P
PhilNeri
Guest
yep, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Makes 3 days.
- Status
S
Servus_Pio_XII
Guest
[q]I know I made it sound like I was already set to pack up, but that’s not really the case. I really just wanted to look at other religions at the same time; see what they are about. [/q]
Remember, it is the narrow road to salvation. Though other religions may make appealing views about becoming “born again”, after which you are forever “saved”, remember that Jesus Christ, our Lord himself affirmed that salvation was not easy. Take heart, though, Let yourself experience the Faith in all of it’s glory! You are a part of the one true Faith, not just a club.
I have purposely read horribly anti-Catholic material (with an open mind), read the Koran, and deliberately gotten into theological arguments (one of which I am in now) with adults! None of this has ever swayed me from the Church. In fact, it has deepened my faith by assertation that there is no other Faith.
May the Lord Bless you and Keep You.
Remember, it is the narrow road to salvation. Though other religions may make appealing views about becoming “born again”, after which you are forever “saved”, remember that Jesus Christ, our Lord himself affirmed that salvation was not easy. Take heart, though, Let yourself experience the Faith in all of it’s glory! You are a part of the one true Faith, not just a club.
I have purposely read horribly anti-Catholic material (with an open mind), read the Koran, and deliberately gotten into theological arguments (one of which I am in now) with adults! None of this has ever swayed me from the Church. In fact, it has deepened my faith by assertation that there is no other Faith.
May the Lord Bless you and Keep You.
-The Humble Servant of Venerable Pius XII, who was the faithful Servant of God's Servants.
P
Pax
Guest
Crono,
This is the way I always address the issue of confessing our sins to a priest.
The reason we do this is because that is the way God set things up. Let me explain.
In the book of Genesis we read all about the fall of Adam and Eve and about Cain killing Able. While God knew exactly what had happened and what sins had been committed, God still asks Adam and Eve [see Gen 3:11-14] what they had done. Again, when Cain kills Able in Gen 4:10, God asks Cain “What have you done?” God wants us to confess and it is therefore necessary for us to do so.
So where does the priest fit in? In Leviticus 5:5-6 we have a solid prefiguring/foreshadowing of confession and this is carried over into the New Covenant. In Lev. 5:5-6 it says, “When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, and he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.” Note how the penitent must confess and take his sin offering to the priest, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. This requires knowledge of the sin on the part of the priest.
In the New Testament we have a number of verses that refer to the authority to forgive sins. In Matthew 9:6-8, we read “But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic --“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men." Notice how scripture says that such authority had been given to men. This is significant and is not merely a coincidence. This is the inspired word of God.
The question of authority and power to forgive sin is given obviously to Jesus and this is further affirmed in Matthew 28:18 where we are told, "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
So just how is this authority transfered to the apostles and their successors? In John 20:21-23 "Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This is an incredible set of verses. They are rich in meaning and power. Notice that Jesus sends the apostles in the same way that the Father sent Him. The Father sent Jesus with all power and authority which included the power to forgive sins. So also Jesus sends the apostles. Jesus breathes on the apostles and says, “receive the Holy Spirit.” There is only one other time in all of scripture where God breathes on man, and that is in Genesis when God breathes life into Adam. This is a significant moment in the upper room and it is at this moment that Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven: if you retain the sins of any they are retained.”
Later in the new testament scriptures we find additional verses that speak to confession and reconciliation. The most significant are the following:
2 Corinthians 5: 17-20
Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
James 5:14-15
Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters [priests] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (“presbyter” is the root word from which we get the term priest)
James 5:16
Therefore confess you sins to one another….
Matthew 18:18
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (In Jewish culture and faith the power to bind and loose carries a juridical dimension and has application to the forgiveness of sin)
This is the way I always address the issue of confessing our sins to a priest.
The reason we do this is because that is the way God set things up. Let me explain.
In the book of Genesis we read all about the fall of Adam and Eve and about Cain killing Able. While God knew exactly what had happened and what sins had been committed, God still asks Adam and Eve [see Gen 3:11-14] what they had done. Again, when Cain kills Able in Gen 4:10, God asks Cain “What have you done?” God wants us to confess and it is therefore necessary for us to do so.
So where does the priest fit in? In Leviticus 5:5-6 we have a solid prefiguring/foreshadowing of confession and this is carried over into the New Covenant. In Lev. 5:5-6 it says, “When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, and he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.” Note how the penitent must confess and take his sin offering to the priest, and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. This requires knowledge of the sin on the part of the priest.
In the New Testament we have a number of verses that refer to the authority to forgive sins. In Matthew 9:6-8, we read “But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic --“Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men." Notice how scripture says that such authority had been given to men. This is significant and is not merely a coincidence. This is the inspired word of God.
