Posted on 07/07/2015 10:33:57 PM PDT by Morgana
I lost my Church 10 years ago when the Methodists hired a lesbian minister, a church I joined at 12 years old.
Since then I have felt a pull to the Catholic Church. Maybe because of the formality, and definitely because of the Church’s stand on abortion, same sex marriage, etc. I was adopted at birth so I may have been Catholic at birth. I don’t know. I had checked with some folks to find out what I needed to do to become a Catholic.
Now this Pope is really disappointing me just like the Methodists.
Around here we got Methodists, Presbyterians, and people who jump up and yell during service, or snake handlers, and I ain’t picking up no rattlesnake.
I guess I’ll stay home and talk to God by myself. He seems to respond when I call on him.
Well written. Excellent post. Despite that, I hope you have your flame-proof clothing handy because the Catholic-bashers are sure to show up soon.
Where in the Bible does it say Mary was born without the sin of Adam? Also the logic of Mary needed to be without sin for her to conceive Jesus without sin implies that there is shared DNA amongst Jesus and Mary. If this is the case then Jesus cannot be 100% man and 100% God. You would also have to believe that Mary herself did not sin before the birth of Christ and if she did not sin afterwards and didn’t inherit sin she would not be in need of a Savior.
And that is a pity. All Christians, particularly at this time when so many are being murdered in the Near East, must come together and stop arguing.
We are far stronger united under our belief in God - the father, the son, and the holy spirit - than the pitiful backbiting about details.
Well said.
In the New Testament didn't the Apostles give lectures when Christians went astray.
Can't we have theological discussions amongst us???
As it should be. Nothing in the bible states you need to go through a middle man.
And this is the fault of Protestants? Why link it to the Reformation?
I don't ask deceased relatives to look over me and I don't know of any Protestant who does.
That’s up to you. Frankly, I think it is silly.
To one another, not a middle man.
Since these issues are disturbing you then perhaps it’s better you not read or discuss them when they are being debated...... On the other hand if you are seeking the truth of what God is saying to believers then perhaps you need to consider what’s being posted and/or in fact attempt to defend your position with the authority of the scriptures.
It is not enough to simply say that Catholic teachings are truth by the decree of the Catholic Magesterium. Like any spiritual teaching we must compare it to the Bible..... In other words, do the teachings of the Catholic church, that are often derived through mans tradition, transgress the commands of God?
When Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in Matt. 15:1-6, He reprimanded them for not understanding God’s word. They were appealing to the tradition of the elders ...those who had passed down oral and written tradition. Jesus, on the other hand, exposed their error by citing scripture.
It must be observed that the tradition of the religious leaders was always subject to the Word of God. Are the religious leaders of the Catholic Church exempt from subjection to the Word of God? OF course not.... And likewise, is their Sacred Tradition also exempt? Also not.
I believe that there are some Catholics who love the Lord and are saved. But I believe it is in spite of official Roman Catholic doctrine.
On the inside of the cover of the New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism published in 1969 there is a prayer. After the prayer it says the following:
“An indulgence of five years. A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, provided this prayer has been recited daily for a month.”..... This means that by saying the prayer properly, five years is removed from a person’s time in purgatory.
On the same page of the New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism it says,..... “The faithful who devote 20 minutes to a half hour to teaching or studying Christian doctrine, may gain: an indulgence of three years. A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions twice a month, if the above practice is carried out at least twice a month.”
So ‘indulgences’ continue and were definitly re-enstated in Vatican ll...which is paying your way.
Indulgences only have value in Catholicism due to the unbiblical teaching of purgatory, which the Roman Catholic Church teaches is a place of punishment where people expiate their own sins there (CCC, 1475).
Expiation is “a term associated with the removal, cleansing, or forgiveness of sin.”1 But how does a person expiate or cleanse himself of his own sins? He doesn’t. If there were a means by which we could cleanse ourselves on our own sins, then God would have provided that.
“I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly,” (Gal. 2:21).
I’ll tell you something that I have told others, and I’m sure they think I’m nuts. You may think so also, but here goes.
Any time I have a real problem, something I can’t solve because of too many variables, or outcome insecurity, how it affects others, etc. That’s generally when I ask for God’s help. For the smaller stuff I figure that’s why he gave me a brain.
Every time I have done this, called on God for help in solving the problem (I never ask God to fix things, I don’t believe it works that way) within a couple of days I’ll see 2 solutions to the problem that will practically appear as words in front of my eyes. It’s very similar to getting a message in my head, here’s your 2 best options now you decide the best way. Surprisingly one of the choices always seems the most obvious, like God swept away all the stupid stuff that I don’t need to consider.
To me it seems like a miracle, and like I’m getting my prayers directly answered, but I’ve been taught my whole life that God doesn’t work that way.
The result is I quit telling people about it before I get put in a strait jacket for claiming I am communicating directly with the Almighty.
“...just as a Protestant asks their deceased grandparent/parent to watch over them.”
Never have I done this. Seems like sacrilege, to me. Christ and His angels watch over me very well, thank you very much.
Yes, I agree. Read Hebrews. He needed to be man
to represent the elect among men. Christ is
divine, priest, human and the sacrifice. Take
one out and you don’t have Christ. He was human
because he was born of a human, divine by the
Holy Spirit, an acceptable sacrifice because
of a sinless life, and the language in Hebrews
chapter 1 describes his priestly role in terms
normally reserved for a sacrifice. Chapter 1
also describes him as creator, sustainer and
heir of all things. He is the radiance of God’s
glory and the exact representation of His being.
He provided purification for sins and sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on High. He
is the eternal mediator. Catholics show a
gnostic streak when they elevate his mother
to sinlessness.
You ARE communicating with the Almighty, or rather He's communicating with you. I've experienced similar communications many times. I've come to believe such communication goes on constantly with everyone and that it is quite common. People listening, acknowledging and accepting the guidance, however - that's not common at all.
The Catholic Church offers RCIA classes. These are night classes for adults wanting to learn through intense study of the Bible and the history of the Church. You’ll find out why we do what we do, and delve into the original Greek. For instance John 21:15-19 never made any sense to me until the priest explained that in Greek, there are three completely different words for “love”; as well as what later happened to Peter as Jesus predicted here. There were so many layers of meaning that I’d just never realized were there. I really recommend RCIA.
You could call the diocese or any Catholic Church and inquire.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.