Posted on 01/08/2011 6:43:59 PM PST by Grig
400 years ago Catholics looked on Protestantism as a cult of Christianity that lead people to hell, and looked on Protestants as not really being Christians. Clearly they've changed their minds a bit over the years on that.
In time, the same thing will happen with respect to Mormons IMHO. In fact it largely has already. While there are still some who speak of Mormons the same way that Catholics spoke of Protestants centuries ago, society in general recognizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a Christian group.
For example:
Beliefnet.com lists Latter-Day Saints as a part of Christianity: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Latter-Day-Saints/index.aspx
Wikipedia: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS Church, and colloquially referred to as the Mormon Church) is a restorationist Christian religion" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints
Likewise the definition of 'Christian' at dictionary.com doesn't require adherence to orthodox dogma. Nor am I aware of any reputable dictionary or encyclopedia that says otherwise.
Here on FR when you go to post to the Religion forum you have the option of checking off what denomination(s) the post applies to. In there it lists the category of "Other Christian" as being specifically for "7th Day Adventist, Churches of God, Messianic Christians, Unitarian, LDS, etc."
This of course is separate from the question of what set of teachings is actually correct. Christ taught that not all who lay claim to his name will have a legitimate claim, and in the end He will be the judge. That's fine with me.
[Elsie, ya gotta 'plain this one]
Westboro...
Jimmy Swaggert...
Benny Hinn...
Omm's favorite: Billy Graham...
In the NT, I see teachings of a spiritual unity.
I see little formula for a human administrative “church” unity.
P.S. I’m former RCC. I read the Wanderer, the Remnant and the Angelus for MANY years.
I scoured the Bible for the teachings regarding the Lord’s Supper, on the authority of Peter, and on the functions of any NT priesthood. The evidence points to a reformation (”small r”) view of the Bible, ecclesiology, soteriology, etc.
P.S. (”small r”) means I take the Westminster Catechism with a grain of salt, i.e. it’s not infallible, i.e., it’s not my second bible. I have to say this with respect to some members of my local church, and also to clarify to you how I view issues.
and didnt those same Jews stare when Jesus picked up Isaac, the bread in the middle, and said “This is Me.”
I stopped exchanging with the poster because it is fruitless to argue before those who are not familiar enough with the Bible to have a meaty discussion. Arguing causes confusion in those looking on. I would have pointed to the actions of Melchisedek and the bread and wine he brought out for Abraham, but that’s grist for another mill.
Your opinion is denied by the facts.
In reality, Roman Catholicism leads to the darkness of atheism and, God willing, to the light of Protestantism.
"Immigration is what is keeping them afloat," said John Green, a Pew senior fellow... Those who leave Catholicism mostly either drop out of church entirely or join Pentecostal or evangelical Protestant churches, Pew Forum director Luis Lugo said. One out of every 10 evangelicals is a former Catholic, he said, with Hispanic Catholics leaving at higher rates; 20 percent of them end up in evangelical or Pentecostal churches... "Evangelical Protestants outnumber Catholics by 26.3 percent (59 million) to 24 percent (54 million) of the population, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, a massive 45-question poll conducted last summer of more than 35,000 American adults...
And further proof is found here...
Former Catholics are about evenly divided between those who have become Protestant and those who are now unaffiliated with any religion, with fewer now adhering to other faiths. "...Those who have left Catholicism outnumber those who have joined the Catholic Church by nearly a four-to-one margin. Overall, one-in-ten American adults (10.1%) have left the Catholic Church after having been raised Catholic, while only 2.6% of adults have become Catholic after having been raised something other than Catholic.
Once again, a false bishop of Rome spouts error. No doubt part of the job description.
And the MORMON’s win again...
placemarker
His audience was the Apostles, who were to go into the known world preaching the Gospel and establishing the Catholic Church thru word and letter. This Universal Church received the teaching and has believed and taught that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist. The Gnostics rejected this in the first century and most reformers rejected in the 16th century. The problem such people don’t get is the OT contained types and shadows, but when Jesus came the types and shadows were done away with, since those types and shadows pointed to Him! The Eucharist is not a type or shadow, Jesus has come and will come again soon. It is up to us to believe, since Jesus said it was so.
In fact, Mormons and RCs both believe in a works-based salvation. It's the same error.
However, God's word tells us salvation is by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and that His grace is free and unmerited.
no, it doesn’t trump what the Bible says, it confirms what the Bible says. Whoever doesn’t believe it, they are trumping the Bible with their own private intertpertation.
too bad you weren’t around in the first 4 centuries of the Church, i am sure men such as St. Augustine would have benefited from your Bible knowledge. i don’t know why the Church bothered to protect and hand copy the Bible for 1,500 years, when no one knew what they reading!
Golly!
This is easy!
No; it doesn't.
If the bible says it so plainly; what on earth is there any need for confirmation?
You don't understand MORMONs.
They 'win' becuase the thread gets highjacked and THEIR heresies are abandoned. They get to have fun watching CHRISTIANS tear at one another.
another falsehood, the Church teaches salvation is by grace alone. Still waiting to see where the Bible teaches by faith alone, i don’t see the word alone anywhere, in fact James tells us it is not by faith alone. Oh well, maybe the book store will give me a refund on this Bible, since this KJV is obviously not the one this good doctor is reading.
Then by highlighting the MORMON error, we also do the same to the RCC one; right?
Nope: only to the JEWS.Paul went to the gentiles.
Uh.... catholic should not be capitalized here.
To the Christian, there isn’t. It is to the unbelievers, those that attack the Church, but do it out of ignorance, it may be helpful to drop the scales from their eyes.
I am pretty sure St Peter talked and preached to Gentiles when he was in Rome, the same for all the Apostles. That’s how the Catholic Church was founded, the same universal Faith was preached through out the world, because the Faith had the Holy Spirit leading them to all truth.
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