MegaChurch or Catholic Church?

taylormarshall.com ^ | August 26, 2013 | Dr. Taylor Marshall

[Mrs. Don-o]

I agree. Gnosticism is a false teachng.

[tiki]

You are confusing the words. Prayer can be worship but etymologically, prayer can be the asking of any favor of anyone, spiritual or physical.

Worship IS worship whether through prayer, through song, through the Mass, through actions that glorify God.

[steve86]

I can't believe that your DQ* is really that much lower than mine that you actually believe what you're posting.

*Discernment Quotient

[pbear8]

Consubstanialem - consubstanial - of one substance. I love that the Church demands thought from me not just feelings. Theological things matter and it is important to be accurate.

I have several Catholic apps on my iPad and my parish has a website, what more does one need?

[Iscool]

Joel Osteen obviously is not enough to keep thousands of people showing up every week...Apparently they have a lot of activity going on...Smaller groups where bible teaching takes place...Get togethers where families can bond with each other...You, know, like a real bible church...

[Iscool]

LOLOLOL...They always say one thing...And they always do another...

[fwdude]

Are these pictures photoshopped? Do you seriously believe that these acts are not repeated thousands of times on a daily basis?

[AceMineral]

Very good pictures of very good things.

[Iscool]

Read the Mass someday. It is true worship. The offering of the One Perfect Sacrifice to the Father.

Where have you ever read in the bible that you can sacrifice the Son to the Father???

The Father sacrificed the Son for me, and you if you will accept it...

[fwdude]

My first boss worked for the accounting firm which audited the financials of a big televangelist in the Dallas area. Big "faith healer" and all. The stories were stomach turning.

And people wonder how the Church has been subverted today. Not from without, but from within. Scaling the walls and taking over was a cake-walk for the pagans.

[steve86]

Similar scenes no doubt appear daily but none of them illustrate worshiping preachers, statues, floats in parades, or whatever it is you’re claiming.

[bkaycee]

Rom 10 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.....

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

[Buckeye McFrog]

Yep. I have friends from Latin American countries who tell me that Evangelical Churches are making HUGE inroads into these traditionally Catholic countries. Mainly because they speak to young people in a way our Church is failing to do.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Right on, fwdude!

'Course here in my town, we have an Asbury Methodist Church, named for Francis Asbury, an 18th century frontier missionary bishop who is worshipped by Methodists.

Complete with idol erected for the Methodists' public adoration.

Oh! And! You'll never guess what I saw at the Baptist church last Christmas:

Not only do they worship statues ---
their statues worship statues!

[Buckeye McFrog]

I am happy that the exercise of mentally translating arcane language deepens your faith.

What I am saying is that this is not the case for the vast majority of young people.

[fwdude]

The Marian prayers extant in Catholic literature are, on their own, evidence of idolatry. Never mind the scenes depicted.

[steve86]

Mainly because they speak to young people in a way our Church is failing to do.

I think Miley Cyrus the other night was speaking to (some) of our young people in a way the Church fails to do also. Thank God the Church fails on that score!

[fwdude]

Sorry, Mrs. Don-o. There is absolutely no parallel between what these statures represent and how Catholics view these images of Mary.

If anyone did to a public statue of an historic figure, or a nativity scene what Catholics do to statues of Mary on a regular basis, I would condemn these acts just as vigorously.

[steve86]

Only if your operational definition of idolatry (incorrectly) includes veneration. ven·er·a·tion ˌvenəˈrāSHən/ noun noun: veneration; plural noun: venerations 1. great respect; reverence.

[fungoking]

Idle worship.