Posted on 12/29/2010 11:41:03 AM PST by markomalley
This is a re-post of a previous blog but it warrants repeating. From time to time I get non-Catholics who read the blog and invite me to read their blogs in the hopes I will decide to convert. They believe they are being obedient to "preach the gospel in season and out." The presupposition with some of these individuals is that Catholicism is a false religion or a "false gospel" . The fact that a person would believe Catholicism is false clearly indicates that they have never studied what Catholicism is all about from a Catholic perspective. It is easy to draw a caricature of what Catholicism is based on myths, lies, distortions. After all, this has been going on for the past 500 years and the purveyors of falsehood have had an abundant amount of time to perfect their attacks.
What I can tell you is that when a person begins to read what the Church actually says about itself and its doctrines, the scales often fall from their eyes and the Holy Spirit brings them Home. I was one of those.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore because of this): "Constantine must have been the real source of the Catholic Church's teachings because after his reign the Church grew tremendously, and before his reign it wasn't as well-known" (Ignores the simple fact that Constantine merely stopped the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan and allowed Christianity to spread. It also ignores the writings of the Church Fathers who lived before Constantine -- and who were Catholic.)
Straw man: "You guys worship statues, and that's evil. Therefore, your religion is Satanic." (Ignores that fact that we don't worship statues)
(comes From FISHEATERS WEBSITE)
You forgot to quote what St. James says.....Oh! that got taken out of your Bible. LOL!
And of course, Luther added, faith alone......LOL!
Read the first and true Bible, please. Not these.
You can also call me a liar all you want, but the Catholic church will be forever be remembered for allowing the abuse of children. That is a stain that you can not escape or deny.
I'm sure there are good priests. I also know that there can be a few bad apples in every religion. However, the Catholic church sure seemed to have more than it's share. However, it's the cover up and for allowing the continued abuse that will live on in the minds of many.
I don't need to get into the details of the things that were found. The fallout was already all over the news.
When the molestation scandals broke, it came as no surprised to me.
Scripture
Salvation is through Christ alone. Nobody can contribute one single thing for their salvation. Christ Alone! God Bless
Where I live the RCC is running advertisements about "come back to the church". It's a great conversation opener for witnessing. I have been able to talk with a couple people about the lies in the ad.
We were not talking about salvation..we were talking about sanctification..
We were not talking about salvation..we were talking about sanctification..
I am not talking about adding to it. I am talking about misinterpretation, which can be extreme if you examine the last thousands of years. Also, each translation, since not in the original language has to be a “little” different and the meaning of words have been known to differ sharply when translated into other languages, even in the Old Testament.
Just look at the Jewish scholars and their disagreements are legion over a single sentence in the original language. You really believe that everyone can understand what they are reading, especially when translated by others who all have biases. They have to come to some understanding and without proper foundation, I do not think that understanding is possible without God’s intervention and intense investigation and soul searching.
You know me, I'm Catholic and read the bible. That's at least 2 you know now.
You must also think knowledge can be attained in a vacuum. Many people working together formed the gospel with God’s inspiration. To think that man was created to be alone with no human interaction is absurd and not in the social context of “life”— whether with God or without. That idea seems to be one of great ignorance and never could lead one to enlightenment.
Human interaction is what creates life. It is God’s design. The gospel is meant for everyone, but social interaction is necessary for knowledge. Socrates knew that thousands of years ago. It is a fact.
The fact that you assume I'm talking about Bible translation when I say churches that add to The Gospel are preaching a different gospel illustrates why your church should be condemned. Your church doesn't teach The Gospel.
If you are curious read ICor. 15:1-4, also if you want to get an idea of what happens when a church adds to The Gospel read Galatians 5. If the Holy Spirit moves you, go to a Bible believing church.
You know me, I'm Catholic and read the bible
I see, so your the other one. :)
Having a reading isn’t the same a Bible believing church.
I just attended a funeral mass, or whatever you call it, and while Scripture was read, nothing else even vaguely resembled what Scripture teaches.
Case in point: laying flowers at the feet of an idol that represented Mary.
Or are you saying that your Bible does not contain this????
