Posted on 02/20/2015 3:22:59 PM PST by NKP_Vet
1.“Catholics worship statues.” This stereotype is painful to hear. Not only is this completely false, but it is ludicrous. Despite the fact that there are 801 millions Protestants world-wide, according to the Pew Research Center, my rant will be geared towards our brothers and sisters in the United States. In this country, approximately 51.5% of people are Protestant Christians. Realistically, most of these families have pictures in their home, which is completely normal, right? Right. They have pictures of their loved ones, both living and deceased. Is it not hypocritical then to say that Catholics are idol worshipers, when these families have portraits of their loved ones on the walls? If these Protestant families can have pictures of Uncle Bernie and Mawmaw hanging on the wall, then most certainly the Church can present pictures of our beloved Jesus, his disciples, and the saints.
2.“Catholics pray to Mary instead of God.” This is a very common misconception throughout the Protestant community, and while I can understand why it is, I am also disheartened that many jump to such a harsh conclusion of the Catholic faith. We don’t pray to Mary, we ask her to pray for us, just as a Protestant asks their deceased grandparent/parent to watch over them.
3. “The saints can’t hear your prayers, because they are dead.” I beg to differ. Since when is anyone who is in Heaven considered dead? We call it the afterLIFE for a reason. In fact, there is biblical proof that the saints can hear our prays: -Revelation 5:8 “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” -Revelation 8:3-4 “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.”
4. “Mother Mary isn’t important; she’s just like anyone else.” If our Blessed Mother isn’t important, then every female would have had an immaculate conception. For this reason, that is why the declarative statement above doesn’t make sense. Of course Mother Mary is important, she gave birth to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What is so amazing about the Catholic faith is the fact that we recognize the importance of Mary, and we honor her accordingly. She is a role model and saint for all Christians to look up to, because she submitted to God completely. Until the day another woman gives birth to Jesus, no one will ever be just like Mary. She is a very special, holy woman.
5. “Catholics made up all their rules.” Every single tradition we have in the Catholic Church, namely during Mass, has biblical roots. Not to mention the fact that Jesus was the founder of our Church. I don’t know about you, but Jesus doesn’t make mistakes.
6. “God said to confess sins to Him, not a priest.” This one is a personal favorite of mine. Drum roll please. -James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” It is true that we pray directly to God, and ask Him to forgiveness, however for sins (mortal) we do as Jesus commands and confess it to one another (our priests). Jesus said this directly to his disciples, so through Him, they were able to forgive sins. This power passed down to every priest, and so on and so forth. That felt good.
7. “Catholicism is a cult.” Jesus Christ founded this Church more than 2,000 years ago, I would hardly call it a cult.
8. “Catholics aren’t Christians.” The word Christian is associated with anyone who follows Christ’s teachings, and since the Catholic Church does just that then we are to be called Christians. Not to mention Catholics were actually the first Christians.
9. “Catholics added books to the Holy Bible.” This one is so hilarious it hurts. For 300 years there was no Bible, only random writings from the prophets like St.Peter etc, until the Catholic monks compiled and canonized what is now known today as the Holy Bible. (That is until the Protestant Reformation occurred, in which one man *Martin Luther* removed 7 books). Ouch.
10. “Catholics believe you can pay your way into Heaven.” We definitely do not. That is a huge misconception which occurred during the Protestant Reformation.
Despite the many stereotypes that hang over our faith, the important thing to remember is our Church has stood the test of time and remained for more than 2,000 years. Whether you are Catholic or Protestant-- we are all followers of Christ, and He is the ultimate goal.
And they don’t believe in Jesus Christ as a religion or as a whole, so your comparison couldn’t be better!
And they don’t believe in Jesus Christ as a religion or as a whole, so your comparison couldn’t be better!
Don't answer me. I have had it with all the Protestants and Catholics who think it is their God-given right to insult people on this forum.
The same Jewish Synagogue worship that denies Jesus as the Christ, great example.
Read the book of Revelation.
There are many truths not mentioned in the Scriptures for the simple reason that nobody disputed them until much later.
Jews had been praying for the dead for centuries before Christ. Nobody questioned the validity of praying for the dead until the 15th or 16th centuries.
