Posted on 09/25/2013 8:27:57 PM PDT by WXRGina
Yes, but used nevertheless to divert from the Truth about God and His church.
Common tactic by Catholics, use unnecessary meaningless straw man arguments to bolster belief in Catholicism. Following the tactics of the Catholic "Church Fathers."
Catholicism is the reason that there is a need for denominations....there is Catholicism and the revolters against her need names....thus denominations....simple as thatThe Christian church that Jesus started is the church of Christians.
Soon after He started His church, the Catholics became the first denomination of Christianity.
By retroactively declaring all Christians of the church that Jesus started to be "Catholics"---about 300 years after Jesus walked the earth.
So the Catholic Church was the first denomination to revolt against Christianity--by in esscence putting themselves as the "Church" instead of the Christians believers of the time being the real Christian church.
I have spent many dozens of hours attempting to teach you the milk of the Scriptures, yet it seems you are not ready for the meat that believers usually graduate too.
I have no problem with you believing in all that is Catholicism, but don't expect Christians to capitulate to their belief system.
May God bless you as your read the Scriptures after sincerely praying for the Holy Spirit to guide you into all understanding.
"I interpret NOTHING...I leave that up to the church leaders who have been doing it for 2,000+ years"
WXRGina, that pretty much clears up a lot.
Christians allow ONLY the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture, Catholics use men.
So... which one is closer to what I said I thought the Pope meant ?
no He didn't, He gave the keys to the kingdom of Heaven to Peter to proclaim that he would be titular head of His church after He had left the Earth....we all have the promise of Heaven, but we certainly don't have the keys and far too many of us refuse the heavenly gift and choose to disobey the rules and live lives that are not acceptable to God.....no Heaven there
“When we give or receive Christmas gifts; or hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs...the god, Woden, in Norse Mythology, descends upon the earth yearly between December 25th and January 6th to bless mankind...But pagan though they be, they are beautiful customs. They help inspire us with the spirit of 'good will to men', even as the sublime service of our Church reminds us of the ‘peace on earth’ which the babe of Bethlehem came to bestow” (Externals of the Catholic Church, 140).
The 3 wise men brought gifts to the manger for baby Jesus.
This is where the gift-giving of Christmas comes from.
The tree, wreath and crap I can live without.
Hmmm, still no credit to the Jews ey?
I guess that explains all the jokes that begin with, "A guy died and St. Peter met him at the pearly gates of heaven...". ;o)
In truth, though, Jesus gave ALL His disciples the "keys to the kingdom of heaven" which is the gospel. See John 20:21-23, and not just the one passage in Matthew that is misinterpreted to single out Peter only as the holder of the keys. Keys OPEN doors - Jesus IS the door to the sheepfold - and the gospel is the way that souls are admitted into it. That is also why the "gates of hell/hades" would not prevail. The gospel is the key to those gates, as well, and all who come to Christ will be delivered.
So, yes, we ALL also have those keys, as we minster together to proclaim the saving truth of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. The only succession spoken of in Scripture is one of a handing down of the "rule of faith" and not a special office called "Apostle". THAT one had very specific qualifiers and is why there are no more living Apostles today. Christ is the head of the church and he will never fail us. As Christians, we have the SAME Holy Spirit that Jesus breathed on his disciples and we, also, are given the ministry of reconciling the world to God through the gospel.
Please show the scripture that teaches the celebration of Christ’s birth.
I wasn’t holding my breath. ;o)
OF COURSE we should be thankful to the Jews for writing and preserving the teachings of God up until the new testament era...without the Jews and their historical and religious records, we would know nothing of how religious history developed....the Catholics took over from there...the Jews still continue with their writings as they had before, but they deny the Messiah....Christians recognize the Messiah and while we continue to honor and respect the old testament, we are now continueing to write the new testament. Bible history goes on and it always will....it didn't stop with Jesus, it continues so we can understand God's workings in the modern world...we know about the revolution, we know about Vatican councils, we know about dogmas added as time went by, and we will know a thousand years from now what the church did during those years.
Thank you for the confirmation of my statement.
Understanding the meat of the Scriptures is a big step!
Bible history does NOT continue on. It ceased with the writing of the Holy Spirit through John with the Book of Revelation. You may THINK what you are receiving is “Bible history”, but...
Christians allow ONLY the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture, Catholics use men.
I thought the same thing, Syncro.
you mention something about 300 years...in the first 300 years of Christianity, the Catholic Church, (the only Christian church at the time) had 29 Popes...Peter, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Thesphorus, Hyginus,Pius I, Anicletus, Sofer, Eleutherius, VictorI, Zephyrinus, Callistus, Urban I, Pontain, Anterus, Fabian, Cornelius, Lucius I, Stephen I, Sixtus II, Dionysius, Felix I, Eutychian, Caius, and Marcellinus 296-304....I have no idea how you missed all these guys, they are all saints.
Retroactive popes, retroactive "Catholics," there were only Christians until Catholics became a Christian denomination.
It's interesting that there was no need for denominations, all believers were Christians, until the Catholic denomination came along and "claimed" all Christians were Catholic.
Then of course other denominations sprung up to counter the denomination run by men, Catholicism.
Christians naturally balked at that idea, as they followed God, not men. (Shades of the Pharisees!)
Remember your post where you stated (quoting my post)Christians allow ONLY the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture, Catholics use men.
There were no popes for hundreds of years, MEN saying there were by rewriting history is close to blaspheme.
It appears you are not ready for the meat of the Word of God, my mistake trying to teach you Biblical Truths apparently beyond your comprehension as you repeat the same false beliefs over and over.
Except I am so glad your realize that Christians allow ONLY the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture, Catholics use men. One step at a time out of darkness into light!
such nonsense...did the old testament end with Adam and Eve??? as history goes on, so does the church...the revolution is part of the new testament, we are part of it...to suggest that it ended with Christ and the Apostles is to unwrite history...pathetic.
my post didn't print for whatever reason or another....be advised, it will!!!
Christians allow ONLY the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture, Catholics use men. (Your best post ever!)
When an errant Christian tries to go against God's will, sometimes the Holy Spirit intervenes.
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