The question of authority and power to forgive sin is given obviously to Jesus and this is further affirmed in Matthew 28:18 where we are told, "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
So just how is this authority transfered to the apostles and their successors? In John 20:21-23 "Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This is an incredible set of verses. They are rich in meaning and power. Notice that Jesus sends the apostles in the same way that the Father sent Him. The Father sent Jesus with all power and authority which included the power to forgive sins. So also Jesus sends the apostles. Jesus breathes on the apostles and says, “receive the Holy Spirit.” There is only one other time in all of scripture where God breathes on man, and that is in Genesis when God breathes life into Adam. This is a significant moment in the upper room and it is at this moment that Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven: if you retain the sins of any they are retained.”
Later in the new testament scriptures we find additional verses that speak to confession and reconciliation. The most significant are the following:
2 Corinthians 5: 17-20
Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
James 5:14-15
Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters [priests] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (“presbyter” is the root word from which we get the term priest)
James 5:16
Therefore confess you sins to one another….
Matthew 18:18
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (In Jewish culture and faith the power to bind and loose carries a juridical dimension and has application to the forgiveness of sin)
C
crono_vivi
Guest
Thanks guys. 
I’m pretty sure I’m going to stay Roman Catholic; I’ve been reading a LOT lately.
One of the reasons I had thought about leaving was I was never able to defend the Catholic faith; most of my friends are of non-Catholic background(Protestant and other Christian denominations), so sometimes I get **** for being Catholic. It doesn’t bother me at all; I just wish I could defend it. Like someone else said, if they would say"You guys worship Mary." “Or the Pope is BS”. I never would know how to defend it. So that’s where I’m REALLY getting interested in Apologetics. Any suggested reading?
Thanks a lot guys. And BTW, I will write a letter to my Bishop. The one who confirmed me actually knew me out of the entire 92 person group that got confirmed! Just by saying my name once! We had a good conversation afterwards and I wouldn’t be suprised if he recognized my name again when I write him. But yes, I really wish the program for teaching CCD was better, I probably wouldn’t have even considered leaving Roman Catholicism if I had been taught more.
Thanks again.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to stay Roman Catholic; I’ve been reading a LOT lately.
One of the reasons I had thought about leaving was I was never able to defend the Catholic faith; most of my friends are of non-Catholic background(Protestant and other Christian denominations), so sometimes I get **** for being Catholic. It doesn’t bother me at all; I just wish I could defend it. Like someone else said, if they would say"You guys worship Mary." “Or the Pope is BS”. I never would know how to defend it. So that’s where I’m REALLY getting interested in Apologetics. Any suggested reading?Thanks a lot guys. And BTW, I will write a letter to my Bishop. The one who confirmed me actually knew me out of the entire 92 person group that got confirmed! Just by saying my name once! We had a good conversation afterwards and I wouldn’t be suprised if he recognized my name again when I write him. But yes, I really wish the program for teaching CCD was better, I probably wouldn’t have even considered leaving Roman Catholicism if I had been taught more.
Thanks again.
S
scylla
Guest
As I said before and I just want you to check this out, because this helped me soooo much.
See if you can get these CD’s they make defending and understanding Catholicism very, very easy.
www.biblechristiansociety.com
They will send you free CD’s, I think shipping is a couple bucks or so each.
God Bless
Scylla
See if you can get these CD’s they make defending and understanding Catholicism very, very easy.
www.biblechristiansociety.com
They will send you free CD’s, I think shipping is a couple bucks or so each.
God Bless
Scylla
S
Sherlock
Guest
crono_vivi,
You wrote, " I probably wouldn’t have even considered leaving Roman Catholicism if I had been taught more."
I hear ya—and, in hindsight, I believe I wouldn’t have left the Church for as long as I did if I had had a decent understanding of what it was that I was leaving. Ironically enough, it was a Protestant (Assembly of God) neighbor asking me a number of questions (the usual ones, some of which you have probably been asked yourself!) which prompted me to find the answers. That led to an interest in apologetics, and that led to an incredible increase in my spiritual (and intellectual) life—many, many rewards!
As for apologetics books: there are quite a few. A good start is the “Beginning Apologetics” series available here at the Catholic Answers website: shop.catholic.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/c-Apologetics_and_Evangelization.html?L+scstore+lxlw0044ff5be35b+1128388804
They’re short, inexpensive, and easy to understand. It’s a good beginning. I would also recommend going to the Catholic Answers website (catholic.com) and over on the left you’ll see a list of topics. CA has great articles on those topics that address the common objections. After that, there are many books that go into more depth. One book that I liked was Jeff Cavins’ “Upon This Rock”—it’s the story of him coming back to the Church after leaving and becoming a Protestant minister. Although it’s not about apologetics per se, it is still very useful and can be considered “apologetics at work”, as Cavins had to answer for himself the objections that he had had. “Catholicism and Fundamentalism” by Karl Keating is also very, very good.
