For All the Protestants That Care to Answer . . .

[dessert]

Tell you what, you start the thread about your dh and I’ll chime in with my issues and maybe we’ll find some resolution, if nothing else, some understanding.

check out “protestant DH has issues with Mary and the Saints”

 

[apophasis]

Ah yes, sola fide.
What is your opinion of works? Can you do them strictly for the honor and glory of God, with no intention of meritting anything for yourself?

Absolutely, since I cannot merit salvation in any way. I cannot merit what I have been divinely gifted. It’s really quite simple.

 

[Erich]

I see the Catholic church as a stable entity, for now. If it doesn’t cave into any worldy trends, like contraception, I might look into RCIA.

I’m an RCIA sponsor this year, and the “stable entity not caving into any worldly trends” is an oft-cited reason for why many of the candidates are there.

I’ve heard it said (and I like the analogy so much I will repeat it here) that the Church should be more like a thermostat and less like a thermometer!

 

[Syele]

I was just wondering that if the CC dropped their Traditions of honoring Mary and the saints, the sacrament of Confession to a priest and the papal infallibility doctrine, would Protestants become Catholic?
The reason I listed these is because these seem to be the main ones Protestants have issues with.
Also, if your reason is not listed in the ones I mentioned, feel free to share.
Protestants that converted to Catholicism can also share the reason why they converted, if they’d like.

I have come to see that all my objections to the Catholic Church stem from just one. Justification by faith alone. It’s all interrelated. That said, If the Catholic Church changed it’s beliefs to match mine, I’d be lery of the Catholic Church since it calims to be the True Church. Makes no sense for the “True Church” to go around changing it’s mind.

 

[Blue_Serenity]

Absolutely, since I cannot merit salvation in any way. I cannot merit what I have been divinely gifted. It’s really quite simple.

Some Catholics here say that is what the CC believes. Maybe Protestants aren’t that far off from them than what we think.

 

[Winchester]

This is a VERY interesting question, as I’ve been contemplating Catholicism alot lately. I guess the one I have the biggest issue with is honoring Mary and the saints when Christ Himself said that “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”. Who better to go to than God Himself with your prayers?

In one sense this goes to Ecclesiology - the Doctrine of the Church.

If the Church is, as some Protestant confessional documents say, a place where the Gospel is preached and the sacraments or ordinances administer, and which is of necessity within this world until Christ returns, praying to the Saints may not be justified.

But, if the Church is a sulernatural institution, the Body of Christ, which transcends the limits of the Space-Time continuum, which consists of the Church Militant (here on earth), the Church Expectant (those in Purgatory) and the Church Triumphand (the Saints in heaven); and if there is an inherent unity - uniting these three portions of the Church, which unity transcends Space-Time, in that case, within the unitiy of the Church, just as you can ask your friends in the Church Militant to pray for you, you may ask your friends in the Church Triumphant to pray for you and you can also, within that unity of the Church, praay for your friends in the Church Expectant.

As far as Honoring Mary Immaculate, that is justified because she was the Theotokis - the “Bearer of Christ,” and by giving her un-predestined (IMHO) consent to become the Mother of Our Lord, is a cooperator - a co-redemptrix) in our salvation.

 

[JimO]

The Reformers Calvin and Luther both agreed with the “Real Presence”, but not transubstantiation. Luther, for example, called it co-substantiation.

In a sense, any Evangelical would say that Christ is really present, in Spirit, during the Communion.

I suppose it’s a matter of terminology. Catholics use the term “real presence” (usually capitalized) specifically to refer to the transubstantiated Eucharist. I understand the broader use of the term, but there might be some confusion on these fora with its use, that’s all.

 

[RNRobert]

I find Catholicism in fact are very traditional but i just cannot understand why majority of the Catholic i know (typically in my country) they don’t tithe, all most of them will tell me , they don’t earn much so cannot tithe, which i find it is a bad reason not to give tithe, for what we have are given by God, he just wanted to see your inner heart, despite the so called pittance pay. So what is consider a high pay to tithe, which i always wanted to ask them!! Isn’t Catholicism has their Philosophy and Principles of Tithing according to the Rule of St. Michael?? Yet why so many pple who claim they love God this and that, yet when comes to $$$, the true color shows!!! All they say, oh God will not blame me if i don’t tithe…

Yes, Catholics should tithe, and many do not. However, can you honestly say that ALL non-Catholic Christians tithe?

