Why would anyone become Catholic?

https://www.indiegogo.com ^ | October 2, 2014 | Indiegogo

[NKP_Vet]

Why would intelligent, successful people give up their careers, alienate their friends, and cause havoc in their families...to become Catholic? Indeed, why would anyone become Catholic?

As an evangelist and author who recently threw my own life into some turmoil by deciding to enter the Catholic Church, I've faced this question a lot lately. That is one reason I decided to make this documentary; it's part of my attempt to try to explain to those closest to me why I would do such a crazy thing.

Convinced isn't just about me, though. The film is built around interviews with some of the most articulate and compelling Catholic converts in our culture today, including Scott Hahn, Francis Beckwith, Taylor Marshall, Holly Ordway, Abby Johnson, Jeff Cavins, Devin Rose, Matthew Leonard, Mark Regnerus, Jason Stellman, John Bergsma, Christian Smith, Kevin Vost, David Currie, Richard Cole, and Kenneth Howell. It also contains special appearances by experts in the field of conversion such as Patrick Madrid and Donald Asci.

Ultimately, this is a story about finding truth, beauty, and fulfillment in an unexpected place, and then sacrificing to grab on to it. I think it will entertain and inspire you, and perhaps even give you a fresh perspective on an old faith.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Celestial torture chamber. Thanks for making my point. Cul-de-sac. God's mercy is greater than protestants give Him credit for. God in a box.

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What is “Purgatory” if not a “Celestial torture chamber?”

What a skewed argument! If God's mercy is great, why must we be “purged” before entering His presence?

Having to be “purged” so one may enter His presence is “putting (the Catholic false) god in a box.”

Jesus is sufficient. Only by His sacrifice may we enter into His presence. Nobody approaches Him on their own merit, even if they are “purged” or “tortured” for eons in Purgatory (which does not exist).

[caww]

....”Jesus can turn water into wine. And wine into blood.
Or not?”.....

That blood was “Poured Out” on Calvary Mrs. D. .....

Jesus made it clear when HE said....”this is My blood of the covenant, which is ‘poured out’ for many for forgiveness of sins.” ....

(God the Father accepted his death as his blood was spilled on the the cross. It was completed when he died.)

Jesus words stated it all...”It is finished”.......

...”Christ ‘our Passover’, was sacrificed for us.”.....Just as John the baptist introduced him as.. “the LAMB that takes away the sins of the world.”

When Jesus paid the price for sin by shedding His blood, that blood became like a cleansing agent and washed our sins away..... It isn’t that the blood itself had some quality, it is that ‘the giving of His life paid the penalty for sin.’... And the giving of His life was symbolized in the shedding of His blood.

[JPX2011]

NON-RESPONSIVE.

As you see it.

You have accused me and others of “implied blasphemy” against the Holy Spirit but WITHOUT a shred of Scriptural evidence that anything I’ve said implies blasphemy against Him.

Well then, let me ask you straight out: Do you seek repentance for you sins, or do you believe you are destined for Heaven despite your sins and there is no need to seek God's forgiveness? We don't need Scripture to get the answer to that one. It's a simple yes or no question.

Besides, God instituted His Church which is the normative approach to seeking repentance and absolution in this life through the scripturally ordained Sacrament of Confession. I don't need to run to the Bible for everything.

[Gamecock]

**Corporal mortification is a valid form of penance.**

And in this case Rome frowns upon it.

I suppose that means you should repent or confess or something.

[Resettozero]

...”Christ ‘our Passover’, was sacrificed for us.”.....Just as John the baptist introduced him as.. “the LAMB that takes away the sins of the world.”

Bloody awful scene. But PRAISE GOD for it! Believers in Jesus Christ are eternally thankful!

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

On last Sunday’s telecast, Charles Stanley said the music selection was the number one cause of congregations splitting off or disolving.

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I like some contemporary Christian music. I believe one is “Grace Like Rain,” where the singer changed the tune and added to “Amazing Grace.”