You wrote, " I probably wouldn’t have even considered leaving Roman Catholicism if I had been taught more."
I hear ya—and, in hindsight, I believe I wouldn’t have left the Church for as long as I did if I had had a decent understanding of what it was that I was leaving. Ironically enough, it was a Protestant (Assembly of God) neighbor asking me a number of questions (the usual ones, some of which you have probably been asked yourself!) which prompted me to find the answers. That led to an interest in apologetics, and that led to an incredible increase in my spiritual (and intellectual) life—many, many rewards!
As for apologetics books: there are quite a few. A good start is the “Beginning Apologetics” series available here at the Catholic Answers website: shop.catholic.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/c-Apologetics_and_Evangelization.html?L+scstore+lxlw0044ff5be35b+1128388804
They’re short, inexpensive, and easy to understand. It’s a good beginning. I would also recommend going to the Catholic Answers website (catholic.com) and over on the left you’ll see a list of topics. CA has great articles on those topics that address the common objections. After that, there are many books that go into more depth. One book that I liked was Jeff Cavins’ “Upon This Rock”—it’s the story of him coming back to the Church after leaving and becoming a Protestant minister. Although it’s not about apologetics per se, it is still very useful and can be considered “apologetics at work”, as Cavins had to answer for himself the objections that he had had. “Catholicism and Fundamentalism” by Karl Keating is also very, very good.
M
moochie
Guest
Crono - God bless you! I was where you were 5 years ago, but I was in my early 30s. So you’re ahead of me! images/icons/icon12.gif First of all, my friend . . . PRAY! Pray for God to guide you to him! The more I pray, the better I know God. Trust in Christ! He is your Lord & Saviour. Even when we let Him down, He’s there for us.
Ya gotta read the Bible! I’m assuimg you already do but, if you’re like me, you prolly could always read more!
The Coming Home Network has a great little pamphlet for only 50 cents (whatta deal!
) that guides you through the Bible & Catechism in only one year. Takes about 20 minutes a day & you could break it up, if you wanted. Check it out here:
Code:
http://www.chnetwork.org/Apologetics: Others have mentioned some great ones so I’ll stick with the Early Church. A great book on the Early Church Fathers is Four Witnesses by Rod Bennett. Amazing! These 4 men will come alive while you read this book, mostly in their own words! A very easy & informative read. It’s not an apologetics book, specifically, but it will help you see that the Early Church was the Catholic Church! Did for me. Can’t recommend it enough. Also, look for 2 books by Mike Aquilina: The Mass of the Early Christians & The Fathers of the Church. Really great stuff.
Websites to replace the one you asked about: The Bible Christian Society is great & John’s CD’s are wonderful. You won’t regret getting them! (Free is always good.) There’s a new website called Quo Vadis run by the son of the guy who runs the Coming Home Network. He’s around 20, I’d say. Cool guy. It’s here:
Code:
http://www.chnquovadis.org/
Code:
http://www.nextwavefaithful.com/Remember: you are loved by Jesus Christ in a way no one else could love you! You belong to Him & have been confirmed in the Church He founded on earth. All the stuff you have to learn - that we all still have to learn - will take some time. Be patient. Trust in Christ & His Church. Give him your heart. He’ll guide you, I promise! He has definitely guided me!
You are in my prayers, Crono. God bless!
M
mercygate
Guest
God makes a lot of REALLY good Catholics this way! It DOES get annoying to be beat up on and stand there like a jerk with your mouth hanging open and nothing coming out!Thanks guys.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to stay Roman Catholic; I’ve been reading a LOT lately.
The one single book you need to get right this minute is Karl Keating’s OUTSTANDING book, Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on “Romanism” by Bible Christians.
It is available via the Catholic Answers on line shop: shop.catholic.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/p-B0121.html?L+scstore+ggnv6572ff6ed96e+1128081060
Go get 'em, Dude (or Dudette)!
I believe that the Lord is stirring up young people like you to bring the Church to its senses. We are in a battle, and it’s going to take young Turks to win it! God LOVE you!Thanks a lot guys. And BTW, I will write a letter to my Bishop. The one who confirmed me actually knew me out of the entire 92 person group that got confirmed! Just by saying my name once! We had a good conversation afterwards and I wouldn’t be suprised if he recognized my name again when I write him. But yes, I really wish the program for teaching CCD was better, I probably wouldn’t have even considered leaving Roman Catholicism if I had been taught more.
