Replies

>> Do you understand the difference?<<

I see a total changing of the subject to somehow confuse the issue. Let’s look again at what the RCC says.

“When we give or receive Christmas gifts; or hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs...the god, Woden, in Norse Mythology, descends upon the earth yearly between December 25th and January 6th to bless mankind...But pagan though they be, they are beautiful customs. They help inspire us with the spirit of 'good will to men', even as the sublime service of our Church reminds us of the ‘peace on earth’ which the babe of Bethlehem came to bestow” (Externals of the Catholic Church, 140).

It admits that they are pagan and that the RCC has taken them from the pagans to use in serving God. That is in direct opposition to what God said.

Deuteronomy 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God

“When we give or receive Christmas gifts; or hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs...the god, Woden, in Norse Mythology, descends upon the earth yearly between December 25th and January 6th to bless mankind...But pagan though they be, they are beautiful customs. They help inspire us with the spirit of 'good will to men', even as the sublime service of our Church reminds us of the ‘peace on earth’ which the babe of Bethlehem came to bestow” (Externals of the Catholic Church, 140).

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So your belief is that we should not hang wreaths up, or celebrate Christmas in a jovial way, and with good cheer like that?

(Is your first name Ebenezer?)

You should know, of course, that the book you sited ("Externals of the Catholic Church") is NOT a book containing the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church. If you want to discuss the teachings and beliefs and doctrines of the Catholic Church, you should read the official "Catechism of the Catholic Church", which plainly spells out those teachings, and you should discuss those teachings, not the silly fluff you quoted.

If you continue to quote from sources which do NOT contain the official teachings of the Catholic Church, I may have to start quoting from other prominent Protestants to you, such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, or the Rev. Jim Jones, or Rev. Jesse Jackson, or Rev. Al Sharpton, or President B. Obama, or Bill and Hilary Clinton, ...

Surely as a Protestant, you MUST be taking things out of context or making it if it impugns Rome in the least, or this is not "official teaching," yet they quite regularly post articles that like this, are by some RC churchman, and often their own apologist do not even bother to seek the Nihil Obstat + Imprimatur. And this book states that " more than three decades have passed since the historic first edition of EXTERNALS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH appeared. Ever since then it has been on all Catholic basic book lists.." Apparently such is only a matter of concern and its veracity impugned when invoked by a Protestant exposing Rome.