My friend who I thought was a devout Catholic left the church

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No. There is no 11th Commandment. And “telling him it is a mortal sin” is likely to be a short route to ending any friendship. There is an old phrase “discretion is the better part of valor”; it is also the better part of a lot of things, including not coming across like a know-it-all, or as being judgmental.

Somethimes we need to let God deal with God’s problems, and not presume we can take all of them on.

That does not mean avoiding any conversation about faith; it does not mean that you do not answer questions honestly; it does not mean that you do not continue to live your faith openly (and that does not mean using a lot of words).

I have a number of cousins, as well as a few acquaintances who have left the Church. I don’t proselytize them. If they have a question, I answer it clearly and honestly. I do not brow beat; but if they choose to tilt swords with me, I don’t get angry, I don’t get into shouting matches, but I don’t back down. I am also open about what I do (part of the RCIA team, where I go to Mass, etc.) and they are not stupid; so I presume they get the message.
 
I think this is your third request, so I will answer. No, you are not required to request the intercession of anyone. It is highly recommended, which is not the same as "“required”.

Just as a stray suggestion, since I suspect some of this has to do with Mary, you may want to read a copy of the book written by Dr. Brant Pitre Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary.
 
Good provide me with book, chapter, and verse that states that. I can state many that states that Christ was without sin.
 
That is a very strong statement. Does everyone believe this statement? So you are saying that because I am not catholic then I am destined for eternal damnation?
 
You are making an unfounded and untrue assumption, that only that which Scripture explicitly affirms can be true. You are “free” (although locked in an untruth) to believe only that which you personally can find explicit in Scripture - BUT I think you will be bound to an unscriptural assumption.

Can you “prove” (meaning “book, chapter, and verse”) that Scripture explicitly contains all that is true concerning divine revelation of the New Covenant? Does Scripture “prove” sola scriptura? Where? [hint: it does not]

You did not answer my question: “What are you looking for?” You are here, on a Catholic forum - seeking what, exactly?
 
2 Timothy 3:16-17. States ALL scripture.
Also just looking for some answers as to why y’all believe things not explicitly taught in the Bible. So you mean you can’t find one scripture to back your beliefs on Mary but you can find many stating only Jesus was without sin.

Of course I will end this suffice to say that upon watching a debate between three priests and Three Protestant preachers. The same answer was given when asked to show a verse that contains your belief on Mary. Hint: there isn’t any. According to a couple of emails with EWTN the Bible is authoritative in your church but your church teaches things outside of scripture. From man made doctrine. So therefore the Bible isn’t authoritative because we are instructed not to ADD or take away. So nothing found on Mary was sinless, sounds like adding to me. But from another person I am not Catholic therefore I am not saved.

I can only say to do as Paul commended those who studied the scriptures daily to ensure what they were being taught lined up with what The apostles were saying or preaching. I see no where where the apostles said Mary was without sin. Hmmm!

Good day.
 
Let’s not talk about “man-made” doctrines shall we? The last I looked one man Martin Luther came up with his own that people followed. Or if you are a Baptist, you are following another man (John Smyth), a renegade from the earlier renegades, who in turn came up with his own ideas. You people have no credibility on calling others out for having “man-made” doctrines.
 
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I am also amazed that for 1500 years your brilliant Catholic Christians can’t find one verse to support your church’s belief on Mary being sinless.
 
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As is typical, non-Catholics who want to avoid responsibility to His one Catholic Church, change what Scripture SAYS, to what they want it to say. For example, you gave as your “proof” that Scripture has ALL that a Christian needs to know, the following: “2 Timothy 3:16-17. States ALL scripture.”

Let’s see:
2Tim 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Tim 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
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Sorry, to say “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable…” is NOT the same as what you want it to say, namely, “ONLY Scripture is inspired and profitable…” All of Scripture IS of God and from God! But God has more to communicate to His Church, than that which was consigned to writing in the Holy Book. The Church believes and teaches that Scripture and Sacred Tradition, as understood by the Teaching Authority of the Church (“the Magisterium”), under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus, are our three sources of divine, revealed Truth. In the Catechism:
CCC 95 “It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.”
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Yes, as radio priest Fr John Riccardo says especially of younger people who leave the Church, “they’re catechized but not evangelized.”
 
It is not amazing at all that theological errors began almost instantly, when men thought they did not need the Church that Jesus formed and entrusted and sent to “make disciples” in His name. We don’t get to make up our own “church”! Holy Scripture is the Book of the Church - its not, by itself, a do-it-yourself “Guide to being a Christian”! Jesus made His Church, and He invites us to join together in that Church if we want to become a disciple among His disciples.
 
To seperate from the Catholic Church is to seperate from Christ.

I heard it said, that no one leaves the Church because of its doctrine, they leave because their is a sin in their life that they are attached to and dont want to give up.

Not judging your friend, but just pointing out the the issue may not be doctrine as the root cause.

Prayer for your freind , and hopefully you can help him find his way home by gently addressing some of his concerns , (if he is open to discussion with you)
 
It is funny about theological errors. Again just show one verse to me that states more than one person walked the earth sinless? But I have theological error for wanting you to show me that proof. Should be a question you ask as well or maybe study out with the Bible instead of being told what to believe.

So again even Jesus didn’t preach or teach this nor any of the apostles. But your church can find it. Theological errors. Look at the teachings of your church.

