Posted on 09/02/2011 9:07:47 AM PDT by marshmallow
Minneapolis, Minnesota (CNN) –Prior to 2006, few people even knew that then-Minnesota state legislator Keith Ellison was a Muslim. Because of his English name, he said, no one thought to ask.
But five years ago, when he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives - a race he would go on to win - word of his religious affiliation began to spread.
“When I started running for Congress it actually took me by surprise that so many people were fascinated with me being the first Muslim in Congress,” said Ellison, a Democrat now serving his third term in the House.
“But someone said to me, ‘Look Keith, think of a person of Japanese origin running for Congress six years after Pearl Harbor–this might be a news story.’”
Though Ellison's status as the first Muslim elected to Congress is widely known, fewer are aware that he was born into a Catholic family in Detroit and was brought up attending Catholic schools.
But he said he was never comfortable with that faith.
“I just felt it was ritual and dogma,” Ellison said. “Of course, that’s not the reality of Catholicism, but it’s the reality I lived. So I just kind of lost interest and stopped going to Mass unless I was required to.”
It wasn’t until he was a student at Wayne State University in Detroit when Ellison began, “looking for other things.”
(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...
The "FR is inherently anti-Catholic" argument was openly waged with the moderators a couple of years back. IIRC, the crux of the argument was that FR's posting rules are biased towards Protestant iconoclasm (2 Corinthians 10:5). Their proposal was that the Religion Forum should re-write the posting rules to enforce respect for Catholic iconography and ideas. The practical upshot would be that every thread would effectively become a "Catholic Devotional" thread.
Needless to say, the moderators rejected the idea.
Wow!!!!!!! You have really elevated yourself to an exalted position I see.
Calling it the truth is overly generous. It was significantly flawed AND DIRECTLY QUOTED without attribution. Besides, when was the last time any of you gave a Catholic the benefit of the doubt?
Cynical, (what an apt name) get real. You know exactly what I meant.
Sinners hate the truth.
It is not a blog, or solicitous of money, but rather than longer posts why not post something supplementary and substantive which the poster is responsible for, and one can respond to, rather than from someone not involved with FR?
Aho was banned for not abiding by the rules?
Jesus said He was the Way, the Truth and the Life and they couldn’t accept or believe Him and so they killed Him.
In all of the Bible, there is not one instance, one passage of any writer, or speaker including Jesus who says Scripture is the sole, final and only authority for faith and beliefs.
There are however numerous places wherein Jesus gives authority, to Peter foremost and to His other Apostles. The New Testament was certainly written by men who knew they were authoritative.
“When you guys make the statement that yours is the one, true, church that Jesus built the statement is worthy of reproof, rebuke and exortation...And the reproof, rebuke and exortation we present from the ‘book’ you claim you wrote, and the ‘book’ you seem to have so little respect for, you call hatred and ridicule... “
I have also never seen an accurate, logical or cogent “reproof, rebuke or exhortation” of Catholicism from anyone here. That statement from you, right there in a nutshell encompasses the whole cacophony of outrageous calumny seen here from protestants against Catholics.
“No one likes to their ox gored, especially when it God doing the goring...”
Do you believe you speak for Him? Do you believe you and you alone know His mind and His Church as He wants it? Then you make a claim for yourself that is nowhere found in Scripture. Does that mean you have no respect for the ‘book’?
May God help me for I have no desire to run this course with you or any of the others here. It is pointless and useless and it is only my love for Him and for His Church that would draw me in and force my participation here.
For the record, I named no names and did not respond to a single thing said earlier for the reasons I stated. I responded to the post by Natural Law because I found it to be a unique view and worthwhile post which was on the TOPIC at HAND.
It was others who jumped in and began the flame throwing and I sat here and read and read and read and found myself literally open mouthed, sputtering with indignation and STILL I resisted because I do not want to be down in the mud, slathered with the HATRED that is shown to me here every time I discuss religion with one of the usual crowd.
But this post, this righteous indignation, this dripping with snide pomposity that is protestantism has put me over the edge. I have never posted here without support of Scripture for what I have said. I have always used my own words and my own thoughts never cutting and pasting and you accuse me of having no respect for the Bible, His Holy Word.
I read from that Scripture every day. I study it and pray it and seek the answers within it ALL THE TIME! I find in it the Truth of Catholicism. Stop lying about me and about Christ’s Church and we will be able to have real discussion.
But, alas, that is not the case and that is why I ignore a host of so many here as I have ignored you for months. I will not respond to you again. I do not wish to allow myself to be used by you for your brownie points among the faithful FReeper anti Catholics whatever your response to this mini rant of mine.
May God help me, I will not dance to your tune, this is the last time you get my hackles up and the last time I have anything to say to you other than to accept your apology.
