Posted on 05/01/2002 6:48:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
EXACTLY.
The priest reads a "naked" passage of scripture with no contextual explanation of what was going on at the time the Scripture was written, what the words mean, how it related to the past and the future of Israel, etc. Then he intones "the Gospel of The Lord", and MOVES ON to some other ritual of the mass.
There is no set-up to the scripture BEFORE he reads it, and there is no exposition of the scripture AFTER he reads it. Ergo, there is NO LEARNING on the part of the people, (which is exactly what the RCC secretly WANTS.)
In a good church, the scripture is part of a sermon (usually lasting about 90 minutes in most evangelical churches) which is NOTHING BUT Bible teaching. We read the scripture that forms the sermon text, then learn everything about it. What went before, what came after, how it prophesied something in the future, how it explained something from the past, etc. There is copious note-taking, and we move back in forth in the Bible reading many other scriptures that illuminate the sermon text.
That's what I mean by "incantation". RCC priests read scripture as if the mere pronounciation of the words was what made them of value.
This is TOTAL baloney at best and a FLAT OUT LIE at worst.
I'm just saying, Sandy, that the Bible yields it's most fruit when it is illuminated by a gifted preacher who backs up his sermons with scholarly exposition on what he's teaching. In other words, just intoning the words doesn't get down deep into people's hearts and minds. Haven't you found that when you hear a scripture many many times, one day, it clicks in your mind in a way that it didn't before?
Now, let me re-iterate, I full believe there are MANY MANY Roman Catholics who ARE saved, and WILL go to Heaven. Many are wonderful, God-loving people. (I'm totally at fault for not stressing that enough in my posts) My beef is strictly with the Vatican.
In my Church the Daily Masses are a conjoining of the Word, the lesson, a devout congregation that understands the reading of the day and how it relates to all the previous and forthcoming daily readings, and of course the invoked ACTUAL PRESENCE of Our Lord in the Eucharist.
v.
Gee, sounds like the Bible Class at my Church.
Whoa there pardner!
I grew up in Parochial Schools in the 60's and graduated after 12 years of it in 1973.
How can you say this garbage.
You don't speak for ALL American Catholics.
You have revealed yourself as being very untruthful about your religious background.
In fact, I think the only thing you know about Catholics is what you heard in George Carlin routines.
Hey, wait! Why do you need Bible teaching from someone else?
There is no teaching regarding what the scriptures are about....
If you are interested in truth, then you must attend some masses. That statement is false and I'm sincerely embarrassed for you, that you would display your ignorance so unabashedly.
....there is no learning on the part of the people (which is exactly what the RCC secretly wants)
I would have to disagree with that statement also. It has been my observation that the Catholic posters on Free Republic are amongst the most knowlegeable and enlightening contibutors, in both secular matters and religious ones. Lack of learning could hardly characterize Catholics. I think that what you mean is that because you disagree with Catholicism's interpretation of scripture you think Catholic's are ignorant. Disagreement doesn't necessitate " no learning". But that would contradict your big "Whore of Babylon" theory wouldn't it? Secretly,you think, it is run by Satan and his minions, and only us guys who study the bible exhaustively are privy to the truth. Only we, who have ferreted out the secret meaning of the secret motives of the Vatican, we scholars, we know the truth. It's in the bible isn't it? There are 1 billion dupes who are completely scripturally ignorant but those of us who are members of (what church do you go to? St. Art Bell of the Birch Society?) the select genius class, in the know, are up to speed on the real deal about the Catholic Church. Arrogance. Elitism. Intellectual pride. Malice. That's what I see in the lie that you wrapped in parentheses.
In a good church, the scripture is part of a sermon ( usually lasting about 90 minutes in most evangelical churches ) which is NOTHING BUT Bible teaching.
There is copious note-taking.
That's not a church, it's a lecture hall! That's not practicing religion, it's indoctination! It sounds more like a college course than a church. Religion is about rituals and sacrifices. It's about conveying a sense of the divine. It should be ceremonial and it should have beautiful music that lifts ones spirit toward heaven. What you descibe in an evangelical church is intellectual masturbation.
....the bible yields it's most fruit when it is illuminated by a gifted preacher.
If your beliefs about the Catholic Church are any indication of what your preacher is saying, and the notes you are taking, then you give new meaning to illuminate. Never before, would I have imagined bile to be lustrous. Your immortal soul is in great danger if the "fruits" you exhibit here are produced at your "church".
Finally, you have been given excellent advice. Read the catechism, go to some masses. Then, at least you can be taken more seriously. At present, your opinions are laughable.
Wellll, he did learn everything he knows about Catholics from George Carlin you know.
Wait, first you com,plain that Catholics don't read the bible and that priests claim only they can understand the bible. Then, when you find out Catholics do read the bible you resort to saying that the bible has to be read in a special way for it to have meaning and that Catholics don't have your ``secret formula'' for reading the bible the correct way. So, it isn't priests claiming only they understand the bible, it's you claiming that the bible has to be read in a certain way to have benefit.
So you read the bible for a few minutes and hear the pastor talk for 90 minutes. If a Catholic did that, you'd say it demonstrated how unimportant they thought the bible was.
From the above I can see you don't believe in sola scriptura because you listen to the tradition of your pastor for 90 minutes instead of relying on the bible.
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