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To: Forest Keeper
Thank you oh so very much for sharing your insights, dear brother in Christ!

The MAIN problem I see in your examples is the confusion about "physical with physical" and "spiritual with spiritual". In Catholicism, it seems there is no distinction and that they are the same. Jesus says they are very different:

More Scripture on flesh v spirit:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. – John 3:6

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. – I Corinthians 15:50

God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. – John 4:24

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. – Romans 8:9-19

Physical nourishment v. Spiritual nourishment:

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life. – John 6:63

The language of the Spirit:

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. – I John 4:6

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. – I Corinthians 2:12-14

Every time I attend Mass with my Catholic family members, I am smitten by the strong emphasis on the physical. And that doesn’t surprise me because I imagine the Catholic Church had to use such devices to communicate to an illiterate world. The sculptures outside the church are first noticed, then the holy water basin, the stations of the Cross on the walls surrounding the assembly, the altar, the paintings above the altar, the other sculptures, the candles, the flowers, the music, the clothing, the mannerisms, the intonations, the uplifting, the kissing of the Scriptures and especially the Eucharist.

And we see some of these things in Protestant churches as well – music, flowers, mannerisms, clothing, intonations and the observance of the Lord’s Supper.

And we see similar things in the observance of the Sabbath by Jews and Torah observant Christians. The wine, the bread, the prayers, the candles, the intonations, etc.

Some Christians and Jews stand in awe of God when they hear or read the words of God, others in the presence of glorious scenes in nature, others when they hear beautiful music or a wonderful sermon or homily - and still others when they enter a particular house of worship or observe a particular work of art - and still others when they observe a particular ritual. God didn’t make us with a cookie cutter. The important part is to worship God, to love Him surpassingly above all else.

The only time I become concerned is when the Christian seems unaware of analogical knowledge - which is to say, the picture of a man is not the man – a sculpture of Christ on a Cross is not Christ on a Cross and so on. Such a one is probably still young in the faith and in need of further Spiritual nourishment.

To God be the glory!

6,723 posted on 07/29/2008 11:33:26 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl
More Scripture on flesh v spirit:

Thank you so much for all of those wonderful scriptures. :) You are so right that God makes a clear distinction and that He explains what our hearts should be focused on, spiritual worship, as you said.

6,770 posted on 07/31/2008 8:56:26 AM PDT by Forest Keeper (It is a joy to me to know that God had my number, before He created numbers.)
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