Posted on 03/22/2014 6:51:11 PM PDT by ebb tide
These years later, I'm still not a Catholic. I'm a high church evangelical Protestant. However, I borrow gratefully from the Mother Church. Insofar as the weaknesses of Catholicism were "corrected" by the Protestant Reformation, here's how Catholicism corrects the weaknesses of my Protestant faith: Sacramental worship I attend an evangelical church in the Anglican/Episcopal tradition.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianitytoday.com ...
I just re-read my comment to you and need to make a correction. I’m writing from my phone and it’s a little harder to do than from a computer. In writing about how I could understand why she has the perspective she does, I should have written about the last two examples I included is that I can understand why she doesn’t seem to know of them.
This is very Renaissance thinking. I'm OK, your OK. There is a spark of good in me.
This was never the view of the Hebrews nor the church for over 1500 years. In it is embodied the Pelagius and semi-Pelagius views. Yet I can understand how one is compelled by this view. It certainly makes us feel better about ourselves rather than take a true assessment of ourselves.
Rom 7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
I agree with you. She has a "transcendental longing" that can only be satisfied with Jesus. She COULD find some of that with Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, Roman or Orthodox, wouldn't you think?
WHY change to Catholicism and then be required to do all this stuff? The Protestant path is the easy path and is so much simpler...and easy. We all like easy.
Ex-father Martin Luther paved the way for EASY.
Jim,
Yes, all of us who follow Jesus needs to remember that it is He and his Father whom unite us, whether we are Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox.
G-F
It doesn’t sound like she has any faith at all. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), becoming rooted and grounded in love by daily fellowship with Jesus (Ephesians 3:14-21). By feeding on pure spiritual milk, she can mature as a Believer (1 Peter 2:1-9). She can stir up the gift inside, recognizing that the Greater One is inside of her (1 John 4:1-4). Confidence comes from believing that there is NOW NO condemnation, that she is a child of God, and joint-heir with Jesus. (Romans 8:1-2, 8:11-17) The “works” and struggle ends because Jesus has done it all for you. Fruit bearing becomes easy because its the life of God flowing through the vine and to the branches. Religion always screws up the simplicity of the Gospel, and God’s perfect plan for His kids.
As someone earlier said, she is drifting in and out of religious traditions, the inventions of men - ceremonies, philosophy etc. Her spirit desires a relationship with her Heavenly Father and that spiritual connection comes only through faith in Jesus. It only matures by constant spiritual fellowship. She should heed Paul’s warning and his instructions to cling only to Jesus, the Word made flesh. There, she will find the spiritual peace that no intellectual or religious pursuit will ever provide.
Colossians 2:8-10 (AMP)
8 See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah).
9 For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature].
10 And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].
LOL!
Friend, I can tell you are not Lutheran by that statement.
Thanks for the ping. I’m glad that she found what she was looking for.
It doesn’t seem like she’s read most of the Bible from her not being aware of what it says on many of the things she writes about. She doesn’t seem to be aware that “church” isn’t really a building or a service, but “the church,” the body of believers and the bride of Christ.
I looked more into other things she’s written, and she contributed to a feminist, liberal Christian volume called “Jesus Girls,” and has contributed several pieces to the Huffington Post, inlcuding one I just read called, “Why isn’t God like Eric Clapton,” which talks more about her leaving and returning to church. She talks about a longing for God and knows church does something but that’s about all. She had asked why God seems so distant and it still seems like He is to her. It seems like she isn’t willing to consider taking the Bible as God’s inspired, inerrant Word, though.
Ex-father Martin Luther paved the way for EASY.
You know your Luther alright, never was one for repentance or confessions.
Being a Protestant is easy: NO
Sunday and holy day requirements
once-a-year confession requirement
meatless days
Lenten fasting, abstention
confessions at all
fasting one hour before communion
WHY change to Catholicism and then be required to do all this stuff? The Protestant path is the easy path and is so much simpler...and easy. We all like easy.
Ex-father Martin Luther paved the way for EASY.
I've read the (auto)biography of Martin Luther. It was my read that he was MOST sincere in his endeavors to right the wrongs he saw.
I also believe that he was a GOOD man, from start to finish.
When I was in Germany I saw where he worked and the "famous" ink spot where he threw his ink pot at the Devil.
I also DON'T think that he MEANT to create what he created, PROTESTANTISM, which now, I believe has some 30,000-40,000 different denominations. THAT he could NOT have foreseen. He only PROTESTED what he believed NEEDED protesting.
Sunday and holy day requirements- required for what? (RFW)
once-a-year confession requirement- RFW? meatless days- Col 2:16
Lenten fasting- Luther fasted, abstention from what?
confessions at all- Obviously never read any Luther.
fasting one hour before communion RFW?
WHY change to Catholicism and then be required to do all this stuff?
Acts 15:28, Gal 3:23-29,
Yep, y’all are the saved by works bunch. Your own testamonies declare that.
Some of the RCs I have known for years abide strictly with that list,....and are some of the most foulmouthed people I know, even taking the Lord’s name in vain regularly.
I remember a older bookkeeper at a place I worked over 20 yrs ago. While known to use ‘colorful’ words now and then, she was fiercely devout; communion every day, followed all the rules. One day in February, she showed up with the ashes on her forehead. Me, not thinking about the start of (the man-made tradition) Lent, commented to her that she had a dirty smudge in her forehead, to which she replied: “D*** it, don’t you know it’s ash wednesday?”
She was a devout Dem as well. I’ll never forget her excitement upon returning from a presidential campaign rally for guvner Clintoon. She was awestruck, and went on and on about him. I said, “I thought your church disappoves of abortion.” She glared at me for moment, then walked away.
These statements do not contradict each other. "Mother of God" does not mean that God had a beginning or an ending, nor that He could be added to or decreased. God has been alive from all eternity, without a beginning.
To say "Mary is the Mother of God" is to say "Jesus is God co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit) and at a point in time, that same everlasting and eternal Person was born on earth and had an earthly mother."
It does not imply that His mother had divine status. She was a creature. He is the Creator. She gave birth to, but did not give existence to, her Son,
who in fact created her and infinitely surpasses her in every possible way.
Do not misinterpret "Mother" to mean "ultimate source." Christ is a divine Person; Mary a human person.
I grew up in and LCMS church that had strict practices most Catholics would not do. Did we fast twice a year? Well, only if you wanted to, but if you wanted to it had better be more than twice a year.
I have seen a great many Catholics use the sacrament of confession as a revolving door for their favorite sin. Yes I know that isn't the way it should work, but there attitude is “So what!” Where I came from (and honestly where I go now) you will get called out if you are in public sin. I still remember a family friend getting spoken to in front of the elders because of adultery.
My point wasn't that all Lutheran's do this, but saying it is easy tells me you have little idea of what happens in the more orthodox synods. Growing up the Catholics in eastern Nebraska joked that we were to strict!
As for Luther wanting to end up with a divided church, no he did not. It pained him. But once politics got involved, it was going to happen. The princes did not like the Pope, and Pope did not like the Emperor.
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