Matthew 10...

[prettylarge]

Hi, I am new to the forums but I would like to ask a question about Matthew 10.

A few things that I read in Matthew 10 do not go along with my beliefs. What do you guys think of these passages?

14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

OK, this does not seem to go along with my view of Jesus. This doesn’t sound peaceful in any way to be honest. Jesus is saying that if someone does not accept his apostles, their whole town will be brutally wiped out? I just don’t get it.

28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

This is basically saying “fear God” which seems to be the theme of the old testament. I am not a big fan of this belief either. Why fear a benevolent God?

32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

These verses are quite disturbing to me as well. Did Jesus deny Peter before God? Does this mean that anyone who does not believe in Jesus will go to hell?

Sometimes I think that certain things in the gospels Jesus perhaps never even said. I mean they were written well after his death, and passages like the ones quoted above make me doubt the gospel’s validity. Either that, or I am not a fan of all of Jesus’ message.

How do you look at these verses?

 

[NotWorthy]

Let’s see:

a) The God of the Old Testament is One with the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
b) Jesus talks of the pains and suffering of hell more than he talked of the rewards of heaven. His message was (and is) NOT the mushy feel-good pop religion that is portrayed in so many places today. We SHOULD fear God and His Judgment. This does NOT preclude loving Him as well.
c) I am the Gate-Keeper. No one goes to the Father except through me. (paraphrasing). How else should one take this?

 

[NotWorthy]

Sometimes I think that certain things in the gospels Jesus perhaps never even said. I mean they were written well after his death, and passages like the ones quoted above make me doubt the gospel’s validity. Either that, or I am not a fan of all of Jesus’ message.

How do you look at these verses?

I think this is a grave error. With this thinking, you have allowed anyone who doubts the message of the bible to simply make up the rules as they go along.

No long do they trust in God, but in their own judgment.

 

[prettylarge]

Let’s see:

a) The God of the Old Testament is One with the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
b) Jesus talks of the pains and suffering of hell more than he talked of the rewards of heaven. His message was (and is) NOT the mushy feel-good pop religion that is portrayed in so many places today. We SHOULD fear God and His Judgment. This does NOT preclude loving Him as well.
c) I am the Gate-Keeper. No one goes to the Father except through me. (paraphrasing). How else should one take this?

I don’t know. I feel the Catholic church has a different stance than you though. Didn’t the Catholic church state that you do not have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven in Vatican II? That is what I thought, and I have never heard a priest say that you must believe in Jesus to go to heaven. I don’t know, to be honest, I don’t think I follow a book…I follow the spirit in my heart. If the Bible does not agree with it, so be it. Paul talks about Christians receiving the spirit and following the spirit…and I think if I do that then that is all I need.

I don’t believe in hell as I don’t think that a benevolent God would send people to eternal fire and damnation. To be honest it would make more sense for people that were not worthy of heaven to come back to earth for a second try. I know that this is definitely not based on Catholic teachings, but this is the only way I can rationalize things in my head and in my heart.

I was just asking because maybe there was another way of interpreting these verses that went along with my basic religious philosophy. I guess that is not the case. Personally, I don’t want to associate myself with a religion that states that only followers of that particular religion will go to heaven…and everyone else will suffer for eternity. A god that throws people in hell for sins they do not know that they are committing is far from the benevolent God that I believe in. Also, Jesus said “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” I read that recently and was saddened to see that a footnote in my bible said that some ancient texts did not include this verse. That line from Jesus, in my opinion, sums up Jesus’ message. Love your neighbor as yourself and forgive those that know not what they do. This is the Jesus that is in my heart and in my spirit.

 

[prettylarge]

No long do they trust in God, but in their own judgment.

In proverbs this is what the foolish were guilty of…but, Paul states in Romans that when Gentiles do what is right, they are showing that the law is written on the hearts of all. I will follow my heart and my spirit as opposed to getting caught up on verses in the Bible.