11 [18] All power . . . me: the Greek word here translated power is the same as that found in the LXX translation of Daniel 7:13-14 where one "like a son of man" is given power and an everlasting kingdom by God. The risen Jesus here claims universal power, i.e., in heaven and on earth.
12 [19] Therefore: since universal power belongs to the risen Jesus (Matthew 28:18), he gives the eleven a mission that is universal. They are to make disciples of all nations. While all nations is understood by some scholars as referring only to all Gentiles, it is probable that it included the Jews as well. Baptizing them: baptism is the means of entrance into the community of the risen one, the Church. In the name of the Father . . . holy Spirit: this is perhaps the clearest expression in the New Testament of trinitarian belief. It may have been the baptismal formula of Matthew's church, but primarily it designates the effect of baptism, the union of the one baptized with the Father, Son, and holy Spirit.
13 [20] All that I have commanded you: the moral teaching found in this gospel, preeminently that of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). The commandments of Jesus are the standard of Christian conduct, not the Mosaic law as such, even though some of the Mosaic commandments have now been invested with the authority of Jesus. Behold, I am with you always: the promise of Jesus' real though invisible presence echoes the name Emmanuel given to him in the infancy narrative; see the note on Matthew 1:23. End of the age: see the notes on Matthew 13:39 and Matthew 24:3.
You wrote:
“Fair enough, I’ll keep my ignorance, and you can keep yours.”
Except that I’m not ignorant.
“You can also call me a liar all you want, but the Catholic church will be forever be remembered for allowing the abuse of children.”
Nope. 1) It did not allow the abuse, individuals did what they did. 2) The abuse scandals are already fading into history as all events - no matter how terrible - do.
“That is a stain that you can not escape or deny.”
There is no stain on the Church. I need not escape of deny something that doesn’t exist. I blame those responsible, not the Church.
“I’m sure there are good priests. I also know that there can be a few bad apples in every religion.”
True enough.
” However, the Catholic church sure seemed to have more than it’s share.”
Nope. We have no more than anyone else. And you always judge a religion by its saints, not its sinners, anyway.
“However, it’s the cover up and for allowing the continued abuse that will live on in the minds of many.”
Those cover ups were never launched or supported by the Church. What individuals did they did.
“I don’t need to get into the details of the things that were found.”
Someone who says what you have said doesn’t come across as trustworthy anyway.
“The fallout was already all over the news.”
Whatever that means.
“When the molestation scandals broke, it came as no surprised to me.”
It doesn’t matter what surprises you or doesn’t.
You wrote:
“In 27 years as a Catholic, I knew no one who carried around or read a bible, certainly not to Mass.”
First of all, why would someone carry a Bible to Mass when there are missals in the pews? Second, maybe you simply should have gone to a better parish or made better friends. Almost very Catholic I know, and I mean ALMOST EVERY CATHOLIC I KNOW, reads the Bible and many, like me, read it every day or darn close. In my tiny office I work with five people. Three of them are former Protestants - now all Catholics - including one who used to be a Protestant minister and who has a profound knowledge of scripture. Another one of those three has a Bible degree from a Protestant seminary. Two of my best friends of the last decade are former Protestant ministers who are now Catholics and both love scripture more than ever.
I think you simply hung out with the wrong people.
I have never seen flowers displayed like that at a funeral.
I wish that you could come to my church because EVEN at funerals, my priest will preach on the Bible and what it contains about death. He often quotes Revelation as well as the Old Testament.
The RCC belief that a priest says some magic words and grace is imparted to an infant that can't even comprehend what's going on is delusional. It's no different than the delusion of thinking a priest can say some magic words and the creator of all things is turned into a glass of wine and a wafer.
If RC's really want to get to what the Bible teaches they will flee the delusion that grace can be imparted by anything other than Faith Alone in Christ Alone.
Gamecock, are you really surprised RC's would be clueless on this? They believe "tradition" and their "magesterium" are equals of Scripture. We've even seen threads where RC's say their church possesses "secret knowledge".
They wouldn't even understand that a Bible believing church does not require members to bring their Bibles. It's just a lot do.
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