I don't know what Catholics think about this...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hugh_Betcha
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
40.png
Philthy:
In fact it’s so ridiculous that I’m tempted to believe your making it up. But here you have your church saying and doing just that. Good time for you to ask Jesus, "Is this really part of your game plan? Churches splitting apart over doctrine? Why does this have to keep happening? Is this what you meant when you said you would build your Church on “this rock”? The answer won’t be ambiguous.

Phil
Click to expand...
Here’s a link to the letter sent to the congregation in PDF format:

foresthill.org/update.htm

Not that you REALLY think I’m lying but thought you all may like to read it.
 
40.png
e-catholic:
Hugh,

Try out the many treasures of the Catholic faith, pray the Rosary, try a novena, etc. You don’t have to pray many of them, in fact it is usually recommended that you choose one or maybe two, but you can try one for a week, and then something else. I recommend the Rosary, I have recently discovered what a treasure it is although I am a cradle Catholic.

Learn from, and possibly with your fiancee, this could deepen your faith, and your love for each other.
Click to expand...
I thought about the Rosary, but don’t know what/how to pray or even if I am allowed to. Can you pray what you want, or does it have to be the set prayers? And what is a novena? I just don’t want to mess up and be excommunicated; particularly since I haven’t been communicated yet!
 
What has happened at your church should help you to see the reasonableness of the Catholic Faith. However, do not come thinking that you can pick and choose. The Church has protected and dessiminated the teachings of Christ since the beginning-- it must remain fixed on this dispite the opinions of the world. There are defined teachings that are not open for discussion then there are lesser man-made traditions that can be changed. As far as prayer, the greatest prayer is the Eucharistic Liturgy. There is no defined personal prayer. There are many forms. Some find traditions like the rosary helpful.
 
About fifteen years ago a group of like minded catholics left the church in my town and formed their own non-denominational church.
Since then there have been 2 formal splits.

I think this inclination to split and start over is at the very heart and soul of protestantism.
Although if you ask them about it - they usually call it “reform”
 
This is why they are called PROTESTant, it describes the very nature of it all.
 
Hugh Betcha:
OK, so I got a letter from my church today. Basically it says that they are moving away from the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) for the following reasons:
  1. They want the ability to re-baptize folks who already have been; ie someone who renews thier faith and wants another baptism. Currently they are not allowed to do so.
  2. They want non-EPC ordained pastors to be allowed to serve the Lord’s supper.
Does this bother you as much as me?! It almost seems like they are saying “well we want to do what WE want, so we will find some other denomination (or none at all) that will let us”. This is really, really on my nerves. It feels like I don’t have a church anymore! What do you guys (and gals) think?
Click to expand...
Screwed up huh?

Jesus did say “I amd the Way and the Truth, and the Life…”

Not “Ways…Truths…Lives…”

That my brother, is one of the bigest things that drove me to investigate the Catholic Chruch.
 
Originally posted by Hugh Betcha

I thought about the Rosary, but don’t know what/how to pray or even if I am allowed to. Can you pray what you want, or does it have to be the set prayers? And what is a novena? I just don’t want to mess up and be excommunicated; particularly since I haven’t been communicated yet!
Click to expand...
Well, you don’t have to pray the rosary to be Catholic, it is just a tradition (with a “little t”). But it is a great tradition in my book. A concise one-page guide I found is located at newadvent.org’s site ( LINK ) in adobe pdf format. The guide explains it like this: Say some prayers (listed), in a certain order, while touching your rosary beads to keep track of your progress, and silently meditating on certain “mysteries” or events from the lives of Jesus and Mary (also listed).

When you first start praying the rosary, some of the prayers will probably be foreign to you. You will know the Our Father, but there are others you may not have learned. Everyone who has ever prayed the rosary has been there.

And you can’t “mess up” prayers/rosary/novenas. Your intent is what is important. I even get a mental block sometimes when saying the rosary in a group (we are all human!). Someone always gets it going again, and we continue on.

Peace to you and God Bless

SG257
 
Hugh Betcha:
OK, so I got a letter from my church today. Basically it says that they are moving away from the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) for the following reasons:
  1. They want the ability to re-baptize folks who already have been; ie someone who renews thier faith and wants another baptism. Currently they are not allowed to do so.
  2. They want non-EPC ordained pastors to be allowed to serve the Lord’s supper.
Does this bother you as much as me?! It almost seems like they are saying "well we want to do what WE want, so we will find some other denomination (or none at all) that will let us". This is really, really on my nerves. It feels like I don’t have a church anymore! What do you guys (and gals) think?
Click to expand...
you have just defined the drive behind ALL protestant organizations.
 
