‘You should either find a Church that teaches the truth, or be more truthful with your church. Otherwise, you’re just wallowing in double–mindedness of a sort.’
Good advice. That’s why I’m not Roman Catholic
But I assume this means you are a firm supporter of every policy and position of the current pope?
As to the original post- it’s somewhat ridiculous to assume that there must be an ‘aha’ moment where Catholicism went from being ‘right’ to ‘wrong’
As early as the first century, there was error in the church. People were introducing their own ‘flavors’ of Christianity
Things tend to gradually slide. There may be defining moments, mile markers that stand out during the slide, but things tend to slide
Error sometimes enters an institution like flipping a light switch, but more often it seeps in slowly
The old question of a man standing at the top of an ornate staircase at a formal party- he slips and falls- people start laughing- at the bottom of the stairs he is found to be dead——at which stair did the fall cease to be funny
It’s a pointless question.
It doesn’t matter which proverbial straw broke the camel’s back- just that we must at some point recognize that the back is broken
Luther need not be 100% right to raise points where the Catholic church was 100% wrong
Protestants need not know when where and why error slipped into Catholicism to recognize error- we need simply to recognize and purge the error
Unfortunately, we all; Protestants and Catholics tend to then believe the institutions which we belong to are and remain error free- at least doctrinally
It is a vanity and a dangerous one- one that results in convoluted circular logic and dug in heels
If there is one practice of Catholicism that will ever exclude me from its ranks, it is the presumption of being right all the time about all things doctrinal.
I find the same tendency abhorrent in many Protestants- particularly Calvinists
If I were to take Vlad’s advice of finding a church where I agreed with everything, I would be a church of one
So, I find a church that is moving in the same general direction as I believe we should be moving
I join in
I contend in the arguments I feel are important- to either hold course or change direction
And if the direction of the local body violates my conscience on an issue I find core; I change local bodies
It’s not a perfect system- but it beats the other options available to me at this point
“But I assume this means you are a firm supporter of every policy and position of the current pope?”
So you’re claiming those Baptists who don’t drink and avoid dancing are doing so as a POLICY and not as adherence to moral DOCTRINES? That’s not what they’ve told me. I don’t have to believe in ANY policy of any pope. I only have to believe the teachings of the Catholic Church. I can oppose the plans and policies of any pope. I cannot oppose the infallible teachings of the Church. I know the difference. You apparently don’t.