 

[grace_singh]

Pretty Large ~

Jesus preached much about love and forgiveness, but He also had some hard words on sin, judgement, human responsibility, and morality.

what Jesus is saying is that to see Him, to know Him, to hear His words, to hear the Good News and then reject Him is to willfully reject God Himself.

we will be judged for how we have spent our lives, and done with what God has given us. God gave us Himself, and those towns which heard His words, saw Him in the flesh, and had the chance also to listen o His apostles still rejected Him, in rejecting the testimony of the apostles, and the works God was doing through them.

a person who willfully rejects God deserves to be punished for his rejection. a person given every chance to repent, to understand, to see God’s work in action, and to trust God rather than their own understanding or pride, and who still chooses to stubbonly remain aloof and distainful of God’s message and Person in flesh does not deserve to be treated as one who hears, sees, humbles himself, trusts, and accepts.

 

[grace_singh]

In proverbs this is what the foolish were guilty of…but, Paul states in Romans that when Gentiles do what is right, they are showing that the law is written on the hearts of all. I will follow my heart and my spirit as opposed to getting caught up on verses in the Bible.

follow both. read the Bible carefully and in its entirety, and read verses in context.

God has given you a kind heart and a good sense of reason, and He wants you to use both when you read His Word.

Paul writes that Gentiles have the Law written on the hearts insomuch as they have a basic sense of right and wrong, and are capable of doing right and noble things, just as Jews who have the written Law are capable of sinning and doing the wrong things.

we all have a conscience which can make us feel guilty and let us know we are doing wrong, or urge us on to act justly and kindly. Paul writes within Romans, also, that God is the God of Jews and Gentiles both, and that God has chosen to reconcile all nations to Himself through His Son, Jesus.

he also writes that we will be rewarded according to our works, and that once we have heard the Good News, it is right to believe it, and be saved. Paul writes a lot of great things in Romans, and really connects the Gentiles into the picture, describing how in their unsaved state they can understand the existence of a God, and be guided in basically doing the right thing. but that does not mean that they know God, or honor Him, or follow Him. to do those things they would need to hear the Good News, believe in the Son, and be saved by Him.

 

[NotWorthy]

I don’t know. I feel the Catholic church has a different stance than you though. Didn’t the Catholic church state that you do not have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven in Vatican II? That is what I thought, and I have never heard a priest say that you must believe in Jesus to go to heaven.

I don’t think I said you HAD to, either. The Catholic Church teaches how to get to heaven. It never says that this is the ONLY way, but without any “authoritative teaching on other paths to Salvation”, I wouldn’t take any bets on alternate paths.

I don’t know, to be honest, I don’t think I follow a book…I follow the spirit in my heart. If the Bible does not agree with it, so be it. Paul talks about Christians receiving the spirit and following the spirit…and I think if I do that then that is all I need.

Then,
a) You are your own little pope. Moral Relativism lives and thrives.
b) You are responsible for your own Salvation. Christ’s Sacrifice was for nothing.

I don’t believe in hell as I don’t think that a benevolent God would send people to eternal fire and damnation. To be honest it would make more sense for people that were not worthy of heaven to come back to earth for a second try. I know that this is definitely not based on Catholic teachings, but this is the only way I can rationalize things in my head and in my heart.

So, why do you even read the Bible? You have shown that you feel you are more authoritative than the Apostles who died defending their faith.

I was just asking because maybe there was another way of interpreting these verses that went along with my basic religious philosophy. I guess that is not the case. Personally, I don’t want to associate myself with a religion that states that only followers of that particular religion will go to heaven…and everyone else will suffer for eternity. A god that throws people in hell for sins they do not know that they are committing is far from the benevolent God that I believe in.

None of this is Catholic teaching, either.

Also, Jesus said “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” I read that recently and was saddened to see that a footnote in my bible said that some ancient texts did not include this verse. That line from Jesus, in my opinion, sums up Jesus’ message. Love your neighbor as yourself and forgive those that know not what they do. This is the Jesus that is in my heart and in my spirit.

You’ve basically picked out the bible verses that agree with you. What happened to “taking up your cross…”.

 

[JRKH]

Hi, I am new to the forums but I would like to ask a question about Matthew 10.

A few things that I read in Matthew 10 do not go along with my beliefs. What do you guys think of these passages?

14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

OK, this does not seem to go along with my view of Jesus. This doesn’t sound peaceful in any way to be honest. Jesus is saying that if someone does not accept his apostles, their whole town will be brutally wiped out? I just don’t get it.

First question. When God threatened to destroy Sodom and Gommorah how many rightious people needed to be found in order to save the cities? Wasn’t it 10 or something like that? So if there are even a very few who receive God’s word then God will not destroy the entire town.
Second Question. By whose decision will the people of these towns be destroyed? By God’s harshness or by there own rejection of Christ? We do not die in condemnation because God kills and condemns us, but rather we die and are condemned (or are saved) by our own decision to accept or reject salvation.

