Jesus is the way
the truth
and the life
No man cometh unto the Father
but by Him (Jesus)
I, (a former Catholic since 1981 .. I was 33 years old) attend a Baptist church because of the preaching of the truth, but I'm more a biblicist than a Baptist
Baptists have proven to me they are preaching closer to truth than other "denomination"
Father, we unite in prayer for our FRiend Vision, and ask You to guide and lead him or her to YOUR truth, in Jesus' name, Amen
I think you don't really know what papal infallibility is.
If it's "insulting to God," then it's ten times more "insulting to God" to believe the human authors of Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write exactly what God intended them to write ... but that's exactly what all orthodox Christians believe.
You need not worry. Doctrine does not change.
Neither does dogma.
There are only a few dogmas. Can you name them?
But, I found that God doesn't dwell in religions. He is a Spirit, and we must find the way to Him through our faith in His power and trust in His ways. He has given us the Truth in the way of Scripture, and when I see the way the Roman Catholics have bastardized it, by adding all of the Mariology and Saintology, it gets too far away from the Truth as exposed in the Word.
Look first at the book of Romans, which exposes most of what we see in the Roman Cultic practices. Paul goes into great depth and you will be enlightened if you will jut allow His Spirit to guide you.
We are saved by Grace, not by works. The Roman Catholic way is to work things out, and if you fail here, your friend and relatives can pray you out of their "purgatory". If you die in sin, you will die for eternity. But, God forgives and gives us eternal life. That means it never ends. It cannot be taken away if you leave that group, no matter how much they pressure and cajol. A you will see on this thread, many will tell you that if you leave the group, that you will lose any chance at eternal life with the Father. Not true. Study the Word, and pray for the guidance of His Holy Spirit. He promises that it will come...
Galatians 3: 23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Dogmas of the Catholic Church [Catholic Caucus]
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] Our Lady and Dogmas: Pondering the Assumption (Launch of Rosary Crusade)
[CATHOLIC/FRIENDS CAUCUS] This dogmatic denunciation of dogma sponsored by a disorganized...
Preserved Sinless from the Moment of Humanity (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception) [Catholic Caucus]
The Decline of Dogma and the Decline of Church Membership
The Three D's -- Dogma, Doctrine and Discipline [Ecumenical]
Radio Replies First Volume - Dogma and reason
Radio Replies First Volume - Development of dogma
Docility (on Catholic dogma and infallibility)
Ineffabilis Deus: 8 December 1854 (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception)
The sacraments are either what the Church says they are or not. Popes that are good men or Popes that are stiffs don’t seem to have anything to do with the question, or if you should deprive yourself of them over a Pope who is a bad guy. Thinking that he does have something to do with them it is a form of Donatism, a heresy.
Good luck.
Freegards
Read the Bible. How to read the Bible? David Pawson on Youtube has many excellent Youtube videos on how to read and understand each book of the Bible. Although David Pawson is a theologian and has Protestnt background, much of his presentation on not buried in small c “church” doctrine. It is more about how to get the most out of the Bible.
Stay with Christ, His Roman Catholic Church, and the unchanging Deposit of Faith that had been taught prior to 1958 and the advent of the false heretical council of Vatican-2.
Epistle Of Saint Paul To The Galatians 1:8-9
[8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. [9] As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema.
Read only the genuine Church teaching prior to 1958 before the apostates seized control and issued in the heresies of Vatican-2. It did NOT start with Bergolgio, he is merely a more visible gross manifestation of the rot.
"6. ...or even the Roman Pontiff, prior to his promotion or his elevation as Cardinal or Roman Pontiff, has deviated from the Catholic Faith or fallen into some heresy:
(i) the promotion or elevation, even if it shall have been uncontested and by the unanimous assent of all the Cardinals, shall be null, void and worthless;"
Was he "right on" when encouraged his followers to "wash [their] hands in the Papists' blood"?
Was Martin Luther "right on" when he set the stage for a peasant revolt which was then put down with great bloodshed, while Luther cheered the nobility who did the deed?
Was Martin Luther "right on" when, toward the end of his life, he complained that now "every milkmaid" read the Bible and had an opinion on what it taught (after all, he had a doctoral degree and had a right to his opinion, but everyone else?! *sniff*)?
Was Martin Luther "right on" when he approved of bigamy in the case of Philip of Hesse, and said he couldn't see anything in the Bible that prohibited a man from taking multiple wives?
The Pope is a sinner. So was Luther. The Pope says some dumb things. So did Luther. You sound like you're trying to find a church run by perfect people. There aren't any, just like there aren't any churches full of perfect people.
If you wish for more information.. here’s a series of FREE video lectures from Dr. R. C. Sproul.. examining The Roman Catholic Church and it’s doctrines from a Reformation view point.. this is good information. Each lecture is no more than 23 minutes long. -
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/roman_catholicism/
Here’s another good series..detailing where and WHY the Reformation differs from The Roman Church.. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE = http://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/justification_by_faith_alone/
and here’s a series on LUTHER and The REFORMATION.. however.. since this is a rather new series, only the first lecture is free... (BUT if you’re interested, contact me via Freepmail, I have the entire series you can listen to on Mp3s) =
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/luther-and-the-reformation/
Honestly, anything by Dr. R. C. Sproul is well worth the time to listen, to think about.
Firstly note that the Church is not dependent on what one Bishop thinks - I'll get to the infall stuff in a minute. It's better for one to look into what the Church actually believes (the Catechism), rather than the failures of priests
Secondly, there are lots of different types of Protestants - some,like the Lutherans, hew close to Orthodoxy; others like Oneness Pentecostals reject the Trinity. And everything else is possible including Unitarians
Thirdly, infallibility is difficult and troublesome - until you realize what it ACTUALLY is -- it's only that the Pope is preserved by God's grace from the possibility of error "when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church."
So this is only in very, very constraining circumstances -- Francis hasn't given any teaching ex-cathedra. in fact it hasn't been done since 1950