Catholics *PLZ ANSWER*
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K
Former Roman Catholic.
They'll say that the word "catholic" means "universal" so it's THE Universal Church that Jesus founded. Not true!
Statues can be considered as "banners" and remind us what to pray ABOUT but the first century Church never had those nor did they ask dead (previously living on earth) "saints" to pray for them. That's not how Jesus taught to pray.
Mary was only a SIGN. A prophecy for the coming Messiah. RCCs will argue, "HOW CAN a PERFECT BEING (Jesus) come from an IMPERFECT womb?" The answer: God. HE can do ALL THINGS. RCC people look at it from the flesh point-of-view and not God's.
Peter married. I've never met a married RCC priest. Though, through the debate about homosexual marriages, the RCC is trying to have other denominations join THEM. Those denominations have allowed their pastors to marry. The RCC is willing to change their "rules" and allow them to join them AND still be married.
The RCC has had a history of changing their rules in order to grow their own numbers (prayer beads and rosary, statues and paintings of Mary and a VERY young Jesus and a Pagan "goddess", statues and whosoever had them in their places of worship.)
It's NOT about joining a denomination, it's about Jesus! That's why there are denominations.
RCC people will say they VENERATE Mary and not WORSHIP. She's treated like a Goddess (able to hear prayers of more than one person at a time, able to "be" at more than one place at a time, etc). I say, WHY take your focus off of Jesus?
They will say that Mary points to Jesus. If so, then they'll NEVER have to look in "her" direction ever again. But they do.
Just because Jesus held up a piece of bread and said "this is my body", they think that their priests can turn a wafer into THE ACTUAL "body" of Jesus. Yet, Jesus ALSO said that HE was a gate and a vine. I didn't see ANY gates nor vines when I was a part of the RCC. (they pick-and-choose)
I can go on and on but if there's just a LITTLE bit of leaven in the bread, don't eat ANY part of the batch. It's no good.
T
Kujo,
All I read in hear are accusations and assertions, but absolutely no arguments to support those assertions. Just to take one of your points, you say that the RCC put things between them and Jesus because they pray to Mary. You argue against this by pointing to the fact that "He can do ALL things." Well, If Jesus can do it all, then we don't need to pray, read our Bible, or go to church. We don't need faith, hymnals, or song books because to have these thing would be to put these things between you and Christ, right? Down in you good and holy gut you would say those things are meant to bring you closer to God. Catholics would say, "Bingo! We just have more of those things than you do."
You were are a former Catholic, but it seems you don't even understand the basics. You misrepresent the teachings and by doing so you build a strawman argument. I am only being frank with you because I was a strident anti-Catholic for 10 years. I studied the scriptures and would debate Catholics. I would use the same arguments that people here are using and I used them with a kind of zeal. It wasn't until I met a Catholic who knew the scriptures and challenged me on some of my arguments that I started asking questions of my pastor, seminary students, and scholars to find answers to these challenges. I spent four years reading Catholic sources learning more about the Catholic faith and I found that on every single point I made against the Catholic church that I either was totally mistaken or ignorant on what the Catholic Church teaches.
God bless,
S
No one is forcing them to become a Priest, and in particular no one is forcing them to become a Latin Rite Priest, Eastern Rite Priests can marry. They make that sacrifice willingly. Also I will point out that the child sexual abuse rate among married Protestant clergy is the same or higher (depending on the study) as the child sexual abuse rate among celibate Catholic priests. So celibacy is not the problem.
You just don't hear about Protestant child abuse because Protestantism is not a monolith like the Catholic Church is. "1st Baptist Church of Norman Pastor Molests Children" is not a very good headline, but "Catholic Church Molests Children" is.
Actually some priests in the early middle ages were trying to will Church property to their children, so the Church made it a discipline that priests in the Latin Rite can't marry and must remain celibate. It being a discipline means that it can change the Pope just needs to say so.
You just don't hear about Protestant child abuse because Protestantism is not a monolith like the Catholic Church is. "1st Baptist Church of Norman Pastor Molests Children" is not a very good headline, but "Catholic Church Molests Children" is.
Actually some priests in the early middle ages were trying to will Church property to their children, so the Church made it a discipline that priests in the Latin Rite can't marry and must remain celibate. It being a discipline means that it can change the Pope just needs to say so.
T
I could not find the source for this, but I did find another source:
A U.S. Department of Education report issued in 2004 examined a number of American studies into the prevalence of sexual misconduct by school staff. They found that between 3.5% and 50.3% of students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career. They found that teachers, coaches, substitute teachers were the most common offenders.
If this report is accurate, then sexual abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic church, and by other clergy, appears to pale in comparison with the abuse being experienced by children and youths in the public schools.
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Charol Shakeshaft, "Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature," U.S. Department of Education, 2004-JUN
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R
I've read a lot of your posts and you seem to have your head screwed on, but I don't think you have properly researched Catholicism. You don't need to pray for us, at least not in hopes of converting or having us change our ways, because we know Jesus very well. Believe me. If you read the catechism of the Catholic Church you might understand our beliefs. 
But I appreciate that you said "we are to pray for them" this shows love and caring, others would just judge and condemn
But I appreciate that you said "we are to pray for them" this shows love and caring, others would just judge and condemn
S
This is another thing that irks me about the media, They'll blast religious institutions that have a 1% or lower sexual abuse rate, but they wont blast public schools that have a rate ten times that or more. The result is parents are worried to leave their child alone with the priest or pastor, but won't think twice about leaving them alone with a teacher.