John 10:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Do you get hungry and thirsty?
John 10:50-51 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
Do you plan on living forever, then? Or do you switch from literal to figurative back to literal all within one sentence? Or is Jesus lying?
Why are Catholics not sure of making it to heaven then? If eating the literal body and blood of Christ gives eternal life, why are they unsure of their eternal destiny?
Why the need to be baptized? Last rites?
I think you’re missing the whole point: we don’t care about having a “functional knowledge” of Scripture. A “functional knowledge” of Scripture is NOT the focus of Catholicism.
You are obsessed with memorizing the Bible and think the holier you are the more you can throw out quotations, chapter and verse. It’s not that Catholics cannot do that, we have our Bible thumper types. We are just as free to read the Bible as you and MANY do read it daily. Why do you doubt we read Scripture as much as you?
And it’s a 3 year cycle not 2 to that throws all your statistics into question anyway. Your pre-Vatican II statement is also incorrect, as the Mass was basically the same, including several readings.
And we have a formula so the Bible comes together logically, not just the whim of a pastor with a “divinity” degree to decide the theme of the day.
I have in front of me 3 Catholic Missals from the 1950’s and 60’s. They are crammed with Scripture readings. You are simply quoting anti-Catholic information you picked up somewhere. Are you really interested in Catholic literature and approach to the Bible or do you just want to win an argument? Because it is so much more in-depth and evolved than the Protestant approach you really need to actually READ a MASS MISSAL.
You read a Catholic Missal from pre-Vatican 2, maybe you can get in the Library, and not only will you have all the pertinent readings, you find prayers that uplift your soul and bring tears to your eyes.
Do you suppose you would even HAVE A BIBLE IF NOT FOR THE CATHOLIC MONKS preserving them and copying them in monasteries for centuries while everything else was destroyed? If you love your Bible, you are indebted for sure to the Catholic Church.
I think what most people skip over is: It’s not the relgious instution that saves but the person of Jesus, God’s Son, who came to this Earth and died for our sins on the cross then rose from the dead. Jesus is our salvation. It is believing in him and repenting of our sin that gives us everlasting eternal life. Thanks for standing up for us.
Anyone and everyone who was banned. But who do you say was banned who was abiding by the rules?
For a minute, I was so angry that I forgot the purpose of the questions to you. That creeds change as the word of God changes. NO WAIT THAT ISN'T CORRECT. HIS WORD NEVER CHANGES. It's MEN who change His word in order to deceive. And form new, improved creeds for all the itching ears in the audience.
I've posted this to you, so a reply would be expected. Otherwise, begone. You may accuse others of things, but you will not accuse me unjustly.
Since, I don't have an exact definition of "Traditional Catholic," I'll refer you to this wikipedia page, which sums things up pretty well.
Name a Catholic or give a post number where a Catholic stated they were unsure of their eternal destiny.
Why the need to be baptized? Last rites?
When you face taking your final breath, will you not pray? Will you not be blessed by having friends pray with you and for you? Or are you so arrogant as to face God without those comforts, if they are available to you? Probably so, according to your posts. I personally hope I have one last chance to receive Christ in the Eucharist, and be annointed and prayed over by my priest, the way my husband did. I hopw my death is not sudden, and that I have a chance to tell God I am sorry for my sins one last time, and receive my Church's assurance of forgiveness for them. Your church may not have much power, and could very well be useless in the circumstance of extremity. I hope you remember the prayers you learned and that you haven't cast them out of your heart as it beats the last few times.
Name a Catholic or give a post number where a Catholic stated they were unsure of their eternal destiny.
Why the need to be baptized? Last rites?
When you face taking your final breath, will you not pray? Will you not be blessed by having friends pray with you and for you? Or are you so arrogant as to face God without those comforts, if they are available to you? Probably so, according to your posts. I personally hope I have one last chance to receive Christ in the Eucharist, and be annointed and prayed over by my priest, the way my husband did. I hopw my death is not sudden, and that I have a chance to tell God I am sorry for my sins one last time, and receive my Church's assurance of forgiveness for them. Your church may not have much power, and could very well be useless in the circumstance of extremity. I hope you remember the prayers you learned and that you haven't cast them out of your heart as it beats the last few times.
I was drawn in by a post directed to me and had to respond to the poster.
I will not do so again and said so and meant it.
The list grows ever longer.
The Catholic Church's dialogue with Islam is based on the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions ("Nostra Aetate"), which urged esteem for Muslims because "they adore the one God," strive to follow his will, recognize Jesus as a prophet, honor his mother, Mary, "value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting."
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805500.htm
I’ve been warning you who follow the RCC about some very serious problems for some time now but many of you try to flesh it over or ignore it. I would suggest you study up on what the RCC really believes and is moving toward.
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