I NEED to know!

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Paris_Blues

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I need help guys! I’m trying to figure out which is “TRUE”: Catholic or Protestant!:hmmm: I am a Protestant unfortunetely and I am trying to convert to the “one” that is “TRUTH”, meaning what Jesus really intended!

See, there are all these contradictions on both sides and all. This is what gets me confused! :confused: .

See, I’m trying to find the one where Jesus really literally intended! I don’t think He really intended all these different denominations that contradict one another. How can you find out the “truth” with that?:banghead: I’m thinking that perhaps Catholic is the “TRUTH” because it is the oldest Christian and probably first religion and all that I’ve heard but there are some things that contradict some things in the Bible! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! :banghead:

Second, the traditions make me wonder a lot if that’s how Jesus wanted it to be. AHHHHH!!! Are we Protestants missing something?

I am doing some “painful” searching on both sides in more depth to find out but they contradict eachother too much :confused: …I am a new believer in a way (my eyes were “opened” for real after seeing “The Passion”!) and I need to go down the “path” where Jesus really wants me to. I need to know what kind of faith He wants me to have and what He intended.

Someone please help me! :confused:
 
Hi Paris,

it is good that you are on a journey to find Christ and search for the fullness of what He desires to give us.

Perhaps if you have some specific questions, we may be able to help because your message here is rather general in nature.

Feel free to email me if you want. I have been helpful at trying to answer questions here. There are many good people here too.
Sometimes, tho, public forums can turn into disarray.

Perhaps you may be interested in several books from evangelicals who came to the Catholic Church. Maybe by reading some of their stories and testimonies, it may help you to focus.
 
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Dan-Man916:
Hi Paris,

it is good that you are on a journey to find Christ and search for the fullness of what He desires to give us.

Perhaps if you have some specific questions, we may be able to help because your message here is rather general in nature.

Feel free to email me if you want. I have been helpful at trying to answer questions here. There are many good people here too.
Sometimes, tho, public forums can turn into disarray.

Perhaps you may be interested in several books from evangelicals who came to the Catholic Church. Maybe by reading some of their stories and testimonies, it may help you to focus.
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I am reading the Catechism (some of my deep faith is based on Catholicism which is amazing!) and watching EWTN, in other groups, etc. visiting a Catholic church, and much more.

One question is, why do Protestants think that Catholics teach false doctrine, etc. etc.!!? :eek: Why do Cathoics think Protestants are false as well and perhaps condemned?

Protestants say that the RCC teaches “another doctrine”. How so? As we all know, Protestants believe that they are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).

But it says, “If anyone says that a sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema” (from the RC Council of Trent, Can. 9). Where is this in the Bible as well? HELP!!!

I don’t know WHAT to believe because both contradict eachother :banghead: !!!

I have so many questions to ask, it’s not even funny! :banghead: LOL!

Thanks for your help though! 🙂

blessings,
Nicole
 
Would you think that the one Church that Jesus started just may be the true Church? Well, Jesus Christ did start a Church, He called it His Church. Read Matthew 16: v 17 thru’ 19. Jesus told St. Peter that He would build His Church on him (Peter). Our Popes have all been successors to Peter, therefore it is the Catholic Church that is the Church that Jesus started.
 
Well, Paris Blues, you’ve come to the right place for answers about the Catholic Church. It sounds like you have been doing some serious research on both sides, which is wonderful. I don’t doubt that you’ve heard that Catholics have some beliefs that contradict the Bible, but that is simply not true. If you have some specific questions in this regard, I’m sure we can help explain how they square away with Holy Scripture. Feel free to email me, as well: gardocki@yahoo.com
 
Jesus said, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Something like that, didn’t He?

So it does make sense that the CC is THE church but there are so many other things that also tell me it could not be. But that’s because of my “Protestant teaching” But if I was brought up Catholic, then yes, I would agree.

How can you convince a Protestant that the CC is THE church? :confused:
 
Why don’t you begin seperate threads on those things which are giving you trouble? It will make it easier to keep from getting confused from lots of questions in one thread, we can adress each question seperatley.
 
