Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

WHY ARE OUR CATHOLIC LAITY SO ILLITERATE WHEN IT COMES TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH
Southern Orders ^ | May 31, 2013 | Fr. Allan J. McDonald

Posted on 05/31/2013 2:44:05 PM PDT by NYer

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 101-120121-140141-160 ... 1,921-1,929 next last
To: NYer

Catholicism is a very complicated and legalistic religion.


121 posted on 05/31/2013 4:42:29 PM PDT by Old Yeller
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BipolarBob
Where in the Bible or any of quotes of Jesus would lead you to believe that?

What defects were there in the original ark?

"Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book." John 20:30

"But there are also many other things which Jesus did; which, if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written." John 21:25

122 posted on 05/31/2013 4:42:32 PM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro can't pass E-verify)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: bkaycee

You read it wrong.


123 posted on 05/31/2013 4:44:40 PM PDT by RPTMS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 113 | View Replies]

To: NYer

I believe this generation was intentionally kept illiterate and given dumbed-down information by those with ulterior motives. An illiterate population is easy to control, and if they have been taught feel-good Cheap Grace, they will be easy to feed any stupid theory and believe it is Christianity. Social Justice, for starters.

We were told, when we went through RCIA, that ‘the Catechism was too hard to understand’ and that is why their program didn’t use it. We were reading it at home, anyway. It is a wonderful, deep document.

It has to do with the 1960s ripping through the Church as it tore through everything else, leaving tatters in its path.


124 posted on 05/31/2013 4:44:45 PM PDT by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: batmast
"I forgot that you’re bipolar."
I'll forgive you of the personal insult. There is no indication that neither Jesus nor the Disciples were to ever become what is now recognized as being Catholic. They did not frequent stained glass churches with statuary. No rosary beads. No praying the dead out of purgatory. They especially would not pay nor receive payment for indulgences. The decadence of the Papal Palace would be repulsive to them. The wealth of the Church would astonish them. The history of martyrdom would cause them to turn up their heels and leave your institution forever.
125 posted on 05/31/2013 4:46:32 PM PDT by BipolarBob (I have sexdaily. Oops, I meant dyslexia.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 107 | View Replies]

To: verga; latina4dubya; All

http://carm.org/testimonies-ex-roman-catholic-priests

Repost, since last one came out too funky:

Testimonies from ex-Roman Catholic Priests
by Matt Slick

The following quotes are taken from the book by Richard Bennet, Far from Rome, Near to God: Testimonies of 50 Converted Roman Catholic Priests, Carlisle, PN: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1997. They are quite interesting and valuable since they give an insight to Catholicism from those who were priests in the Catholic Church and then left it to find salvation in Jesus.

Following are excerpts from only a few of the fifty testimonies in the book:

Henry Gregory Adams.
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada.
He entered the Basilian Order of monks and adopted the monastic name of “Saint Hilarion the Great.” He was ordained as a priest and served five parishes in the Lemont, Alberta area.

Sacraments.

“The monastic life and the sacraments prescribed by the Roman Catholic Church did not help me to come to know Christ personally and find salvation...I realized that the man-made sacraments of my church and my good works were in vain for salvation. They lead to a false security.” (p. 3)

Joseph Tremblay.
Born in Quebec, Canada, 1924.
He was ordained a priest in Rome, Italy and was sent to Bolivia, Chile where he served for 13 years “as a missionary in the congregation of the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate.”

Salvation by works.

“My theology has taught me that salvation is by works and sacrifices....my theology gives me no assurance of salvation; the Bible offers me that assurance....I had been trying to save myself on my works...I was stifled in a setting in which I was pushed to do good works to merit my salvation.” (pp. 9, 11-12)

Bartholomew F. Brewer.
He applied to the Discalced Carmelites, a strict monastic order. He received training of “four years of high school seminary, two years in the novitiate, three years of philosophy, and four years of theology (the last after ordination).” He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Washington, D.C. He eventually served as a diocesan priest in San Diego, California and entered the Navy as a Roman Catholic chaplain.

Upon questioning Rome’s Beliefs, “At first I did not understand, but gradually I observed a wonderful change in mother. Her influence helped me realize the importance of the Bible in determining what we believe. We often discussed subjects such as the primacy of Peter, papal infallibility, the priesthood, infant baptism, confession, the mass, purgatory, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. In time I realized that not only are these beliefs not in the Bible, they are actually contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture.” (pp. 21-22)

Relying on works.

He left the Roman Catholic Church, got married and through conversations with his wife and other Christians, “I finally understood that I had been relying on my own righteousness and religious efforts and not upon the completed and sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic religion had never taught me that our own righteousness is fleshly and not acceptable to God, nor that we need to trust in his righteousness alone...during all those years of monastic life I had relied on the sacraments of Rome to give me grace, to save me.” (p. 25)

Hugh Farrell.
Born in Denver, Colorado.
Entered the Order of our Lady of Mount Carmel, commonly called the Discalced Carmelite Fathers. Ordained as a priest.

