theological reasoning] to the tenets of mormonism. This gives them the ability to dismiss the facts that there are no evidences of the BoM.
“For 1,600 years (give or take a few) christians were, indeed, Catholic. “
You might want to run that explanation by an Orthodox Church member...
You misstate the development of the scriptures my friend. The writings that compose the NT were in circulation centuries before, beginning in the first century. The earliest post-apostolic fathers recognized those books as inspired from the start. They weren't gathered into a formal group until the fourth century - but that event only formalized what was already accepted. Try reading FF Bruce "The Canon of Scripture".
Jesus never read a bible....there wasn't one,
Once again you are in error - He had what we call the old testament - and he DID read from it.
but there were certainly those alive who became known as Christians and for a long time, they had virtually no written records to read. (old testament only and most couldn't read them anyway)
Is this what they teach mormons now-a-days? The OT was widly distributed in its greek translation - the Septuiguint or LXX before the time of Christ. People of that era WERE literat and could read (as well as speak) several languages. Paul's letters were copied and distributed throughout the churches as early as the late 40's AD. The apostle Peter refers to these letters as scripture prior to his death in about 67 AD (about 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus btw). The Synoptic Gospels were written by 60-70 AD (some say earlier) and in distribution then. Virtually no records - and unable to read the OT - please, do some honest study of the material.
The plan to create a German Reich Church was found on the teaching of Martin Luther.
A Protestant churchman, published Martin Luther's works after Kristallnacht's violence. He cheered the burning of the synagogues on Luther's birthday. Many Christian's considered the situation in 1900 Germany ideas that they have always held as expressions of the church.
Hans Hinkel, a Nazi who worked in Goebbels' Reich Chamber of Culture said:
“Through his acts and his spiritual attitude he began the fight which we still wage today, With Luther the revolution of German Blood and feeling against alien elements of the Volk has begun.”
From one of the authors
Today, white-supremacists and Neo-Nazis continue to spread Luther's Jewish hatred and use quotes from this book as "proof" of their convictions. I trust that readers will see the horror and danger of Luther's book ....
And, or course (sarcastically speaking), his actions were always through Christian "love" of his enemies, as he audaciously wrote: "The merciless punishment of the wicked is not being carried out just to punish the wicked and make them atone for the evil desires that are in their blood, but to protect the righteous and to maintain peace and safety. And beyond all doubt, these are precious works of mercy, love, and kindness. . ."
This is from the teaching of Martin Luther considered by some to be the founder of Protestant Christianity.
Blue,
If you think that kind of thing will help you here, you are sadly wrong. Christians test things by the scriptures - not blindly accepting what any man claims... Unlike Mormons, who must blindly accept what their leadership declares.
Ampu
Sure, and Hitler placed his own people in charge of the church leadership of Germany and corrupted Luther and Christianity to support his goals. This must be included to provide the full historical context moose - not in a vacuum as your isolated citations and interpretations do.
Hitler worked to unify religon under his nazi control.
Hitler only used Luther, he obtained his aryan racism from materialism and evolutionary thought of the day moose. Other Christians of the German Confessing Church movement used Luther's teachings to counter Hitler's proxy leaders.
To additionally show that Hitler corrupted Luther to deceive the Germans, Hitler's secretary, Martin Bormann, stated that "National Socialism [Nazism] and Christianity are irreconcilable". Hitler made Nazism the de facto state religion and the Bible was replaced by Mein Kampf in the schools.
So lets not be historical revisionists moose. Those statements were made within the structure of an anti-Christian nazism and a pagan, pseudo-scientific grounded materialism. Evil men will corrupt what ever works for them to control the masses.
So luther wrote things he shouldn't have. He never claimed to be the mouthpiece of God, nor was he the only source of Protestantism of the day - there were many others. Shall we investigate mormon racism as well?
BTW moose, in typical fashion Luther is also taken out of context. This passage is from a larger sermon and the subtitle of the paragraph this was from is titles "On the sinful misuse of reason". Hmmmmm makes a huge difference in interpretation now doesn't it moose. BTW, the specific context was regarding communion. hmmmmm.
Luther’s Works, Vol. 23 : Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8 (Concordia Publishing House, copyright 1959).
In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”, for our salvation depends on them.
1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.
Ezra Taft Benson
(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University)
Oh?
Huh?
OH?
I'll bet this is a surprise to the JEWS!
And all he wanted to do was to get rid of the ERROR that had crept into Roman Catholicism...
15. The two groups who have the greatest interest in following the prophet are the ignorant (who are UN-learned) and the self-righteous who are proud of their works.
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