Posted on 07/11/2007 7:32:55 AM PDT by kellynla
Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released yesterday that says other Christian communities are either defective or not true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.
The statement brought swift criticism from Protestant leaders. "It makes us question whether we are indeed praying together for Christian unity," said the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, a fellowship of 75 million Protestants in more than 100 countries.
"It makes us question the seriousness with which the Roman Catholic Church takes its dialogues with the reformed family and other families of the church," the group said in a letter charging that the document took ecumenical dialogue back to the era before the Second Vatican Council.
It was the second time in a week that Benedict has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church. On Saturday, Benedict revived the old Latin Mass — a move cheered by Catholic traditionalists but criticized by more liberal ones as a step backward from Vatican II.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Sorry, but IMO the last to earn the title of "Pope," or "Holy Father," was Pope John-Paul II. The current "Bishop of Rome" is just "Bernie RATzinger," A former 'Seig Heiling' Hitler Youth and Nazi soldier to me!
It actually goes "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb: Jesus." But before we get too far into what is or isn't correct Marian theology, you should know that there are a few high Protestant denominations that venerate her too.
So, you’ve never asked anyone to pray for you?
I pray directly to the Holy Trinity, to the Father via the Son as the Spirit leads. Why Catholics think it a good idea to insert random friends in the chain is mind-boggling. The Jews tried inserting superfluous images and God got angry. You might want to read the old testament some more to learn why Catholicism has become such an abomination. You pray to the Father through Jesus and Jesus alone. Not via Mary. Apparently Jesus isn’t good enough for Catholics and they need a Goddess as well.
Everything you said is untrue adn you still didn’t answer my question, have you ever asked a friend to pray for you?
>Are you referring to 2 Peter 1:19? It may do you some good to continue reading that passage into 2 Peter 1:20...,
Maybe you should have read futher.Private interpretation refers to that not guided by the Holy Spirit.Every person that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior has the holy spirit and therefore the ability to rightly devine scripture.You might want to read earlier where your first Pope talks about twisting scripture such as the contortion Catholics put on Petra to declare Peter something scipture did not.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.
Aside from the Old Testament, the Canon was established by the Catholic Church in 398 AD.
“teach what it teaches”?
Jesus established a teaching Church, teaching its catechism for the past 2000 years through sermons and Universities the Church founded. Perhaps you just don’t like what they teach.
>So, you’ve never asked anyone to pray for you?<
Not a dead person.
I see, you don’t even know who I am but you know I lack the “analytical ability” to read a Bible? Perhaps you should employ a bit of common sense and tell me which “church” is the correct one since they all pick up the same King James Bible and iterpret it for themselves? Which of the 35,000+ churches intrprets correctly? Yours? You?
Did you read where it says:
2Pet 1:20, St. Peter said, “This then you must understand first of all, that NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE IS MADE BY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION.” I do not see how Peter could have said it any plainer than he did here. Why do Protestants ignore verses such as this one?
2Pet 3:16-17, St. Peter said, “...In these Epistles there are certain things difficult to understand, WHICH THE UNLEARNED AND UNSTABLE DISTORT, JUST AS THEY DO THE REST OF THE SCRIPTURES ALSO, TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION. YOU THEREFORE, BRETHREN, SINCE YOU KNOW THIS BEFOREHAND, BE ON YOUR GUARD LEST, CARRIED AWAY BY THE ERROR OF THE FOOLISH, YOU FALL AWAY FROM YOUR STEADFASTNESS.”
Here is a very clear warning that it is easy to fall into error by private interpretation of Scripture.
The Church encourages all to read the Bible, it has never kept the Bible from people. In the middle-ages, Bibles were worth about $30,000 so they were kept chained ‘lest they grow feet. Besides, most were illiterate back then. So exactly how were people being saved if they could not read?
You are ignoring the falacy of Sola Scriptura, now everyone is a “Pope”, and the body of Christ is fractured.
Acts 8, my friend:
25
So when they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem and preached the good news to many Samaritan villages.
26
7 Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”
27
So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, 8 that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28
and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29
The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.”
30
9 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31
He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
32
This was the scripture passage he was reading: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
33
In (his) humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth.”
34
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?”
35
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him.
A human being does not start out as Philip; he starts out as the eunuch and is taught by the representatives of the Church. Otherwise, there is much confusion and heresy. Funny, just like much of the world now, come to think of it.
Why do you ignore the verse before and the verse afterwords.It is clear that Peter endorses the primacy of scripture and that private interpretation refers to that not guided by the Holy Spirit.You only need a Pope if you don’t posses the Holy Spirit.
Another interpretation is that every non Catholic is a Pope and all Catholics are following the antiChrist to hell.
But you don’t get to be your own by gosh Pope until you get your post-dunk get out of hell free card. Which doesn’t make sense on the face of it, if one subscribes to the doctrine of predestination which says that it really doesn’t matter what you do, you’re going where you’re going anyway, so you might as well have some fun along the way.
Are you saying that you possess the Holy Spirit?
You have a member of the Trinity in your pocket? Neat. I wonder if you could pop him out so that we godless hellbound types can take a quick peek at him?
I guess that we Catholics are so very unfortunate that we don’t have our own personal gods made in our own image in our pockets. Do you rub his head for luck?
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His Church and promised never to leave her. The Holy Spirit and the Pope are not mutually exclusive.
After years of being on FreeRepublic, I have yet to hear any protestant tell me which is the true Church. Perhaps you can tell me.
>Are you saying that you possess the Holy Spirit?<
The Bible says I do and I am not saved if I don’t have the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1Cr 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1Th 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
>Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His Church and promised never to leave her. The Holy Spirit and the Pope are not mutually exclusive.<
Chapter and verse plese.
>After years of being on FreeRepublic, I have yet to hear any protestant tell me which is the true Church. Perhaps you can tell me.,
The true church is made up of all who believe Jesus was born of a Virgin,Died on the Cross for our sins,Rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of the father.
These are the Orthdox beliefs that have only been denied by a few cults like the JW’s.Most denomonations only disagree on nonessentials to salvation such as worship practices,security of the believer and baptismal practices.I have no doubt many Catholics fall under this veil I just believe the Catholic Church has done very little to lead them to the risen Christ.
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