 

[RNRobert]

I think the largest “Protestant” issue is justification by faith alone (sola fide). Until the Catholic church embraces that truth most educated “Protestants” would not (could not) even approach her. And once she embraced and grew in that truth, many of her other non-biblical traditions would eventually fade away.

You know, the ironic thing about this issue is that it is one of the reasons that made me chuck Protestantism for the Catholic Church. I would read Protestant literature, listen to radio and televangelists and the preachers of the church I attended say that all that was necessary was to pray the “sinners prayer” and believe in Jesus, and you would be saved. But, as a good Protestant reading my Bible, it seemed the Bible said something entirely different. There was James, saying that faith without works is dead (which is why Luther wanted to eject it from the canon as it didn’t fit his preconceived notions). Then there was Jesus himself. He said that not all who say “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, then there were his parables, like the ones in Matthew 25 (the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goats), which made it clear that salvation or damnation depended very much on one’s actions. Even Paul, whom Protestants quote most often, mentioned the importance "proving one’s repentance by one’s deeds (Acts 26:20. All of this made me question the doctrine of Sola Fide.

 

[DRIVING_BEAR]

No I Think You Would Have To Start A New 3rd Church To Reunite Prods. And Catholics
To Do This Both Sides Would Have To “water Down” Their Positions So Much You Would End Up With Just A Jesus Fan Club.

 

[JonathanKinsman]

No I Think You Would Have To Start A New 3rd Church To Reunite Prods. And Catholics

To Do This Both Sides Would Have To “water Down” Their Positions So Much You Would End Up With Just A Jesus Fan Club.

\

So, are you a member of a Protestant church or do you solo as a Christian?

 

[RNRobert]

No I Think You Would Have To Start A New 3rd Church To Reunite Prods. And Catholics
To Do This Both Sides Would Have To “water Down” Their Positions So Much You Would End Up With Just A Jesus Fan Club.

Agreed. C.S. Lewis (one of my favorite non-Catholic writers), wrote that the conservatives of the various communions shared many things in common (this maybe the reason why Lewis’s writings are loved by Christians of all stripes) and that they would be the best hope for reunion. He said the Liberals were always changing what they believed, and that we’d never get reunion from them.

 

[apophasis]

Some Catholics here say that is what the CC believes. Maybe Protestants aren’t that far off from them than what we think.

The key word being “say.” What one “says” he believes is not always what one “teaches.” There are, in fact, long threads on this forum which demonstrate that Ps and Cs are far from being close on this fundamental, Biblical issue. It is the chasm that will always keep them separated. If the Catholic church miraculously crossed over it would lose its identity, its infrastructure.

 

[apophasis]

You know, the ironic thing about this issue is that it is one of the reasons that made me chuck Protestantism for the Catholic Church. I would read Protestant literature, listen to radio and televangelists and the preachers of the church I attended say that all that was necessary was to pray the “sinners prayer” and believe in Jesus, and you would be saved. But, as a good Protestant reading my Bible, it seemed the Bible said something entirely different. There was James, saying that faith without works is dead (which is why Luther wanted to eject it from the canon as it didn’t fit his preconceived notions). Then there was Jesus himself. He said that not all who say “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, then there were his parables, like the ones in Matthew 25 (the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goats), which made it clear that salvation or damnation depended very much on one’s actions. Even Paul, whom Protestants quote most often, mentioned the importance "proving one’s repentance by one’s deeds (Acts 26:20. All of this made me question the doctrine of Sola Fide.

That’s too bad, because in all your Bible reading you never came to understand Paul’s teachings on the cross of Christ which are addressed to faith, and faith alone.

You see what I mean, “Blue Serenity?”

 

[happygal]

Yes, Catholics should tithe, and many do not. However, can you honestly say that ALL non-Catholic Christians tithe?

