If you are a Christian, what is the real reason for you not being a Catholic?

[Tim_Kirchoff]

K, i used to be christian, so i guess it qualifies me to answer this question.
the catholic church is corrupt
all u guys want is money, and to superimpose your beliefs on other people
as i am now an atheist, i would like to simply laugh at you,
and your beleifs.
Question: When was the last time you experienced a miracle:shrug:
Answer: u never have
the bible says that dead people came back alive, did my best friend’s mom come back alive after she died of cancer? No.
So all I am left to assume is that, according to you, god killed my friend’s mom. he created everything, didn’t he? including cancer?
ok im done for now

You don’t know that…

And your experience with Catholocism is unfortunate (if a bit exaggerated ), but the Catholocism you witnessed in the past is not universal. (see what I did there? Anyone?) The Church has always had to deal with corruption and scandal, from its very beginnings. It has been said that the road to Hell is paved with the skulls of priests. Unfortunate, but true.

When the Bible talks about returning from the dead, it is talking about the final resurrection at the end of time. All pain and suffering in this world came about as a result of the Fall. We all must die an eartly death. The question is whether we will rise again. Some of us, when our time comes, will rise to Heaven, where there is no more pain, and no more suffering, and no more strife. Your friend’s mom may well be one of those.

While we are on Earth, we must expect suffering. Some of us suffer more than others.

Whoa. That went a bit longer than I expected.

 

[Tim_Kirchoff]

Actually, it doesn’t. It only applies to Christians.

 

[2ndGen]

2ndGen;3211576:

You beat me to it:knight2:

 

[CalmDownWisWins]

…

I’ve just a few suggestions for you to help make your time here more fruitful, for yourself and for us. I’ll intersperse them into your commentary below:

K, i used to be christian, so i guess it qualifies me to answer this question.
the catholic church is corrupt
all u guys want is money, and to superimpose your beliefs on other people
as i am now an atheist, i would like to simply laugh at you,
and your beleifs.

Firstly, if you are here only to laugh at people and not to learn to understand them, and perhaps have them learn why you should be understood as to what you have to teach, then you MIGHT be here simply to disrupt something that shouldn’t be disrupted, and should possibly think of going somewhere else to be disruptive.

Question: When was the last time you experienced a miracle:shrug:
Answer: u never have

That is certainly not true, but the miracles that have happened to me you might discount for whatever reasons you have of discounting what you aren’t comfortable believing in out of hand.

How can you make statements of fact with no support of those statements, and claim that you are absolutely right? That’s not very “scientific” now, is it?

the bible says that dead people came back alive, did my best friend’s mom come back alive after she died of cancer? No.

I’m very sorry for your loss and your friend’s loss. Do you truly think that because people die that that is proof that God doesn’t exist?

How do you come to that conclusion?

So all I am left to assume is that, according to you, god killed my friend’s mom. he created everything, didn’t he? including cancer?
ok im done for now

God’s existence SHOULD mean, to you, then, that no one suffers or dies and everything is perfect in every way?

Why is that necessary?

You do have some good questions that it’s obvious you would like answered, but you might try putting them in the form of questions instead of unsupported condemnations.

Thanks.

 

[whatisthetruth]

If anti-Catholics and anti-Protestants would heed this video, we’d all be happier campers…

youtube.com/watch?v=SmfH1RsxWEc

I love different strokes, 2ndGen.

May I suggest the following video

The dash

comments welcomed,

God bless you

truth

 

[fbl9]

well put Tim k. even better calmdown. thanks.posts 717 and 720

 

[whatisthetruth]

Hi mgrfin

Just a friendly reminder, I did not want you to miss #678

I look forward to your response

God bless

truth

 

[fbl9]

hi whatisthetruth,if you will please explain to me that baptism is by immersion only?

 

[whatisthetruth]

Hi all,

Just in case you missed it.

There is something special in fbl9 post

hi whatisthetruth in my home town there is the united church,the catholic church and the abundant living mininstries church(which at last i knew belived if one dies in sin off to heaven regardless). It was by reading the bible and by the Grace of God that i came back to the true church. i hope i would go to heaven hence my hope is in His just judgement. one can not say who is to go to heaven for that is to bring Jesus down, one can not say who is going to hell for that is raise Christ up things only which God can do. i guess you missed my reply tp c659’s post. what he described is one of (so far) joyful expierences. whenever my church has a pot luck lunch after Holy Mass,when we are all done eating, i sneak upstairs kneeling before my Lord in the tabernacle,i have my own private time with Him. sometimes i pray other i let the tears of love stream down my face. even typing this brings tears to my eyes.sorry for taking so long to reply computer grief and phone calls this is the third time i’ve tried thanks

 

[whatisthetruth]

Hi all

and this post too by c659smith

has something very special

I know when I am filled with the Holy Spirit(Grace) and when I am not. I try to stay in communion with Christ but at times fall.

