Posted on 06/11/2014 1:54:01 PM PDT by Teófilo
PING!
Maybe that's the problem - morality is not being taught and learned by human beings through their personal relationship with God, but left to "institutions" to "check."
Look around and see how well that's worked out.
The word “institution” not always has the negative connotation you ascribe to it. At best, it is a neutral term.
The Church is a visible body and therefore it can be called an “institution.” However, it is first and foremost, the Body of Christ on earth.
~Theo
The problem is that too many people seem to believe that Christ has more than one body.
Christ has one Body. That Body consists of many parts, all connected to the Head, who is Christ. Not all of those parts are Roman Catholic, but all of those parts echo Thomas, proclaiming Christ as Lord and God.
I fully understand that that is not the belief of Christians, who for the most part believe that the body of Jesus was the only body the infinite Christ ever expressed itself through, or ever will. Or Catholics, who believe that that expression continues in the Roman Catholic Church. And I am not contesting these beliefs.
I'm just saying that not everyone believes in such a limitation of the expression of Christ.
Not to mention that shfiting from a human body to a corporate body is, to say the least, problematic on a number of levels to a lot of people.
It's too bad that people can just acknowledge the universality of the need for Christ, and let everyone believe as they wish. For in the end, it is the experience of Christ (no matter under what name), and nothing less, that satifies the yearning of the soul - because Christ IS that aspect of God which the soul was made to crave.
IMHO, of coourse.
Science? Catholic Church? Hmmmmm. Google Lucifer telescope. Jus’ sayin’.
Pope Benedict nailed it by calling the "memememe" relative morality, that is, nothing is "wrong" unless I say it is.
I fully understand that that is not the belief of Christians, who for the most part believe that the body of Jesus was the only body the infinite Christ ever expressed itself through, or ever will. Or Catholics, who believe that that expression continues in the Roman Catholic Church.
The simile of the Church as the Body of Christ is no invention of the Catholic Church, but a received teaching from the Apostle Paul, who used this expression in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14. The Catechism of the Catholic Church elucidates: "the comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ are to be more specifically noted: the unity of all her members with each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ as head of the Body; and the Church as bride of Christ."
This is as clear as water and as bright as the sun. There's no deeper, darker "mystery" available only to a small elite of initiates.
You're statement is gnostic in origin and contents. The Gnostics were the New Agers of New Testament times. Resistance to gnostic ideas are to be found in the Epistles of St. John down to St. Irenaeus in the early second century. The binary distinction between Jesus and "the cosmic Christ" represents the gnostic effort at reconciling Christianity with mystery religions at the expense of the simplicity of the Gospel. Such teachings have no bearing on what we have received from the Apostles and due their idiosyncrasy, not to be considered authentic Christian teachings.
Theo
One cherry-picked counter-example of something that was a non-representative, non-authoritative in nature at best, or a propaganda creation at worst, cannot be considered as a serious counterargument to mine. Why? Because fallacies are not arguments. They are just misinformed and deformed opinions.
Theo
To clarify: I know where Christ’s Body starts - in the Catholic Church. Fortunately for non-Catholics, I don’t know how far His Body extends to, but I know He does extend to those who proclaim Him as Lord and God.
~Theo
Theo
Agreed. Catholic Christian faith is simply not the same as that taught by the Church of Rome.
Oooh! Trying to get a rise out from me, eh? Ain’t gonna work. Have a nice day and may the Lord richly bless you.
~Theo
I thought it was really good, well done.
Freegards
Thank you! :-)
This is as clear as water and as bright as the sun. There's no deeper, darker "mystery" available only to a small elite of initiates.
You're statement is gnostic in origin and contents. The Gnostics were the New Agers of New Testament times. Resistance to gnostic ideas are to be found in the Epistles of St. John down to St. Irenaeus in the early second century. The binary distinction between Jesus and "the cosmic Christ" represents the gnostic effort at reconciling Christianity with mystery religions at the expense of the simplicity of the Gospel. Such teachings have no bearing on what we have received from the Apostles and due their idiosyncrasy, not to be considered authentic Christian teachings.
Theo
The Catholic Church murdered over a million Gnostics to silence their voices, and now conveniently brays that they were anathema and claims the right to portray their teachings. How convenient. The hypocrisy is so staggering it would take a Catholic to shrug it off - but they do, without jarring their halos one bit. After all, another day, another heathen bites the dust in teh name of the love of Jesus and the promulgation of the true truth - you gotta prollim witdat?
Of course, why worry about whether the Gnostics didn't represent Christ's teachings, when Catholics also believe Protestants are going to hell for not representing Christ's teachings? Not to mention Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Zoroastrians, Jews, Muslims and every other human being who didn't raise their eyes to God within a Catholic Church.
It's your hubris - it's an iron chain wrapped around your soul. You point to a book to deny the human experiences of Christ by millions, of not billions of people throughout the entirety of human history. As if Christ could possibly be limited - in any way - by your proclamations and murders!
But the worst thing is that the two "sides" don't have to be exclusive. Rather, you need them to be exclusive, for your own ego and your own fear that someone else is having an experience of Christ you're not having. So the Church has to be the ONLY way, and everyone else has to die - if not in this lifetime, then the next. But preferably both. Yeah, that's what Jesus taught.
That's why I stand with the Gnostics.
"Murdered over a million Gnostics..." An interesting statistic. You have a source for that?
Of course, why worry about whether the Gnostics didn't represent Christ's teachings, when Catholics also believe Protestants are going to hell for not representing Christ's teachings?
No, we don't.
Not to mention Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Zoroastrians, Jews, Muslims and every other human being who didn't raise their eyes to God within a Catholic Church.
No, we don't.
It's your hubris - it's an iron chain wrapped around your soul. You point to a book to deny the human experiences of Christ by millions, of not billions of people throughout the entirety of human history. As if Christ could possibly be limited - in any way - by your proclamations and murders!
You are a very angry person...
That's why I stand with the Gnostics
Very flimsy reasons all.
Dude, if you want to be a member of a mystery religion and drink from the fountains of pseudomysticism and esoteria, be my guest. It is your choice! Just don't call it "Christianity."
Also, lay off the anger, which ultimately derives from your deep-seated fears. As St. Yoda the Wise once said: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” You already hate. Aren't you suffering already?
+JMJ,
~Theo
Bumper sticker aversions, Star Wars saints, personal slander and a denial of knowledge of the Cathars.
Begone, sophmore.
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