Although i cannot say all Christian tithe, but at least all the Christian i know tithe and all the Catholic i know don’t tithe (with exception to one frez whom is a Catholic and start to tithe when he came over to my church, coz it is also where he got to know about tithing) in fact this frez of mine whom parent’s does not like him to tithe , despite them knowing CC tithing principle but yet they just don’t want to tithe. Another similar cases hit my ex boyfriend as well, his Catholic uncle tell him not to tithe!!! Thus previously it always make me wonder, why Catholic pple always challenge us why do we tithe despite CC having a tithing principle written by their Saint…In my country majority of the protestant are stronger in all aspect of their faith compare to most Catholics, at such Singapore are dominated by protestant of the christianity population.

Actually if all Catholic in my place can be like the American, i’m sure to tell you they will be more non-believers converting to Christianity, then leaving most of the evangelizing work to the protestant. I guess if Catholic can spend time evangelizing, probably i would probably be a Catholic today and not a protestant. By far till date i never hear a single Catholic frez of mine sharing their Catholic faith to me and never did i hear them asking non believer to a CC, come on if Catholic just believe that simply by praying, non believer frez of theirs will go to a CC, then we don’t even need to evangelize…all i can say, majority of the catholic here are rather disappointing to me ,coz most of them don’t even know most of their foundation Catholicism doctrine…and it is even a sad sight that a Protestant like me to learn what i know here to help them…WHY ARE THEY SO INACTIVE IN LEARNING ABOUT CATHOLICISM!!!

 

[Blue_Serenity]

That’s too bad, because in all your Bible reading you never came to understand Paul’s teachings on the cross of Christ which are addressed to faith, and faith alone.

You see what I mean, “Blue Serenity?”

I see your point. I guess I was holding out hope for misinterpretations. I’ve seen alot of arguments over scripture happen simply because another was not understanding how one interpretted it.

 

[Winchester]

Do you ask your friends, family, and fellow church members to pray for you, do you not? We believe we do not stop belonging to the Body of Christ when we die (for God is the God of the living). Mary and the Saints are our family, fellow Christians who have gone before us and who are present with God.

You bet! And to deny that we in the Church Militant cannot ask their friends and relatives in the Church Triumphant for their prayers, and deny that we can pray for our relatives in the Church Expectant (Purgatory) denies the unity of the Church across the space/time continuum. And many Protestants do in fact deny that. This question is at the root, all about ecclelsiology, about the theology of the nature of the Church. I am on your side, RNRobert.

 

[MarysRoses]

No I Think You Would Have To Start A New 3rd Church To Reunite Prods. And Catholics
To Do This Both Sides Would Have To “water Down” Their Positions So Much You Would End Up With Just A Jesus Fan Club.

I thought we already have those… the happy clappy megalopolis ‘churches’ with prosperity gospel lite.

 

[dessert]

Absolutely, since I cannot merit salvation in any way. I cannot merit what I have been divinely gifted. It’s really quite simple.

Really what I would say is I don’t deserve salvation nor have I earned it in any way it is a divine gift rest assured but suffered through Jesus Christ as he has bought our salvation. Even as the thief on the cross Jesus gave it to him but the thief still had to suffer and die and if that htief had lived he would have more than likely followed Jesus not just physically but with his whole heart mind and soul. It is a gift that we use everyday not just a Christmas present that gets put into the closet because we don’t know what to do with it or put on a shelf or hung on the wall or heaven forbid take it back to exchange for another god, don’t you think? Just IMOP dessert

 

[dessert]

That’s too bad, because in all your Bible reading you never came to understand Paul’s teachings on the cross of Christ which are addressed to faith, and faith alone.

You see what I mean, “Blue Serenity?”

Paul always taught Christ crucified and faith without works is DEAD.James 2; 20
What better example than our Lord Jesus living and doing exactly what he taught all not just the apostles(disciples) see how we can use a little different word, Jesus walked the talk and so did Paul.
A seed of faith can be planted but it must grow and can grow.
And must be watered in order to produce fruit. dessert