Back, and questions

[Rolltide]

Question: Does the RCC believe that the only people that can hear god are only priests/pope?

Not at all! God can speak to anyone, even non-Christians! Further, sometimes God does some by ways other than the Holy Spirit. There are some very famous stories of Jesus, Mary, and saints appearing and speaking directly to laypeople, whether it be in person or through visions.

Question: How does the RCC know that only their mass has the holy spirit and not a protestant church?

We believe that all Christian services have the Holy Spirit. However, if you’re talking about the Real Presence in communion, we believe that only the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have valid communion. (Most Protestants believe it’s a symbol, and the others haven’t maintained Apostolic Succession.)

 

[Ruthie]

“No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother” (St. Cyprian, De unit. 6: PL 4, 519)

All Christian churches started with Catholicism. She was the only church until the Great Schism. Thus the CC is the mother of all the other churches, and through that, the mother of all Christians - even those who call her the “whore of Babylon.”

Ruthie

 

[Rolltide]

ChristianKnight,
Did you get a chance to examine the two questions I posed in post #16? If so, any comments?

 

[ChristianKnight]

@ Rolltide:

#1, I guess God wanted to see how people’d react without him?

#2, I do not think JW are Christians since they deny basic christian beliefs that are in both Catholocism and Protestanism.

 

[Cinette]

@ Rolltide:

#1, I guess God wanted to see how people’d react without him?

#2, I do not think JW are Christians since they deny basic christian beliefs that are in both Catholocism and Protestanism.

JW do not believe in the Trinity and Jesus for them was not divine. I think they believe he was just a prophet.

Their founder cooked up the whole thing and then later the person who took over from him changed more things. I believe the current JW do not go by the teachings of their original founder.

JW are very devout and staunch but their faith leaves much to be desired - it is a heresy.

 

[Rolltide]

@ Rolltide:

#1, I guess God wanted to see how people’d react without him?

So, did they have a chance at salvation then, or were they doomed? If they weren’t doomed, would they have less chance of being saved than a Christian?

#2, I do not think JW are Christians since they deny basic christian beliefs that are in both Catholocism and Protestanism.

So… do you believe that although they have many points of doctrine that are the same as Christians, that the differences do matter, and that it endangers their salvation?

 

[Rolltide]

ChristianKnight,
I promise, I’m going somewhere with this argument… lol

 

[ChristianKnight]

So, did they have a chance at salvation then, or were they doomed? If they weren’t doomed, would they have less chance of being saved than a Christian?

So… do you believe that although they have many points of doctrine that are the same as Christians, that the differences do matter, and that it endangers their salvation?

I don’t know, ask god.

I don’t know, ask god.

 

[Rolltide]

I don’t know, ask god.

I don’t know, ask god.

See, here’s the problem with the answer… if the differences don’t matter, then it doesn’t really matter if someone is a Christian or not, or even if they believe in a religion or not. Religion becomes pointless if it doesn’t increase your chance at salvation and point us the way to God. Therefore, the differences DO matter and are very important!

In other words… ignorance can endanger your salvation.

 

[Rolltide]

Here’s another example of how ignorance can hurt you greatly. The laws of the US and The Netherlands are quite similar, although those of The Netherlands are more liberal. Now, let’s say someone from The Netherlands comes to the US and simply assumes that our laws are the same as his own. In Amsterdam, it is legal to go to a coffee shop and smoke a small amount of marijuana without being arrested. If he were to come to the US, sit down in a coffee shop, and light up a joint, he would be arrested and sent to jail. He would be completely ignorant of the law, and yet, he might still face punishment for it. He might be a good person, but his mistaken belief is putting his freedom at risk. His ignorance truly matters and makes a difference, and yet the ignorance is not an insult, it’s just a truth.

As stated above, there are only two possible outcomes to the puzzle of the Native Americans and Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Unless you can think of a third?)

1. All people have an equal chance at salvation. Religion thus doesn’t matter. Anyone who is good, even an atheist, has an equal chance of being saved.

OR

1. The differences DO matter. It is more likely that you are saved as a Christian than as a non-Christian. Christianity gives you knowledge that brings you closer to God. By extension, it is possible that some paths are more correct than others, and that it’s possible to be misled.

Catholics simply believe that the errors of other denomination can hurt their chances at salvation.

Is this making sense?

Now, let’s look at another denomination, the Episcopalians. They are one of the most similar denominations to Catholicism, and yet, they have a few extremely important differences. For example, they now have an openly gay bishop. Besides the fact that this has torn their OWN denomination apart, this raises an interesting question. Is having an openly gay bishop moral, or is it immoral and a sin? Again, there are only two possible answers.

1. It is moral, in which case the Catholic position is restrictive and wrong.

OR

1. It is NOT moral, and the Episcopalians are leading people to believe that an immoral act is indeed acceptable. They are committing mortal sin as part of their denomination and endangering their souls.

Now, I’m not saying which position is correct, but either way, one group or the other is wrong in a fundamentally important manner. They both cannot be correct and acceptable.

Are you starting to understand the Catholic position and why “ignorance” DOES matter?

 

[Subrosa]

Question: Does the RCC believe that the only people that can hear god are only priests/pope?

Hi CK -

Not true! The Holy Spirit can act in any way He wishes!

Question: How does the RCC know that only their mass has the holy spirit and not a protestant church?

Again, NOT TRUE! The Catholic Church recognizes that the Holy Spirit is active in protestant churches.

Read chapter 17 of this document…vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html

And while yer at it, why not read it all? It ain’t that big!

Sub

 

[Subrosa]

Let’s see how Paul says that he was treated…

**1 Timothy 1:*13I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief. *

…interesting, no?

Sub

 

[RobHom]

ChristianKnight… I think, maybe its just possible, that if you lower your defenses just a little, and take a more humble Christian stance, you will find that Catholics are not the “boogey-man” that you have been led to believe. We do not eat babies, we don’t worship statues…but many of us like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No, I’m not trying to be cute or funny…just trying to show you that we are every bit as real and human as you. We believe in Christ…just as much as you. We just have beliefs that go beyond yours, possibly.

The Catholic Church is built on Scripture…and has doggedly fought over the centuries to protect Scriptures from abuse and to safeguard against heresy.

I believe that you are in a quest for knowledge…and in that quest you are true. Therefore, please allow me to help you by giving you access to a wonderful resource on-line. It is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Its the whole deal. What you might want to do is go to this link: scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc.htm This is the entire Catechism and it will explain to you the teachings of the Church. Each line and topic is a “clickable link” which will take you to that item.

Please feel free to go and use the Catechism in your quest and then, when you have questions…please ask and we will be more than happy to answer those questions.

On another subject… I can tell you for a fact…that I know that the Holy Spirit is present in other churches… I have been there, and I have felt the presence…no doubt in my mind.

 

[jfoges]

I see what your saying.

I do not think it very nice to believe people to be ignorant just cause htey don’t see a certain way, I honestly do not think I can ever be Catholic, cause their are so many things that the RCC teaches that is stuff I would never go under.

Sola Scripture, which I believe is a person’s own interpretation of the bible, right?

knight,

the RCC does not teach that you have to be catholic to go to heaven.