Priestly power to change elements:

“The priest, according to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, has the power to take ordinary bread and wine, and, by pronouncing the words of the consecration prayer in the sacrifice of the Mass, to change it into the actual body and blood and soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Hence, since one cannot separate the human nature of Christ from his divinity, the bread and wine, after being changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, are entitled to the worship of adoration.” (pp. 28)

Temporal punishment due to sins.

“I knew from the teachings of the priests and nuns that I could not hope to go directly to heaven after my death. My Roman Catholic catechism taught me that after death I had to pay for the temporal punishment due to my sins. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that ‘the souls of the just which, in a moment of death, are burdened with venial sins or temporal punishment due to sin, enter purgatory.’” (p. 29)
Penance.

Regarding life in the monastery and doing penance.

“These penances consist of standing with the arms outstretched to form a cross, kissing the sandaled feet of the monks, receiving a blow upon the face from the monks, and, at the end of the meal, lying prostrate before the entrance to the refectory so that the departing monks must step over one’s body. These, and other penances, are supposed to gain one merit in heaven and increase one’s ‘spiritual bank account.’” (p. 36)

The Mass and sorcery.

“According to the teaching of the Roman Church the priest, no matter how unworthy he may personally be, even if he has just made a pact with the devil for his soul, has the power to change the elements of bread and wine into the actual body and blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus Christ. Provided he pronounces the words of consecration properly and has the intention of consecrating, God must come down on the altar and enter and take over the elements.” (p. 39)
Alexander Carson. Baptized into the Roman Catholic Church as an infant. His priesthood studies were at St. John’s seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts. He was ordained by Bishop Lawrence Shehan of Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1955 and was a priest in Alexandria, Louisiana. Also, he was pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rayville, Louisiana.
Bible or Tradition. “...the Holy Spirit led me to judge Roman Catholic theology by the standard of the Bible. Previously, I had always judged the Bible by Roman Catholic doctrine and theology.” (p. 53)

Mass contrary to scripture.

“In my letter of resignation from the Roman Catholic Church and Ministry, I stated to the bishop that I was leaving the priesthood because I could no longer offer the Mass, as it was contrary to the Word of God and to my conscience.” (pp. 54-55)

Charles Berry.
He entered the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine and became a priest after 17 years. He was given orders to continue studying until he achieved a Ph.D. in chemistry and was then “transferred to the headquarters of the Augustinian order in the United States.”

Superstition.

“In the United States the Roman Catholic Church is on its best behavior, putting its best foot forward because of its critics and opponents. In a Roman Catholic country, where it has few opponents or critics, it is a very different matter. Ignorance and superstition and idolatry are everywhere, and little effort, if any, is made to change the situation. Instead of following the Christianity taught in the Bible the people concentrate on the worship of statues and their local patron saints.” (p. 59)

Idols and Statues.

“When I met in Cuba a genuine pagan who worshiped idols (a religion transplanted from Africa by his ancestors), I asked how he could believe that a plaster idol could help him. He replied that the idol was not expected to help him; it only represented the power in heaven which could. What horrified me about his reply was that it was almost word for word the explanation Roman Catholics give for rendering honor to the statues of the saints.” (p. 59)

Bob Bush.
He went to a Jesuit Seminary and studied for 13 years before being ordained in 1966. He entered a post graduate program in Rome.

Works:

“When I entered the order, the first thing that happened was that I was told I had to keep all the rules and regulations, that to do so would be pleasing to God, and that this was what he wanted for me. We were taught the motto, ‘Keep the rule and the rule will keep you.’” (p. 66).

Salvation is by faith:

“It took me many years to realize that I was compromising by staying in the Roman Catholic Church. Throughout all those years I continued to stress that salvation is only in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and not in the infant baptism; that there is only one source of authority which is the Bible, the word of God; and that there is no purgatory but rather that when we die to either go to heaven or hell.” (p. 69)

Salvation by works:

“The Roman Catholic Church then goes on to say that in order to be saved you must keep its laws, rules and regulations. And in these laws are violated (for example, laws concerning birth control or fasting or attendance at Mass every Sunday), then you have committed a sin....’individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the only ordinary way by which the faithful person who was aware of serious sin can be reconciled with God, and with the church’ (Canon 9609).” (p. 75)
Works: “The Roman Catholic Church adds works, and that you have to do these specific things [keeping its laws, rule and regulations] ]in order to be saved, whereas the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it is by grace that we are saved, not by works.” (pp. 75-76)

As you can see, even Roman Catholic Priests can discover the truth found in God’s word and escape the error of the Roman Catholic system of works righteousness. To God be the glory.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast,” (Eph. 2:8-9).


126 posted on 05/31/2013 4:47:14 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 117 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans
"Testimonies of 50 Converted Roman Catholic Priests..."

That is about as credible as a book on marriage written by 50 adulterers. LOL

Do you spend hours prowling the internet looking for anti-Catholic material or do you have a stash left over from previous incarnations?

