Posted on 07/07/2002 7:16:19 AM PDT by narses
No, I think "annul" is the PC word of preference in Catholic circles.
And how is looking at statues synonymous with looking at "God"? You must mean gods? Have you ever heard of idolatry?
Gregory has set up this commission to fail with the most important judge of its work, the Vatican. Now when the Vatican opines that the Commission's work is insufficient or inadmissible, guess who takes the heat???
The VATICAN, of course.
It's always nice to have non-Catholics join our discussions. We are not afraid to discuss the Church's problems before them. But we are in a battle here for the real Church, and really can't afford to scatter our efforts in chasing red herrings from protestants who come on these discussions and immediately begin to trot out the same tired old canards.
You know as well as I do that Catholics do not worship statues. The statues are there because there were no photographs of the individuals represented. If you have photos in your wallet of your loved ones, you are doing the same thing as Catholics do when they place statues in their churches: We are adding images of those we love and whom we ask to join their prayers to ours. Do you carry a picture of your wife? Do you ask her to pray with or for you? Same difference.
Now. Back to the topic at hand: A spurious committee chosen by cowardly bishops. If you want to talk about that, feel free to join in. Otherwise...
An article is titled "Luther is right" and you don't expect Protestants to take notice?! I notice many of the Catholics "interested only in the battle for the real church" were taking potshots at Luther as well. But you want Protestants to butt out of any "Catholic" post... man, you guys take this "higher-archy" thing seriously!
Do you carry a picture of your wife? Do you ask her to pray with or for you? Same difference.
Except, my wife is alive... and I know her personally. I never hung out with Paul, Peter or any of your "saints". Should God decide to take my wife home, I won't ask her corpse or a picture of her to join me in prayer. This is so superstitious.
Anyway, I'm content to let the subject drop, as I don't want to just be contentious. Feel free to offer a rebuttal, and I won't drag it out any longer (as O'Reilly likes to say, although never means it, "I'll give you the last word.")
On the issue at hand, I feel for your church being savaged by postmodernism, just as many Protestant churches are. Part of the problem is that we have not answered Postmodernism, but fall back on traditionalist/classical theistic positions that don't stand the test of close scrutiny. The post-modern generation offers us many challenges as well as opportunities, if we would realize it.
Except, my wife is alive... and I know her personally. I never hung out with Paul, Peter or any of your "saints". Should God decide to take my wife home, I won't ask her corpse or a picture of her to join me in prayer. This is so superstitious.
Really? When a loved one dies and goes to Heaven, can they not hear you and see you? Are they not in a favored position to ask Our Lord to grant our prayers?
Fr. Luther didn't start out as an archheretic. He started out as an orthodox Catholic priest concerned with corruption in the Catholic Church. Mr. Keating's comments about Fr. Luther concern the time prior to Fr. Luther's falling into heresy.
Perhaps the subtext of Mr. Keating's remark is that the Church does well to deal properly with the current crisis before it leads to the loss of faith, and the embrace of heresy, on the part of large numbers of currently devout Catholics. Perhaps he raises the specter of Fr. Luther to remind us that the consequences of a failure to reform are even greater evil.
Perhaps Mr. Keating appreciates the irony that Fr. Luther was concerned that the scandals and crises of the day would lead to widespread loss of faith, and he, himself, Fr. Luther, ultimately lost his faith as a result, and dragged many down to the loss of faith with him.
Frankly, I think that Frank may have a point here.
sitetest
Thank you for the compliment.
It may be that your views coincide better with reality than mine.
But I'm willing to wait and watch and see what actually transpires before I criticize.
He's already shown sensitivity to the fact that he lacks any canonical authority. He seems to understand that the only authority that he can wield is moral authority, and only then by accurately reflecting the best of the consensus of the laity.
sitetest
Well there goes any respect I had left for Gov. Keating. he should be forced to resign from the commission now. If he can't see his role in a Catholic light he's in the wrong church and certainly doesn't belong on this commission. Luther wrought more havoc on Christianity than anyone since Arius. To endorse him in his position is heresy. Are we, America's Roman Catholics, Lutherans now???
I agree!
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