I find that a tendency that when a person’s religion is challenged, they will first seek to cut off dialogue. I minimize my dialogue so as not to prompt those specifically limited in the ability to engage to cut off or beliittle dialogue / opposing opinion / other’s statements.
If you say so, but I’ve been a member here since about six months after it was opened and have not seen any such.
I don’t see where anyone has done any of those things to you here in this thread especially. All they have asked is that you make the effort to compose your posts in a readable and cogent way that can be read with ease and facilitate a better response.
I see that you have done that in this post and I appreciate it.
I’ve talked to many Catholics over the years, and this unwillingness to test their faith through sharp discourse is a common theme.
I don’t buy that. I am of the opinion that generally it is most of the n-Cs/a-Cs that are unwilling to apply the same standards of inquiry into their own beliefs.
Are you willing to apply them to your own faith?
Sharp discourse? I face and refute anything that comes along. If you’ve been here as long as you infer that you have then you need only check my post history to confirm that “sharp discourse” is no problem to me.
I don’t post often because I don’t want to be banned (I believe that there is a way for moderators to do such a thing here) for bringing up sharp and biting points
. Right… Well the moderators only intervene when the
Forum Rules and
Banned Topics get violated and that only seems to happen when “sharp and biting points” becomes a euphemism for a scenario where someone bashes the Catholic faith without any respect or charity and expects that to pass for debate.
I find that maintaining righteousness in the Kingdom of God and right standing with the King is much more difficult than any edicts given to those Catholic priesthood.
Really? If you say so. Are you celibate yourself? Are you so committed to the Kingdom of God? Prove it.
Celibacy is easy, poverty is easy when you have billions of people supporting you (how “poor” are you, really?).
Again I ask, are
you celibate in response to the direct teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ and affirmed by St. Paul?
Poor enough, but I wager you make more than any of our priests.
The hard thing is to remain in constant communication with the King, which demands maintaining righteousness in every way…not just in ways regarding “sins.”
I wonder if you pray half as much as my parish priests do…or work anywhere as hard. I don’t know you and so I can’t say…but I
do know
them.
I don’t have a robe, or a cross, a big hat, or some outward thing that lets you know that I am different from you. Isn’t that how Christ operated on Earth too?
Oh but I have seen African Episcopal clergy and look at
these pictures.:ehh:
http://www.aecst.org/gallery/gallery8-3.jpghttp://www.aecst.org/gallery/gallery8-24.jpg
http://www.aecst.org/gallery/gallery8-16.jpghttp://www.aecst.org/gallery/gallery8-17.jpg
My fraternity is something that is with me no matter what I wear, same too is my ambassadorship within the Kingdom.
And I find the same within our most holy faith, so what’s your point?
I think that the idea, for any organization or church, that it is normal to fail to instill in all its members with the demand or impressed need for each and every member to prepare for every level of responsibility within the organization or church leaves it vulnerable to failure.
Okay… just how does that supposedly relate to us Catholics?
This I see as a difference between the church and the teaching of the Kingdom of God. I think that every member has the title and thus the responsibility.
I can’t tell. Especially from the verifiable writings of the very earliest church fathers like St. Ignatius of Antioch. Look what he wrote!
See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles. Do ye also reverence the deacons, as those that carry out[through their office] the appointment of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper(18) Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude[of the people] also be; by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.Too bad that what you are saying is contrary both the the New Testament and the writings of the early church fathers who were taught by the apostle John himself.
Taking the Catholic Church in this example - you are all Popes
…and seeing yourself (or telling each other) anything less than that in that demand, limits your understanding of the structure of The Kingdom of God.Yeah, right. And where is this found in the Word of God again? Isn’t this the same errant doctrine that has precipitated the cascade of doctrinal errors that not only contradict the Bible but were never taught by Christians in the first 1500 years of their existence? I do believe it is!
I see all citizenry within The Kingdom as truly equal - because it instills that awesome and grave responsibility in each.
I believe that all faithful Catholics are all too well aware of their “awesome and grave responsibility” to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. As believers, we are all equal, but the Christian Church has never not been hierarchal. You’d know that if you read the New Testament more carefully and then checked the earliest church father’s writings.
I believe that is what Christ teach as he spoke on more times than not about how hard it is to maintain righteousness in The Kingdom - and he didn’t teach this to Jewish Church elders, he taught this to the masses.
I don’t think any of us will contest that the following of Christ is a challenge to say the least. What else would Our Lord have meant when He said “Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
There is no anarchy in the Kingdom of God, there is no Democracy either.
Here again, I don’t think you’ll get an argument from faithful Catholics.
My communication is directly with the King. He is available at all times and in every place. His son (my brother Jesus) was sent to reconcile me to that relationship with my Holy Father - The One Almighty God creator of the Universe.
See my last comment…
From the posts I’ve read so far, It seems like everyone here understands the concept of being a Child of the Almighty God, but doesn’t realize it.
Odd, it seems to me that you have no real understanding of either real New Testament Christianity or the Catholic faith, which are one and the same. Stick around, there’s an education and conversion to be had here.
That is my charge…you gotta recognize WHAT you are. Otherwise you’re available for any lawyer/religion to talk you into “a Church,” where your birthright (through repentance / Jesus’s reconciling sacrifice) gives you full access to The Kingdom.
Here your rhetoric ceases to have an application to faithful Catholics
I think the question is…are you a Catholic first, or a Citizen of the Kingdom of God first?
Both!