28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

This is basically saying “fear God” which seems to be the theme of the old testament. I am not a big fan of this belief either. Why fear a benevolent God?

The point of this is to teach people how to properly dispose their thinking. Fear in this context is not related to fear of punishment but rather the natural fear of death. Such fear might cause a person to deny Christ in order to save his own mortal life.
A man can kill your body but can do nothing to your soul. But if you deny Christ then you deny His salvation and when your body dies, so will your soul be condemned.

32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

These verses are quite disturbing to me as well. Did Jesus deny Peter before God? Does this mean that anyone who does not believe in Jesus will go to hell?

If Peter had died without repenting his denial then yes Jesus would have denied him before the Father. However Peter DID repent and return to Christ. So much so that He was martyred for his beliefs.
Those who reject God, Reject Christ, also reject His Salvation. Rejection of God’s salvation means condemnation.

Sometimes I think that certain things in the gospels Jesus perhaps never even said. I mean they were written well after his death, and passages like the ones quoted above make me doubt the gospel’s validity. Either that, or I am not a fan of all of Jesus’ message.

It is important to understand that ALL of the Gospels need to be taken together as a unit. It is also important to look for the key pasages and message in Jesus’ ministry in order to understand the more difficult passages.
In the case of Jesus teaching the basic law is Love, (The two great commandments). Therefore all of these other teachings must be viewed in how they fit with the Law of Love. This does not mean that one can simply say,“I don’t agree with this so I will ignore it”, or “I reject all of the gospel because I cannot reconsile this or that verse”. Rather it is necessary to recognize that the journey to God is a gradual one.
We might begin looking at God in fear of punishment, but as we grow in our faith such fear is replaced by Love. Then such passages make sense for it is not God’s Love that will condemn but rather it is mans rejection of God that will condemn.

How do you look at these verses?

I hope that some of my explanations above will help.

Peace
James

 

[prettylarge]

I think there are 3 ways to view the Bible.

1. The bible is the word of God and everything in it is 100% valid and true.
2. I do no agree with some verses in the Bible, thus the whole Bible should be disregarded.
3. Take what makes sense and works for me out of it and disregard what doesn’t.

I guess I fall into category 3. I like to explore other religious traditions as well. I can’t really categorize my beliefs into any particular religion…it is more of an amalgamation of many religions. I realize this isn’t ideal as a Catholic, but this is how I see things.

 

[NotWorthy]

I think there are 3 ways to view the Bible.

1. The bible is the word of God and everything in it is 100% valid and true.
2. I do no agree with some verses in the Bible, thus the whole Bible should be disregarded.
3. Take what makes sense and works for me out of it and disregard what doesn’t.

I guess I fall into category 3. I like to explore other religious traditions as well. I can’t really categorize my beliefs into any particular religion…it is more of an amalgamation of many religions. I realize this isn’t ideal as a Catholic, but this is how I see things.

I think there are two ways to view the Bible.

1. Listen to and follow what the Catholic Church teaches about it.
   or
2. The wrong way.

 

[JRKH]

I think there are 3 ways to view the Bible.

1. The bible is the word of God and everything in it is 100% valid and true.
2. I do no agree with some verses in the Bible, thus the whole Bible should be disregarded.
3. Take what makes sense and works for me out of it and disregard what doesn’t.

I guess I fall into category 3. I like to explore other religious traditions as well. I can’t really categorize my beliefs into any particular religion…it is more of an amalgamation of many religions. I realize this isn’t ideal as a Catholic, but this is how I see things.

Based on what I bolded above, I guess at this point I am confused, are you a baptized catholic or not? If so, are you a practicing Catholic?

