Can people choose to be spriritual and live a loving life?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Serap
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Serap said:
See this is the fundamental difference between Catholicism and other Protestant denominations and other religions. Catholics believe that they have the whole truth and that all the other religions are lacking and only have a piece of the truth.

Catholics also believe that if one is exposed to the “truth” and does not accept it, then that person is culpable for turning away from the “whole truth”. They are often referred to as dissenters, Cafeteria Catholics, etc. Catholics believe that these people are either in mortal sin or will have a very long journey in Purgatory.

I know first hand, Catholics that left the church to join a Protestant church and they are on fire for Christ. Catholics still insist that this person has turned away from God.

It’s very complicated and not easy to understand.
Click to expand...
I don’t think it is really all that complicated. I know plenty of non-Catholics who are on fire for Christ. The fact that they are is a wonderful thing and I am sure they are blest for this, but it does not mean that they are not still lacking in the fullness of truth. They don’t have the sacraments, for one thing, nor do they have Sacred Tradition or the teaching authority of the Magisterium as an assurance of a correct understanding of Sacred Scripture. This assurance is not something the Catholic Church made up, it is a guaranty from Christ himself who promised that the Holy Spirit would lead His Church into all truth.

Again, you say you are Catholic. Do you not believe this?
 
Serap said:
Bah…some of the meanest and rudest people I have ever met have been church goers and they justify their behaviour in the name of religion.
Click to expand...
Well, then they’re in the right place, aren’t they? Better that they’re in church than out of it.

And you wouldn’t know what they’d be like if they weren’t church-goers. Maybe their faith has saved them from being a down-in-the-gutter drunk. Or an adulterer. Or an even ruder and meaner person.

Incidentally, that reminds me of a story about writer Walker Percy, a curmudgeonly fellow. Apparently, after an encounter with a snippy woman in which he was gruff–and, perhaps rude, boorish, curt–this woman sniffed, “And you call yourself a Catholic!” to which he replied, “My dear, you should imagine what I would be like were I not a Catholic.”
 
Serap said:
Tell this to the Dalhi Lama. Would he agree with you?
Click to expand...
However spiritual or close to God he is (and I wouldn’t know), we are assured one thing–he cannot have the One Flesh Union with God that we enjoy in the Eucharist.
 
CMatt25 said:
Maybe read as Paul instructed the Bereans to do with their Scripture at the time to see if what they were subsequently being told was true.
Click to expand...
Are you saying to read the Scriptures to discern God’s will?

If so, you do realize that this is an assent to the authority of the Catholic Church which discerned these Scriptures for you. Thus you are acknowledging its authority.

You only know that Paul “instructed the Bereans” because the Catholic Church told you so. 🤷
And as spiritual people do our best to discern God’s Spirit to the best of our understanding. That’s faith.
Click to expand...
And, yet, in your paradigm, Matt, you cannot then tell someone like Fred Phelps, who also uses Scripture and faith to spew his vile invectives against homosexuals, that he is wrong.
 
Serap said:
I know first hand, Catholics that left the church to join a Protestant church and they are on fire for Christ.
Click to expand...
It would seem, then, that this ex-Catholic has decided to make God conform to HER image (or point of view) , rather than changing and conforming* her* image (POV) to Christ’s. How sad! 😦
 
GaryTaylor said:
Which One is that CMatt25, the One Protestant Church? Which verse are you referring to?

Now Christ “actually” did say this about His church…

And Christ said: Simon Peter answered, “You are ther Christ the Son of the Living God” Jesus replied, Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to any man, but bt My father in Heaven. And I tell that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall never prevail againt it. I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven… amd whatever you lose on Earth will be lossed in Heaven.

That was the catholic Church and the Apostolic Succession.

God Bless, Gary
Click to expand...
Hi Gary, well yes but I’m sure you (and Steve and PRMerger for that matter) are already aware of Protestant beliefs regarding those verses as well as any Catholic teachings or doctrines Protestants attest to as being imperfect. So there is no need for me to go over them here. We’re familiar with them. God bless you and the others as well.
 
