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Jesus is the Life Preserver. Mary is the Rope He Chose To Reel Us In.
The Most Ancient Tradition | 06-16-2019 | Charles O'Connell

Posted on 06/16/2019 4:55:18 AM PDT by CharlesOConnell

In Captains Courageous, with Spencer Tracey, Freddy Batholomew is a blowhard millionaire's son who is socially, poorly adjusted. He uses his father's incredible wealth, to bully his classmates and even his teacher, but he's roundly disliked, and ostracized. While on an ocean liner, he unsuccessfully tries to impress some other boys by eating 5 ice cream sodas. When he has to throw up, to escape the mocking boys, he runs into a lifeboat area to evade their ridicule while purging his overindulgence, and manages to fall overboard into the ocean.

Instances of people falling overboard into the open ocean are rather commonly reported in the news. Usually they are lost, but if by chance their accidents are observed and a life-preserver is thrown to them, is that the end of the story, do we just say, "oh, well, you have a floatation device, you're okay now"?

No, we have to pull them in. The life-preserver, the lifesaver, is only part of the formula for saving their lives. There is also a rope, which must be attached to the life-preserver, and must be used to finally accomplish their salvation.

Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man. But on the man side of the equation, unlike the radical individuality most typified by J.J. Rousseau, we who life the life of Christians do so in communities. But even then, we do not abide as atomistic individualists. We live our Jesus-oriented life in relation to our fellows. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." – Hebrews 10:25.

Jesus' first disciple was his mother, who gave us the total account of his early life and who "treasured these things up in her heart". "A sword will pierce your own soul too, so that the secret thoughts of many hearts might be revealed". On the cross, he gave his mother to John to take in his home, but when you take your master's mother, she takes care of you.

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.
And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. …
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. - Rev 11:19 -- 12:17

She forms the body of Christ. She schools her son's disciples. Those who won't attend her school, remain ignorant.

We are in a time when any merely human institution would be washed away. Our churches are going under the shadow of a new Heresy of Ba'al of Peor, as when the Hebrew people were successfully attacked and overwhelmed through human sexuality. Our churches are now pro-gay and as soon as the civil authority authorizes child sex, they will be indistinguishable from the denizens of the town of Sodom: "Bring them out that we may know them".

Jesus' mother forms the few of the elect who will resist being fooled by the great apostasy. Those who will not avail themselves of the lifeline of Mary, will be lost.


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Ecumenism
KEYWORDS: jesus; mary
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To: Al Hitan
Please feel free to forward them onto the Eastern Orthodox website where the question you noted was originally posted.

That's a good idea; but; in the mean time; do YOU agree with what JESUS said in this passage of Scripture?

461 posted on 06/17/2019 7:49:06 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: metmom
You apparently don’t get that doctrinal differences are not that which we sue to determine whether we are in full communion or not.

For some it does, as I demonstrated.

I am in communion with those in different denominations, not because of doctrinal stand, but because of the common salvation we share by faith in Christ.

Great.

And so what the heck is the big deal about *being in full communion* anyways? What does it mean and what does it prove? That a whole bunch of people agree with something? So what? Why is that important?

It means slightly different things to different churches. Here, maybe this helps: Full Communion

462 posted on 06/17/2019 7:50:42 PM PDT by Al Hitan
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To: Elsie
That's a good idea; but; in the mean time; do YOU agree with what JESUS said in this passage of Scripture?

Yes.

463 posted on 06/17/2019 7:52:06 PM PDT by Al Hitan
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To: Al Hitan
I said time.

But I was poking at you with 'brains'.

My first urge was to type balls; but that may have offended some of the more sensitive among us.


Much like the challenge aimed at Mormons to produce ANY artifacts found that resulted from The Greatest Battle Mankind Has Ever Seen; maybe just a FEW samples of the oh so many things claimed about 'tradition' would satisfy my curiosity.

464 posted on 06/17/2019 7:53:27 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Mark17

And most importantly salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Period. Nothing else needed.


465 posted on 06/17/2019 7:53:54 PM PDT by Mom MD
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To: Al Hitan; Mom MD; Luircin; ealgeone; Mark17; Elsie; daniel1212; boatbums; aMorePerfectUnion; ...

What Catholics wholesale fail to realize is what exactly it is that puts believers in communion with each other.

It’s not church affiliation, nor is it adherence to doctrinal positions.

It’s sharing a common salvation that is found by faith in Christ.

When a person is born again, they become a child of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. Church affiliation and doctrinal teachings is all superficial stuff.

The worst we can be accused of is MAYBE making an error in accepting that someone is saved when they are not, which is far better than sitting in judgment and condemnation and damning to hell everyone who does not agree with us as Catholicism and Catholic do so freely.

The pharisees had the letter of the Law down perfectly, and they would have passed any theology exam God gave them if He gave those kind of entrance exams to get into heaven, but they were as lost as could be.

God is far more interested in the matters of the heart than He is in the doctrinal purity that Catholicism hyper-emphasizes so much.

God prefers obedience rather than sacrifice.


466 posted on 06/17/2019 7:54:24 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Elsie
I guess your time is MUCH too precious for you to waste it looking up Acts 15 in your handy bible; I'll use MY precious time to do it for you.

Thanks, but it's more about my time being too precious to waste on your projects.

And those aren't rules of worship.

467 posted on 06/17/2019 7:55:06 PM PDT by Al Hitan
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To: Al Hitan
I don't know. It's your claim.

Yes; it was.

So; IYHO; is Call no man father an error or not?

