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Locked on 04/24/2022 5:40:39 AM PDT by Religion Moderator, reason:
Childishness |
Posted on 03/06/2022 11:16:06 AM PST by CharlesOConnell
A man commits a serious crime, then he gets released. He has "paid his debt to society". But wait a minute, he's only ready for the half-way house. He's unlikely to get a prestigious job in his new prison suit coat, or any job at all; he has civil impediments, he can't vote or hold certain offices. His crime was serious enough that he won't be presumed to have been completely rehabilitated until he performs a notable service to society, or at least spends many years on the straight and narrow, so that his crime can be truly overlooked or forgotten.
In Catholic faith, your "debt to society" is paid by Jesus Christ on Calvary. It's called "eternal punishment", without Christ it keeps you from going to heaven. Supposing that you do take advantage of His sacrifice, you're truly sorry, have a firm purpose of amendment, if you relapse, you go again for forgiveness (to the Sacrament of Confession).
But your sin leaves a strong trace at another layer of impurity called "temporal punishment due to sin", like the civil impediments facing the half-way house prisoner. Because "nothing impure can enter heaven", there is a place or a state, a condition of purification to render you fit for heaven after Christ has finally saved you from hell. The Catholic Church calls it purgatory.
(Where is it in the bible? Where is the word Trinity in the bible? Where does it say that you only need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Many valid principles aren't stated explicitly in the bible, but it does say to "hold fast to the traditions you have learned, whether by word or by letter", because much of the Gospel wasn't written down, as Jesus only wrote in the sand, the majority of the Gospel was taught from word to ear to people who couldn't afford expensive books, the exceptions were what tended to get written down. But the implication that there is a purgatory, is contained in the bible--see the comments.)
The ex-con can receive a pardon or commutation of his probation from a Governor, if he performs some heroic deed, saving numerous lives, or, like Chuck Colson, performs a long-lasting, valuable community service helping numerous people who can't help themselves.
In the Catholic Church there are 2 ways for the residual, temporal effects due to sin to be expiated: suffering in this life, or after life, undergoing purifying suffering along with other people who will finally be saved, but have to suffer for long without the vision of God--that is what causes them their pain.
Their suffering isn't meritorious enough to grant their release, the saints in heaven and those on earth suffering and practicing virtue can pray for the suffering souls in purgatory. In no way is their release by slow transfer of suffering or practice of virtue, "buying heaven". It's a long, excruciating process.
How the misunderstanding arose that Catholics think they can buy their way into heaven, is involved with history more than 500 years old. For a millennium of Christendom between roughly 410 and 1410, there was a Medieval civilization with harmony between faith and government.
Many small farmers would cluster around the manor house of a military lord who would protect them, in exchange for a certain fixed obligation of labor and agricultural produce. In most cases, those "serfs" had much more leisure than factory workers of the industrial revolution; there were a large number of holy days without work, and except for planting and harvesting, there were long stretches of idle time.
Another large sector of the economy surrounded monasteries, where the monks developed most of the farming practices that stabilized the serfs and their manorial lords. The monks who worked those monastic lands were sworn to poverty, so that monasteries built up large accumulations of economic value over decades and centuries of labor.
At the beginning, when lands were being cleared and put into production there weren't prominent town fairs ruled by merchants and bankers. Money wasn't used for sustenance, not even much barter occurred, life was mostly agrarian.
Charity was woven into the economy of monasteries. It was estimated that you only need travel 12 miles in medieval England between monasteries, where you could get a meal and minimal lodging for free, based on need. And the charity was also spiritual, including the ancient Catholic principle of prayer for the dead, which is biblical. (See "prayer for the dead" in the original King James Bible in the comment.)
There were foundations and benefices for praying for the dead, that allowed a person of means to support monasteries' charitable works, and in proportional response the monks would pray for the souls of the donors.
It happened at the close of the middle ages, that militarily strong nobles cast their eyes on the labor value accumulated by the poverty-sworn monks of the monasteries, which those nobles perceived as monetary wealth, especially where gold and jewels had been donated by the devout to adorn churches.