Paris Blues:
One question is, why do Protestants think that Catholics teach false doctrine, etc. etc.!!?
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Some Protestants believe that the Catholic Church has changed its teachings since the time of Christ because some of our doctrines were not formally defined until much later (though they always existed in Tradition). Other Protestants say that the liturgy, vestments, and sacraments (the “smells and bells”) are unnecessary additions to what should be a simple faith.
Why do Cathoics think Protestants are false as well and perhaps condemned?
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Among other things, Protestants reject the Eucharist. In the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel, Christ says that “unless you eat of the flesh of the son of man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you”, and, “my flesh is true food, and my blood true drink.” Catholics take these passages literally, and believe that when the Eucharist is celebrated, Christ truly becomes present “body, blood, soul and divinity” in the host. Protestants view John 6 as symbolic. This is a major point of contention, and Catholics consider rejecting the Eucharist to be false.
Protestants say that the RCC teaches “another doctrine”. How so? As we all know, Protestants believe that they are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).

But it says, “If anyone says that a sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema” (from the RC Council of Trent, Can. 9). Where is this in the Bible as well? HELP!!!
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Catholics also believe that we are saved through Grace, but that we must cooperate with that Grace by doing good. Consider James 2:20-26:

:bible1: “Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

So, at the Council of Trent, it was declared that those who go against Scripture in this regard were Anethema.
I don’t know WHAT to believe because both contradict eachother :banghead: !!!
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I think you’re going about the the right way. Keep asking questions. God will lead you where you need to go.
 
Hi Nicole,

I am reading the Catechism (some of my deep faith is based on Catholicism which is amazing!) and watching EWTN, in other groups, etc. visiting a Catholic church, and much more.

The catechism is a great source. But it is dry reading. The books I mentioned do address the issues you mentioned about faith alone tradition, etc.

*One question is, why do Protestants think that Catholics teach false doctrine, etc. etc.!!? Why do Cathoics think Protestants are false as well and perhaps condemned?
*Protestants believe in the principle of the bible alone, Sola Scriptura. Evangelical protestant belief is that the bible is the sole rule of faith and morals and contains everything we need for salvation.

The Catholic Church has always held that the God’s revelation is contained in both Scripture (written) and Tradition (oral). Tradition is not merely customs and rituals. Before the books of the bible were written (30 years after Jesus ascension), there was no NT. In fact, the NT was not settled and closed until 397 AD when a council of the Church definitively said, these are the 27 books of the NT. No other books were decided to be inspired. (There were over 100 books that claimed to be biblical. Only 27 were discerned by the Church to be the truth).

From that fact alone, we see that the bible owes its existence today to the Church which discerned what books were real and which ones weren’t. It is by the oral passing down of the truths of the gospel that are contained in Tradition. Nowhere in the bible does it say that the bible alone is the SOLE rule of faith and morals. It is a logical contradiction that protestants make.

*Protestants say that the RCC teaches “another doctrine”. How so? As we all know, Protestants believe that they are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).
*Catholics believe that we are saved through grace. Just HOW that grace is imparted to us is where the controversy lies. To the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, that free gift of grace is given in the Sacraments. We “accept Christ” in faith through accepting the Sacraments. The Sacraments are not works. Works are the OT laws like eating no pork and circumcision. The Sacraments are pure grace.
 
But it says, “If anyone says that a sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema” (from the RC Council of Trent, Can. 9). Where is this in the Bible as well? HELP!!!
Don’t get too hung up on the word anthema. Anathema does not mean that someone is condemned to hell. It never meant that. It just means that that belief is condemned.

The bible teaches pretty clearly that we are saved by grace through faith, hope, and charity. There are many many bible verses that demonstrate this. I can post them if you’d like. To say that we are saved by faith alone rejects that we must show fruits of the grace we have been given. Remember that in James 2:24, the Scripture says: “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”

Here, James explicitly says that we are not justified by faith alone.

This may seem like a contradiction to you, then. However, it is only an apparent contradiction. Both Paul and James state that we must have faith! But a faith that works in love (charity). That is the proper biblical way to understand it, and that is what Catholics believe.

I hope that this may help some.

PS, have you considered going to talk to the priest at your local parish about your questions?
 