CMatt25 said:
Hi Gary, well yes but I’m sure you (and Steve and PRMerger for that matter) are already aware of Protestant beliefs regarding those verses as well as any Catholic teachings or doctrines Protestants attest to as being imperfect. So there is no need for me to go over them here. We’re familiar with them. God bless you and the others as well.
Click to expand...
I really admire you! You remain charitable no matter what is demanded from you or thrown at you. This is a wonderful character trait. Don’t ever lose it!!!

Being Catholic, I feel very blessed. I love feeling part of a bigger community. We have Mother Mary and the saints to pray for us when we ask for intercession. It’s very comforting. We have the Eucharist and there’s nothing more amazing than hearing the priest say that I am absolved from my sins.

It really is a beautiful church, despite its imperfections. Have you ever met with a priest at a local parish? Instead of reading (in my opinion) a lot of uncharitable posts, you should just take a day and come and check us out 🙂 Ask all of your questions and have a priest answer them for you. He’ll be a lot more gentle and kind to you.

Me thinks that you might be an iddy bit curious about the Catholic Church??? 😃 Do you feel a little pull? Perhaps the Holy Spirit is saying, “Hey Matt…come check it out!!!”
 
Serap said:
I do not wish to justify my beliefs on this thread. I am Catholic and respectful of other Christians.
Click to expand...
There is nothing disrespectful about defending one’s faith, even when the truth may not sit well with another. Your statement “Yes, this is what Catholics believe” implies that it is something that you do not believe. In fact, this thread is exactly the place to justify your beliefs. I would hope that people are on a Catholic forum to discuss these things and learn the Catholic perspective while being free to defend their own position.
 
SteveVH said:
There is nothing disrespectful about defending one’s faith, even when the truth may not sit well with another. Your statement “Yes, this is what Catholics believe” implies that it is something that you do not believe. In fact, this thread is exactly the place to justify your beliefs. I would hope that people are on a Catholic forum to discuss these things and learn the Catholic perspective while being free to defend their own position.
Click to expand...
That’s your opinion. I however, like to take a kinder approach.
 
Serap said:
That’s your opinion. I however, like to take a kinder approach.
Click to expand...
Unkindness is not tolerated on the CAFs, Serap.

If the post remains present here, it is to be assumed that it is kind.
 
Protestants believed that Catholics began moving away from Christian values especially when they implemented (can’t remember the name of it) a process where a person could pay money to guarantee a spot in Purgatory. This has since been stopped and for a good reason.
Click to expand...
You are referring to the sale of indulgences.

Indulgences still exist. They can be partial or plenary.

newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm

But, the selling of indulgences was done by some corrupt clerics…it was not a practice that was a doctrine of the Church. Like now, there could be corrupt clerics…but that does not mean that the Church is corrupt.
 
PRmerger said:
Unkindness is not tolerated on the CAFs, Serap.

If the post remains present here, it is to be assumed that it is kind.
Click to expand...
it’s your opinion. just like I have my opinion.

justify it anyway you like. your opinion is valid.
 
Serap said:
it’s your opinion.
Click to expand...
Actually, Serap, it’s not my opinion. It’s a fact. As confirmed here with some hard data that is difficult to argue against.

CONDUCT RULES
Messages posted to this board must be polite and free of personal attacks, threats, and crude or sexually-explicit language.
 
Serap said:
I agree to agree 😉
Click to expand...
Soooooo, not all opinions are valid. Meaning there is an objective truth?

For example, surely you don’t find Fred Phelps’ opinions valid, eh?

(Look him up for his vile invectives against homosexuals that I will not post a link to. BTW, he uses Scripture and invokes the name of the Holy Spirit to come to his “opinions”).
 
PRmerger said:
Actually, Serap, it’s not my opinion. It’s a fact. As confirmed here with some hard data that is difficult to argue against.

CONDUCT RULES
Code: 
Messages posted to this board must be polite and free of personal attacks, threats, and crude or sexually-explicit language.
Click to expand...
🤷:confused:
 
Serap said:
I do not wish to justify my beliefs on this thread. I am Catholic and respectful of other Christians.
Click to expand...
But Serap, you are justifying your beliefs on this thread, in particular your belief (and mine as well) that other Christians are deserving of respect and consideration for their beliefs even though they are different than the beliefs of Catholics 😉 You are also of the belief that non-Catholic Christians are quite as capable of living good faith-enriched Christian lives with good Christian values as Catholics.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top