Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: cantabile
......."I don't think Bennett is actually speaking to Catholics, but to a Protestant audience, and is simply confirming them in their prejudices. Knowledgeable Catholics wouldn't fall for these assertions, and, as you say, it's surprising that any priest would."........

Odd you would say Bennett is not speaking to catholics...did you really read the whole article? His Ministry is TO Catholics...and aside from that denial of thought that he is doing just that, I would imagine if Catholics weren't listening and there weren't changed lifes for that, he likely would not be doing so.

455 posted on 07/18/2010 11:06:22 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 451 | View Replies ]


To: caww
Odd you would say Bennett is not speaking to catholics

That's exactly the point, when he's talking about what Catholics believe he's saying things that would make a Catholic say "what's he talking about" but would make a Protestant say "I knew they believed that".

More to the point: WHY is he doing it? By that I mean why is he apparently deliberately confirming Protestants in inaccurate representations of Catholic belief? Who could possibly benefit from that?

By way of example: If I said "When I was a Protestant I was taught that the Bible dropped gold-leafed, in KJV form, from the sky and if you read every 3rd letter you can use it as a TV Guide" you'd rightly say I was 1) nuts and 2) making things up to appeal to a particular sort of person who already wants to believe that Protestants are crazy. But it would be manifestly obvious to everyone that I was not attempting to influence members of my previous communion.

Something very much like that is happening in this testimony. There are after all many Protestants who believe that the KJV in its translation was Divinely inspired and could be said to be given from God, I don't think there are any who believe it actually dropped from Heaven prebound and shrinkwrapped. Nobody would try to use Sacred Scripture to find out what's on NBC Thursdays this fall. Obfuscation through simplification, followed with a strawman, completed with a confirmation that the other side is brain dead.

To recap, Catholics do not believe it is possible to "earn" Salvation. It is a free gift from God. Holiness on the other hand...

456 posted on 07/18/2010 11:31:06 PM PDT by Legatus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 455 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson