So it takes 17 years to do that. Do you think Jesus really meant for it to be that hard?? I could see if you said well it took me 17 years to believe.
Yeah obviously I wasn’t in charge that day or I would have served you.
Maybe it’s good I’m not. I’m too compassionate.I know you’re not in charge today.
Oh boy here we go. I am going to grab some popcorn.
For me, that’s what it took. Most people take two or three years. I’ve seen people be accepted in less than a year, but they tend to drop out.
She’s attending a Mennonite church right now. But she won’t take the membership classes; she still thinks of herself as Brethren. She hates the Brethren, though - they are too sexist - won’t let her talk in Church - and they forbid her to celebrate Christmas; they think it’s a pagan holiday. She loves Christmas.PEACE Sister. I hope your friend is OK. Seriously
The basic definition of a Christian is a believer IN Christ. I have to make sure I use the word IN because so many people on these boards say “even satan believes Jesus is the Christ”. So I have to clarify that believing means accepting Jesus as your savior.
I like the Apostle’s creed because it is much much older and is more indicative of what the early churches professed. But I think they say the same thing. When it comes to one holy catholic and apostolic, I see those words as meaning universal and based on Apostolic teachings. As far as are they traditions of men? Well the creed itself is man-made but I think it’s reflective of our beliefs as Christians. The statements within the creed for the most part are not man-made. They are actual facts we gleen from the Bible. Beyond the last “I Believe” are statements pretty much made by Jesus or the Apostles. All those who believe in Christ are called saints, Jesus teaches us about forgiveness, Jesus in fact was resurrected from the dead, and Jesus Himself again tells us we have eternal life by believing in HIM.
Ok so at least you’re there and getting fed spiritually. That’s most important
Wow. GOD will lead her, have faith. I love the pagan holiday dig at Christians. JWs I work with do the same thing. They just don’t get it.I just keep praying for her, and inviting her to Mass. Sometimes, she even comes. She “gets” that she can’t receive Holy Communion, and she shows great respect when she comes; she even wears a veil.
LOL… actually, my friend, you’re probably right about that…
Again, I absolutely agree! God speaks to those who don’t know the fullness of the truth in other ways.
Ah, now that IS an interesting comparison, and I’m glad you brought it up! The gnostics were indeed a major heresy of the early church, along with several others, such as the Arians. This became problem enough for people as early as St. Ignatius in 110 AD to start talking about a “catholic”, or universal church. In other words, what is the minimum required to be considered a true Christian? Eventually, this results in the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds, and the heresies were rejected as incompatible with the Christian faith. Those who believed correctly (in the universal manner) eventually came to be called Catholic. Indeed, far from being Gnostic, it is the Catholic Church that saved Christianity FROM Gnosticism. It certainly doesn’t believe in “hidden wisdom” that you get from a secret interpretation of a code in the Bible, and that morality plays no key in this. It also doesn’t believe in the key Gnostic belief of all matter being evil, and only the spiritual world as having goodness and worth. Catholics believe in the goodness of God’s creation, not that it is somehow horrifically flawed. The argument that Catholics are Gnostics not only does not hold up, but works in reverse.
Forgive me, I will address these points, but I don’t have time to complete them before dinner. I’ll come back to them in a bit in another post. I also have to look up the quotes from the Early Church Fathers.
Indeed yes, we do! It’s considered blasphemous and a mortal sin. And although the Catholic Church does not ever pass judgment on whether someone ends up in hell, if one dies with an unforgiven mortal sin on their soul, they are presumed to end up in hell. Keep in mind, of course, that the person would have to clearly and definitively understand that what they did was a sin. You cannot be held accountable for what you do not understand.
But that definition isn’t sufficient. It could include groups such as the Arians, who were denounced, like Gnostics, as a heresy.
Honestly, I have a point. One of the problems that required the need for a creed in the first place was the great fragmentation of belief in the early church. This mirrors in some ways the Protestantism of today. Most Christians agreed that some unity of doctrine was required, or Christianity would completely fall apart and no one would be able to agree on the basics. Indeed, the word “Trinity”, for example, is only implied by the Bible, and yet for most Christians, this is a non-negotiable item. So then, is it a “tradition of men” that proclaimed this to indeed be so, or was it the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Catholic council that refuted the heresy? Even the earliest Christians recognized that simply calling one’s self “Christian” was NOT enough. There had to be some guidance as to correct belief involved. We believe that the Catholic Church is that agency, and that it’s protected by the Holy Spirit.
No, not flip. It just seemed that your post was better suited on another thread
I consider myself Catholic, and I have never once participated in the Holy Eucharist.How about this, then: Please respect that I went through years of RCIA (in my case, 17 years) to gain the privilege of receiving Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. I did not just waltz in one day, proclaim myself “Catholic” and start receiving Holy Communion the same day.
And by the way, they’re “our” beliefs because I believe them, too.
True; and children under the age of seven are also considered Catholic, without being allowed to receive Holy Communion, yet. Initiation into the Chuch is a process; it doesn’t happen all at once.
True, besides I have read the Bible, I don’t want to sin against God.True; and children under the age of seven are also considered Catholic, without being allowed to receive Holy Communion, yet. Initiation into the Chuch is a process; it doesn’t happen all at once.
Its very simple, learn and follow the teachings of the 2000 year old Catholic Church, submit to her authority of Jesus Christ and his magesterium, enter into full communion of the body of Christ , in order to understand in recieving his body ,soul and divinity. without this communion sacrament, Non believers can be held in contempt before God, during Oaths if they dont understand or believe What Jesus instituted in the Eucharist.
Actually, the Orthodox, along with the entire Eastern branch of Catholicism, tends to give all three sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation) as infants. This is a matter of discipline and tradition, and is dependent upon regional customs. It’s not something fixed in stone for the church, and there is room for debate within the Catholic Church as to how the process occurs. All Catholics believe that membership in the Church begins with Baptism, but is completed in full after communion and confirmation. As to whether it is important for that process to be completed as soon as humanly possible, or for there to be a process of learning and initiation, is a matter that depends on whether you are Latin or Eastern Catholic (and is subject to change, should the Church feel it necessary).
Heck no. From what my Orthodox friends tell me, their Priests are even stricter about enforcing Eucharistic discipline than their Catholic counterparts. I’ve been told a number of times by different folks that, generally, if the Priest doesn’t know you, he’ll ask you if you’re Orthodox (and might ask if you’ve been to confession recently)before he gives you communion.
So, if the Roman Catholic Church, and those in union with her, and the Eastern Orthodox Church and the like feel that you must be a member first, can we assume that this teaching came from the Apostles?
