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Why I Have Decided to Leave the Catholic Church
timstaples.com ^ | April 1, 2016 | Tim Staples

Posted on 04/01/2016 12:41:08 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper

I am letting you be among the first to know. It is true. I am leaving the Catholic Church. I want you to know that this has not been a decision made in haste or without serious and intense research and consideration. But I can no longer remain in a church that I no longer believe in.

Let me explain.

I will be writing more about this soon, but for now let me just say there are five main reasons why I am leaving the Catholic Church:

1. I believe the sole rule of faith for Christians has to be Scripture. The Holy Bible is the only unchanging and definitive word of God that a Christian can build his or her life upon. Everything else, including the Catholic claims to authority, in the end, amount to ever-changing and ultimately sinking sand.

2. I believe works or any sense of salvific cooperation with God’s grace as constitutive to a Christian’s eternal life is unbiblical. “… not of works” (cf. Eph. 2:8-9) means not of works.

3. The idea of Mary and the saints being involved in the salvation of a Christian is tantamount to a denial of the sufficiency of Christ’s redeeming work on Calvary’s cross.

4. #3 can also be said of Purgatory, the “sacrifice” of the Mass, the Catholic view of salvation/justification, and more. These and more of the elements of Catholic teaching result in a denial of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ. More to follow in a more detailed post.

5. What Catholics call the “veneration” of Mary and the saints is actually idolatry.

These are just for starters here. Many of you know that for the last 28 years I have defended the above teachings and more from the Catholic Church. I can no longer do so in clear conscience.

And by the way, just so you know…

April fools!


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Charismatic Christian; Current Events; Evangelical Christian; Mainline Protestant; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: aprilfool; baptism; boffo; buffoonery; cruz; epa; funnyhaha; funnyqueer; globalwarminghoax; hoax; induhvidual; joke; jokeyjoke; mary; mockery; parody; popefrancis; romancatholicism; sadoevangelism; satire; satiricalsatire; stupidlystupid; tedcruz; timstaples; travesy
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To: piusv

Well, considering we can read the clap-trap contained in this April Fool’s joke every day on FR, it’s no wonder people have been taken in.


41 posted on 04/01/2016 2:24:20 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: With my own people alone I should like to drive away the Turks (Muslims))
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To: Elpasser

Add to that list, confession to a priest.

If you believe that Christ died on the cross for every past, present, and future sin, and have accepted Christ as your personal savior. He became the conduit between you and God for forgiveness.

When I left the Catholic Church, I discussed this with the Father of that church. All he could tell me was that it gave older parishioners comfort to confess to a Priest. What a load of rubbish. Deny the sacrifice of Christ for comfort?

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I agree that all of what the author said has bothered me as well, and perhaps his words will have unintended consequences.


42 posted on 04/01/2016 2:30:19 PM PDT by Rustybucket
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To: silverleaf

My wife asked me if I was going to vote for Trump and I said, “Does a bear shyt in the woods? Is the Pope Catholic?” And then I realized that I wasn’t so sure about the Pope any more.

He, like any trillionaire, annoys me no end when he criticizes others for not helping the immigrants enough.


43 posted on 04/01/2016 2:31:04 PM PDT by Seruzawa (If you agree with the French raise your hand. If you are French raise both hands)
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To: JimRed
But then, the dead know nothing and will remain that way until the resurrection. Maybe they'll intercede then.

They'd better be quick about it then...

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

44 posted on 04/01/2016 2:32:45 PM PDT by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Just read this, Tim got me. Shocked my pants off.

Nah, those are some of his keystone teachings. At this point he would have to refute his own refutations.

45 posted on 04/01/2016 2:37:50 PM PDT by papertyger (-/\/\/\-)
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To: Elpasser
Too bad it’s a joke. All of the reasons are completely sound!

Maybe you should check out his teachings, then.

46 posted on 04/01/2016 2:39:32 PM PDT by papertyger (-/\/\/\-)
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To: for-q-clinton
Well clearly he understands the issues protestants have with catholics.

He should. He was an Assembly of God minister for years.....

47 posted on 04/01/2016 2:41:35 PM PDT by papertyger (-/\/\/\-)
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To: CommerceComet
I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict Staples of the truth of what he thought he was writing in jest.

First, He's going to have to show Staples why all his refutations are wrong.

48 posted on 04/01/2016 2:48:42 PM PDT by papertyger (-/\/\/\-)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Got me!


49 posted on 04/01/2016 2:50:02 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Keep calm and Pray on.)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

It’s too bad Tim was joking about something that is a no joking matter. Ironically, every reason he gave for his faux conversion was actually true! I’ll pray that the Holy Spirit convicts his heart.


50 posted on 04/01/2016 3:05:47 PM PDT by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

You’ve got more guts than I do; mocking the true words of God...


51 posted on 04/01/2016 3:08:38 PM PDT by Iscool (Trump will Triumph)
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To: Berlin_Freeper; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; boatbums; caww; CynicalBear; daniel1212; dragonblustar; ...
But I can no longer remain in a church that I no longer believe in.

It's too bad he doesn't have a Savior to believe in. If he did, it wouldn't matter what church he went to.

His faith is misplaced. Too bad it's not in Christ instead of a church.

52 posted on 04/01/2016 3:12:57 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Tain't funny, McGee

Leni

53 posted on 04/01/2016 3:16:20 PM PDT by MinuteGal (GO TRUMP GO !!!)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

My grandmother was a Maupin; from the Huguenots. They were
run out of France rather violently. Went to Holland; then
on to England where they later left & came to America &
fought in the Revolutionary War. My folks were sort of
soured on the Catholic Church after all that. All the
long robes & pomp & circumstance they could not abide.


54 posted on 04/01/2016 3:22:19 PM PDT by Twinkie (MORATORIUM ON MIGRANTS!)
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To: Berlin_Freeper; Kolokotronis

Too bad this guy picked the gospel for his April Fool’s joke.

I wouldn’t do that the other way around.

I take it all very seriously, and he just injured that.

I’m probably too sensitive. I probably should laugh. Kyrie Eleison.


55 posted on 04/01/2016 3:28:25 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Prayer for Victory is the ONLY way to support the troops!)
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To: boatbums
I’ll pray that the Holy Spirit convicts his heart.

If he already believed those things once, then by whom was he convicted NOT to believe them?

56 posted on 04/01/2016 3:29:14 PM PDT by papertyger (-/\/\/\-)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

I was wondering as I went to the computer... which FReerper was going to do that today....

First story I clicked on too


57 posted on 04/01/2016 3:36:01 PM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

He doesn’t know how right he was with his five points.


58 posted on 04/01/2016 3:38:18 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: JimRed

Sadly, Roman Catholics do pray TO these people.


59 posted on 04/01/2016 3:39:17 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: goodwithagun

Also like presidents, popes can do a LOT of damage. Someday that damage may be too much.


60 posted on 04/01/2016 3:41:11 PM PDT by Let's Roll ("You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality" -- Ayn Rand)
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