But than again when you are lead by “infallible” decisions you can’t be wrong.
 
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Revelation did not stop when the books of the Bible were finished! The Lord sent His Holy Spirit to the Church to continue to lead and guide her into ALL the Truth. See if your Bible has this in it (it does):

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John 16:15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

and also:
John 20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;…

and also, at the very end of John’s Gospel (the last Gospel to the written):
John 21:25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

The end of the Bible is no time to stop listening! The Holy Spirit is sent to remain with the Church leading and teaching her, until the end of time.

You still have not answered my question: Why are you here, in this Catholic forum?
 
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I think your friend has lost his way. We need to pray for him.
“May all those who have left the church, return home.” 🙏 🙏 🙏
 
You ask why and I did state earlier ,to see why you believe certain teachings that your church teaches.

Also why you believe things that are not supported by Biblical Evidence. So the one topic is that Mary was sinless as taught by your church that does not line up with scripture a.k.a. Biblical evidence.

I would like you to look at these following lists of verses in my Bible and see if they are in your Bible hint (they are).

Romans 3:10 & 5:12, 2Cor. 5:21, Heb. 7:26-28, Heb. 9:14. None of these as well as a list of others say any plural were sinless.

So in short is this an error in Bible text? Did God who inspired (breathed) scripture make a mistake? Is this just an oversight? Or is this a teaching that your church teaches and either you can believe it or not believe.

One last question I have, what if a Catholic does not believe this teaching are they Catholic?

P.S. Also we see in Acts , those that follow Christ were called Christians not Catholic Christians. When I was younger you never heard a Catholic say I am a Catholic Christian, why the sudden change?
 
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Well I will say only one thing and that is we follow only Biblical doctrine at my Church that was founded in 33 A.D.

Let’s not talk about renegades, least we forget the renegades of priests, cardinals, & bishops involved with the scandal that has plagued your church.

What of the renegades that held the Amazonian council to see if they would let a native people keep their gods & goddess to “win them over” for a lack of better terms.

Also what of the renegades who are trying to get states to change laws for length of time on abuse cases. By the way this is an article that states the Catholic Church has paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million for lobbyists to get these laws changed in the US.
 
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Is “none” righteous in Romans 3?

The typical “proof” offered against the sinlessness and holiness of Mary is the group of passages cited by Paul in Romans 3:10, and there similar ones. These verses say “all” have sinned and etc. — But these passages do not mean absolutely all human beings, but rather all of a particular group, namely all of the haters of the People of God.
To understand that Paul is not using “all” and “none” in such passages to mean absolutely all human beings, remember the fact of God’s ever-present remnant of the faithful - preserved on earth by His grace after the fall. God has always preserved His faithful ones, beginning with righteous Abel, killed by his brother Cain. After Cain was killed,
Gen 4:25 … Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for Cain slew him.”
Gen 4:26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD.

Look up other passages cited by St. Paul to support his writing, “there is none that does good” - and see what is meant, from the context.

Ps 14:1-3 – “there is none that does good” - But “none” among whom? God says in vs 4 - “all the evildoers who eat up my people like bread”. That is, none - no one - does good among all those who are enemies of my people, among “all the evildoers who eat up my people like bread”! God continues to have His righteous ones, “My people”.

Ps 53:1-3 – “there is none that does good…” - Again, among whom? Again, vs 4 - none of those who eat up my people like bread, as in Ps 14.

Ps 5:9 – “there is no truth in their mouth” - But in whose mouths? Not those of the Lord, whom God praises in vs. 10-11 – “Let all who take refuge in Thee rejoice, … and do Thou defend them!” Again, the evil are not the righteous of the Lord; His righteous remnant remain - in refuge in Him.

Ps 140:3 – under the lips of “the evil” one is poison of vipers, but David encourages the righteous in vs. 14 – “the righteous shall give thanks, the upright shall dwell in your presence!” Always there is His remnant, the righteous, the upright.

Ps 10:7 – “His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit…” But whose mouth? Not those of the Lord, His remnant, the men and women of the Lord - but vs. 18 “so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

Is 59:7-8 – “their thoughts are of evil continually…” But whose thoughts? Not those people of the Lord! Isaiah spoke of the remnant of the Lord in the beginning of his book, Is 1:9 - “If the Lord had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gemorrah.” (And also see Zeph 3:12, and 1 Kings 19:18)

The “proof” that Mary was a sinner like “all people” is not provable from Scripture, because such blanket assertions of universal sin are not universal. God has always preserved by HIs grace a righteous people of His own image to preserve hope among men.

Mary is the most righteous of all those of the Lord, because she is the perfectly graced one.
 
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Dan Defender,
You are right there is no specific date given. Although you and I both know this is usually the date that all agree upon. As a matter of fact according to an article. In the Catholic Registry a author concluded that the year was 33 A.D.

But since you said that my claim of the date is unbiblical I will try to refrain from saying that. But what of the fact that your church teaches that Mary was born through Immaculate Conception. Hint: That is not supported by the Bible not mentioned therefore Dan Defender that claim is Unbiblical.

I know through your profile you are Catholic, but I would have a much easier time explaining Jesus’s death with a year than the Immaculate Conception of Mary. For again the Bible tells us specifically that only one was born through this and that was our Lord and Savior Jesus.
 
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