The Reality of Romanism

The Riddleblog ^ | May 10, 2007 | Kim Riddlebarger

[Gamecock]

Reading Francis Beckwith's interview with David Neff in Christianity Today, reminded me of how idyllic the Roman church can seem in the minds of those who embrace it (Click here: Q&A: Francis Beckwith | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction).

But then this news report appeared today which gives a much different picture of the supposed glories of Romanism (Click here: Pope to canonize first Brazilian saint - Yahoo! News).

All discussion of justification, the authority of Scripture, and reciting the Creed aside, the Pope is heading to Brazil to canonize Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao, a Franciscan monk who is credited with 5000 miraculous healings. Over 1 million people are expected to be in attendance. The healings supposedly come as a result of swallowing rice paper pills prepared by the monk over two hundred years ago. According to the AP news report . . .

"The Vatican has officially certified the medical cases of two Brazilian women as divinely inspired miracles that justify the sainthood of Galvao. Both of these women spoke of their faith with The Associated Press, claiming that their children would not be alive today were it not for the tiny rice-paper pills that Friar Galvao handed out two centuries ago.

Although the friar died in 1822, the tradition is carried on by Brazilian nuns who toil in the Sao Paulo monastery where Galvao is buried, preparing thousands of the Tic Tac-sized pills distributed free each day to people seeking cures for all manner of ailments. Each one is inscribed with a prayer in Latin: `After birth, the Virgin remained intact. Mother of God, intercede on our behalf.'

Sandra Grossi de Almeida, 37, is one such believer. She had a uterine malformation that should have made it impossible for her to carry a child for more than four months. But in 1999, after taking the pills, she gave birth to Enzo, now 7. `I have faith," Grossi said, pointing to her son. I believe in God, and the proof is right here.'

Nearly 10 years before that, Daniela Cristina da Silva, then 4 years old, entered a coma and suffered a heart attack after liver and kidney complications from hepatitis A. `The doctors told me to pray because only a miracle could save her,' Daniela's mother Jacyra said recently. `My sister sneaked into the intensive care unit and forced my daughter to swallow Friar Galvao's pills.'"

So, if you "return home" to Rome, you get the whole ball of wax, including the beatification of saints who give out Tic-Tac size rice-paper pills which supposedly heal. And Pope Benedict XVI will be there to bless it all.

By the way, confessional Protestants affirm the historical evangelical doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, and the full authority of Scripture. And yes, we even recite the Creed every Lord's Day and we use a biblical-text based liturgy which is quite similar to that described by Justin Martyr in the second century.

Too bad Dr. Beckwith didn't consider a confessional Protestant church before embracing Romanism. Now he's stuck with Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao and his rice-paper healing pills.

[Kolokotronis]

“You’ll just have to trust my memory and my reputation.”

I trust you, Padre! :)

[PetroniusMaximus]

“Hey, do I have to become a Catholic before I can see if those rice-paper pills will grow hair on my head? What a bummer.”

Take comfort...

23And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

24And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

[PetroniusMaximus]

“It was Earnest Angley. “

He was goofy - but he seemed sincere.

[PetroniusMaximus]

“... - but he seemed sincere.”

Well, on second thought...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcb2lion5qs

[steadfastconservative]

What is the point of posting this kind of anti-Catholic screed? Whom will this persuade except those who already hate the Church? If the best argument you can make to support Protestantism is to attack some aspect of Catholic belief or practice, then your arguments in favor of Protestantism are weak, indeed. Moreover, the further Protestants distance themselves from the Church, the more practices and beliefs they disavow, the less content they have to their own religion, which just boils down to people believing and doing whatever they want. You will never persuade anyone to embrace your empty religion by tearing down the Catholic Church (the one true Church founded by Christ).

[MarkBsnr]

Actually, you were the one who said that.

[MarkBsnr]

Simple truth? Or just simple?

[MarkBsnr]

Well, as previously, and often, noted, a source that is anti Catholic is well received; that same source when used to justify Catholic teachings is spurned as anti- or extra-Biblical.

Methinks that the loudest louts are attempting to cover up their deepseated insecurity. It is also easier to attack a sound structure than to defend a nebulous wisp.

[Andrew Byler]

“That was no miracle,” said Roberto Focaccia, an infectious disease expert at the hospital where Daniela was treated. “Statistics show that an average of 50 percent of these patients die and the other 50 percent recover completely. She was lucky to be among the 50 percent who survive. “It worries me,” he added, “that so many people think that these small pieces of paper can replace the treatment available in any decent hospital in Brazil.”

Who's to say these supposed natural healings are not really miracles that result from the prayers of the Church for the sick and afflicted?

