I only respond to posts, and not often, that seem to attack protestantism. I have no real beef with Catholics, heck we are on the same side almost all the time.
I agree with that and I firmly wish that the inter-religious sniping here come to an end. I have never doubted the good faith Christianity of Reformed Christians here. Likewise, I certainly hope that my fellow Catholics would also act in good faith and give credit where credit is due to our Reformed brothers and sisters in Christ. I would also like to see all Christians here pay proper respect to Jews and vice versa and to other faiths and vice versa. Also, believers and non-believers here ought to grant each other mutual respect.
In earlier years, I participated in the religious wars here until it struck me that overwhelmingly, those who participate on Free Republic are my fellow conservatives on matters of public policy and usually on matters of morals and on many shared concepts of faith, differ though we may on some points.
We ought to be united in the effort to resist and defeat our common enemies and the enemies of God and of His will. Those of us who are Christian should seek to follow the leadership of Jesus Christ and of His Father in Heaven and of the Holy Spirit.
I read posts from Reformed Christians that may temporarily boil my blood as yours is probably boiled by some Catholic posts. I tell myself to calm down, that the posts that aggravate me may well, in turn, be inspired by posts of fellow Catholics who have angered those Reformed Christians. Jesus Christ called upon us all to love one another as we have been loved and are loved by God. In the early days of Christianity, it was said that the Roman pagans knew the identities of the Christians because they were the ones who loved one another.
Each of us should strive to be as much more like Christ as we are able to the extent that we can discipline our sinful natures in order to move in that direction. Man fell when Adam and Eve sinned. It is our nature now to struggle against our own tendency to sin, each and every one of us falls short of the standard set by our Savior.
If it is OK with you, I am not going to recreate the lengthy post that I lost because I am older than I once was and tired and it is late at night and I prefer this post anyway as a response to you with whom I share so very many principles and beliefs. I know that you have no real beef with Catholics. You may disagree with us on this or that point of theology but that is very much a reflection of your principled approach and also of that of many Catholics. If I ever have offended you, I apologize because you did not and do not deserve it.
My specific disagreements with #57 were that, to the best of my knowledge, 1) no emperor or king or any other royal figure EVER crowned himself pope. If you know of any, please let me know the specifics, and 2) the title of pope is derived from the Italian il papa or the father and the Italian language, and the specific title of pope did not exist in Jesus Christ's time, and 3) The scriptural sources of the papacy are the Peter Passage in Matthew 16: 13-20 and Christ's guarantee to be with the Church to the end of the world. Matthew 28: 20. I also understand that you may well disagree with what I believe those passages to mean and I have no doubt that any disagreement is with respect and good faith as are mine.
May God bless you and yours, now and forever.