Posted on 05/07/2010 10:01:45 PM PDT by Salvation
This website surveys the origin and development of Roman Catholic Christianity from the period of the apostolic church, through the post-apostolic church and into the conciliar movement. Principal attention is paid to the biblical basis of both doctrine and dogma as well as the role of paradosis (i.e. handing on the truth) in the history of the Church. Particular attention is also paid to the hierarchical founding and succession of leadership throughout the centuries.
This is a set of lecture notes used since 1985 to teach the basis for key doctrines and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church. The objectives of the course were, and are:
The course grew out of the need for the authors to continually answer questions about their faith tradition and their work. (Both authors are active members of Catholic parish communities in the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Robert Schihl was a Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University. Paul Flanagan is a consultant specializing in preparing people for technology based changes.) At the time these notes were first prepared, the authors were spending time in their faith community answering questions about their Protestant Evangelical workplaces (Mr. Flanagan was then a senior executive at the Christian Broadcasting Network), and time in their workplaces answering similar questions about their Roman Catholic faith community. These notes are the result of more than a decade of facilitating dialogue among those who wish to learn more about what the Roman Catholic Church teaches and why.
The teachings of Roman Catholic Christianity about the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are some of the most misunderstood and exaggerated beliefs dividing the Body of Christ. Before presenting the teaching of the Church about Mary, there are some important givens or assumptions to be stated about the Church, Mary and the Bible.
The official teaching of the Church has never considered beliefs about Mary to be in any way equal in importance to truths about God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. Vatican Council II expressed it best when the Council Fathers wrote:
The truths about Mary are important because they are still truth, since they are based in the Bible. But they are not central to the primary gospel message of our salvation through Jesus Christ. As an example of the basic gospel message without Mary, we have only to look at the writings of Paul. In Pauline theology, Mary is mentioned only once, and not even by name.
Roman Catholics believe that the understanding of the Church about Mary, as about all Christian truth (e.g., the understanding of the Trinity) deepens and becomes more accurate over the centuries under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
When the Catholic Church appears to teach "new doctrines" about Mary, it is often a statement of truth against some current errors or a clarification of truths that have always been taught and believed by Christians through the centuries. The Church believes that handing on these truths participates in the admonition of Paul.
Consequently, two fundamental criteria guide the teaching authority of the Catholic Church as it seeks to discern what are the authentic beliefs about Mary which Jesus through His Holy Spirit would have us know:
Dr E, Iscool et al . . .
what is this chronic compulsion for so many of the rabid clique types to get their
ego knickers in a twist so instantly and so easily at the whiff of any variety of their persecution/victim fantasies???
Maybe they didn’t have enough lap-time as young children.
Which might partially explain their worship of the caricatured pseudo-Mary personage’s lap and nurturance over even God’s.
It's things like that that drive many searching for Jesus out of the Catholic church...
And then they claim those folks just didn't bother to learn Catholicism correctly, or they weren't taught correctly...
Don't worry, they'll get you to come around to their way of thinking...To them, Mary IS their only hope for salvation just as was posted...
You dont't get a spiritual connection by putting something into your stomach...Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53)
Me, I trust Jesus, not "iscool". Sorry, iscool.
Interesting interepretations, conjectures.
I don’t put a lot of stock in such things. Plausible to a point.
Thx.
Good points, imho.
THx.
If you maintain your death grip on that construction on reality, it should result in some interesting reaping.
INDEED:
- - -
My only concern is the line about “I place in thee all my hopes for salvation ...”
It’s things like that that drive many searching for Jesus out of the Catholic church...
And then they claim those folks just didn’t bother to learn Catholicism correctly, or they weren’t taught correctly...
Don’t worry, they’ll get you to come around to their way of thinking...To them, Mary IS their only hope for salvation just as was posted...
Meaning what?
Amen!!!
:)
Me, I trust Jesus, not "iscool". Sorry, iscool.
Mar 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
Mar 7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Sorry, but trusting your religion's private interpretation of scripture is NOT trusting Jesus...Here, Jesus disagrees with your understanding of the 'real presence' of your Eucharist...
Snort. Funny man. YOPIOS makes for belly laughs!
