Posted on 09/02/2011 9:07:47 AM PDT by marshmallow
Minneapolis, Minnesota (CNN) –Prior to 2006, few people even knew that then-Minnesota state legislator Keith Ellison was a Muslim. Because of his English name, he said, no one thought to ask.
But five years ago, when he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives - a race he would go on to win - word of his religious affiliation began to spread.
“When I started running for Congress it actually took me by surprise that so many people were fascinated with me being the first Muslim in Congress,” said Ellison, a Democrat now serving his third term in the House.
“But someone said to me, ‘Look Keith, think of a person of Japanese origin running for Congress six years after Pearl Harbor–this might be a news story.’”
Though Ellison's status as the first Muslim elected to Congress is widely known, fewer are aware that he was born into a Catholic family in Detroit and was brought up attending Catholic schools.
But he said he was never comfortable with that faith.
“I just felt it was ritual and dogma,” Ellison said. “Of course, that’s not the reality of Catholicism, but it’s the reality I lived. So I just kind of lost interest and stopped going to Mass unless I was required to.”
It wasn’t until he was a student at Wayne State University in Detroit when Ellison began, “looking for other things.”
(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...
Do you reject Christ's words, also? Is He not talking to you? Matthew 7 New International Version -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Judging Others
1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. Ask, Seek, Knock
7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. The Narrow and Wide Gates
13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. A Tree and Its Fruit
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
1“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Of course...we will have to disagree Mark.....you know from my post I do not agree there is such a thing as purgatory, regardless of how it’s understood in the catholic church. Otherwise my Savior didn’t finish the work He said He did.
Jesus Christ’s death, burial and ressurection leaves no loose ends we have to clean up. He said..”It is finished”.... He did it once for all... or He did nothing at all... There is no middle ground.
Didn't you just castigate Metmom for making a statement that you said was an unfair characterization of all Catholics? (#3218) Yet here you are presuming to characterize all non-Catholic Christians.
I doubt there are very many at all that spurn authority when it comes to learning about Christianity. I certainly do not believe God left us all here to figure it all out by ourselves. Else why would he have given the Apostles, and teachers and pastors, etc. to the church to build up and edify Christians? By no means does this imply that all we have to do is sit back and swallow whatever they tell us but to study the Scriptures and pray for spiritual enlightening of the deep truths of God's revelation. We should be hearers of the word AND doers.
Does that mean that whatever evil you do (once you have been saved) that you are automatically guaranteed a spot in heaven?
Is that what you believe?
Authority issues?
When we keep appealing to the absolute authority of Scripture over tradition and magesteriums?
From Catholicism which rejects the absolute authority of Scripture but adds “Sacred Tradition” to it and makes it equal in authority to Scripture?
What a hoot....
“When we keep appealing to the absolute authority of Scripture over tradition and magesteriums?”
Unfortunately, you don’t seem to believe in the absolute authority of Jesus Christ.
He will judge you not the scriptures.
Exactly right. We've all heard Pastors/Teachers instruct who don't know what they are talking about. But we've also heard those who deliver great sermons which cause us to ponder and seek further what God might have to say as we study on our own. It is then I think the Lord enlarges our understanding and drives home to the heart and mind....and oftentimes He reveals even more as we do so....more than on occassion the Lord has taken my breath away and I am in awe of Him.
Do you reject the absolute authority of Matthew 7?
Of course Jesus will judge me, He is the absolute authority, but how do I know what He has to say without Scripture to tell me?
Scripture is God breathed. What God says, comes to pass. The word of God stands forever.
God had promised that He would restore Israel and the Prophet Joel had prophesied how they would know when this restoration would begin. So when Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost, He begins with this statement: "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). Peter is preaching a message of restoration for the nation Israel. Not Jew and Gentile.
But why was Peter convinced that this was indeed Joel's prophecy coming to pass?
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in THOSE DAYS will I pour out my spirit.
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before THE GREAT AND THE TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD COME.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for IN MOUNT ZION and IN JERUSALEM shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." Joel 2:28-32.
When the day of Pentecost had fully come, there came a sound from heaven as of a mightly rushing wind, there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them. And they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts2:1-4.
When God's spirit was poured out on them on the day of Pentecost, they knew what that meant. That Joel's prophecy was coming true. The next part of his prophecy was about the great and terrible day of the Lord (tribulation), then the return of Christ the Messian to set up His Kingdom. They were waiting for those next prophecies to begin. And they were convinced that Christ was about to return to set up His Kingdom.
The reason that 12th disciple had to be chosen before the day of Pentecost was because Christ had promised them in Matthew 19:28: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you. That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:30 also speaks of this. There HAD to be 12 Disciples to sit upon the 12 Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Before Christ 2nd coming, that throne position judging Israel HAD to be filled. He would not have come back to an empty throne for the 12 tribes of Israel.
Jesus blood did it All NL...it is ALL in Him and by Him.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,.... and ...the blood of Jesus Christ... His Son... ‘cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
He “loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).
‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’ “ (Revelation 7:13,14).
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but BY HIS OWN BLOOD he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Nope. I built my house upon the rock, which is Jesus, not Peter.
Matthew 7:24-27 24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
2 Timothy 3:14-17 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Scripture is authoritative period, and it's especially authoritative over any magesterim or tradition.
ALL of it.
Yes, I have found this to be so as well...but never realized this until getting on these religious threads. I've learned more about what catholics believe from the catholics on FR than the average catholic I've met along the way, because they so often don't know why they believe what they do....nor are they much interested in finding out.
Pope Benedict XVI on Paul and the love of Christ. 2008 The Year of St. Paul
I know the Pope is Catholic but, try to get over that and read what he says about the teaching of St. Paul.
You may be surprised. In a good way.
Eph. 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Iscool,
Baptism meant water, It never not meant water. Only Protestants don’t believe the truth. Their view did not exist until the 16th century.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM, One God an Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Eph. 4:4-6. It does not say two, or pick one, it says ONE BAPTISM in this dispensation of grace.
I said....”......for Christ Jesus indeed cleansed us from ALL sin...”
You said.....”Yes, He did, but not with His blood. His blood paid for our sins.”
Sorry NL...but the “life of the body is in the blood”..as it is written. And it’s His blood that “cleanses” us from sin for the sins of the world...past, present and future were all put on Him.
What about John 6?
I mean, it’s clear that you reject Christ’s words when he says “Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my church,” The reasons you reject Christ’s words can only be conjectured. But he did say, in Matthew 7, that you would be judged by the same measure you use to judge. Once again, it’s conjecture as to why...that’s also Scripture. Now, if you think all your past, presnt and future sins are covered, what about that judgement? Do you think you are immune to it? That’s not what Scripture says.
It makes me wonder, sometimes, why protestants who literally scream online about the authority of Scripture reject it. Not only these two, but Hebrews 13. Do you also reject that?
Judith Anne,
It is amazing how Protestants twist the scriptures to avoid the obvious. Clearly baptism means water is used. Yet Protestants will deny all that is known about scripture and Greek to avoid the truth.
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