Peace
James

 

[grace_singh]

pretty ~

i used to do this too, so i understand what you mean, and where you’re coming from.

basically “if i agree with it, it’s true for me, and if i don’t than it isn’t”. your idea of God is based essentially on how you understand Him, and on your own understanding of morality and righteousness. for example, you may think “oh, God would never…” and there for, for you, He doesn’t. if the Bible says something to the contrary, the Bible must not be right on that issue.

but you’re really working backward, and reading your own ideas and standards into the Bible, instead of reading the Bible to get the Authror’s point of view. coming from the perspective on a non-believer scanning the Bible in light of his own beliefs, i don’t see how you could read it otherwise, or as we do.

my own approach to the Bible went like this… it began by coming to a crisis point, where i wanted to know the truth about Jesus. if He really was the Only Way, and God’s Son. this was such a spiritually and personally meaningful issue for me, that i came to the point where i wanted to ask God, and not men, or even myself. God was gracious, and granted me a personal understanding of who Jesus is to Him, and i realized in an instant how in error i was.

from faith in Jesus as Christ and Saviour, came innate faith in the Gospels, and what the recorded about Him. as i read the Gospels, i noticed Jesus quoted the Old Testament as God’s Word, and True. therefor, through Jesus, i came to beliieve in the OT was well.

after that, i read Acts, and the Pauline Epistles. these were hardest for me, as i had been under the impression that Paul taught things radically different about Christ. i found though, as i read them, that nothing Paul says actually contradicts Christ, but elaborates on His words and message. after the Pauline Epistles came the other Epistles, and Revelation, which my then-fiance helped me to understand in light of the OT Book of Daniel.

so that is how i came to faith in the Bible as God’s Word- only through Christ, and understanding who He was, from God’s point of view. i had my own passionate and stubborn views about who Jesus was, but they turned out not to be true. in the end it is God’s point of view, not ours, which matters.

God bless you, and help you in your search for Truth, and His peace.

 

[prettylarge]

Based on what I bolded above, I guess at this point I am confused, are you a baptized catholic or not? If so, are you a practicing Catholic?

Peace
James

I am a baptized and confirmed Catholic. My mother goes to church every day and prays that I come back. I am not practicing and don’t really plan on starting to go to church. Then again I follow Jesus’ message as much as I can and try to be the best person I can be in day to day life…so I guess you could say I am a practicing Catholic. It depends on your definition.

 

[NotWorthy]

I am a baptized and confirmed Catholic. My mother goes to church every day and prays that I come back. I am not practicing and don’t really plan on starting to go to church. Then again I follow Jesus’ message as much as I can and try to be the best person I can be in day to day life…so I guess you could say I am a practicing Catholic. It depends on your definition.

I guess I would say that I hope your mother’s prayers are fulfilled.

 

[JRKH]

I am a baptized and confirmed Catholic. My mother goes to church every day and prays that I come back. I am not practicing and don’t really plan on starting to go to church. Then again I follow Jesus’ message as much as I can and try to be the best person I can be in day to day life…so I guess you could say I am a practicing Catholic. It depends on your definition.

A practicing Catholic is one who fully believe in their faith and conforms to the requirements of the faith. You are not doing this and therefore are not a practicing Catholic by any standard definition of the term.

I understand your position as I spent many years there myself before coming back to the faith a couple of years ago. (My mother too spent many years praying for me to return.)

The fact that you are here asking questions is good. I wish that I had had access to this kind of resource years ago when I was questinoing everything. Might have saved mom a lot of rosaries.

The thing is that, if you believe that Jesus Lived, died and Rose, as recorded in the Bible then one must give serious consideration to other things that are recorded in the Bible. Such as Sending the Holy Spirit to Guide the Apostles (and Church) into All Truth. That means that your idea of parts of the Gospel not being correct doesn’t hold up. If even one part of the Gospel is not correct then Jesus failed and the Holy Spirit did not protect as promised and the whole thing must be thrown out.

You are on a long journey - Keep asking questions and be open to what the church teaches. I don’t know how old you are but if you are like me (I’m 55) you weren’t well taught in the faith at school. I highly recommend that you get a copy of the Catachism to help you understand what the Church actually teaches. **It is also available here **. There is a search engine for the catachsim at the bottom of the page.

Peace
James

 

[prettylarge]

I guess I would say that I hope your mother’s prayers are fulfilled.

I don’t know. When I go to church most of the people there go just to show their face and completely disregard Jesus’ message for every other hour of the week, but still think they are being good Catholics because they go to church. Jesus didn’t say to go to church every week and Paul actually said strong believers treat every day the same (as opposed to honoring the sabbath).

 

[chessmane4e5]

I encourage everyone to read this essay, it is a little long but a really good read. Click here

1. Jesus has often been depicted as a 60’s peace loving hippy throwing a peace sign and singing “All you need is love.” This could not be farther from the truth. Was a central message of Jesus to love? Yes. Love God with all your heart and all your might. Love your neighbor and enemy as you love yourself.

