One Hundred Fifty Reasons I'm Catholic - And You Should Be Too!

http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org ^ | January 23, 2014 | Dave Armstrong

[NKP_Vet]

1. Best One-Sentence Summary: I am convinced that the Catholic Church conforms much more closely to all of the biblical data, offers the only coherent view of the history of Christianity (i.e., Christian, apostolic Tradition), and possesses the most profound and sublime Christian morality, spirituality, social ethic, and philosophy.

2. Alternate: I am a Catholic because I sincerely believe, by virtue of much cumulative evidence, that Catholicism is true, and that the Catholic Church is the visible Church divinely-established by our Lord Jesus, against which the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail (Mt 16:18), thereby possessing an authority to which I feel bound in Christian duty to submit.

3. 2nd Alternate: I left Protestantism because it was seriously deficient in its interpretation of the Bible (e.g., "faith alone" and many other "Catholic" doctrines - see evidences below), inconsistently selective in its espousal of various Catholic Traditions (e.g., the Canon of the Bible), inadequate in its ecclesiology, lacking a sensible view of Christian history (e.g., "Scripture alone"), compromised morally (e.g., contraception, divorce), and unbiblically schismatic, anarchical, and relativistic. I don't therefore believe that Protestantism is all bad (not by a long shot), but these are some of the major deficiencies I eventually saw as fatal to the "theory" of Protestantism, over against Catholicism. All Catholics must regard baptized, Nicene, Chalcedonian Protestants as Christians.

4. Catholicism isn't formally divided and sectarian (Jn 17:20-23; Rom 16:17; 1 Cor 1:10-13).

5. Catholic unity makes Christianity and Jesus more believable to the world (Jn 17:23).

6. Catholicism, because of its unified, complete, fully supernatural Christian vision, mitigates against secularization and humanism.

7. Catholicism avoids an unbiblical individualism which undermines Christian community (e.g., 1 Cor 12:25-26).

8. Catholicism avoids theological relativism, by means of dogmatic certainty and the centrality of the papacy.

[metmom]

Protestant church as usually no less unified in the basics of the faith, primarily that of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.

If the Catholics wish to accuse Protestantism of being 35,000 some odd separate denominations simply because they have different names, then that sword cuts both ways.

[metmom]

Many another Protestant has thought as you do, until he started reading the early Church fathers--Irenaeus, Polycarp, Augustine, Clement, John Chrystosom, Ignatius, etc.--and found to his dismay that from the beginning, Christianity held to the same fundamental truths about the Faith, which Catholicism still teaches.

Now, about Mary and all the stuff surrounding her......

What are the sources showing the early church fathers believe in her perpetual virginity, her immaculate conception, her alleged assumption?

[metmom]

I don’t belong to any church. I belong to Jesus and He made me part of His church, his body.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Bwahahaha! Now that there is just funny. :-)

[metmom]

Protestant church as are usually no less unified in the basics of the faith, primarily that of salvation by grace through faith in Christ.

oops, that's what I get for posting in the morning......

[Salvation]

This is a great article. Thanks for posting it.

[Salvation]

All Catholic! Just different rites, but all under Rome.

[Cronos]

the Gospel is reflected in Christian beliefs, they’re not two different things. But I agree with the rest of the your post that we should remember to build up all Christians

[Salvation]

9. Catholicism avoids ecclesiological anarchism - one cannot merely jump to another denomination when some disciplinary measure or censure is called for.

10. Catholicism formally (although, sadly, not always in practice) prevents the theological relativism which leads to the uncertainties within the Protestant system among laypeople.

11. Catholicism rejects the “State Church,” which has led to governments dominating Christianity rather than vice-versa.

12. Protestant State Churches greatly influenced the rise of nationalism, which mitigated against universal equality and Christian universalism (i.e., Catholicism).

13. Unified Catholic Christendom (before the 16th century) had not been plagued by the tragic religious wars which in turn led to the “Enlightenment,” in which men rejected the hypocrisy of inter-Christian warfare and decided to become indifferent to religion rather than letting it guide their lives.

