Posted on 12/30/2017 4:18:26 AM PST by JosephJames
I don’t respect people who leave because of the failures of clergy - or the Pope. Say your prayers, go to Mass, receive the sacraments and hope for a new day. This isn’t the first time the Church has been in trouble and it won’t be the last.
There is a time for all things. Leaving the church has its time.
When Liberals run the church is IS time to leave. Liberals preach the doctrine of man and elevate a political agenda over the Gospel. Continuing to support them with donations and attendance only rewards and prolongs their behavior, closing off men who obey Christ and preach his word.
Liberal churches NEED TO FAIL. They do NOT need men of faith to reward them. When a church is over taken by Liberals men of faith MUST leave and find a church that honors God.
Who in his right mind will bring a new Christian to a place where Liberals tell him sin is not sin, gays are acceptable to God and gay marriage is OK.
Liberals in church leadership positions are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. Satan places them there to DESTROY the church!
YES, it IS time to leave the church in situations like that. Let the Liberal churches die. There is no reason to keep them going.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Galations 1:6-9 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
Myth replaces truth:
“The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4
1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.”
Romans 16:17-18 (NKJV)
Yes, there is a time to leave! Over on the Protestant Evangelical side are exoduses of faithful traditionalists from ‘modernizing’ churches that though different theologically from the RC nevertheless fit into the liberal mold. For instance, one of the favorite schemes embraced by such churches are preference for large stages rather than altars and worse, painting stages black and installing colored lights to achieve certain effects.
Yes, the church will find trouble again, yes, the church will return and yes there are many good priests out there and yes. But healing wounds can take time.
It’s easy to say go to Mass and hope for a new day. I still pray and pray a lot. I often go to a Basilica near my home and pray. I pray when I run, drive and in silent moments anywhere I am. And I go to Mass, just not every week.
I grew up in a parish where our pastor was a pedophile. I’ll spare you the stories. After college, I joined a parish where a pedophile molested young boys and the pastor knew yet did nothing. I moved to another parish where our pastor had a woman friend and the neighboring parish had a pedophile pastor. All the while this was going on, I went to Mass was active in each church and served as the president of our parish council where I got to speak with a bishop about our pastor who had the relationship with a woman.
I’ll freely admit, I’m damaged by all this. I’m unhappy with the way my archdiocese (Milwaukee) dealt with the all these issues. They were stubborn, uncooperative or simply ignored the truth. And I’m still struggling with all the mess which lies in my past.
So for now, I try to do my best, live life the way I was taught and pray that the church can regain my trust. I still have faith in God, but struggle with my church. I know a very good priest from my college days, who baptized my kids and grandchildren and we talk about all of this. I wish it was as easy to go to Mass and feel good about my Church, but I’m not there yet
I don’t need bricks and mortar or a person in robes to worship God and express my eternal thanks for the privilege of riding the Starship Earth.
My wife are in the same boat and have felt betrayed and damaged by the church. I’ve been attending an Eastern Orthodox Church the last seven months and really look forward to going each week. She is taking a break and is trying to regain her moorings.
“I don’t need bricks and mortar or a person in robes to worship God and express my eternal thanks for the privilege of riding the Starship Earth.”
Even if those men in robes were part of the way God wants to be worshiped and thanked?
Is there an Eastern Catholic parish in your neck of the woods? How about a Latin Mass community or a Anglican Use parish?
Amen to that.
The Truth is Jesus and Scripture, the Word of God.
No church is the truth.
Churches can teach it. Or not.
But not one can lay claim to a monopoly on the truth.
When the God of the universe dwells in the life of the believer, you do not need buildings and other trappings that impress the sense to worship God.
Acts 17:24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Besides, the NT churches did not meet in special buildings but in people's homes.
Imagine that. House churches.
Acts 2:2-4 "Suddenly there was a sound from heaven like a roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting." And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
Acts 5:42 "And every day, in the Temple and in their homes, they continued to teach and preach this message: 'The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.'"
Acts 20:20 "yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes."
Romans 16:5 "Please give my greetings to the church that meets in their home."
Romans 16:5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.
1 Corinthians 16:19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.
Colossians 4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
Philemon 1:1-3 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
Word to western civilization
Do not abandon Christianity period
I am so sorry for all that you went through...
So every priest, bishop and, most importantly, pope since Vatican II have falsely interpreted what is supposed to be an Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church.
This is called the blind leading the blind.
I didn’t mean to look for sympathy, rather I was trying to suggest that not everybody can simply brush off what happened. I struggle with it all. It thank you for your kind words.
It = I
I understand and didn’t think you were looking for sympathy.
”Even if those men in robes were part of the way God wants to be worshiped and thanked?
Your religion didn't get that idea from God...Here's what God thinks of your long, fancy robes...
Luk_20:46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
It is your priests who wear these robes who pervert what God says about their attire...They (priests) are a contradiction to what God teaches his church...
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