[Andrew Byler]

That makes more sense than the Catholic position of believing in post-Biblical miracles but insisting that the miracles of the "old testament" are nothing but "mythology."

Where do you find that to be the Catholic position?

[MarkBsnr]

What sort of nonsense is this? Why are you attempting to confuse the idea of legal entity with church hierarchy?

There is only one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. There is only one creed, one doctrine and one belief. Everything else is man made. If you tell me the name of your church (the mainstream ones anyway), I could tell you the man who started it, and very often, why.

[pjr12345]

I remember “Ernest Angely and His Ministry of Faith” very well, even fondly. It was always good for its late night entertainment value.

Ernest was good, but I’ll bet he wishes he’d have thought up this Tic Tac idea. Of course he didn’t have the resources to take the idea global. This underlines how difficult it is for “the little guy” to compete with the experience and resources of a multi-national company.

[Alex Murphy]

Actually, you were the one who said that.

Wrong, but thanks for playing anyway.

[Andrew Byler]

By the bye, the word “Roman” if used to mean Catholic is a pejorative term, just like “Romish”, “Romanist”, “papist”, “papistical”, etc. That kind of epithet is best left back in the times of the religious wars. The official name of the Church is “Catholic Church”, not “Roman Catholic Church”.

What a bunch of oversensitive Metrosexual crapola.

The Church uses the term Roman frequently and proudly in her documents, calling herself:

"The Holy Roman Church" (Council of Florence, throughout)
"The Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church" (Pope Innocent III's Profession of Faith, Proscribed for the Abjuration of the Waldensian Heresy)
"The Roman Church" (Letter Super Quibusdam to the Armenians)
"The Holy, Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church ... the mother and teacher of all the Churches" (Tridentine Profession of Faith, Proscribed for Abjuration of the Protestant Heresy)

[George W. Bush]

There’s no way I can find that post, but it’s true. I was criticised for saying “catholic” instead of Roman Catholic. I’ve also been criticised for not capitalizing the first letters, something that I also don’t always do with methodist...my own denomination.

You might also recall a few southern Catholics who, feeling oppressed by the non-Catholic majority in their region and having suffered a few honest opinions of the merits of their church, mentioned that they and the RCs they knew never called themselves Christian but made a point to call themselves Catholic. Never "Christian".

They didn't want to be associated with the non-RC majority.

Mormons have also done this. Back when no one knew the name LDS, they had commercials that said "We're the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Mormons." That must have been during the Seventies. And there have been a couple of switches since the Sixties between whether they want to be called Mormon or not.

Me, I think we'll call 'em Mormons whether they like it or not. They do distribute the Book of Mormon and it is the key distinctive when contrasting them with orthodox Christian denominations. Besides, many churches are commonly known by popular names that they didn't choose. We Baptists are an example of this.

[MarkBsnr]

In response to an off the cuff rhetorical question:

Perhaps things are different at your church - one of the, what, million protestant sects?

You responded:

Now this is excellent news - thank you for sharing this with us, AlaninSA! I had no idea that Protestantism held your interest to this degree! For the rest of you, it’s worth noting that in the last week of January 2007, we achieved a dramatic 33% growth rate as Protestant denominations jumped from 30,000 to 40,000 denominations. And now, without even having finished the first quarter of 2007, we’re told (thanks, Alan!) that our numbers have literally exploded into the millions, growing by an astronomical 2500%!

Yes, you read that right - the number of Protestant sects grew by twenty-five thousand percent, in just a scant five week period! And that growth rate is even larger - over thirty-three thousand percent - if you factor in that now-tiny-looking jump we enjoyed last January.

Congratulations, one and all! Your hard work has paid off!

280 posted on 03/10/2007 4:19:32 PM CST by Alex Murphy

---

You were the one who seized on this and expanded on it. And the emphasis of this idea is intended to be on the fact that Protestant denominations e.g. opposed doctrines are expanding. Further evidence that Protestant claims that the Holy Spirit inspires each individual to opposing beliefs is wrong.

If the Holy Spirit is truly inspirational of the Word of God, it cannot give the millions of Protestant individuals a different belief system. It does not follow. It is irrational to believe this.

[irishtenor]

If you are going to mention the Irish...

Ya gotta ping me!

[Running On Empty]

You must be put out about something.

It might be the better thing to just give the facts and leave the metrosexual stuff of it.

[pjr12345]

I prefer the old school tag “Nancy-boy” to metrosexual. It’s far more accurate and descriptive a term.

[blue-duncan]

“What sort of nonsense is this? Why are you attempting to confuse the idea of legal entity with church hierarchy?”

If you read the defitition the FS used it talks about “legal and administrative body”.