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To: Bellflower
Please show me posts I have written in which I was "thinking and writing about Mary, the Pope, a countless [sic] other saints, the Eucharist, Church issues and not hardly [sic] write a word about Jesus Christ and think that He is on your mind constantly." I have not done so, (in part because after a lifetime as a Protestant, I am a pretty new Catholic, and I don't feel qualified to do so).

My FRiend, unless the Lord in His bounty has endowed you with ESP, which is very unlikely, you can't read minds. Only God knows what is in the hearts and minds of people, especially people who aren't chatty and extroverted. It would actually be laughable to make that judgement if you knew me well in real life. And you've never met me.

My point was that in these threads about Catholicism, the Lord Himself is not the topic of dispute so there is no need to argue or post about Him. The doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church are what is in dispute. That is why you do not see Catholics posting lengthy philosophic disquisitions on the nature of God. You Protestants attack us for our beliefs about other areas of religious observance, not (presumably) about our belief in God the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. So why would you expect us to begin declaiming about Him, away from the topic of the thread? If we were debating global warming and you suddenly began sneering at me, "You haven't posted anything about how wonderful the sunlight is! Obviously you don't know or care anything about the sun. You're just a climate-change hoaxer!" that would be similarly illogical.

You surely believe that, like everyone, you too are someday going to find yourself standing before Christ and accounting for your life and your sins. It might be wise to visualize that scene. And visualize the Lord in His Majesty saying, "You know how you thought you knew who was a good Christian and who wasn't? Remember how you thought you knew what relationship other people had with Me, and lectured them about their faith? Right. Well, some of those you thought were great believers were deceiving themselves and you, and I have said to them, 'I never knew you.' Some whom you criticized were among My most beloved children. You might have done better to focus on your own relationship with Me instead of assuming you knew how much other people love Me and how well they serve Me. I didn't choose you to be everyone else's judge. I'm the Judge."

Don't set yourself up for that, FRiend. It's very easy to fall into the sin of spiritual pride.

133 posted on 02/24/2012 7:27:36 AM PST by ottbmare (The OTTB Mare)
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To: ottbmare
You are right and I apologize. I was wrong, getting you mixed up with almost every other Catholic on FR. Are you sure that you really are a Catholic? Were you even brought up as one? To be fair to me, try to realize that my head spins with all of the fantasy of the Catholics around Mary, worshiping bread and wine, bowing down to statues, praying to the dead, following a system of works to be/stay saved etc. It is unbelievable to me.

The fact that Catholics do not seem to comprehend that faith in Christ and His finished work alone is what saves is also very dizzying. It is like trying to reason with people who are spinning quickly down a spiritual drain and trying to grasp their hands to pull them out as they spin away completely confident that as long as they are Catholic they are just fine. I do know that some Catholics are actually saved. Those that really do have their hearts and minds on Christ, trusting Him for their salvation, and not on a million other things and works for salvation. Hopefully you truly are one of them.

I really do not think that you have a proper concept of what judging is. There are two kinds. One kind is when you take pleasure in pointing at others sins so as to feel bigger and better about yourself and the other when you see people lost and convinced otherwise and you hope that they will see that they are swimming in a system where they will drown unless they grab a hold of Christ. To try to help save those that are lost in a system of works, idolatry and fantasy is not judging but rather trying to help people. I am not sure why I did, as I usually try hard not to, but I did misjudge you. Sometimes I do get it wrong and I was wrong about you and what I said, so again, sorry.

134 posted on 02/24/2012 11:25:50 PM PST by Bellflower (The LORD is Holy, separated from all sin, perfect, righteous, high and lifted up.)
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