Testimony of a Former Irish Priest

BereanBeacon.Org ^ | Richard Peter Bennett

[RnMomof7]

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/archeological-monuments-ireland.htm#monasteries

[caww]

As has been mentioned... it is how one sees the whole picture in this mans testimony. He came to Christ thru Gods word and for that I can and will rejoice for him.

I do not expect perfection from any individual...some details are or may get lost, or not, along the way...the heart of the matter is the heart of the matter..the man is saved and has peace with God after many years of searching. There is a reason why “narrow is the gate that leads to eternal life..and few that find it”.

I heard the heart of this mans testimony, “Christ in Him the hope of Glory”.. and not caught up in the diversions of the catholic trend to knit pick the insignificance of that causing divisions being raised here. It is enough He carefully sought the truth, and shared the inner struggle between the stronghold within himself... of that which God desired to be removed... so that the truth was indeed revealed once that stronghold was penetrated. It is a process and not uncommon a struggle to occur. God won! Just as He did with Jacob.

[RnMomof7]

And the cure for that is to go to a Protestant church where the minister spends 45 minutes a week harping on two verses from Romans or Galatians, before moving on to the next two verses from Romans or Galatians?

Actually we call it exposition ... Usually a chapter read in context and then verses from the text expounded ... you know EVERY WORD from God is important .To be honest I wish more Protestant churches did exposition and less topical teaching

I wish people would try listening to those radio programs some day..really listening

In any case, priests are required to pray the Breviary 4 times a day, every day, and if a priest doesn't know how to look up the readings given the chapter and verse citation, to see the context, he should probably either learn or get out of the priesthood.

Will they go to hell if they do not? Does anyone know for sure if they do bother to look them up? I had one priest admit in a small group that the only time he "prayed" was at" mass" ...but he has left the priesthood with the nun that was the school principle ... My guess he is more the norm than exception when it comes to prayer and bible study

[small voice in the wilderness]

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13).

[caww]

Absolutely! Oh how He loves us to take the time we need to understand and come to the place where He awaits our decision. One day there will no longer be the time and I think in today's world the urgency seems to be so much more so than I have seen before. There may not be the time we knew and thus the pressure is greater on hearts to turn.

[bronx2]

Yes, the empirical evidence was published in the 1990”s by America Magazine stating that over 85% of those leaving the priesthood in a given 10 year period of observation attributed the causative factor to romantic needs. This salient fact is mentioned continuously in Catholic periodicals. This should come as no surprise to those conversant with Catholicism.

[HushTX]

Just because it’s on paper and their eyes go over it every day doesn’t mean they are paying attention.

I'm going to agree, but with the stipulation that "they" refers to ALL SO CALLED CHRISTIANS. Insinuating that this quality exists solely within the clergy of the Catholic Church is ridiculous.

Half the Catholics I know haven't read the whole Bible. More than half the Protestants I know haven't. Now, to be fair, I currently know more Catholics than Protestants, and I haven't looked at the relative percentages, but the point here is that a large number of Christians barely gloss over their holy book, and many of those that do turn to cutesy little adaptations like The Message because they need it dumbed down.

I'm Anglican, which puts me roughly in the Catholic camp- a point I'll argue with Roman Catholics as often as they want- and I don't read the Bible every day. But when I do read it, I READ it. But that doesn't change the fact that even I have days where I can barely concentrate. So to imply that Catholics, Priests or otherwise, merely glance at the page while these blessed Protestants diligently take in the Holy Word of God is preposterous. Human failings are not limited to any denomination.

[narses]

You see the world backwards. Here is a man who spoke to God daily, who was daily in direct contact with Our Lord, who then was twisted by Satan and taken away from the Body of Christ into darkness. A very sad, terrible tale.

My father sometimes knelt down to pray at his bedside in a solemn manner. My mother would talk to Jesus while sewing, washing dishes, or even smoking a cigarette. Most evenings we would kneel in the living room to say the Rosary together. No one ever missed Mass on Sundays unless he was seriously ill. By the time I was about five or six years of age, Jesus Christ was a very real person to me, but so also were Mary and the saints.

[narses]

“Richard Bennett is no “fake” I have known of him for 15 years.”

No fake? Then he is clearly a flat out LIAR.

[narses]

” He is married ... “

Breaking his formal VOW to God. So very sad.

[narses]

Exactly.

[HushTX]

Will they go to hell if they do not? Does anyone know for sure if they do bother to look them up? I had one priest admit in a small group that the only time he "prayed" was at" mass" ...but he has left the priesthood with the nun that was the school principle ... My guess he is more the norm than exception when it comes to prayer and bible study

I can only speak for my Parish, but I imagine the practice by which they operate is common. They hold one another accountable. See, that is the problem with parishes that fail, protestant churches that fail, families that fail, institutions of ALL stripes that fail: no accountability.

