[PapaNew]

You know, I love Pope Francis and these other recent Popes. I know and love many Catholics and love the immense good, especially in charity work and hospitals, the Catholic Church has done around the world.

But I loathe and despise the man-made rules the Catholic Church has that erects artificial walls between God and His people.

[JPX2011]

I appreciate your kind words but I have to ask what man-made rules are you referring to?

[Austin Scott]

Luke 16:18. Hardly a man-made rule, unless you think Our Lord was just a man.

I Cor 11:29. If you are to discern the Lord’s Bod in the Holy Communion, you cannot receive in a state of sin.

Seems pretty simple, biblical, and non-controversial for Christians.

[FatherofFive]

But I loathe and despise the man-made rules the Catholic Church has that erects artificial walls between God and His people.

ALL churches outside the Catholic Church are Man-made.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mat 5:14-15

So here Christ says His Church will be visible.

“Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Eph 4:3-5

The Church is to be one, not many. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Mat 6:18

Here Christ says his Church will not be destroyed.

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:12-13

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1Tim 3:15

Here Christ says, and Paul reaffirms, that the Church will always teach the TRUTH.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."Mat 28:18-20

Again, here Jesus assures us that He is always with us, to the very end.

So Christ says His Church will not be destroyed or fall away from him, that the Holy Spirit will guide the Church to always teach the Truth, and He will always be with us. The Church is much more than a collection of nice people who read a Bible and believe anything they want.

[NYer]

But I loathe and despise the man-made rules the Catholic Church has that erects artificial walls between God and His people.

Can you be more specific? Which "man-made" rules are you referring to?

[Berlin_Freeper]

The Protestant's Dilemma: How the Reformation's Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism
What if Protestantism were true? What if the Reformers really were heroes, the Bible the sole rule of faith, and Christ’s Church just an invisible collection of loosely united believers? As an Evangelical, Devin Rose used to believe all of it. Then one day the nagging questions began. He noticed things about Protestant belief and practice that didn’t add up. He began following the logic of Protestant claims to places he never expected it to go -leading to conclusions no Christians would ever admit to holding.

In The Protestant’s Dilemma, Rose examines over thirty of those conclusions, showing with solid evidence, compelling reason, and gentle humor how the major tenets of Protestantism - if honestly pursued to their furthest extent - wind up in dead ends. The only escape? Catholic truth. Rose patiently unpacks each instance, and shows how Catholicism solves the Protestant’s dilemma through the witness of Scripture, Christian history, and the authority with which Christ himself undeniably vested his Church.

In 34 brief, but meaty chapters, the author starts with a section entitled “If Protestantism Is True” and proceeds to show the absurd or contradictory and false results that ensue if one follows a key tenet of Protestantism through to its logical implications and conclusions. Next, in a section entitled “Because Catholicism is True” he shows how the Catholic position makes sense, dissolves the absurd dilemma, and is grounded not only in sound reason, but in Scripture, as well as in sacred Tradition and the teaching of the Church’s Magisterium. Finally, to end each chapter, the author encapsulates the arguments in a pithy, one paragraph summary, quite fittingly for this book, labeled “The Protestant Dilemma.”

[ADSUM]

If you despise the rules of the Catholic Church, then you despise the Body of Christ.

This truth, that the Church is the mystical body of Christ, all its members being guided and directed by Christ the head, is set forth by St. Paul in various passages, more especially in Ephesians 4:4-13 (cf. John 15:5-8).

The rules of Church follows the teaching of Jesus and helps us try to live as Jesus has said that we should.

Who appointed you as the authority to interpret the rules that Jesus wants us to follow or for that matter the interpretation of the Bible?

Trust in God and let HIM lead you.