Posted on 10/19/2006 12:19:52 PM PDT by Global2010
Hi Ya'll,
Need some quick to the point answers to what you all as Roman Catholics are asked by non Catholics.
It is my homework assignment and I told my teacher I would post this vanity to help sort out ???? that I will be asked as a Catholic in years to come.
I am not having a problem with ???? about chastity, prudence, temptations, reading the Holy Bible ect...
I know in my head answers to ???? below but having a hard time articulating them.
Questions about our Mother Mary and the Saints, going to Heaven/purgatory takes more then just saving Grace (once saved always saved non Catholic Christians often say).
What ??? are you all often faced to answer? I don't want to go into a deep theological discussion with other non Catholics just a quick to the point answer would suffice.
My idea of just telling them to take an Adult Conservative Catechism Class and they will have all the answers is not really acceptable in defending the faith (lol but it does swiftly end discussion).
I have to think some more too on some exact ???? I have a hard time articulating blunt to the point answers.
Prayers up would be a nice gesture too in that God sees fit to grace me with some wisdom in the area of defending our Catholic faith.
Thanks Ya'll. Global210
Salvation if you see it worthy of will you ping my vanity to others?
It would be a big help.
Do you want any help from non-Catholics in this?
To me, the practice of canonizing saints keeps us a living church daily witnessing the power of God as compared to some who have their heads totally in the first century, spiritually.
Thanks what would the ? be?
I would suppose key points for your future defenses against non-Cs would include 1. infallibility of the Pope (and whether Peter was actually mandated as such) 2. The celibacy of priests when the Apostles had families and there is no Biblical command to be such 3. Non-Cs place almost exclusive faith in the Scriptures whereas Cs have traditions and council edicts that they follow as well 4. The authority of the church to change the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday (you realize it was the churchs authority, don't you?) 5. The veneration of the virgin Mary (of course we all respect the position of trust she was given but non-Cs go little beyond that) I could go on but this is a start.
Thanks please continue.
It would really help in pin pointing my studies.
1. The use of statuary, crucifixes and rosary beads. Most non-Cs have no problem with such but I am not a big fan of jewelry- religious or not.2. forbidding contraception methods in over-populated and impoverished places. Of course I am against abortion. I am also against starvation. 3.Seeking forgiveness from priests (confessionals) when non-Cs communicate one-on-one direct (prayer). I'll consider seeing a priest when they heal the lame, restore sight to the blind and sound to the deaf. I wish you luck in your assignment. I hope you take this in the same vein it was given. Some of my best friends are Catholic - we just believe different.
Catholic.com has resources.
Something like why to Catholics revere saints? Isn't that idolotry?
No, Catholics do not worship saints. We honor them and venerate them but worship belongs soley to God.
Yes u r right.
We were coming from class in Rockfish with the Bends and Migratory Grey Whale mysops as a food and other studies when it hit me...Apollogetic (sic) Greek meaning Defending of ones add Catholic Faith.
Catholic radio has a program airing this next Monday night on just this subject and Q and A's.
Well we support our rural radio station KSHY Catholic radio for sure...as I don't think I could have ever connected all the dots in class without the additional resource.
Can you give me the correct spelling and definations in short of Apollogetic Catholic teachings?
We used to have Catholic radio here in L.A. but it was pulled from this market. You would think the market would be strong here but sadly, no. I need a shortwave radio now to listen. But I do get EWTN on the Dish Network.
My small piece here on the saints thing is that, as Catholics, we acknowledge the "community of saints" and that from those saints we ask for intercessory prayer. And that is simply asking them to pray for us in a way that is no different than any other person asking his friends and family to pray for them. That even applies to the Catholic prayer, "Hail Mary", which is also a request for intercessory prayer and NOT a prayer to her.
Quite a few programs on Catholic radio are download able to your computer and IPOD if you have those avenues.
I love Catholic Answers and just heard last night that Monday evenings a show called Catholic Apollogetics (sic) is airing.
Which is exactly the idea of this vanity to learn more (now that I now the proper terminology) about defending our Catholic Faith.
Funny how it seems every week what I study in class the radio shows seem to coincide perfectly with knowledge that I am trying to gain. Well I guess it is not so much "funny" but working in accordance to God's grace/plan.
Catholic Discussion Ping!
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I would like to add that the Saints serve as our role models for out faith and daily living too.
Or as a non Catholic christian would use the term "Bible Hero"
Can you get KBVM out of Portland down where you live? (Catholic Radio Station 83.3 I think.??) Maybe it's 88.3??