But, Jesus was also compared to a Shepard. If we lived 2000 years ago, we would understand this analogy better. We usually think of the Shepard who loses 1 of his sheep and goes searching for it because it is just as important as the other 99. When he finds it, he rejoices and celebrates, and he carries the sheep home to his flock. This is all fine, but their is another side to the Shepard that can not (and was not by the Apostles and anyone that heard Jesus) be ignored.

The Shepard always had a staff, which was used for more than just leaning on. If a sheep ran away, the Shepard would search for it. But if the sheep refused to come back, the Shepard would use force. In fact, he would use force to the point of death. He would not say “Pretty please, come back. Oh, you don’t want to. Okay, see ya.” He would beat the sheep with the staff until it returned home or died.

Or another example. When a wolf would attack his flock. He would not tip toe through the sheep, apologizing for bumping in to them. He would run, as fast as he could, pushing sheep aside, stepping on toes, in order to reach that wolf before it could hurt any of the sheep. And when he got there, he would again use force to drive the wolf away or kill it.

Jesus and God do love us very much, but if we refuse to listen and follow, can we really believe we will inherit the kingdom of Heaven?

1. The Church does hold that people who do not believe (or know about) Jesus, may still go to Heaven. This is aligned with the command of not to judge people, as far as who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. All things are possible with God. This though is not a free ticket to not believe in Jesus. This statement was made for special cases like babies. Anyone who for some reason was unable to learn about Jesus Christ.
2. Hell does not exist? Really? This is also saying that Satan does not exist. If you believe this, then you are calling Jesus a liar. I do not believe God would lie. I believe God is my Father in heaven. I am a father on earth to 3 wonderful girls. When they misbehave, I have to punish them. I still love them, but I need to teach them. If they grow up and continue to disobey or disrespect me, then I would forced to do more. For example, if they became addicted to drugs and started stealing from me to pay for their habit, I may have to tell them not to come to my house anymore. This does not mean that I do not love them. I would still try and help them, but if they were so set in their ways, what choice would I have?

I think one of the greatest tricks the devil has pulled, is to convince man that he knows better than God. You basically have said that you believe what you want from the bible and ignore what you do not like. This is similar to when I hear people say, “I want to find a church that fits me.” Why do we try to make God fit our lives, when we should be making our lives fit God.

1. I hope you have read the essay I linked above, because if you have not, you may label me as “judging” you. This is not my intent.

I am a baptized and confirmed Catholic. My mother goes to church every day and prays that I come back. I am not practicing and don’t really plan on starting to go to church. Then again I follow Jesus’ message as much as I can and try to be the best person I can be in day to day life…so I guess you could say I am a practicing Catholic. It depends on your definition.

If you are not going to church and receiving communion every Sunday, then you are not a “practicing” Catholic. The key is receiving communion, not just going to show your face, as you accuse people of doing. The fact that people are not perfect seems to influencing your view of the Catholic faith. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Should we behave the way Christ told us, 24/7? Yes. But knowing what we should do and actually doing it, are different things. This does not make the Catholic Church, (or any Christian faith) bad or not aligned with God.

I would encourage you to look long and hard at your motivations in “following the spirit of your heart.” You must admit that your heart can lead you astray? The Devil can tempt us and it is easy to get caught up in the sins of this world. Please keep asking questions on this forum, or look around the Catholic.com website for answers to your questions. God wants us to question things, but with an open heart so that we may find the truth. Jesus is the way and the truth, He created His Church upon Peter, and that Church still stands today, as the Catholic Church.

 

[prettylarge]

I encourage everyone to read this essay, it is a little long but a really good read. Click here

1. Jesus has often been depicted as a 60’s peace loving hippy throwing a peace sign and singing “All you need is love.” This could not be farther from the truth. Was a central message of Jesus to love? Yes. Love God with all your heart and all your might. Love your neighbor and enemy as you love yourself.

But, Jesus was also compared to a Shepard. If we lived 2000 years ago, we would understand this analogy better. We usually think of the Shepard who loses 1 of his sheep and goes searching for it because it is just as important as the other 99. When he finds it, he rejoices and celebrates, and he carries the sheep home to his flock. This is all fine, but their is another side to the Shepard that can not (and was not by the Apostles and anyone that heard Jesus) be ignored.