Thanks again.
M
mercygate
Guest
Yo, Pax! Steppin’ on my turf here, with your seriously excellent post on confession!
Nice work! We should put an act together and take it on the road!
P
puzzleannie
Guest
you are seriously considering going to an internet site you know nothing about, doing their bible studies, when you know nothing about who wrote them, who is giving their own interpretation of the bible, and most of all, who gave these people authority to teach and interpret the bible? Yet you presumably took part for 2 years in a confirmation program in the Catholic Church, the Church founded by Jesus Christ, the Church that compiled the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit you welcomed into your heart 2 months ago. During all that time did you never pick up a bible? Ask for bible study? Why? Why not?Hi, I’m 16, and was recently confirmed in April. I have been thinking about leaving the Catholic faith, and this site has really appealed to me. What do you guys think of it?
eliyah.com
Just read through it, I want to know what the Catholic viewpoint on this is.
Since I know you are a teen which by definition you are yanking our chain with your initial sentence, I ask you, in general, in your life do you tend to take direction and guidance from people you don’t know or from people you trust; from people who don’t know much about a topic, or from people who are experts, from people who tell you what you want to hear, or people who tell the truth. Some things to consider as you contemplate major life decisions.
D
DianJo
Guest
Roche42 (Alex),
Oh, my, you did not offend me at all!! I just heard the frustration in your post and I have mentioned this same frustration in my own parish! My last post on the “suggestion” was not one of having taken offense. It was one of sincerity, I really hope someone, wherever they are in the US, lets their diocesan offices know of failing CCD programs!
A big part of the problem is at home. CCD is supposed to a SUPPLEMENT to the parents teaching at home! CCD is not supposed to be the primary means of education for young people on their faith and I don’t think many parents understand this - at least in my parish.
Believe me, I see how the secular world has already gotten a hold of young people. Last year, I taught the 10th grade and I was horrified to see that those kids did not know that birth control, having sex outside of marriage, porn and masturbation were MORTAL sins! They were shocked too! They all acted guilty as hell and started pointing fingers at each other!!! We had to spend 2 weeks on the subject so that they understood these issues! I’m surprised I didn’t any calls from parents fussing at me for teaching “sex education” or something crazy like that! Amazing! They are not being taught at home.
There are so many obstacles when it comes to trying to make sure young people learn about their faith. How do the protestant churches do it? Those kids seem to know their bibles backwards and forwards - how do their teachers and parents keep their interest in order to teach them? They know why they believe what they believe (however misguided, they still have their answers) and our kids stand there dumbstruck!
I dunno but I’ll keep trying!
C
crobynb
Guest
Crono-
Ask and you shall receive . . . look at how many wonderful people are responding and sharing information to bolster your faith!! That is an awesome support network that you can 100% rely on to help you through this journey. More importantly you have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 10000000000000% to rely on. (Okay I might have gone overboard with the zero’s but then again look WHO we are talking about!!!)
Okay - I am fairly young and I searched around in my teens to find myself. I never doubted the existence of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit but I did not know where or how to p(name removed by moderator)oint the feelings and answer the questions that were rattling around in my adolescent head. I primarily attended a Methodist church and led a mediocre Christian life. I loved God and all that jazz but I never felt passion or fire for HIM. It was just lukewarm. Then through a slight influence from a few friends and family I was introduced to the Catholic faith. (by this time I had been baptised Methodist at age 16) I knew that this sudden influence of Catholicism in my life was sent to me as a sign. Anyways God had always known where to find me - I finally opened my eyes to look for and find him. Now you cannot cool me off!!! The Bible, religious tracts and books, prayers, rosary, the historical information on the Catholic Church . . . I simply can’t get enough!!
My husband and I went through RCIA together in 2002/2003 and it was the best thing we have ever done in our lives. Not being a cradle Catholic gives me the perspective of someone who is Catholic not by parents or family tradition - but because of Choice! You already have the blessing of the Catholic Church in your life. So advice from someone the ripe old age of 23 :whacky: – do not let it go!!! It is too precious to abandon. As you get older you will probably/hopefully realize that. Educate yourself, search for the answers you seek, defend your faith!! Peer pressure and outside sources of negativity about your Faith can be difficult to deal with. It can influence the decisions you make,-but remember that the road we travel was never promised to be easy.
Good luck and God Bless!! Keep us posted on your decisions. (Sorry this was so long)
Ask and you shall receive . . . look at how many wonderful people are responding and sharing information to bolster your faith!! That is an awesome support network that you can 100% rely on to help you through this journey. More importantly you have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 10000000000000% to rely on. (Okay I might have gone overboard with the zero’s but then again look WHO we are talking about!!!)