Catholic Answers is also on the net. A lot of apologetics there.
Scroll down and check out some of these resources. Who can state it better than John Henry Newman?
http://landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/index_of_all_pages.html
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/
http://www.cwo.com/~pentrack/catholic/apolo.html
http://www.catholicapologetics.com/
http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ24.HTM
Some wonderful scriptural sources straight from Scripture -- which non-Catholic like to cite.
When these are brought up they usually have nothing to say, because it is from the Bible.!!!!!!......
The Catholic apologist’s scriptural cheat sheet
You guys Rock!
Thank You so much!
Bookmarked.
We have a wonderful man from our Church who started a Catholic radio station right here on the rural Coast KSHY.
How cool is that!
I am an avid listener and supporter for sure as it has been the best tool for learning/coinciding with my Confirmation class.
I can't thank him enough for working so hard to getting KSHY up and running in our lil part of the world.
What an amazing gift.
That is my favorite show!
A question that I have encountered from non-Catholics is about our praying to saints, including Mary. Many are really put off by that.
I try to explain that our prayers to saints are vastly different. We pray to God as a form of worship, for expiation of sins, and for supplication. Praying to a saint, however, is a request for that saint to pray for us. It is no different than asking another living person to pray to God for you, except that we presume that someone already sanctified in heaven has a little more power in his prayers, I suppose. We do not worship the Virgin Mary, but some non-Catholics see our reverence and respect of her as such. We believe that Mary has a special place in the heart of Our Lord and, as such, is the ideal supplicant on our behalf.
And, of course, we do not worship any of the saints. For example, one of my personal favorites among the saints is St. Anthony of Padua. I do not worship him; I ask him to help me when I have lost something, and I thank him when I have found the object. By the same token, I ask other people to pray for me, and I thank them for doing so.
Oh that is wonderful!
Thank You, thank you, thank you.
(gosh I am getting all jazzed up this early and didn't even have to drink my diet Rock Star energy booster, lol)
My wife and I discovered Fr. Corapi a couple of months ago on EWTN TV. He is an inspiring speaker, he makes you want to learn more. They also replay his Catechism talks on EWTN radio which can also be heard online.
You mean "apologetics". This term is from the Greek "apologia", meaning something like "answer." Apologetics encompasses arguments in reference to any belief system. There were Christian apologists in the early years of the Church, and I think that even non-Catholics use the term today to refer to arguments in defense of the faith.
He is incredible and his firm belief is infectious.
His own story of conversion is incredible in itself.
Boy you are going to love me after today, go here for ALOT of info including an apologetics course!!!
http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/
God bless you!
Thank You!
Thanks for fixing the title admin. mods. : )
Yes exactly.
http://www.catholic.com/
http://www.catholicexchange.com/
http://www.ewtn.com/
http://www.newadvent.org/
I would divide questiona I am asked in two groups:
1. Questions Protestants SHOULD ask, but all to often they don't;
2. Questions they actually ask;
The Orthodox, by the way, tend to know the Catholic answer and most times the Orthodox answer is the same answer. So, I narrow your question to Protestantism as the source of the question.
In the first category are the fundamental questions of faith:
A. Relationship between the Catholic clergy, the Holy Tradition and the Holy Scripture.
B. Relationship between faith, works of love, and liturgical works.
C. Meaning of the Sacraments of the Church.
D. What is Communion of Saints?
E. What are particular and universal judgement?
Anyone who would satisfy himself with the answers to the above would not need to ask questions that he indeed asks. They are:
Instead of the fundamental question
A. Relationship between the Catholic clergy, the Holy Tradition and the Holy Scripture.
we get asked:
- where in the Bible is ...
The answer, invariably, is that the Bible is a part of the deposit of faith given us by Christ. Our practices and beleifs are not necessarily inventoried in the Bible. However, they do not contradict the Bible.
- Why do I need to go to a priest to confess a sin or take communion?
The answer is that Christ sent the bishops and priests like Himself ("like my Father sent me so I send you"; "feed my sheep"; "whose sins you forgive they are forgiven them"). He did not send the laity like Himself.
- Why don't you have woman priests or married priests in the Latin Rite?
The answer is that priests imitate Christ Who is male and married to His Church.
- Why don't you read the Bible?
The answer is, we do and we should do so more, but we do not interpret the Bible ourselves as we read it. We study how the Church interpreted the Bible historically through the ages.