T
Well, you're right. Catholics believe the Eucharist (what you call "a wafer") is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. The wafer of bread becomes the Eucharist after the words of consecration are spoken during Mass.
If the wafer that Catholics worship there on their altars around the world is not who they claim it to be - the God-man, then they are guilty of idolatry and a low form of idolatry.
So the question you should ask yourself is "Why to Catholics believe that and what are the reasons supporting this belief?"
If you would be willing to read the argument given by the church for the Real Presence in the Eucharist and the arguments from Scripture, I think you would find them compelling and at least reasonable from a Catholic theological perspective.
God bless,
If the wafer that Catholics worship there on their altars around the world is not who they claim it to be - the God-man, then they are guilty of idolatry and a low form of idolatry.
So the question you should ask yourself is "Why to Catholics believe that and what are the reasons supporting this belief?"
If you would be willing to read the argument given by the church for the Real Presence in the Eucharist and the arguments from Scripture, I think you would find them compelling and at least reasonable from a Catholic theological perspective.
God bless,
T
If you look up the foot notes for CCC 841 you will find a reference to LG 16.
Paragraph 16 of Lumen Gentium from Vatican II says that Muslims who worship in the religion of Abraham may share in salvation. There is further clarification of this in Vatican II's Declaration on the relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (see paragraph 3 relating to Muslims). Basically this document states that the plan of salvation includes not only practicing Catholics, but also those who acknowledge the Creator and who strive wholeheartedly to live up to His decrees like Jews and Muslims. There is still the same problem of mortal sin and the goal of salvation for those who follow those faiths is extremely limited because of the absence of the graces that flows from the sacraments instituted by Christ and that such salvation does not come from the false salvation as spelled out by their other-than-Christian- faiths. Their salvation without water baptism is possible through the "baptism of desire" but after affirming the legitimacy of "baptism of desire" Pope Pius XII writes in 1943 , On the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ: concerning those who do not belong to the body of the Catholic Church but who are related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by a certain unconscious yearning and desire, and these he by no means excludes from eternal salvation, but on the other hand states that they are in a condition "in which they cannot be sure of their salvation since they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church.
Paragraph 16 of Lumen Gentium from Vatican II says that Muslims who worship in the religion of Abraham may share in salvation. There is further clarification of this in Vatican II's Declaration on the relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (see paragraph 3 relating to Muslims). Basically this document states that the plan of salvation includes not only practicing Catholics, but also those who acknowledge the Creator and who strive wholeheartedly to live up to His decrees like Jews and Muslims. There is still the same problem of mortal sin and the goal of salvation for those who follow those faiths is extremely limited because of the absence of the graces that flows from the sacraments instituted by Christ and that such salvation does not come from the false salvation as spelled out by their other-than-Christian- faiths. Their salvation without water baptism is possible through the "baptism of desire" but after affirming the legitimacy of "baptism of desire" Pope Pius XII writes in 1943 , On the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ: concerning those who do not belong to the body of the Catholic Church but who are related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by a certain unconscious yearning and desire, and these he by no means excludes from eternal salvation, but on the other hand states that they are in a condition "in which they cannot be sure of their salvation since they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church.
BLAH BLAH triplet347 and those of you that like to write novellls. FOR WHAT?! My earthly father is different from the ones that think they should be called "father" as to exalt themselves above the Lord God, they should no better! So you keep my earthly father and Heavenly Father from here on out outta your confused belligerent mouth and mind. NO ONE DOES NOT AND NEVER WILL have Jesus, because they have denied the TRUTH and therefore Jesus as well! Disunity is what ALL religions are. Disunity and falsehood! They will be JUDGED IMMENSELY by the true King of Kings. Not some baywatch ricky martin with blue eyes look a like, but the real ORDEAL! All religions even sesame street cookie monster worshipers will be relinquished and abased by Jesus !! And tell me something else obnoxious! I'll laugh you outta here to the pope of rome toilet so you can carry on your fecal phasia! And so you can smell your own crap on your knees!!!
T
Wow, I thought this was a place where one could dialogue on topics we disagree? It seems you are angry about something, but all I see is your attack on me. All I'm doing is explicating the Catholic position on certain topics that are misrepresented or not understood by those in the forum. I thought that was the purpose of the forum? How can you call yourself a Christian and then act like this? I did not treat you in this manner.
Let me make one thing clear from the beginning. I believe to have a conversation with people where you clearly explain what you believe with those who don't believe the same can be and is meant to be an act of love. All I hear from you is hate.
In a civilized society we should be able to dialogue and challenge each other on our view without name-calling. Hey, I want to be challenged. It only helps me think through my position and if I am mistaken about the truth, then I want someone to point it out and you should want the same thing. We are all looking for the truth.
If you have something constructive to contribute to the discussion, then I would be happy to consider it.
God bless,
K
We pray TO God because Jesus said so. He also said to ask in HIS Name. He said that NO MAN comes to the Father but by HIM. Paul says there is ONE Mediator.
Too hard to understand?
WHAT would YOU describe as a "graven image" or an "image" of things that are in Heaven?
No need to investigate anything any further.
Too hard to understand?
WHAT would YOU describe as a "graven image" or an "image" of things that are in Heaven?
No need to investigate anything any further.