The clergy at our parish work within an area in which they can, for the most part, see and hear one another when necessary. There are also the lay people involved in the operation of the parish that see and hear.

I am inclined to believe they maintain the practice because it is right to do, but as men they DO slip, which is where accountability comes in.

[caww]

What an amazing scripture isn't it. It's not just a simple “I want to know” intellectually, it's a constant desire to know Him as He really is...it comes from deep within and is always on ones mind. You learn all the books explaining salvation etc. though helpful can never replace the relationship you have with Him.

It's like reading a biography and then you meet the person themselves...share.. and get to know one another on a personal level except He never leaves...he's always and forever there to talk to, to ask of, inquire of, and to love and be loved by. He pays attention to our life and all those who leave and come into it... 24/7... Life does not get better than this....He is our Life.
!

[wmfights]

There may not be the time we knew and thus the pressure is greater on hearts to turn.

I'm with you!

We just have to be ready and willing to speak the Truth when God puts us in a position to do so. As I've gone down the road in my Christian walk I've come to realize God will have all He intends to have. We are truly blessed when He uses us in that process.

[Iscool]

Among many other false notes, I find it amusing that a supposed former Dominican would describe the Dominicans as a monastic order when the entire point of the Dominicans in the first place is that they are not monastics.

But yet, there are many Dominican monasteries in operation today, even in the U.S...

[HushTX]

Out of context in in sound bites

Before I was Baptized, I attended many churches, most of them Methodist, but there were many other protestant denominations as well. I bear them no ill will, and there are times when I enjoy going to service at a protestant church. It might be the sense of nostalgia, or that the format is a familiar comfort, or the fact that I believe there is something valid to be found there at times.

Even still, I feel the need to comment regarding your claim. At every Catholic Mass I have attended, Anglican and Roman, the readings have been entire passages, fully within context. One might argue that it is a sound byte because it is not the entire chapter or book, but at the least it is an entire passage that conveys a concrete and complete idea.

Contrast that with the protestant churches that utilize one or two verses as the basis of an entire sermon or series of sermons. That is more of a sound byte, and much closer to the dangers of being "out of context."

Despite my tendency to attend such services, I am not willing to let erroneous claims like this go by without correction.

I see so many things on here I want to discuss or argue with, but I don't want to be one of those people who just machine-gun-posts on a thread. I apologize to everyone for having done that already, and I will try to condense my responses from now on.

[wideawake]

Note again that the two buildings that were built for the Dominicans are called friaries, not monasteries. The two that were taken over from other orders are called abbeys.

Again, Dominicans are not monks, they are friars. The fact that some website administrator does not understand the difference really is neither surprising, nor is it material. What is material is that Mr. Bennett claims to have actually been a Dominican, but is apparently unaware that Dominicans are friars and are not monks: that they have different vows, that they have different canons, different educational requirements, different novitiates, different vocations.

I also note that of the four Irish Dominican foundations you keep posting, not one is located on the east coast of Ireland - yet your buddy claims to have lived at a Dominican foundation in Dublin county.

[wideawake]

No one should expect perfection- but one should expect a man, at minimum, not to lie about his religious experiences when he is trying to convince others of his convictions. If his beliefs are sincere, then there is no need to fabricate a context for them.

[Iscool]

From what I know, Dominican friars are not monks in the medieval sense. They are the preachers.

A very little research will show that that Dominican friars are not monks in the modern sense either...

Dominican monks are cloistered in the sense that they live in secluded areas and are prone to pray and worship...

Friars are located in building next to or close to schools or churches and participate in the public ministry...

Some of the Dominican monasteries have turned into friaries...Apparently while keeping their old titles, at least, unofficially...

There is a large Dominican monastery in Washing D.C...Right now...

[caww]

He was not twisted to believe...He sought the truth and God in time revealed that truth.

What you referenced was him speaking here as ‘a child’ ...my grandchildren have said their prayers and saw this in their parents as well..but there came a time for their own decision for Christ. They knew Christ as REAL as well but it was their own decision to understand and accept Christ for the truth that was revealed over the years to them which He led them to.

Further, and I will repeat, this mans testimony should not be attributed to satanic influences when clearly He proclaims quite the opposite and is now saved and at peace with God where once He struggled to put off the false teachings he now no longer abides by.

Each individual has Gods time to come away from that to His truth. Especially when Gods word reveals things are not kosher where they are at. God knows those who are seeking Him wholeheartedly and He will never disappoint them. Rather He loves to reveal Himself to the seeking heart...just as happened to this man.