I am a cradle Catholic and as such have fallen away. I still believed and had faith Jesus was our Lord and what I needed to do to follow Him but denied that and did not give Jesus what was due him and that is worship and Glory.
Then one day something I became angry and cold like never before because of a situation and remained in that state for a couple of days. hate I was driving one afternoon and wound up at a Caholic Church and walked inside. I do not know why.

Well inside there I stood in an empty church staring at the cross and looking at a statue of Saint Joseph and a seperate statue of Mary and tears began to flow I do not know why for at this point I had no feeling at all.

Well I looked around and said to myself is there anyone in here that will see me crying? but there was no one.

I asked Mary to help me to reach Christ and sat in a pew. Well I sat there and cried and argued with Jesus for awhile and then felt a feeling come over me like I have never felt.

Someone in my head and I believe it to be the Holy Spirit said what are you holding on to? Why do you put your trust in this world? Let go and give it to me.
give me your love,hate, disappointments,and achievements but remember you must give me them all. Put your trust in me and you will never hurt again.

Well that I did and a peace and calm came over me like never before and I cannot explain it other than to say no one could hurt me. I right there was untouchable and I gave my whole self to Christ.

I go to Mass and at times everyday if I can. I understand the Mass like never before. I go to Adoraion weekly and sit ,knell, and pray before Jesus.

The difference now is that it is a two way conversation. I take the time to listen.

Do I still sin and at times fall away from Grace well you bet ya. But I get right back on track real quick as I never ever want to get as far away as I was from Christ.

Why I write what had happened to me about 5 years ago at the ripe young age of 45 is that I was saved as where I was headed was directly to hell.

The Holy Spirit gave me a visit and told me what I needed to do. This is something one cannot teach,

It was not a feeling of being close or wanting to be Holy such as when receiving Confirmation etc…

I was given a gift from God by his Grace.

Does this happen to everyone at one point in their life?

I pray it does

For I have not been the same since.

I have patience, Charity, Love, never ending thirst for knowledge about the bible and my faith.

That to me is what being saved is but I must work at never ever falling like that again and to give it all to Jesus.

I am a Catholic and will profess,teach, and evangelize. I will never ever again be embarrassed or shy of showing my love for him as I know how Peter must have felt when he denied Jesus 3 times

 

[fbl9]

well folks there you have the testimony of two catholics who are in love with the LORD. and yes i do fall into sin not as often but still do. the more i learn about myself who am and why i am. the easier it is to aviod sinful behavior. a lot of what i learned could not have been learned if i did not trust the church’s guidence.

 

[whatisthetruth]

hi whatisthetruth,if you will please explain to me that baptism is by immersion only?

Hi fbl9,

I will be happy to. Thank you for asking.

I have posted in this thread my beliefs, one of them is baptism by immersion and the other no infant baptism.

What is weird, I was so naive, I did not even know churches did baptism by immersion until I was 42 years old, when I started reading and studying the bible.

When it was suggested to me to be water baptized, I was hesitant at first because I was already baptized as an infant in Catholic church.
But then as I was studying the bible, God directed me to these verses

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:19,20

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Acts 8 36:38

Friends, after meditating on the verses, I knew I was doing the right thing. I can not explain it. It is something you will need to experience for yourself.

It was a night I will never forget, I was baptized New Years Eve,
12-31-99

Right before being baptized I was shaking I was so nervous. But then the music started and everyone was singing, and the Holy Spirit within my heart gave me a peace and I started in the singing and worshipping to our Lord.

At that time in my life, I was so down in my pride and sinful ways, when I stepped into the water and told the “world” that I believed in Jesus that he humbled Himself to stand before man not in a water tank but on a cross to forgive me of all my sin. It was in that tank I gave witness for what Jesus did in my life and then it happened, I went down in the water completely and when I came up I felt so free of all the “trash” and guilt I was carrying before I went down in the water.

Right then and there was the start of my new spirtul life of
turning away from sin and
having a hatred for the things that God hates and a
love for the things God loves

I had a desire not to be like the world which previously attracted me

but a desire to be like Jesus Christ

And friends, Jesus did say

Luke 14:27
And anyone who does not carry his cross and **follow me **cannot be my disciple.

As Jesus was baptized, shouldn’t we follow him,

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased
Matthew 3

Friends baptism by immersion was one of the most emotional spiritual experiences I had in my life.

Here are my thoughts from my heart,
Jesus took ours sins on the cross and was buried with them and rose from from the dead pure and resurrected.

On that night, I had sin on my soul, repented and confessed.
I was buried in sin in the water and came up pure.
I am rambling, but when it comes to Jesus, I can talk forever about Him, thank you Lord
Finally, the reason our church does not have infant baptism is…
in the following verse it is clear that repentance preceeds baptism. An infant can not repent

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Matthew 3:11

God bless

truth

 

[mgrfin]

the bible says that dead people came back alive, did my best friend’s mom come back alive after she died of cancer? No.