14. Catholicism retains the elements of mystery, supernatural, and the sacred in Christianity, thus opposing itself to secularization, where the sphere of the religious in life becomes greatly limited.

15. Protestant individualism led to the privatization of Christianity, whereby it is little respected in societal and political life, leaving the “public square” barren of Christian influence.

16. The secular false dichotomy of “church vs. world” has led committed orthodox Christians, by and large, to withdraw from politics, leaving a void filled by pagans, cynics, unscrupulous, and power-hungry. Catholicism offers a framework in which to approach the state and civic responsibility.

17. Protestantism leans too much on mere traditions of men (every denomination stems from one Founder’s vision. As soon as two or more of these contradict each other, error is necessarily present).

18. Protestant churches (esp. evangelicals), are far too often guilty of putting their pastors on too high of a pedestal. In effect, every pastor becomes a “pope,” to varying degrees (some are “super-popes”). Because of this, evangelical congregations often experience a severe crisis and/or split up when a pastor leaves, thus proving that their philosophy is overly man-centered, rather than God-centered.

19. Protestantism, due to lack of real authority and dogmatic structure, is tragically prone to accommodation to the spirit of the age, and moral faddism.

20. Catholicism retains apostolic succession, necessary to know what is true Christian apostolic Tradition. It was the criterion of Christian truth used by the early Christians.

[metmom]

Islam teaches enough about Jesus so no Muslim can claim ignorance about Him.

Jesus in Islam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Islam

“The belief that Jesus is a prophet is required in Islam, as it is for all prophets named in the Qur’an. “

[cuban leaf]

Just thinking about all those Gods People..Jews, who are condemned to hell, for following the Old Testament...also believed to be inspired by God. Kinda sucks for them doesn’t it?

---

I wonder how God injected himself into the various human cultures before the Jews got their hands on it and carefully documented everything. Thing is, I do believe in “ages”. We are in the Church age now, the thousand year reign of Christ will come after, and the OT age predates both. But what pre-dates that, regarding God’s dealing with man (other than what is chronicled at a VERY high level in Genesis)?

We don’t know, really.

But regarding the condemnation to hell, I don’t think our knowledge is perfect at all there regarding those outside the church age. I’m also one of those that believes the eternal condition of the unsaved is not conscious. I’m an annihilationist. So at the very least, they got to live as described in Ecclesiastes (eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of your labor, and then you die), and that is better than nothing.

[Iscool]

So you hang your current position regarding the Catholic Church on the perceptions of a seven-year-old child?

The priest was trying to be encouraging. A seven-year-old is incapable of committing grave sins.

You apparently were not conscious at that time of the words of absolution:

God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

Is this what I think it is??? If so, God beat you to it a long time ago...

Heb_4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

1Jn_1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[metmom]

All Christians! Just different denominational affiliations, but all believers in them under Jesus.

[HarleyD]

Our Catholic friends have come a long ways in 1,000 years when they were telling the folks they would get special grace if they join the Crusades.

I guess that’s progress...sort of....almost...

[cuban leaf]

;-)

[metmom]

Hey, for those who think I have nothing good to say about Catholicism, (which is not true) this is one thing I give them credit for.

I only wish they had finished the job.

[Salvation]

So glad to find out that you still believe in the REAL PRESENCE!

[HarleyD]

Well, that was BEFORE the Reformation. So we were still part of the club. :O)

[BlatherNaut]

I rely on mercy.

At the end of the day, that's all any of us can do. Practice the greatest theological virtue, Charity (including praying for one another and for unbelievers), and rely on His mercy.

"Give glory to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever."

God saves who He wills, and none of us have the right to tell Him how to do His job.

[HarleyD]

God saves who He wills, and none of us have the right to tell Him how to do His job.

I'm amazed at how many Catholics become Calvinists when talking about Muslims.