John 6 KJV:
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.
“Sorry, but trusting your religion’s private interpretation of scripture...”
As a Catholic, I am not a member of or a practitioner of a religion. Rather, I am/we are a people who believe in God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit as a matter of Faith.
Through the Catholic Church the Holy Spirit has interpreted Sacred Scripture for all who wish to partake.
Peace :)
But then you don't drink His blood like Jesus commanded...You figure by your priest drinking the alcohol that you get the benefit???
So by eating Jesus' flesh, which you don't have and can't get, you get salvation...
But then you claim you must pray to Mary to get salvation and grace...
However you must do good works to get salvation...
Talk about silly...I'm surely glad I'm not involved in all that Mass Mess...
And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. - Rev 4:8-11
THANKS.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Sure you are...You bow down and pray to cement statues, just as the Izlamaniacs pray to their black rock...
You have ritualistic sacrifices just as the pagan religions do...You have the religious buildings, the religious robes and jewels, and sacred cups and paintings...You have a king on a throne whom you all bow to and call 'holy father', of all things...
You have the religious chants from your missals...You have the droning of your repetitous prayers...
In your religious rituals, everyone on the stage thru out the world has to stand in the exact same place, use the proper hands and motions for each ritual, speak the same words, fold the towels exactly the same way, etc...That's religion...
You even call your own faithful, Religious...
Rather, I am/we are a people who believe in God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit as a matter of Faith.
All Christians believe that, whether they are Catholic Christians or Protestant Christians...
Through the Catholic Church the Holy Spirit has interpreted Sacred Scripture for all who wish to partake.
Clearly your religion has privately interpreted scripture to it's liking in spite of the warning by God not to do so, but the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with it...
One can not believe the whole counsel of God's written words and come up with your conclusion...
VERY VERY WELL PUT, imho.
Thx.
“Sure you are...You bow down and pray to cement statues”
Nope. Never done it. Never seen it done. Doubt I ever will.
“You have ritualistic sacrifices just as the pagan religions do...You have the religious buildings, the religious robes and jewels, and sacred cups and paintings...”
Too funny. Got the “pagan” dig in, LOL!!! Can’t say as I have seen any “sacred paintings” in my or any other parish. Perhaps you know where they are hidden? Not witnessed a single “sacred cup” either. Let me check my parish’s website again and make sure....yep! It’s a Catholic Church. Thanks be to God :) Jewels? Not seen any at all here in South Carolina or at any other parish I’ve attended for Mass in the whole of the south eastern US.
“You have a king on a throne...”
Non-sequitur. Christ is the King of the Catholic Church. He always has been, always will be. Familiar with the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Chapter 16:17-19???
17 Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
“whom you all bow to and call ‘holy father’, of all things...”
Yeah, that respect thing for the Vicar of Christ offends some folks for some odd reason.
“You have the religious chants from your missals”
In my few years of being Catholic, I have never “chanted” anything in any Mass—unless you refer to singing certain parts of the Mass, of course. Praising Our Lord Jesus Christ in song is a great thing, don’t you agree?
So to be clear, in the world of iscool, does Praising the Lord Jesus Christ in song = “chanting”?
“...You have the droning of your repetitous prayers...”
So you have special access to the hearts and minds of those who find Peace, Hope & Joy praying the same prayers to Our Father in Heaven to know folks in my parish & elsewhere are “droning”? “Repetitively”? Please share with us how you came to have such a ‘gift’.
“In your religious rituals, everyone on the stage thru out the world has to stand in the exact same place, use the proper hands and motions for each ritual, speak the same words, fold the towels exactly the same way, etc...That’s religion...”
A familiar, yet invalid argument, iscool. You might want to study up on the reality of Catholicism & familiarize yourself with the different Rites in the Catholic Church, not to mention the different Churches within the Catholic Church who utilize these differing Rites in their celebration of the Mass.
“One can not believe the whole counsel of God’s written words and come up with your conclusion...”
‘Coming up with “my” conclusion(s)’ has been happening for 2000 years—Thanks be to God!
If you want to call the Catholic Faith a “religion”, go for it & enjoy yourself.
Peace :)
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