A practice that was common, if not universal, among the Jews would not have been questioned by the Jews who became Christians, or the gentiles after them, and therefore it is no surprise that there’s no discussion of the matter in the earliest Christian writings.
In order to sustain their condemnation of asking the dead for their prayers, many do not hesitate to argue, blasphemously, that the dead are TOTALLY DEAD—in soul as well as body. Just one more example of how Protestants, in their zeal to defame Mary, will deny the divinity of Christ, or, in their zeal to denigrate the saints in heaven, will deny that there is a heaven.
The notion that ALL revelation, and, indeed ALL RELIGIOUS THOUGHT, was committed to writing in the New Testament is an invention of the 15th- and 16th-Century schismatics.
Sola scriptura is an irrational, self-contradictory idea, for the simple reason that it is taught nowhere in Scripture. Sola scriptura is the “man-made doctrine” par excellence.
Much more interesting than asking where I went to seminary would be ANSWERING MY QUESTION.
Have you ever given any thought to what Heaven IS?
Do you really think that God must DECEIVE people in Heaven in order to make them happy? Because that’s what you just said.
Well I'm in good company then...Paul didn't put up with the nonsense of the Catholic religion either...
2Co_11:6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.
We are living in a NEW Covenant. Some of the laws are different—namely, the ritual laws.
Jesus abolished divorce, for instance, even though Moses allowed it.
Even granting that Jesus did not want us to LITERALLY drink his blood—because it would be a sin—you then need to explain why Jesus would command us to SIMULATE the commission of that sin, by repeatedly telling us to drink his blood SYMBOLICALLY by drinking wine that Jesus SAID was his blood.
Show me where Jesus said that we should SIMULATE committing adultery, or SIMULATE committing blasphemy. Yet, even if you reject the Catholic belief about the Eucharist, you have to admit that it is a SIMULATION of the “sin” of drinking blood.
Show me somewhere, anywhere, where Jesus told us to SIMULATE the commission of sins.
Very well stated! Thank you.
Where'd you go to seminary??
They do not teach the bible in Catholic seminaries...They teach how to be priests; the rituals, finances, Catholic history, church fathers, etc...
Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.
There are no laws for the New Testament church...
Even granting that Jesus did not want us to LITERALLY drink his blood—because it would be a sin—you then need to explain why Jesus would command us to SIMULATE the commission of that sin, by repeatedly telling us to drink his blood SYMBOLICALLY by drinking wine that Jesus SAID was his blood.
It IS explained in the bible...It is a metaphor to the believers...We are to do it as a memorial of the Crucifixion...
Jesus told us to break the bread...Why??? So we could constantly break his body into pieces??? Of course not...So that we could remember that his body was broken for us...
Did Jesus tell us to nail the wafer to a cross??? Nope...Did Jesus tells us to bury the wafer??? Nope...Has God told people to eat other things that were not edible??? Tons of times...Did those people eat those things??? Of course not...
But looking at the other side of the coin; what motivation could the Catholic religion have for making the claim to eat the flesh is literal instead of a metaphor???
Because it is the Catholic religion only that makes the claim that Catholic priests only can turn the cracker into the flesh of Jesus...And you can't get Jesus unless you are a Catholic attending a Catholic Church...The bible calls that bondage... It is not a simulation as such...When God told Jeremiah to eat his book, Jeremiah knew he was not simulating eating a book...
If THAT is true, then there's no law against drinking blood. In which case, your oft-repeated argument for why Jesus COULD NOT want us to drink his blood explodes.
Did Jesus tell us to nail the wafer to a cross??? Nope...Did Jesus tells us to bury the wafer??? Nope...Has God told people to eat other things that were not edible??? Tons of times...Did those people eat those things??? Of course not...
Discussing CATHOLIC beliefs about the Eucharist might be interesting. Discussing your psychotic hallucinations is not.
So discuss them (instead of posting a link to a thousand page book you call your catechism)...
Nope...No law against drinking blood...A Christian will not go to hell for drinking blood...
God says do not drink blood...He certainly does not condone it under any circumstances...But is there a church law against it??? No...
I think even most Catholics expect it. Not only Catholics but most every major religion are going the route of the "can't we all just get along" one world religion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.