Why Catholicism isn't Christianity...
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H
- Psalm 69:9
For zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches and insults of those who reproach and insult You have fallen upon me. - John 2:16-18 Then to those who sold the doves He said, Take these things away! Make not My Father's house a house of merchandise.
I would say the Catholic church is the visible representation of the bride being steadily prepared to be spotless in front of Christ.
H
The pope is the vicar of Christ:
Vicar
1. (in the Roman Catholic Church) A representative or deputy of a bishop.
In apostolic terms, the apostles and the pope are mesengers and representatives of Christ. Just as Peter and Paul were. The Catholic church has a system of apostolic succession where one apostle's office is passed on in succedding generations.
The pope is the successor of St Peter. Just as at confirmation, ordinary people recieve the Holy Spirit; also at ordination the pope receives the office/job of being apostolic head of the church.
Vicar
1. (in the Roman Catholic Church) A representative or deputy of a bishop.
In apostolic terms, the apostles and the pope are mesengers and representatives of Christ. Just as Peter and Paul were. The Catholic church has a system of apostolic succession where one apostle's office is passed on in succedding generations.
The pope is the successor of St Peter. Just as at confirmation, ordinary people recieve the Holy Spirit; also at ordination the pope receives the office/job of being apostolic head of the church.
S
I actually am well aware of the situation between her and her husband and I pray everyday that her husband would remain in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
That being said I don't provide long lists of quotes unless it's needed to counter a historical assertion someone made. While most of her posts since she's joined have been cut and paste attacks on Catholicism.
That being said I don't provide long lists of quotes unless it's needed to counter a historical assertion someone made. While most of her posts since she's joined have been cut and paste attacks on Catholicism.
The office of the Pope is infallible. However, there's a lot of misconception over what that means.
Here's a link talking about what it is, and what it isn't.
Papal Infallibility
While it's a subject of debate obviously, for clarity, one should know what the concept really entails in order to best discuss it. Else we'll end up with people arguing over a version of Papal infallibility that doesn't really reflect the actual teachings on the concept.
Here's a link talking about what it is, and what it isn't.
Papal Infallibility
While it's a subject of debate obviously, for clarity, one should know what the concept really entails in order to best discuss it. Else we'll end up with people arguing over a version of Papal infallibility that doesn't really reflect the actual teachings on the concept.
H
we are all supposed to be good ambassadors of Jesus. But there is only one vicar of Christ. Unless you have written umpteen books about Jesus and devoted hundreds of sermons to his name and have dedicated your entire life and wealth and education to Jesus for decades. And unless you are a recognised authority in theology.
Maybe you are assuming a little more, zack, than you should about your actual role. But yes yoiu must be the best you can be.
Maybe you are assuming a little more, zack, than you should about your actual role. But yes yoiu must be the best you can be.
M
this is why so many people are turning away from Christianity! you all spend so much time chastising what other denominations do instead of paying attention to what you are doing and trying to help people come to Christ.remember this when the Saviour returns he will not ask you what denomination you were a part of but he will look at your heart and how you served him and his people...its funny how you all spend so much time worrying about the catholics but they spend no time worrying about how wrong or right protestant churches,i have never been to church and hear anything bad about other churches the only thing that i hear is that we should respect each other because we are all people of God.who cares if you are pentecostol,apostolic or anglican? we all have one goal and that is to please God,so stop trying to tear each other down.
Z
Now, I haven't studied church history to the full extent that I could (and should), but I feel that I can still respond to these statements from the article:
A pope’s private theological opinions are not infallible, only what he solemnly defines is considered to be infallible teaching.
Now, I'm probably making a mistake by saying this...but doesn't what you "solemnly define to be infallible teaching" come from your private study? "Oh, he's so sincere about it!" Does that make it right? No, and I don't believe the pope would believe that either. Hopefully...
What infallibility does do is prevent a pope from solemnly and formally teaching as "truth" something that is, in fact, error. It does not help him know what is true, nor does it "inspire" him to teach what is true. He has to learn the truth the way we all do—through study—though, to be sure, he has certain advantages because of his position.
"Certain advantages" because what he says goes if he defines it to be infallible teaching. But, what keeps him from teaching error? Well...
