Posted on 01/03/2010 1:53:57 PM PST by NYer
The Living Word of God is Jesus, not a book. The writer is correct. If one worships a book, then any translational or editional error (whether by accident or on purpose), results in doctrinal changes. When one defers to the Church, then the message of Scripture will supersede any accidental or deliberate changes in Scripture.
What is “soul drain”??
I do think this writer does make good points about many individual protestants being very sincere. I wish, though, that he would have addressed pride a bit more. That was something that bothered me in the way he presented his arguments.
This little online book should clear up a lot of things for you, not just about Catholics.
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/babylons/default.htm
&**post very condescending on a number of levels**
Exactly what is condescending?
Please let us know.
By all means, list them.
Until apologists can explain things without snark, we are never going to come to an understanding. As a Catholic convert, I will tell you right now that if someone had compared my being a Methodist to a Moslem I would have been very insulted.
When I got to that passage, I quit reading.
We have more in common with other Christians than we have differences, and that part of this article is good. But the author JUST COULD NOT AVOID THE TEMPTATION to be be patronizing and insulting. SO all of his effort at explanation is wasted because of his attitude.
According to the information posted at the link, the book was: First published as a pamphlet in 1853--greatly expanded in 1858
Which necessitates a reminder to all on the history of their respective churches.
I was quite naive about the extent of animosity towards Catholics and the Church but FR has taught me a lot over the years.
&&&
Sadly, that has been my experience, as well. It has been a rude awakening.
Jesus is The Living Word! The writer is wrong - he refers to it as only a book. When the Holy Spirit speaks to one through THE LIVING WORD there is NO error!
I'm a cradle Catholic and that bothered me also. I come from as insular a Catholic community in a city as you can get (and truthfully, nowhere close to being marginalized). The sisters and priests who taught us would have made the author rewrite this and take all of that out. Pride has no place in the discussion.
God’s complete Holy Bible is my guide . Not the traditions of fallible men.
Thanks be to God!
God’s Word IS living! It is a great Gift to us all!
The writer, however made no such assertion the Bible was “just a book”.
"Many Catholics are Catholics by birth.."
Exactly. Ditto for the political party they're affiliated with.
Mindless.
Pride is perhaps the best explanation, or maybe it's the desire to emphasize the rightness of their decision. I don't know the reason, and maybe they are blind to how writing like this looks and honestly don't understand how off-putting it is.
As a late in life convert (I am 62) I have had to defend my faith to those who knew me for years as a Protestant (I was a children's choir director at a Methodist church). It IS possible to explain things without resorting to the tone of this article.
For example, when people argue that personal revelation and interpretation is the only way to understand Scripture and that you should not allow others to do so, I explain that I do not see the difference between the Magesterium and some of the great pastors we have here locally who interpret Scripture for their congregations. To me, the Catholic Church, through the Magesterium, provides one central teaching authority for that which in Protestant churches is divided among many different pastors. This system also keeps theology from running off the rails, like I ran into with a Methodist pastor who insisted Jesus had girlfriends.
This is not to say some Catholic priests don't run off the rails, too. We have an associate pastor at my church right now who is dodgy in some of his homilies. The difference is that I have an authority to turn to separate from the priest, so I do not have to either agree or march off to another church.
This is probably simplistic, but it is how I have dealt with this one difference. And I really do NOT like comparing fundamentalist Christians to Moslems!!
Do you not believe the Holy Spirit worked through the Apostles, who were also men?
The Holy Spirit is as Real today as when Saint Paul & the rest of the Apostles were guided by Him. To my knowledge, the Holy Spirit didn’t retire after the last Apostle was called Home. Truly, the Holy Spirit works through “fallible men” today as always. The Holy Spirit leads the Catholic Church via the Magisterium as it has since Saint Peter led the Church of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God!
(Yes, I read Peter Kreeft’s critique of the superiority of Catholicism vs 'Fundamentalists' - twice.)
Hence, your 'sincere attempt to quantify those differences' dooms any desire for 'discussion' without 'critique.'
It appears you want a 'Catholic only' discussion on differences - versus a more constructive discussion of Biblical truths that bind and unify Christians.
This forum is primarily political in its endeavor – a conservative forum that seeks to route Godless top-down authoritarianism in government. That same authoritarianism is anathema to many where religion is concerned – particularly to Christians, many of whom are in fact Catholic – particularly to many FReepers that see these kinds of threads as doing damage to the goals of our host – and the goal of unified opposition to the secular socialist elimination of our freedom and national security.
Have a nice day... but suck it up... don't come on this forum bashing Fundamentalists, then complain about Catholic bashing while piously saying you welcome 'discussion.'
For the record, the author claims to be a former Protestant.
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