Well the bible doesn’t say many people came back from the dead:
Lazarus did. Jesus did. That’s two I know of.

But we all will come back, on the Last Day.

peace

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

I have read the accounts of baptisms throughout the Bible and I do not find any place that says the the person being baptized was immersed. In the previous Post about the baptism of the eunuch it reads they both went down into the water and he was baptized. Did they both go under the water? I was not there so I do not know what was done. He could have been immersed he could have knelt down and bowed his head and Phillip could have cupped the water in his hands to pour over his head. I don’t know I was not there. Th catholic Church teach that both the pouring or immersion is acceptable. It is the act of submission to God that is important.

Now you are correct that an infant can not repent of sin. At the baptism of a child the parents and god parents pledge to raise the child in the body of Christ, within the teachings of the Church. At the age if accountability the person then takes upon themselves the promise of baptism he pledges himself to those vows made at his baptism. I don’t know about everyone but I can state that at my confirmation I felt the Holy Spirit upon me.

I see no substance in the continued argument over the method of baptism, I have found no were were either the water was pured or the person was immersed in the Bible. If I am mistaken please provide me with the verse.

 

[fbl9]

hi oneGODonechurch the real point here is one’s rejection of infant baptism. every time we fall into sin we go and confess our sins washing ourselves clean. infants do carry sin the original sin thier baptism removes them of this guilt. for we are born into sin. no one confesses or asks forgiveness of original sin just thier personal sin. ask your self whatisthetruth how different your life would have been without your infant baptism. like oneGOD… none of the scripture pssages quoted do not say baptism by immersion.may i ask which doctrine of the church did you reject first?

 

[jkarp]

I have posted in this thread my beliefs, one of them is baptism by immersion and the other no infant baptism.

On that night, I had sin on my soul, repented and confessed.
I was buried in sin in the water and came up pure.
I am rambling, but when it comes to Jesus, I can talk forever about Him, thank you Lord
Finally, the reason our church does not have infant baptism is…
in the following verse it is clear that repentance preceeds baptism. An infant can not repent

An important distinction: your immersion was not a sacramental baptism; though you might have felt yourself to be “reborn,” the efficacy of washing away the stain of original sin was not there (because it took place during your baptism, as an infant).

With regard to baptizing infants, this is exactly what happened in Jesus’ time. Two passages:

Acts 10:1
Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously to people and pray to God constantly.

and

Acts 10:44-48
While Peter was still speaking these things, the holy Spirit fell upon all who where listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?” He ordered them to baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Peter ordered them to be baptized. Them who? Cornelius and his household along with relatives and close friends (as Acts 10:24 says were also there). If Cornelius’ entire household was baptized, that would include his wife and children (regardless of age).

 

[mgrfin]

whatisthetruth;:
WHATISTHETRUTH:

So, you believe every word in the bible, this copy of a copy of a copy, of a translation, of a translation, of a translation is absolutely true, word for word, mathematics, geology, archeology, medicine, history, science, everything is true, and the Holy Spirit sat down and dictated to the author word for word in every single book? It is all inspired, word for word, and infallibly true?

Is that what you believe?

peace

 

[VARC]

WHATISTHETRUTH:

So, you believe every word in the bible, this copy of a copy of a copy, of a translation, of a translation, of a translation is absolutely true, word for word, mathematics, geology, archeology, medicine, history, science, everything is true, and the Holy Spirit sat down and dictated to the author word for word in every single book? It is all inspired, word for word, and infallibly true?

Is that what you believe?

peace

You’re completely misrepresenting the Protestant faith. Why do you feel the need to insult and misrepresent the faith of others?

 

[Pwrlftr]

WHATISTHETRUTH:

So, you believe every word in the bible, this copy of a copy of a copy, of a translation, of a translation, of a translation is absolutely true, word for word, mathematics, geology, archeology, medicine, history, science, everything is true, and the Holy Spirit sat down and dictated to the author word for word in every single book? It is all inspired, word for word, and infallibly true?

Is that what you believe?

peace

You do realize that if you believe there are errors in the scripture you put yourself in opposition to several popes and the constant teaching of your church…at least until the ever so modern 20th century.

 

[mgrfin]

You’re completely misrepresenting the Protestant faith. Why do you feel the need to insult and misrepresent the faith of others?

No, that is not the case.

I see you would like to get me banned.

I asked two questions. I never mentioned what I believed. I asked him if that was what he believed.

Please be more careful in what you read. He wasn’t insulted, or shouldn’t have been.

I see you have an agenda from previous hurts you have received on this website. Sorry that you are hurting that badly.

I will be watching your questions more carefully in the future.

peace