Thanks again for your help guys. I can’t ask all my questions here at once. What I will do is go and write down some questions that I have and will ask each one here. When I get answers that have answered my question, I will go on to the next question! 😉 That way I wont get “overstuffed” with info to get me more confused than I already am! :banghead: LOL!!! If I take each answer one at a time and concentrate on it, maybe I can bring the other answers together and maybe get that “puzzle” worked out! 👍

blessings to you all,
Nicole
 
Hi Nicole:wave:

Taking each issue one item at a time is the way to go:thumbsup: But I can guarantee you this, you will not find one thing that is the official teaching of the Catholic Church that contradicts the Bible.

God Bless,
Maria
 
Paris Blue,

I was born RC and have ‘lived’ RC for 40 years without understanding or knowing anything about my, so called, faith. I’m starting again with all the same questions.

We may be coming from different places but we appear to be on the same path in about the same place at about the same time.

I’ll be following your thread carefully in the hope that by doing so I will learn.

Thank you for raising your concerns.

I’ll pray for both of us
 
Paris Blues:
I don’t think He really intended all these different denominations that contradict one another. How can you find out the “truth” with that?:banghead:
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You answered the question right there! Protestantism=all these different denominations; Catholicism=unity in faith.

Jesus intended that His Church be united.

Eph 4:16 " until we all attain to the **unity **of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; "
 
Paris Blues:
I need help guys! I’m trying to figure out which is “TRUE”: Catholic or Protestant!:hmmm: I am a Protestant unfortunetely and I am trying to convert to the “one” that is “TRUTH”, meaning what Jesus really intended!

See, there are all these contradictions on both sides and all. This is what gets me confused! :confused: .

See, I’m trying to find the one where Jesus really literally intended! I don’t think He really intended all these different denominations that contradict one another. How can you find out the “truth” with that?:banghead: I’m thinking that perhaps Catholic is the “TRUTH” because it is the oldest Christian and probably first religion and all that I’ve heard but there are some things that contradict some things in the Bible! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! :banghead:

Second, the traditions make me wonder a lot if that’s how Jesus wanted it to be. AHHHHH!!! Are we Protestants missing something?

I am doing some “painful” searching on both sides in more depth to find out but they contradict eachother too much :confused: …I am a new believer in a way (my eyes were “opened” for real after seeing “The Passion”!) and I need to go down the “path” where Jesus really wants me to. I need to know what kind of faith He wants me to have and what He intended.

Someone please help me! :confused:
Click to expand...
Well it’s a good start to say that the Catholic Church is the oldest.

So if you say it’s the oldest then the words “Peter upon this rock I shall build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” must be true.

If we don’t say these words are true, then hell has prevailed against the Church Jesus estabilished.
But no hell has attacked the Church right down from the Apostles, but it’s still standing.

How do I know this ? because Jesus doesn’t tell lies.
 
Paris Blues:
Jesus said, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Something like that, didn’t He?

So it does make sense that the CC is THE church but there are so many other things that also tell me it could not be. But that’s because of my “Protestant teaching” But if I was brought up Catholic, then yes, I would agree.

How can you convince a Protestant that the CC is THE church? :confused:
Click to expand...
You can’t convince a Protestant. They have to come to that conclusion on their own with God. However, I would say this: Do you think the Holy Spirit would misguide Christians for 1500 years
after Christ and prior to the Reformation? I’d suggest that this would be contrary to what the Bible teaches.
 
I am smiling as I type this. I think I know the answer but it is as difficult to pick up as mercury is. When you have been Catholic for 49 years, objections from a Protestant to the The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church seem to disreguard what was proven as the first cause.

If Jesus Christ actually told St. Peter that He would build His Church on Peter and would give Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of God AND would bind in heaven whatever is bound or loosed on earth. Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church…Then Jesus is the Head of the Catholic Church! Luther is head of the Lutheran Church, John Wesley is the head of the Methodist Church…But Jesus is the head of the Catholic Church!

That to me seems like Jesus Christ started His Church, said He would always be with it, said the Church represents Him through the Church…oh boy…there we have it…the Church that Christ started! All the other little stuff is chicken feed. Once you know who started the Catholic Church - all else is inconsequential. People who keep picking at the little things have not understood the One Big Thing - The Catholic Church has as it’s head nothing less than Jesus Christ!
 
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