I even enjoy Biblical influenced metal songs. Dave Mustaine from Megadeth became a Christian and wrote a few songs with Biblical perspective.

Unfortunately, a lot of “Christian” music is garbage. In an episode of “South Park,” a character starts a “Christian” band and comes up with material by replacing “Baby” with “Jesus” in pop songs. Unfortunately, it was believable!

[MamaB]

Amen.

[Springfield Reformer]

Your rendering is a cut and paste of a frequently but incompletely cited writing of Luther.  The theme of the complete work is not at all what your quote suggests. Indeed, Luther recognizes that the Magnificat is a distinctly evangelical hymn, and though he still was still encumbered with a few fragments of Rome's long and profound distortion of Mary, he nevertheless was clear on the evangelical message of  God's amazing grace:

**********************************************************
From :  http://www.godrules.net/library/luther/NEW1luther_c5.htm

...

As the wood had no other merit or worthiness than that it was suited to be made into a cross and was appointed by God for that purpose, even so her sole worthiness to become the Mother of God lay in her being fit and appointed for it; so that it might be pure grace and not a reward, that we might not take away from God’s grace, worship and honor by ascribing too great things to her. For it is better to take away too much from her than from the grace of God. Indeed, we cannot take away too much from her, since she was created out of nothing, like all other creatures. But we can easily take away too much from grace, which is a perilous thing to do and not well pleasing to her. It is necessary also to keep within bounds and not make too much of calling her “Queen of heaven,” which is a true enough name and yet does not make her a goddess, who could grant gifts or render aid, as some suppose, that pray and flee to her rather than to God. She gives nothing, God gives all, as we see in the words that follow, — “ He that is mighty.” Verily, in these words she takes away all might and power from every creature and bestows them on God alone. What great boldness and robbery on the part of so young and tender a maiden!

 She dares, by this one word, to make all the strong feeble, all the mighty weak, all the wise foolish, all the famous despised, and God alone the possessor of all strength, wisdom and glory. For this is the meaning of the phrase, “He that is mighty.” There is none that does anything, but as St. Paul says in Ephesians 1:11, “God worketh all in all,” and all creatures’ works are God’s works. Even as we confess in the Creed, “I believe in God the Father, the Almighty.” He is almighty because it is His power alone that works in all and through all and over all. Thus St. Anna, the mother of Samuel, sings in 1 Samuel 2:9, “By strength shall no man prevail.” And St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God.” This is a most important article of faith, including many things; it utterly puts down all pride, arrogance, blasphemy, fame, and false trust, and exalts God alone. It points out the reason why God alone is to be exalted, — because He does all things. That is easily said, but hard to believe and to translate into life. For they who carry it out in their lives are most peaceable, composed and simple hearted folk, who lay no claim to anything, well knowing it is not theirs but God’s.
...

The “great things” are nothing less than that she became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in heaven, and such a Child. She herself is unable to find a name for this work, it is too exceeding great; all she can do is break out in the fervent cry, [sic] are great things,” impossible to describe or define. Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God. No one can say anything greater of her or to her, though he had as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees, or grass in the fields, or stars in the sky, or sand by the sea. F265 It needs to be pondered in the heart, what it means to be the Mother of God.

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Modern Protestants avoid "Mother of God," because it no longer has the Christological import for which it was used at Chalcedon, and the recent spurious Marian dogmas coming after Luther's time have made that even worse.  To resolve this we resort to the Greek term Chalcedon used, theotokos, as rightly meaning "God-bearer," which is acceptable in ecumenical scope, without the schismatic attributions attached to it by Rome, because it puts the focus on the deity of Christ, where it belongs, and avoids false attribution of quasi-deity to Mary.  Also, Luther is too comfortable with expressions such as "Queen of Heaven," yet he does rightly shift our focus from her to the God of grace who blessed her so much.

