As a Roman Catholic, I identify myself as a Roman Catholic. I do not spend much time, nor will I, defining myself as NOT Evangelical, not Pentecostal, not Eastern Orthodox (my choice if ever I did the unimaginable and ceased being Catholic since the Eastern Orthodox have the seven sacraments, a validly consecrated Holy Eucharist that is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, a legitimate Sacrifice of the Mass, apostolic succession, etc., AND some legitimate tie to Jesus Christ's promise to be with the Church all days to the end of the world) or not Jewish, not Buddhist, not Hindu, not Sikh or whatever.
If you prefer to be an Evangelical, good for you! It is simply not my cup of tea. See previous paragraph as to why I would only consider the Eastern Orthodox Church as an alternative. America! It's a great country!
As a Catholic, I regard many outside the Church as nonetheless Christians. Do you concede that Catholics are also Christians, baptized with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost? Or do you regard the Church of Rome as an unGodly cult of some sort? Put your cards on the table.
I have previously posted that I sympathize with the view that Evangelicals may reasonably wonder why GOP presidents who are quite reliant on Evangelical voters, never choose one or more for SCOTUS. I don't think there needs to be some sort of proportional representation. Frankly, as a Catholic, a SCOTUS consisting of nine reliable Evangelicals would be just fine.
With all due respect, I have a problem with the notion that a GOP leadership is "ditch"ing Christianity by naming Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and even John Roberts to the SCOTUS. Sotomayor is not our responsibility as conservatives. Nor, frankly, given her way of life, is she the responsibility of Rome. She is just the latest baptized in any and all Christian faiths to apostasize to heathenism. And that is why Obozo appointed her.
How would I view the fact that all five conservative (giving Kennedy more credit than he deserves) justices are Catholic in light of God's will and God's plans? No problem. Nine Clarence Thomases or Sam Alitos or Antonin Scalias would likely please God. Roberts a bit less so. Kennedy? Kennedy is a mess on most matters that count and proof positive of the continuing effect of the Fall.
Why do I get the feeling that you like to press on in chewing that old anti-Catholic slipper?
As conservatives, regardless of faith differences, let us be allies on the many, many things upon which conservatives agree. Let us disagree civilly and respectfully where we cannot agree.
May God bless you and yours!
Okay, about that “old anti-Catholic slipper,” it’s not old. What I have been is appalled by the thought of how easily I might have been like everyone I knew around me when I lived the first 40+ years in my lfe in a nearly 80% Catholic Northeastern city, which is decidedly post-Christian. People eventually go to the Church for marriage and baptism, but there is no knowledge or love of God there. In people’s minds, as if they’re atheists or deists. And I grew up Lutheran, never hearing an anti-Catholic word, and in my twenties, accepted the Lord though I didn’t even understand it, because it was from reading the Gospels, and didn’t know where to go. And I tried the Catholic Church then (and also in my thirties, when I read the whole Bible).
And I truly shudder to think how things might have gone differently. I was Christian with confused beliefs, a university graduate in English, lived and identified as a lesbian, a Democrat, and around 2002 or so, even considered becoming Communist. (Cont’d)
Then on a liberal site I went to, something like FR, someone mentioned having fun on Christianity.com forums, and there people quoted from the Bible things I nothing of, so I read the Bible. And even though I looked again at Catholicism, but decided that it believed things in opposition to the Bible, I’ve never closed the door on it, and wouldn’t, because I’m human after all, but leave it to the Lord, I’ve encountered more and more that turns me away from it. And while I have to stop here at this time, I will say that there is such opposition between the New Testament and the religion in Catholicism, such as that even which way the priest stands, and Communion in the mouth or hand, would seem to be of prime importance to our Heavely Father, that I see the burden of proof on Catholicism to prove it hasn’t turned aside from the Lord.
The Bible says the Lord knows who are His, and those who are His are among those who profess to believe in Him. Now, I believe you mentioned the passage in which Jesus, speaking of the Church, sas the gates of Hell won’t prevail against it. But when people say or are identified as Christian, but aren’t, then Hell has prevailed over them. So it is not a church as an earthly institution that’s meant, for they include both wheat and tares, but those whom the Lord knows as His.