[kinsman redeemer]

A good act of contrition is fundamental, so to speak. It seems to me one flavor of the daily bread offered up on the Religion Forum is a persistent antiCatholicism baked by lapsed Catholics trying to scratch off their baptism by any means necessary. The witness is presents is negative and typical of a latter claimant to the throne whose legitimacy rests on destroying its predecessor. It cannot rest until the former is destroyed because the former is a living testimony that the new religion is illegitimate. Thus it has no message in and of itself; it is always defined by its opposition to its predecessor.

Thank you for the response.

You seized on the act of contrition - a memorized Catholic prayer. Then you repeated your claim that former Catholics are trying to relieve their consciences because Catholicism somehow sticks and must be "scratched off."

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Let me say in no uncertain terms: When I trusted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, old things (like my involvement in your religion) were passed away ("scratched off" in a sense) and everything became new. I was a new man. Born again by the Spirit of God.

Once saved, I was baptized - as a believer- I was baptized for the FIRST time. The choice that my parents made to undergo a baptism ritual when I was an infant had no real meaning at all. Neither did any of the other "sacraments" that I went through.

Everything I have declared here is based on God's Word. I can supply the support, if you'd like.

(If someone is reading and wants to know why I believe as I do, send me FREEPmail. I would love to communicate with you!)

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Here is a funny anecdote relating to my "Act of Contrition" prayers.

Catholics say that if you're in the 2nd grade, then you should be trained to receive the "Holy Eucharist" ((or at least they did in the last century)) To accomplish this, you had to have been trained to go into the box to tell the priest your sins: "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned..." Then you would get your penalty list and count of memorized prayers to pray, along with a "good Act of Contrition."

I thought I had it down pretty good- and that if I died at the right time I'd go straight to heaven. If I died at the wrong time, fortunately there was a back-up plan and I would not go to hell.

But tragically, I had misunderstood something fundamental to a "good" Act of Contrition.

For a few years, I thought the prayer started like this:
Oh! My God, I am hardly sorry for having offended Thee..."

I don't think mine was a "good" prayer, since the adverb is supposed to be: "heartily" - It seems to change the meaning of the prayer slightly.

Every time I think about that, I laugh.

[af_vet_1981]

You seized on the act of contrition - a memorized Catholic prayer. Then you repeated your claim that former Catholics are trying to relieve their consciences because Catholicism somehow sticks and must be "scratched off."

Actually I pointed out that a perfect act of contrition is fundament. You brought up a prayer, and since you did, do you agree that the so-called Sinner's Prayer is a relatively new marketing tool to generate so-called decisions in certain denominations, faith communities, and sects ?

[af_vet_1981]

Let me say in no uncertain terms: When I trusted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, old things (like my involvement in your religion) were passed away ("scratched off" in a sense) and everything became new. I was a new man. Born again by the Spirit of God.

Once saved, I was baptized - as a believer- I was baptized for the FIRST time. The choice that my parents made to undergo a baptism ritual when I was an infant had no real meaning at all. Neither did any of the other "sacraments" that I went through.

Which Protestant derived group baptized you, so to speak ?

[af_vet_1981]

Everything I have declared here is based on God's Word. I can supply the support, if you'd like.

Odd that; everyone seems to claim that privilege. It seems to me the so-called Sinner's Prayer is not there but the "Our Father" is; do you still say the "Our Father ?"