468 posted on 06/17/2019 7:55:49 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: metmom

When standing before Christ at last He will care not a whit which earthly denomination we belonged to. He will only care if we have accepted His free gift of salvation won by His death for us on the cross.


469 posted on 06/17/2019 7:57:24 PM PDT by Mom MD
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To: Al Hitan

I’m stunned!

You DO believe that BELIEVING IN JESUS is the ONLY thing required to get into Heaven?


470 posted on 06/17/2019 7:57:41 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie; teppe

The Greatest Battle Mankind Has Ever Seen



 
 
The BIGGEST battle EVER recorded; and not ONE even teeny bit of evidence of it can be found!!
 
 


The Book of Ether

Chapter 15

Millions of the Jaredites are slain in battle—Shiz and Coriantumr assemble all the people to mortal combat—The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with them—The Jaredite nation is utterly destroyed—Only Coriantumr remains.

 And it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the awords which Ether had spoken unto him.

 He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly atwo millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.

 He began to repent of the evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul amourned and refused to be bcomforted.

 And it came to pass that he wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people.

 And it came to pass that when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he would spare the lives of the people.

 And it came to pass that the people repented not of their iniquity; and the people of Coriantumr were stirred up to anger against the people of Shiz; and the people of Shiz were stirred up to anger against the people of Coriantumr; wherefore, the people of Shiz did give battle unto the people of Coriantumr.

 And when Coriantumr saw that he was about to fall he fled again before the people of Shiz.

 And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.

 And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood.

 10 And it came to pass that the armies of Coriantumr did press upon the armies of Shiz that they beat them, that they caused them to flee before them; and they did flee southward, and did pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath.

 11 And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did ahide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.

 12 And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether.

 13 And it came to pass that Ether did abehold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz.

 14 Wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive.

 15 And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men, women and children being armed with aweapons of war, having shields, and bbreastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.

 16 And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a alamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly.

 17 And it came to pass that on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people.

 18 And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people.

 19 But behold, the aSpirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and bSatan had full power over the chearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.

 20 And it came to pass that they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.

 21 And on the morrow they fought even until the night came.

 22 And when the night came they were adrunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords.

 23 And on the morrow they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz.

 24 And it came to pass that they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they fought again, and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all that day.

 25 And when the night came there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the people of Coriantumr.

 26 And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men as to the strength of men.

 27 And it came to pass that they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood.

 28 And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword.

 29 Wherefore, he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the sword. And it came to pass that when they had aall fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood.

 30 And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.

 31 And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised up on his hands and afell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.

 32 And it came to pass that aCoriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.

 33 And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he afinished his brecord; (and the chundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them.

 34 Now the last words which are written by aEther are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am bsaved in the kingdom of God. Amen.

 

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/15

 

And yet the BOOK says...


Ether 14:22
And so swift and speedy was the war that there was none left to bury the dead, but they did march forth from the shedding of blood to the shedding of blood, leaving the bodies of both men, women, and children strewed upon the face of the land, to become a prey to the worms of the flesh.


471 posted on 06/17/2019 8:00:35 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: metmom
What Catholics wholesale fail to realize is what exactly it is that puts believers in communion with each other. It’s not church affiliation, nor is it adherence to doctrinal positions. It’s sharing a common salvation that is found by faith in Christ.

What other Catholics were talking to you about this to say the Catholics wholesale fail...? When we are talking about full communion of Protestant churches, that may be true from some, but not for others, as demonstrated.

472 posted on 06/17/2019 8:00:58 PM PDT by Al Hitan
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To: Mom MD

Exactly.


473 posted on 06/17/2019 8:01:53 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Elsie
So; IYHO; is Call no man father an error or not?

It's in scripture, so is not an error.

474 posted on 06/17/2019 8:02:06 PM PDT by Al Hitan
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To: Al Hitan
And those aren't rules of worship.

You seem to be bold enough to state your opinion about what things are or not; but then what has ROME called them?

475 posted on 06/17/2019 8:02:23 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: metmom

Amen (you fellow New Yorker)!


476 posted on 06/17/2019 8:02:58 PM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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placemarker


477 posted on 06/17/2019 8:06:42 PM PDT by 2nd amendment mama (Self Defense is a Basic Human Right!)
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To: CharlesOConnell

I agree with others that it’s the Holy Spirit. Once I went from Catholic to Lutheran, I read the Bible and fully believe even Mary would be (probably is) embarrassed at the attention focused on her more than at her Son.

As an ancient Roman civilization enthusiast, I believe that the cult of Mary was encouraged as the cultures of that time had a similar mother goddess and child, the same as Christian holidays overlapped pagan ones.


478 posted on 06/17/2019 8:09:26 PM PDT by Moonmad27
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To: Al Hitan
... my time being too precious to waste on your projects.

My Projects?

YOU made the claim (I just saw someone use this phrase) that there existed a "lengthy list".

And, that you knew of no one that had the time to post it for us.


I don't know who has the time to compile that lengthy list.
417 posted on ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2019‎ ‎10‎:‎07‎:‎59‎ ‎PM by Al Hitan
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So; are we (lurkers included) to assume that there will be NO list forthcoming from the Catholic apologists?

479 posted on 06/17/2019 8:09:27 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Al Hitan
It's in scripture, so is not an error.

Then I imagine that Rome has a very good reason that it allows it's members to ignore the very words of Jesus that it placed into the Book it assembled so long ago.

480 posted on 06/17/2019 8:11:07 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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