Okay - I am fairly young and I searched around in my teens to find myself. I never doubted the existence of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit but I did not know where or how to p(name removed by moderator)oint the feelings and answer the questions that were rattling around in my adolescent head. I primarily attended a Methodist church and led a mediocre Christian life. I loved God and all that jazz but I never felt passion or fire for HIM. It was just lukewarm. Then through a slight influence from a few friends and family I was introduced to the Catholic faith. (by this time I had been baptised Methodist at age 16) I knew that this sudden influence of Catholicism in my life was sent to me as a sign. Anyways God had always known where to find me - I finally opened my eyes to look for and find him. Now you cannot cool me off!!! The Bible, religious tracts and books, prayers, rosary, the historical information on the Catholic Church . . . I simply can’t get enough!!
My husband and I went through RCIA together in 2002/2003 and it was the best thing we have ever done in our lives. Not being a cradle Catholic gives me the perspective of someone who is Catholic not by parents or family tradition - but because of Choice! You already have the blessing of the Catholic Church in your life. So advice from someone the ripe old age of 23 :whacky: – do not let it go!!! It is too precious to abandon. As you get older you will probably/hopefully realize that. Educate yourself, search for the answers you seek, defend your faith!! Peer pressure and outside sources of negativity about your Faith can be difficult to deal with. It can influence the decisions you make,-but remember that the road we travel was never promised to be easy.
Good luck and God Bless!! Keep us posted on your decisions. (Sorry this was so long)
J
James224
Guest
Hi crono_vivi,
Quote: “Hi, I’m 16, and was recently confirmed in April. I have been thinking about leaving the Catholic faith, and this site has really appealed to me. What do you guys think of it?
eliyah.com
Just read through it, I want to know what the Catholic viewpoint on this is.”
My Comment: I read a couple of the essays on tradition. The problem is that this person doesn’t understand what “Tradition” is. “Apostolic Tradition” is an authority, not an event. There are “traditions” with a small 't" that may come and go but don’t be confused on what we mena by Tradition. For example, to use scripture, 2 Thess 2:14 says, " Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle." Traditions - plural. By word or epistle, that is, oral or written. The early church, through oral tradition, had the authority to make these decisions to celebrate Christmas and to use the name Jesus. So you see, these weren’t “Traditions of men” which is what this person is alluding to.
Jesus Christ started ONE church which means that it had to be there from the time of the apostles until now. It couldn’t start last week or 500 years ago but, rather, 2,000 years ago.You need to figure out which one that is.
1)This person on this website needs to show that all the doctrines he or she is teaching was what the early church taught. Maybe they could give a name of a person in the early church that they agree with and believe taught these doctrines. 2)They need to show why the early christians were wrong in celebrating Christmas or using the name Jesus.
May God bless,
James224
Quote: “Hi, I’m 16, and was recently confirmed in April. I have been thinking about leaving the Catholic faith, and this site has really appealed to me. What do you guys think of it?
eliyah.com
Just read through it, I want to know what the Catholic viewpoint on this is.”
My Comment: I read a couple of the essays on tradition. The problem is that this person doesn’t understand what “Tradition” is. “Apostolic Tradition” is an authority, not an event. There are “traditions” with a small 't" that may come and go but don’t be confused on what we mena by Tradition. For example, to use scripture, 2 Thess 2:14 says, " Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle." Traditions - plural. By word or epistle, that is, oral or written. The early church, through oral tradition, had the authority to make these decisions to celebrate Christmas and to use the name Jesus. So you see, these weren’t “Traditions of men” which is what this person is alluding to.
Jesus Christ started ONE church which means that it had to be there from the time of the apostles until now. It couldn’t start last week or 500 years ago but, rather, 2,000 years ago.You need to figure out which one that is.
1)This person on this website needs to show that all the doctrines he or she is teaching was what the early church taught. Maybe they could give a name of a person in the early church that they agree with and believe taught these doctrines. 2)They need to show why the early christians were wrong in celebrating Christmas or using the name Jesus.
May God bless,
James224
P
Pax
Guest
mercygate,Yo, Pax! Steppin’ on my turf here, with your seriously excellent post on confession!
Thanks for the kind words. You have a terrific forum name and it speaks volumes about your interest and views on confession. It is just as the hymnal says: “Loving and forgiving are you Oh Lord; loving and forgiving are you; slow to anger, rich in kindness, loving and forgiving are you.” This hymn and thought are with me always.
You are right…a road show would be dynamite
- Status