Peace be with you

127 posted on 05/31/2013 4:47:48 PM PDT by Natural Law (Jesus did not leave us a book, He left us a Church.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 120 | View Replies]

To: Iscool
I figured I'd have to eventually be wrong, at least once...

Or twice, but only on days that end in "Y"

128 posted on 05/31/2013 4:47:50 PM PDT by verga (A nation divided by Zero!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

Quick! Somebody copy and paste Aquinas’s Summa Theologica! We’ll win this argument by attrition!


129 posted on 05/31/2013 4:47:54 PM PDT by RPTMS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 120 | View Replies]

To: NYer

I’ve been asked (am am currently working on) a three year intermediate Religious Education course based upon (guess what?) the Catechism. I hated the liberal and essentially non Catholic teaching material and so did the deacon and the head of Religion Ed.

Contact me later this summer for updates.


130 posted on 05/31/2013 4:48:00 PM PDT by MarkBsnr (I would not believe in the Gospel, if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RPTMS
"If only Jesus had entrusted somebody to run the Church after His Ascension, handed him the "keys" perhaps. Hmmm...."

Well we can see how well that turned out. No thanks. We have Gods Word. Read it. Believe it. Live it.

131 posted on 05/31/2013 4:50:35 PM PDT by BipolarBob (I have sexdaily. Oops, I meant dyslexia.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]

To: RPTMS; bkaycee
It was the Catholic Church who finalized the canon in the 4th century.

Finalized at the Council of Trent

The 73 book Canon of Scripture was closed by Pope St. Innocent I in 405 A.D., that's early fifth century. Trent reaffirmed the Canon that existed for 1140 years.

132 posted on 05/31/2013 4:50:37 PM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro can't pass E-verify)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies]

To: MeganC

If he just needed to speak himself, why did he have 12 disciples?

Look at the Great Commission. :)


133 posted on 05/31/2013 4:51:38 PM PDT by JCBreckenridge (Texas is a state of mind - Steinbeck)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: bkaycee
Finalized at the Council of Trent.

Finalized at the councils of Hippo and Carthage in 393 and 397, and confirmed at the council of Trent after being challenged after over 1100 years by a heretic.

134 posted on 05/31/2013 4:51:41 PM PDT by verga (A nation divided by Zero!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 100 | View Replies]

To: Natural Law

“That is about as credible as a book on marriage written by 50 adulterers. LOL”


That’s a statement I might have to add to my signature. “Natural Law on Conversion Testimony by Former Catholic Priests: “This is about as credible as a book on marriage written by 50 adulterers. LOL”


135 posted on 05/31/2013 4:51:43 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 127 | View Replies]

To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

People who copy and paste entire volumes in the comments are almost as annoying as the ones who make posts that consist of nothing but a hundred or so links. Almost.


136 posted on 05/31/2013 4:52:54 PM PDT by RPTMS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 126 | View Replies]

To: BipolarBob

“Where in the Bible or any of quotes of Jesus would lead you to believe that? Also the idea of Christmas being Jesus’ birthday seems like a stretch as well. That’s what skimming over the BC left me with.”

Where in the bible does it lead you to believe that what the Church teaches is false?


137 posted on 05/31/2013 4:53:44 PM PDT by JCBreckenridge (Texas is a state of mind - Steinbeck)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: Natural Law
The biggest failure of the Church over the last 50 years has been poor catechesis. As a result too many Catholics are in fact practicing Protestants believing that they and their consciences can determine Truth and declare their own Salvation if they are a "good person".

Too many parents and too many Faith Formation personnel believe that Confirmation means graduation from catechism and we are losing people at the most critical time in their formation, their teen years. Too often we don't see them again until they are shopping for a parish that will marry them and then not again until Grandma insists that the babies get baptized.

When we look at the religious education materials, as compared to the high school texts and materials we see the equivalent of comic books, concentrating on "hip" imagery and void of any real theological content. Banners and Balloons are not what young adults need when they are first learning about and struggling with the temptations of all of that new hard ware they just grew and the social and peer pressure to take it for a test drive.


138 posted on 05/31/2013 4:54:33 PM PDT by MarkBsnr (I would not believe in the Gospel, if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: Longbow1969

Perhaps if more protestants rejected contraception, their bleating on ‘socialism’ would have some bite.


139 posted on 05/31/2013 4:54:49 PM PDT by JCBreckenridge (Texas is a state of mind - Steinbeck)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: RPTMS
Quick! Somebody copy and paste Aquinas’s Summa Theologica! We’ll win this argument by attrition!

No need. Let me recap the arguments.

Evangelicals are saved by the ubstitutionary atonement by Grace Through Faith In Christ Alone. We have been given Christ's Righteousness.

The RCC believes he will be saved by attaining his own Righteousness with a leg up given to him by Jesus, Mary, the saints and "grace", faith, merit, the mass, the Eucharist...etc

140 posted on 05/31/2013 4:55:11 PM PDT by bkaycee (John 3:16)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 129 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 101-120121-140141-160 ... 1,921-1,929 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

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