I have to say the action your church is taking is a great sadness. I feel that way about any church who takes it upon itself to move farther away from what God has called us to do, and moves closer to doing what they as humans want to do.

I would feel like I was losing my church, too. Lucky for you, their loss is your gain… of a new church. 🙂

Just for my own curiosity, did anyone attend the Q&a meeting? Did anyone protest the change. If enough had protested, perhaps the deicsion would have been reversed?
 
40.png
dumspirospero:
First off…as Catholics, we acknowledge only ONE Baptism for the forgiveness of sins…and secondly, only properly Ordained Priest can say Mass and Consecrate the Eucharist…Period. Those are non-negotiables of our Faith and they will never be changed…
Click to expand...
The good dumspirospero is, of course, absolutely correct, but I would clarify that a priest exercises his ministry only at the pleasure of (and with the permission of) his local Bishop (or Superior, in the case of Religious). A priest may not travel to another Bishop’s jusridiction (diocese) and offer Mass (or any other Sacrament) for the benefit of the Faithful without the local Bishop’s permission. A priest may not leave the Catholic Church and “set up shop” on his own apart from his Bishop (though some have tried to do so - such as Martin Luther).

A priest without a Bishop is essentially a layman.
 
Hugh Betcha:
I thought about the Rosary, but don’t know what/how to pray or even if I am allowed to. Can you pray what you want, or does it have to be the set prayers? And what is a novena? I just don’t want to mess up and be excommunicated; particularly since I haven’t been communicated yet!
Click to expand...
you can’t be excommunicated for messing up a prayer.
 
Hugh,

I went to the link from that church and couldn’t believe what I was reading.

They have decided to run their church based on what THEIR interpretation of scripture is.

This alone disproves sola scriptura. How can you have a sole rule of faith with so many conflicting interpretations.

Scott
 
Hugh Betcha:
OK, so I got a letter from my church today. Basically it says that they are moving away from the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) for the following reasons:
  1. They want the ability to re-baptize folks who already have been; ie someone who renews thier faith and wants another baptism. Currently they are not allowed to do so.
  2. They want non-EPC ordained pastors to be allowed to serve the Lord’s supper.
Does this bother you as much as me?! It almost seems like they are saying “well we want to do what WE want, so we will find some other denomination (or none at all) that will let us”. This is really, really on my nerves. It feels like I don’t have a church anymore! What do you guys (and gals) think?
Click to expand...

OK - so, why are these two moves being suggested ? Presumably there are reasons. So what are they ?​

Both of these moves are quite capable of arousing controversy, even separately - so it is not easy to believe they have been suggested for no reason at all. ##
 
Gottle of Geer said:
## OK - so, why are these two moves being suggested ? Presumably there are reasons. So what are they ?

Both of these moves are quite capable of arousing controversy, even separately - so it is not easy to believe they have been suggested for no reason at all. ##
Click to expand...

Click on the link in my earlier post, it will explain their thinking behind it a lot better than I can…
 
Hugh Betcha:
It almost seems like they are saying “well we want to do what WE want, so we will find some other denomination (or none at all) that will let us”.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what every church that has separated from Rome is saying.

What do I think? I think Rome is calling you.
 
"No Kingdom divided against itself can stand" Let them keep splintering. Maybe this is the way the Holy Spirit has ordained for them to come back to the fold!!
 
Hugh Betcha:
No offense taken! One of the things that is most appealing to me right now about Catholics is their doctrine. We DO beleive this and DONT believe that. Not all the gray area garbage that seems to be so prevalent in protestant churces. I really like the fact that everything is spelled out in black and white, and has been for 2000 years. It’s just hard for me right now, I was raised a protestant, and some of this is tough to get your head around.
Click to expand...
Catholics – even officials of the Church – may do a lot of stuff that looks nuts, unorthodox, off-the-wall, but in the end, nobody up top is saying: It’s OK to [name your sin/heterodoxy]. That’s part of what brought me across the Tiber. As for your current situation: the re-baptism thing would send me out the door right this minute. THAT isn’t even acceptable PROTESTANT theology.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top