The Shepard always had a staff, which was used for more than just leaning on. If a sheep ran away, the Shepard would search for it. But if the sheep refused to come back, the Shepard would use force. In fact, he would use force to the point of death. He would not say “Pretty please, come back. Oh, you don’t want to. Okay, see ya.” He would beat the sheep with the staff until it returned home or died.

Or another example. When a wolf would attack his flock. He would not tip toe through the sheep, apologizing for bumping in to them. He would run, as fast as he could, pushing sheep aside, stepping on toes, in order to reach that wolf before it could hurt any of the sheep. And when he got there, he would again use force to drive the wolf away or kill it.

Jesus and God do love us very much, but if we refuse to listen and follow, can we really believe we will inherit the kingdom of Heaven?

1. The Church does hold that people who do not believe (or know about) Jesus, may still go to Heaven. This is aligned with the command of not to judge people, as far as who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. All things are possible with God. This though is not a free ticket to not believe in Jesus. This statement was made for special cases like babies. Anyone who for some reason was unable to learn about Jesus Christ.
2. Hell does not exist? Really? This is also saying that Satan does not exist. If you believe this, then you are calling Jesus a liar. I do not believe God would lie. I believe God is my Father in heaven. I am a father on earth to 3 wonderful girls. When they misbehave, I have to punish them. I still love them, but I need to teach them. If they grow up and continue to disobey or disrespect me, then I would forced to do more. For example, if they became addicted to drugs and started stealing from me to pay for their habit, I may have to tell them not to come to my house anymore. This does not mean that I do not love them. I would still try and help them, but if they were so set in their ways, what choice would I have?

I think one of the greatest tricks the devil has pulled, is to convince man that he knows better than God. You basically have said that you believe what you want from the bible and ignore what you do not like. This is similar to when I hear people say, “I want to find a church that fits me.” Why do we try to make God fit our lives, when we should be making our lives fit God.

1. I hope you have read the essay I linked above, because if you have not, you may label me as “judging” you. This is not my intent.

If you are not going to church and receiving communion every Sunday, then you are not a “practicing” Catholic. The key is receiving communion, not just going to show your face, as you accuse people of doing. The fact that people are not perfect seems to influencing your view of the Catholic faith. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Should we behave the way Christ told us, 24/7? Yes. But knowing what we should do and actually doing it, are different things. This does not make the Catholic Church, (or any Christian faith) bad or not aligned with God.

I would encourage you to look long and hard at your motivations in “following the spirit of your heart.” You must admit that your heart can lead you astray? The Devil can tempt us and it is easy to get caught up in the sins of this world. Please keep asking questions on this forum, or look around the Catholic.com website for answers to your questions. God wants us to question things, but with an open heart so that we may find the truth. Jesus is the way and the truth, He created His Church upon Peter, and that Church still stands today, as the Catholic Church.

I don’t believe in the devil or original sin to be honest. I think that the devil and original sin are just a result of free will. If the devil existed, why wouldn’t God just destroy him? What is the point? And if God is letting the devil tempt us, then the devil might as well just be a different side of God. I don’t understand how you can believe that God is all powerful and good, BUT lets an evil power tempt us. How is that all powerful and good? I don’t get it.

EDIT: I don’t consider this calling Jesus a liar. I think that the devil is within all of us. I think the devil is just a metaphor for us wanting to do bad things because we enjoy them. I mean what does the “devil” tempt us with? The devil tempts us with things like stealing and sex on false pretenses…we steal because we want things and don’t want to pay for them and we want to have sex because it feels good. The devil doesn’t tempt us to do things that aren’t for our enjoyment…because the devil is just the temptations of humans.

 

[JRKH]

I don’t know. When I go to church most of the people there go just to show their face and completely disregard Jesus’ message for every other hour of the week, but still think they are being good Catholics because they go to church. Jesus didn’t say to go to church every week and Paul actually said strong believers treat every day the same (as opposed to honoring the sabbath).

I would strongly suggest two things.
First, don’t presume to know what is in other peoples hearts. You are struggling with understanding Jesus message in the Gospels and I suspect you are also struggling with other faults, as we all do. Others are struggling, with more or less success, with their own faults.

Second, do not base your faith on what other people do.

Peace
James