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Enjoy your walk!
Posted on 05/18/2015 6:05:47 PM PDT by Old Yeller
For years, growing up as a Roman Catholic, we were taught that we were members of the one true church. It was impressed upon us regularly by the parish priest during Mass while giving his homily; by the nuns all throughout my Catholic parochial school years of second through seventh grade.
It was impressed upon us during our preparation to receive for the first time the sacraments of Penance, Communion and Confirmation. And while attending CCD classes all the way through high school. (CCD is the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, an association established at Rome in 1562 for the purpose of giving religious education, normally designed for children.)
It was an established fact that we understood and we never questioned the validity of it. And to be honest, it was a matter of pride, that we were privileged enough to be members of the correct church, while all others had belonged to something else that didn’t quite measure up to the status of the Roman Catholic Church.
After all, how could it be possible that Roman Catholicism is not the one true church?
Look at what Rome has to offer: It has the priests, the nuns; the bishops; the cardinals; and of course, the Pope. They have the Sacraments; the statues; the holy water; the incense; the Stations of the Cross; the Eucharist - in which Chris supposedly physically manifests Himself into the wafer after the consecration by the priest during the Mass; the Marian apparitions—which appear mainly to Roman Catholics.
And they have the Vatican, where the Vicar of Christ (who they believe is Christ’s representative on earth), governs the faithful and makes infallible proclamations and doctrine. How can this not be the one true church? No other organization on the face of the earth comes close to offering to its flock what Rome provides for its faithful.
But, of course, to be true, one must adhere to what has been established as truth and not teach or practice what is contrary to the truth. We read in Scripture a few passages that declare what is truth and what is not. Jesus proclaimed in John 14:6:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.”
They have no problem making outrageous claims but frequently come up short in credible evidence when confronted. They seem to be hiding (from my reading of their postings) “Oral Traditions”, which they speak highly of and deem important. They do not produce said “Oral Traditions” when we are wanting to know more about this additional knowledge we are lacking. Luke 11:33 says plainly “”No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.” IF they have additional light, why will they not share in light (unintended pun) of this directive from Jesus? Why disobey Him? For what purpose?
Freedom is being free from the tyranny and power of sin, not putting myself back into the bondage of religious observances.
Phillippians 3:2-15 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 2:16-23 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
I'm relatively new to these RC threads as well. I am too very disappointed in the support provided for the Catholic positions. I had always assumed that RCs were well trained and good apologists, probably because of the reputation of Catholic education. I have seen no evidence of this at all and I am totally baffled when one of the poorest examples of apologetic arguments is being lauded. Apparently, some think that quantity (and repetition) equals quality.
Good question. Somehow I don’t think they’ll give us an answer. LOL!
It’s ingrained into them. They’ve been taught all their lives to accept what their priests (and nuns-God help you if you disagreed with one of THEM) tell them without question.
After all, who are you to question them. They’re the ones who are educated. They’re the ones who are spiritual.
You do what they tell you without challenge at the risk of your soul.
So the only thing that is obvious to conclude is that they think everyone else is like that as well, that their say so is all the evidence anyone needs because after all they’re Catholics and they know better.
Thinking for yourself was never encouraged in Catholicism.
And reading the BIBLE. God forbid. I had a friend recently tell me that some time ago a friend of his told him that he had no business reading the Bible. That was the job of the priests and they would tell you what it meant and what you needed to know.
>>>I’m relatively new to these RC threads as well. I am too very disappointed in the support provided for the Catholic positions. I had always assumed that RCs were well trained and good apologists, probably because of the reputation of Catholic education. I have seen no evidence of this at all and I am totally baffled when one of the poorest examples of apologetic arguments is being lauded. Apparently, some think that quantity (and repetition) equals quality.<<<
I too am baffled by that. Truly bizarre behavior.
>>>It’s ingrained into them. They’ve been taught all their lives to accept what their priests (and nuns-God help you if you disagreed with one of THEM) tell them without question.<<<
This is true, but many cultists and people from other denominations and doctrinal positions experience the same conditioning, but can still put together a more or less coherent argument for their case. Usually, those without knowledge to backup their arguments don’t join discussion boards and broadcast their lack of knowledge. The RCs in this thread are simply automatons. They are by far more ignorant of their side of the argument than anyone I have ever argued with.
Catholic schools are indoctrination centers. Rote and ritual are taught there, and the intent is to secure those young "mush-filled minds" (thanks, Rush!). If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes reality in a willing mind.
Yet, as noted, there are even some on this board that claim to be Catholic Priests, and cannot define their traditions. All we see is more "because we say it!".
Enjoy the walk. With Jesus, all things are possible, and maybe a single soul will see through their veil of secrecy and claims of exclusivity and claim Christ as their Savior. When they renounce their goddess mary, you will know they made the ultimate decision....
I agree, but it is even more than that. It is like it is a badge of honor to them to be completely ignorant of what the Scriptures say.
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Enjoy your walk!
Thanks - you too...
LOL.
Yes, and that’s why I try to avoid them, like the poison to the spirit and soul I think they are.
Enjoy your much needed shower!
And thanks so much for the ping! (grrrrr....LOL)
God bless you, sweet, beautiful GF!
LOL.
Yes, and that’s why I try to avoid them, like the poison to the spirit and soul I think they are.
Enjoy your much needed shower!
And thanks so much for the ping! (grrrrr....LOL)
God bless you, sweet, beautiful GF!
You’re the first person to ever tell me, “I pray that all the time onyx.”
Bless your sweetest, pure heart, CynicalBear!
Be well and happy!
We have had some excellent ones in the past but either they tired of it or something. Sadly, I'm afraid we're not seeing the best ones they have to offer. The back-slapping and congratulations on very weak postings border on humor, IMO. Perhaps some day some of the better apologists will return.
I'm coming around to that opinion. I had always noted among my Catholic friends is that they generally know WHAT they believe but not WHY. I know that it is a limited sample but my children' Christian school routinely beat the much-larger area Catholic schools in academic competitions (spelling bees, geography bees, knowledge bowls, etc.). They usually get killed in sports, though.
I hope so, too. I enjoy substantive discussions, even if I just lurk.
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>> “ROAMER_1 and EDITOR_SURVEYOR insist that the standard of truth is whether it satisfied the teachings of the Torah. Torah comes from the Hebrew word for ‘law’...” <<
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Total fail again!
Torah means literally “The Teaching.”
The teaching God sent to us in order that we might know the things that we must have written on “the fleshly tablets of our hearts” that we might find his eternal rest.
The very same things that all of the apostles taught, and after the end of the apostolic age, that Polycarp and Irenaeus continued to call “The teaching.”
Of course, your catholic ‘church,’ as it does in all things, over-rules God and replaces his teaching with the contrary catechism.
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>> “And you think that contending for the truth of scripture here is not service to God because?” <<
Cuz, you know, those old musty, moldy, scriptures are so rigid, so hard to change, so anachronistic....
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Chirp! chirp!
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