I'm ignorant...

[parisdobermans]

How do I explain to my Protestant friends the following:

Matt 23:9 calling the priest - Father

Exo 20:4 Church statues, crucifixes, ect.

Lev 11:7 eating pork

These seem to be the most argued Protestant-Catholic topics in my workplace.

 

[MariaG]

Matt 23:9 calling the priest - Father

catholic.com/library/Call_No_Man_Father.asp

Exo 20:4 Church statues, crucifixes, ect.

catholic.com/library/Do_Catholics_Worship_Statues.asp

catholic.com/library/Saint_Worship.asp

catholic.com/library/Relics.asp

Lev 11:7 eating pork

Jews are forbidden to eat pork, but not Catholics. Not sure what you are referring to here. Catholic were given the right to make and change the rules in Mattew 16:19 (bind and loose) so the rule no longer applies.

Try a look at the many tracts by our host Catholic Answers. They are very informative, easy to understand and short.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[quaysman]

Some Messianic Jews still follow the kosher laws. I’ve never heard of any mainstream fundamentalist denomination doing so, but the Worldwide Church of God used to follow the “Biblical dietary laws” (abstinence from the “unclean” foods listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14). I’m sure there are some “off the beaten path” fundamentalist sects that teach this also.

The Worldwide Church of God no longer teaches this (although all of its “offshoot movements” do) and actually has a very good study on the subject:

wcg.org/lit/law/unclean.htm

This is a lengthy article but is well worth the read and will certainly address ALL the “pork” objections of your coworkers (and MANY more)… Merely quoting Mark 7:15-19 and Acts 10 will not satisfy them. [They know these verses well and are ready with their retorts]… The “key” is in understanding the “ceremonial” nature of the dietary laws. The Ceremonial Laws were special laws of the Old Covenant designed to distinguish Israel as a special people. Christians are under a New Covenant that does not require “circumcision” (Acts 15), “animal sacrifice”, or “dietary restrictions”.

(You might want to skim over the first several sections of the article and go right to the “Unclean Meats” section, although the opening sections do establish some important principles)

Grace & Peace

 

[Steve_Andersen]

parisdobermans:

…
Lev 11:7 eating pork

These seem to be the most argued Protestant-Catholic topics in my workplace.

IIRC Leviticus also bans ox fat, shellfish, hybridization of crops, wearing clothes of two different cloths as well as having some interesting things to say about personal hygiene (not trimming your beard, menses are unclean; etc)

So if your Protestant friends are worried about pork there is a lot of stuff there the call them on

 

[Curious]

How do I explain to my Protestant friends the following:

Matt 23:9 calling the priest - Father

MATTHEW 23: 9,10
9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

I think someone on another thread pointed out that many Protestants leave out verse 10. Many Protestants have no qualms about calling people teachers. What about school teachers? Are we not supposed to call them teachers? Educators maybe?

And besides Ephesians 5:11 says

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers.

---

Now going back to the calling the priest father thing, here is an excerpt from Catholic for a Reason.

*That such a thing as spiritual fatherhood is also confirmed by Saint Paul. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, he refers to the relationship between himself and the Christians to whome he is writing as one between a father and his children: "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Jesus Christ through the gospel. (1 Cor 4:17; cf 2 Cor 12:14). Two verses later, Paul refers to Timothy, whose biological parents are known from Acts 16:1, as “my beloved and faithful child in the Lord.” (1 Cor 4:17). There are several passages, in fact, where the relationship between Paul and Timothy is described as a spiritual, father-son relationship: “As a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.” (Phil 2:22; cf. 1 Tim 1:2; 1:18; 2 Tim 1:2). Saint Paul also considers himself the spiritual father of Titus (Tit 1:4) and Onesimus (Philemon 10). Paul’s spiritual fatherhood is associated with his mission as an apostle, “a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly ministry of the gospel of God.” (Rom 15:16). *

Hope this helps.

 

[martino]

parisdobermans:

How do I explain to my Protestant friends the following:

Matt 23:9 calling the priest - Father

No Protestant takes this verse literally, this argument is nothing more than a smoke screen. The same passage also says not to call any man doctor or teacher yet even Protestants continue to use these terms for fellow men.

Exo 20:4 Church statues, crucifixes, ect.

This verse only forbids the worship of images, not the general use of images. God instructed the Jews to make the angel statues that went atop the ark of the covenant and also the bronze serpent wrapped around a pole is an image that God commissioned.

Lev 11:7 eating pork

Both Protestants and Catholics eat pork, this should not be an issue.

 

[rossum]

Steve Andersen:

IIRC Leviticus also bans ox fat, shellfish, hybridization of crops, wearing clothes of two different cloths as well as having some interesting things to say about personal hygiene (not trimming your beard, menses are unclean; etc)

So if your Protestant friends are worried about pork there is a lot of stuff there the call them on

IIRC the Seventh Day Adventists do not eat pork, though most protestants do.

rossum

 

[parisdobermans]

Thanks for the insight guys; I’ll get it together someday.

 

[Michael_C]

rossum:

IIRC the Seventh Day Adventists do not eat pork, though most protestants do.

rossum

Acts 10:10-15.

 

[mercygate]

parisdobermans:

How do I explain to my Protestant friends the following:

Matt 23:9 calling the priest - Father

It’s not New Testament, but whose heart doesn’t break when Elisha cries out as Elijah is taken up in his firey chariot:

“My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. (2Kgs.2:12)

Or in the same book:

Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” (2Kgs.13:14)

 

[AndyF]

parisdobermans:

Lev 11:7 eating pork

Although I take Levitucus for the most part tongue in cheek, it’s restrictions have some practical sense. Uncooked Pork was and is a carrier of parasites, so it could be because of this the law was created. Much of Lev is oriented to health, and without the aid of modern education the people could not understand a restriction in terms of sanitation, so a general law was imposed by God. That’s the way I see it.

Andy