Which mixed bag of truth and error is another reason why it is error to say that Protestants as a class are blind followers of Luther. We are not. Luther is still too Catholic for the simplicity of faith depicted in Scripture.  He is not to be too much blamed for this.  We are all products of our own times, as was he. That he came out as far as he did, and did so much to bring the Gospel to so many who had never heard it, is still a blessing and a work of God for which we all should be grateful.

Peace,

SR

[JPX2011]

And in this case Rome frowns upon it. I suppose that means you should repent or confess or something.

Thank you for your input.

[caww]

That's the problem Red.....for some Jesus’s life is not enough....it was not “finished” as He said it was on Calvary. ....His great suffering at the hands of the Roman soldiers was not enough....His cries out to the Father in Gethsemane and at Calvary are not enough....His entire life and all that He said is not enough....

Therefore....They have denied the faith and atonement of Jesus Christ for their life by their faith in an imagined purgatory, where THEY have to complete what He has already completed....They cannot finish what is already completed In Christ alone.

They are deceived, the enemy of men's souls robbed them of 'the assurance' of eternal life through Christ.

[Resettozero]

We don't need Scripture to get the answer to that one.

For at least the second time, your reply to me has been non-responsive and deflective to my request for Scriptural specification for your accusations of "implied blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" which you have publically made against many FReepers on this thread, me included.

Please consider the seriousness of what I have told you.

[Resettozero]

CORRECTION FOR POSTER QUOTE:

We don't need Scripture to get the answer to that one.

For at least the second time, your reply to me has been non-responsive and deflective to my request for Scriptural specification for your accusations of "implied blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" which you have publically made against many FReepers on this thread, me included.

Please consider the seriousness of what I have told you.

[MamaB]

Then, maybe you should, along with everyone else. Run to the Bible,, that is.

[Syncro]

Here is what sticks in my craw, as indigestible:

Pope Boniface VIII, in his Bull Unam Sanctum (1302):

...Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff...

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"---ENTIRELY subject to Jesus.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Well then, let me ask you straight out: Do you seek repentance for you sins, or do you believe you are destined for Heaven despite your sins and there is no need to seek God's forgiveness?

---

We seek forgiveness from Jesus; He alone is sufficient for Salvation. He is THE TRUTH, THE WAY and THE LIGHT. He alone is worthy. He alone forgives our sins and redeems us. It is for Him and Him alone we repent.

We leave the dead to frolic with, embrace and kiss desiccated corpses. We leave the dead to cry out to the dead for their help and hope. We leave the dead to prostrate themselves before false gods of stone, wood and metal created by the hands of man. We leave the dead to their folly as they are deceived by Satan and his Angels who appear before them as Angels of light.

[caww]

I think a lot of the new Christian music has ‘romanticized’ what Christianity is and who it represents....many of the songs reveal a self-centeredness...woe is me type rather than a celebration of life and the salvation HE has given us....and what it cost Him.

I think some of the music is fine for personal moments with the Lord...but now it's gotten pretty “mushy” in full view of the audience. The bands and worship teams are very self-centered when they perform.....it IS often about them and their performance rather than the people in the congregation uplifting Jesus Christ....the focus has "moved".

[JPX2011]

What is “Purgatory” if not a “Celestial torture chamber?”

Purgatory is therapeutic. Not punitive.

What a skewed argument! If God's mercy is great, why must we be “purged” before entering His presence?

And herein lies the crux of the matter that separates Catholics from protestants. You must work out your salvation, just as scripture tells us. Purgatory is a Mercy of God for those whose work is incomplete.

Having to be “purged” so one may enter His presence is “putting (the Catholic false) god in a box.”

Actually it's the opposite. It's a "box" of God's creation if you can call it that. He gave man Free Will and He abides by it. Which shows God's greatness and love rather than creating a race of automatons. Which highlights its no box at all.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Bingo.

[narses]

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Purgatory is therapeutic. Not punitive.

---

What happens in “purgatory?” How is the soul “purged?”

Is it accurate to describe the process as, in some way, “painful?”