Posted on 06/23/2014 6:44:09 AM PDT by Gamecock
In the 1540’s and beyond, when the Protestant Reformation had spread and taken hold in various places in Europe, the Roman Catholic Church met for a series of meetings called Council of Trent. At these meetings they wrote many canons and decrees that specifically addressed the theology of the Reformation (among other things). In these canons and decrees are very clear rejections of Protestant theology. Very often Rome used the term anathema (not maranatha!), a Greek word which means “accursed” (cf. 1 Cor. 16:22). Here are a few canons that clearly anathematize the theology of the Reformation. Note: I’ve emphasized the theological words under discussion in each canon.
- If anyone says that after the sin of Adam man’s free will was lost or destroyed, or that it is a thing only in name…let him be anathema.
- If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification…let him be anathema.
- If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy which remits sins for Christ’s sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema.
- If anyone says that he will for certain, with an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance even to the end, unless he shall have learned this by special revelation, let him be anathema.
- If anyone says that the Catholic doctrine of justification as set forth by the holy council in the present decree, derogates in some respect from the glory of God or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, and does not rather illustrate the truth of our faith and no less the glory of God and of Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.
- If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, or that there are more or less than seven [listed here], or that any one of these seven is not truly and intrinsically a sacrament, let him be anathema.
- If anyone…denies that wonderful and singular change of the whole substance of the bread into the body and the whole substance of the wine into the blood…which change the Catholic Church most aptly calls transubstantiation, let him be anathema.
And the list goes on. This isn’t semantics or politics. Rome understood the Reformation and she anathematized many of its major emphases: bondage of the will, justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the sacraments, and so forth. Though I am a Protestant who strongly disagrees with Trent and many of the doctrines of Rome (and therefore am under their anathemas), I do recommend reading these documents for a better understanding of the Reformation – and for proof that the Reformation still matters today.
Desperate times called for desperate action.
I’m anathema to these guys, though not for every reason listed in the OP.
Though I am a Protestant who strongly disagrees with Trent and many of the doctrines of Rome (and therefore am under their anathemas), I do recommend reading these documents for a better understanding of the Reformation – and for proof that the Reformation still matters today.
What ends up happening is that I come up with ideas that seem obvious to me, but nobody else thought of because they are focused on the current IT application.
Same thing with the bible. I don’t approach the bible from a Catholic or protestant “here’s what this verse means” perspective. I simply read it, come up with questions, ask those that have studied the word more than me or from a different perspective, PRAY, and then come up with my own interpretations.
I’m a strong believer that YOPIOS is a very, VERY good thing. After all, my relationship with God and my salvation is a personal thing between me ang God. My church body can help me get clarity or warn me where I may be going a bit around the bend, but ultimately the decision and results of that decision is solely my responsibility.
This is why I am no longer a pre-tribulationist and believe the fate of the lost is annihilation. But those beliefs are not core. They could be changed if new information presented itself. Heck, it’s how they changed in the first place.
What is core is my relationship with Him.
An anathema can only apply to a member of the church that is declaring them.
Modern-day Protestants are not (in most cases have never been) members of the Catholic Church, so these anathemas from Trent DO NOT and CANNOT apply to them. They aren't heretics, they simply (from the Catholic point of view) hold erroneous views.
http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2007/01/catholic-understanding-of-anathemas-of.html
Though I am a Protestant who strongly disagrees with Trent and many of the doctrines of Rome (and therefore am under their anathemas),
...well, you can ruminate about the injustice of all your anathemas in church someday, while your LGBT ministers are preaching about our need to be inclusive and free of judgmentalism...you know, just like Jesus...
...you must get a rush out of launching unprovoked attacks on others’ religions...I guess you think it makes you look witty and urbane, but actually, it makes you look childish and petulant...
Wow! A post countering Catholicism that actually has ZERO misstatements about what Catholics believe!
“Anathema” literally means, “to set away.” Catholics use this to mean an automatic excommunication.
Yes, you can’t excommunicate someone who isn’t in communion with you.
Modern-day Protestants are not (in most cases have never been) members of the Catholic Church, so these anathemas from Trent DO NOT and CANNOT apply to them. They aren’t heretics, they simply (from the Catholic point of view) hold erroneous views.
...don’t tell the OP that...you’ll destroy his raison d’etre...
QUOTE This is why I am no longer a pre-tribulationist and believe the fate of the lost is annihilation.
We are of one accord there, brother! I decided, some 10 years back, to question everything I had been taught, and let the scripture be my guide to all doctrine, not men's statement of faith or creeds or dogmas. I found that many of my learned Baptist beliefs were soundly scriptural (original sin, virgin birth, sinlessness of Christ, Justification by faith alone, etc), I also found that in some instances, especially the pre-trib rapture, the scripture taught the exact opposite!
I don't have any of those. But we know Rome does. Have seem many Roman Catholics say so right here on FR.
you must get a rush out of launching unprovoked attacks on others’ religions...
Ummm, let's try to keep up here. Rome had a meeting called Trent. We were declared anathema. They launched the attack, not I.
Weren't they the ones that nailed our Savior to the cross? And they are holy?
Every last one of us that committed a sin put Jesus on that cross.
It does not matter whether Rome says the anathemas apply to modern Protestants. I could care less if Rome declares me anathema. I know I can neither saved nor damned by an institution. What does matter, however, is if Rome still holds to the same doctrinal views. And the answer to that is a resounding yes on every point.
And Christ says that the opposite are anathema. I'll stick with Christ -- you can leave as some did in the Bible.
Gospel Jn 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"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."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
**They aren’t heretics, they simply (from the Catholic point of view) hold erroneous views. **
But once they know the truth and still choose to disobey Christ, aren’t they heretics?
More post-Vatican II Modernist hogwash. Let's listen to a Catholic pope:
Leo XIII makes it plain that separated members cannot belong to the same body: “So long as the member was on the body, it lived; separated, it lost its life. Thus the man, so long as he lives on the body of the [Catholic] Church, he is a Christian; separated from her, he becomes a heretic” (Encyclical Satis cognitum of June 29, 1896).
I don’t have any of those. But we know Rome does. Have seem many Roman Catholics say so right here on FR.
...yes, denial is a wonderful thing, isn’t it...
Ummm, let’s try to keep up here. Rome had a meeting called Trent. We were declared anathema. They launched the attack, not I.
...you really should not attempt verbal sparring, you are quite poor at it...because you refuse to accept the illogical nature of your position, you argue for the sake of argument, not to support the strength of it...but to appease you, let’s examine your above statement...
...I referred you to a post you made today...the Council of Trent occurred four centuries ago; lack of temporal focus is anathema to a well defined logical position...are we keeping up so far...?
...additionally, for all the time you spend declaring yourself free from Romanism, you seem equally determined that you be subjected to its dictates...a completely illogical deduction, which leads one too think that you make your posts on this topic for equally illogical reasons...but we already know that, don’t we...?
...and finally, the only anathemas which are operative on you are of your own weaknesses...and truly, nobody, not Rome, not anybody, cares one whit about it...
Trent is stating that those who deny transubstantiation are the ones who are anathema. I often get confused when I read them too.
No matter how much you seem to impress yourself, Trent has not been repealed.
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