- Why do you pray to icons and statues?
The answer is that we pray to God with the help of the saint who is depicted in the holy image. The Church taught us the proper meaning of such prayer, as well as taught us not to fall in idolatry.
Instead of the fundamental topic
B. Relationship between faith, works of love, and liturgical works.
we are asked
- why do you think one can earn his way to heaven? Doesn't it makes Christ's work incomplete?
The answer is that Christ alone makes our works of love and liturgical works possible, and He asked us many times int he scripture to do these works in order to increase our faith. We are saved by grace with faith working through love, just like the Scripture teaches.
- why are you so hung up on the ritualistic; didn't Christ condemn rituals?
The answer is, Christ condemned empty rituals and we condemn them too. The sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist are explained and mandated in the Scripture in great detail; all other sacraments are at least implied. The Church develops the proper reverent form for these on authority of Christ our King.
Instead of the fundamental topic
C. Meaning of the Sacraments of the Church.
we are asked why we bow here, kneel there, cross ourselves, baptize children, don't allow remarriage after divorce, do five Hail Marys for penance, insist on fermented wine and wheat bread for communion, etc. All this interest in form and detail is the result of a lack of understanding of the meaning of each respective sacrament, and the proper role of the hierarchy of the Church in defining the form.
Instead of asking
D. What is Communion of Saints?
we are asked
- why do we pray to Mary and saints and dead souls?
If the person understood the communion of saints as souls living the everlasting life with Christ in Heaven, as was promised them and us, we would not be surprised that we consider ourselves constantly in their company and that they pray to Christ, our sole mediator before God the Father, for us.
- why do we have monks and nuns?
Because we consider prayer the most important part of our
lives, but we in the world do not always have the time.
E. What are particular and universal judgement?
If one understood that one's soul is judged immediately upon his death, but the world as we know it comes to an end with the second coming of Christ for us all, one would not wonder why
- we believe in Purgatory?
- pray for the dead?
- think that suffering and virtuous acts in this life helps our own soul and souls of others?
Indeed, the concept that the soul that is saved by the mercy of Christ upon death often needs purification before it can join Him in Heaven follows logically from the fact that we die with impurities but only pure souls can be with Christ till the end of the world and beyond. Once this framework is in place, the scriptural references to purification after justification such as in 1 Cor 3 begin to make sense.
No sweat.
I should like to point out that right up until the 1930's Every Christian denomination was against contraception. Chastity was considered a major virtue. Now most "Christians" no longer distinguish themselves from the secular world regarding contraception, abortion, premarital sex and homosexuality.
Good point. Unfortunately with the rapes and prostitution going on in impoverished countries some sort of means to prevent unwanted pregnacies may be warranted. These poor women (girls?) have no where to turn for assistance in guidance on what to do with their lives. They have no jobs or husbands to support them. Yes in an ideal world chastity is great. But some people don't live in an ideal world but a desparate one. And to bring a child into some of those environments would be reckless.
Christ did not talk as though chastity were an ideal. God knows that the world is not His ideal, but it was good enough to die for. He has made no demands beyond our capacity. You cannot fight evil with another evil.
Some would think imposing your morality upon on another is evil in the sense of them thinking ahead of what dangers to a child in certain enviroments would bring and you not. Not everyone thinks contraception is evil. Not like abortion - where a life is already in existence. We have already went out and propagated and replenished the earth. Now we need to make it a better place to live. Not mindlessly reproducing with no thought of the consequences. I know you do not agree. So there we are. Have a good day. Cheers.
I didn't realize there was a radio station like KBVM over there.
*************
Exactly. Visit any of the "prayer request" threads and you will find plenty of Protestants participating. It's a wonderful thing.
Great summary!
**Some would think imposing your morality upon on another is evil.....**
The TRUTH is never evil!
Think about it.
The Bible tells us in Ephesians and the Gospel of Mark (among other souces) that man was made for woman and that their union would be holy in the sight of God.
This is not evil. Unfortunately, the modern world would have us believe otherwise. Have you fallen into the judgments of the modernists/secularlist?
Well, I hope not! There is nothing holy about prostitution or rape. That is unholy and to prevent a product of that un-holiness is very much up to the person(s) going to suffer from that. If a woman is in an unsafe enviroment and makes a choice to not bring a child into the world through contraceptive means, that is HER choice and it may be a humane one.
I believe it is up to God, and not up to the people. Those babies could always be offered for adoption.
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