(Protestant writer William Cobbett wrote in his 1824 "A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland", an anecdote, that an incredibly valuable, hand illustrated bible was stripped of it's bejeweled, gold cover, the much more valuable hand-illumined manuscript, thrown in the mud and trampled by horses hooves by raiders suppressing the monasteries in Henry VIII's England.)
A new religion growing up around this seizure of monastic lands and valuables, that sought to discredit the Catholic Church, spread the black legend that the "sale of indulgences" was abusive. But this was very exceptional. Today the stipend of a Mass said for the dead is $10.
Stealth mode?
LOL!!!!!
(Pathetic)
Plagiarizing from me now, are you Phil?
Tsk tsk tsk.
Just like your cult leader.
😎
Stealth mode - using the sins of Ravi to pretend it refutes OSAS when it is actually the conscience of the poster obsessed with Ravi making a faulty comparison to itself as if it is not as bad as Ravi is perceived to have been. stealth mode is how pride struts its stuff dontchaknow.
Hey! Sweet emoji!
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replace () with <>
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Dude, how many times does someone have to tell you not to pretend to read someone's mind/conscience, and put it in print on this forum?
… indeed, how many times does one need to hear the Law:
Thou shall not steal?
WHOA!!!
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Vincent Ramik
Senior partner of Diller, Ramik & Wight
Patent, trademark, and copyright law In 1981, Attorney Vincent Ramik, a specialist in patent, trademark, and copyright law, was hired to investigate accusations of plagiarism against Ellen White. Ramik was given all the allegations of plagiarism from the first raised in 1889 to 1981. He examined all the relevant books by Mrs. White. After more than 300 hours of research, he concluded that Ellen White was not guilty of either copyright infringement or literary theft. He stated that if she were alive and had been the subject of litigation, he would volunteer his services to defend her in court, so sure was he of her innocence.
Yeah, I don't know what Vincent Ramik could have done for Ravi Zacharapist AKA Ravi Zachadultery, if anything (Ramik's expertise isn't in defending Rape or molestation charges, or even reputations). Game, set, and match declared by Ravi's own church.
https://amazingdiscoveries.org/on-record-outsiders-reflection-on-ellen-g.-white
—> He stated that if she were alive
Yes, if bulls had teats they’d be cows.
Very good first try Phil!
——>REMNANT. Who are the remnant?
You might start with these...
https://www.remnant-church.org/
https://adventistbiblicalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/remnantSDAchurch_0.pdf
—> After more than 300 ((**billable**)) hours of research, he concluded that Ellen White was not guilty of either copyright infringement or literary theft.
Incredible, the attorney was hired and instructed to do damage control for the thieving prophetess and low and behold, he delivered using the art of words - which were simply a paid for opinion that never was subject to being under oath. And he scored 300 billable hours!
One who justifies her rampant theft is likely equally guilty of breaking the Law.
Was that a compliment?
In 1981 the church hired copyright attorney Vincent L. Ramik of the law firm Diller, Ramik and Wight to examine Ellen White's writings and present them with his conclusions. Two factors should be considered here, which make the story even more fascinating:
1) Ramik had been raised a Roman Catholic (though not a "practicing" Catholic at the time of his research [read interview below]) and one of the books he examined was, in fact, The Great Controversy—not exactly flattering to that Church or the Pope.
2) Ramik later admitted in an interview that he had been biased against Ellen White when he went into the project, for he had read the work of many of her critics from D.M. Canright right up to the pre-publication manuscript of The White Lie itself.
Nevertheless, after more than 300 hours of researching approximately 1,000 relevant cases in American legal history, Ramik's conclusions were as follows:
"Based upon our review of the facts and legal precedents, we conclude that Ellen G. White was not a plagiarist and her works did not constitute copyright infringement/piracy." (Adventist Review, Sept. 17, 1981)
"Considering all factors necessary in reaching a just conclusion on this issue, it is submitted that the writings of Ellen G. White were conclusively unplagiaristic." (Ibid)
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