It is the Holy Spirit who prevents the pope from officially teaching error, and this charism follows necessarily from the existence of the Church itself. If, as Christ promised, the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church then it must be protected from fundamentally falling into error and thus away from Christ. It must prove itself to be a perfectly steady guide in matters pertaining to salvation.
And yet, you have no way of determining what is correct teaching. You can't say that the Holy Spirit just keeps the pope from teaching infallible doctrine (not saying that he couldn't), because you have no standard to go back to...but wait, there's the Scriptures, aren't there? Well, no, you don't even really need that, do you? You have the pope.
The rejection of papal infallibility by "Bible Christians" stems from their view of the Church. They do not think Christ established a visible Church, which means they do not believe in a hierarchy of bishops headed by the pope.
I do not "think" that because that wasn't what Christ meant by it. Obviously it was meant to be physical in some way (people?), but He wasn't talking about a physical building.
This is no place to give an elaborate demonstration of the establishment of a visible Church. But it is simple enough to point out that the New Testament shows the apostles setting up, after their Master’s instructions, a visible organization, and that every Christian writer in the early centuries—in fact, nearly all Christians until the Reformation—fully recognized that Christ set up an ongoing organization.
You can't give this "elaborate demonstration" because there's nothing to demonstrate except, well, what the pope has determined the Biblical text means.
Yes, the Apostles set up a visible organization. The people didn't become invisible, did they? (I know he's saying a physical building of a church, but this isn't presented anywhere in Scripture.)
There is an ongoing organization of believers. Nothing about a physical church though (I don't reject going to a church building, but it's simply not presented in Scripture. If it was so important it seems the NT writers would have presented some structure more than "bishops and deacons." You have to also understand that Christians were not being tolerated in the Roman Empire nor many other places at this time, so they couldn't just build a church on a lot. They had to meet secretly much of the time.
All this was accomplished through the apostolic succession of bishops, and the preservation of the Christian message, in its fullness, was guaranteed through the gift of infallibility, of the Church as a whole, but mainly through its Christ-appointed leaders, the bishops (as a whole) and the pope (as an individual).
Notice there's nothing about a Pope in the Bible. Peter was a bishop. Nowhere does it say he had the infallibility as the modern Catholic Church proclaims of the pope.
But he must be able to teach rightly, since instruction for the sake of salvation is a primary function of the Church. For men to be saved, they must know what is to be believed. They must have a perfectly steady rock to build upon and to trust as the source of solemn Christian teaching. And that’s why papal infallibility exists.
Yes, and for men to be saved, they have to join and be baptized into the Holy Catholic Church. That's what's been determined now (even on the website that was linked).
The rock is not Jesus. It is the pope. Peter was called the rock, but he wasn't the Rock of our salvation! Our foundation is Jesus Christ, and not the pope. Did he ever say you had to be baptized into the church to be saved? No. He said to believe in Him, the ONLY Way, and the ONLY Truth, and the ONLY Life. No one comes to the Father except through the Holy Catholic Chur ---- uh, I mean, Jesus Christ!
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Grace and Love
E
Actually God is not going to look at how we served him and his people. This thought comes from a works based mentality. Non of this is any good if we are still dead in our sin. Our sin issue must be taken care of first. And there is only one way this can happen. The blood of Christ.
Your right God is not going to look at what denomination you go to. He is gonna look at your heart. Then again, he knows who are his. He knows who are not. Those who are his will be raised by him and given new bodies. Those who are not will be delivered to him and sent to eternal judgment.
It is not the church you go to. Who you listen. It is what Gospel you have placed your faith in. If you see someone who has placed their faith in a wrong gospel. It is your duty to try to show them the right way. Satan has deluded many into believing many false gospels. But God says there is only one. His gospel.
Your right God is not going to look at what denomination you go to. He is gonna look at your heart. Then again, he knows who are his. He knows who are not. Those who are his will be raised by him and given new bodies. Those who are not will be delivered to him and sent to eternal judgment.
It is not the church you go to. Who you listen. It is what Gospel you have placed your faith in. If you see someone who has placed their faith in a wrong gospel. It is your duty to try to show them the right way. Satan has deluded many into believing many false gospels. But God says there is only one. His gospel.