This is a great question, but totally off topic, and needs it’s own thread. No, I do not think it is easy at all. I don’t know if “strain” is the word I would use. If a couple agrees to abstain for a time, for the purpose of obedience to God, or for spiritual purification then I would say that it places a great challenge to the marriange. However, embraced with submission to the grace of God, just like any other 'strain" will produce holiness.
Weeeeeeeeeeeell…let’s not cast any stones. Catholic Churches in the South were segregated too under Jim Crow. In fact my current pastor’s first job as priest in the Mississippi Delta in the late 1960’s was as pastor of a white congregation and a black congregation in the same town. His job was to integrate the Churches. From what I’m told, in the places that were too poor to have separate Churches, there were clearly marked “colored only” pews in the back. He faced lots of resistance, even some threats.
My church does not exclude practicing Catholics either. What is Jack Chick tracts? I attend every Sunday and on every day of Holy Obligation. My Protestant Church has several colored people attending. One of them is an elder at my church. Protestant churches are universal as well.
True. But that freedom is not found in anarchy, but obedience to God.
What do you make of Matthew 16;18, where Jesus speaks of “my Church”?
Every day of holy obligation? What kind of church is this? I mean it sounds too much like a Catholic Church…do you have confessions? Confirmation? Infant Baptism? Are you guys in a church church or a school cafeteria or something?
This certainly is a myopic view of Christianity. It sounds like you are describing a worship service (liturgy) and equating it with “christianity”. In truth, a liturgy is only one important part of the Christian life.
This is the reason that most protestants are members of the “Church of what’s Happening Right Now.” Why do you go to church? To socialize? To get a natural high? "'Cause I like the music? You go to church to worship God, in company with your fellow believers. That’s why. Everything else is gravy. That worship has to have some kind of structure, 'else everybody just does their own thing. So if you don’t get these superficial things that I mentioned, you jump to some other church that has better music, a more dynamic preacher, a nicer building. The Mass is perfect worship of God, everything else is extra.
You’re right. I saw some priests from the Society of the Divine Word once on EWTN Live (with Mitch Pacwa). On the show they discussed the situation of African American Catholics during and after slavery. The Society of the Divine Word came to Mississippi to undertake the spiritual and educational development of African-Americans.
Like I said of course you don’t exclude catholics your trying to convert them. I was talking about the segregation practices of the past prevelant in protestant churchs and yes I am aware of problems in the catholic church in the south as well but it was not where blacks were not allowed in church they were segregated in different parts of the church however and shame on them. But it was not as nearly as bad as in some protestant churchs where a black could not enter. Protestant churchs are not univerals they are regional and every protestant denomination is limited by region. ie For example the Presbyterian Church USA not Univerals , SOuther Baptist not Univerasal Baptist, they are not grouped around the world without some sort of division the catholic church is present in every corner of the word with virtuaally every nation and creed that allows the faith to be practiced. Universal also means practiced in every age since the apostolics age and that would be a rather pecualiar claim for you as most protestant church in the USA are of a lineage of just recent christian history. So you don’t cut it as a univerals church in several areas.
I agree Jesus did not want to us to start our own church but I think you need to ready Matthew Ch 16 and Matthew 18 he certainly wanted us to go to the church he established with Peter as its head. When there is a disagrement Jesus tells us to take it to the Church he founded he does not tell us to start our own church.
When is a train more free? When it is on the track or off the track?
This is a great point. The disunity among Christians is a scandal, and I think a lot of denominations/non-demoninations either don’t care or have despaired of there ever being any solution.
Yes, Every day of holy obligation. It’s a non-denominational. We have confession on the individual’s request. We are not required to attend confession. We do it when we feel led to. We have an initiation into the church we do for everyone wanting to become a member. We are having one this coming Sunday, but we don’t call it conformation. However, it is basically the same thing. They have baby dedication, but as far as what goes on at a baby dedication at my church, it os pretty much the same as what goes on at an infant baptism. We are in a church church.
What do they consider Holy Days of Obligation? (Do they follow the American Catholic calendar of Saints, or are they thinking of things like Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day, etc.?)
Yeah funny how imposter try to copy teh catholic church with their immitations. It’s much to assume they don’t have the Assumption of Mary and the Immaculate Conception of Mary as thier Holy Day of obligation. It is also safe to assume the pastor does not say " absolve you of your sins your are forgiven" the proestants church’s that do have a form of confession including Mormons don’t have the power to absolve sins as Jesus gave teh apostolic church. They just hear the confession heck pschologist do that what we need is to be absolved from our sins.What do they consider Holy Days of Obligation? (Do they follow the American Catholic calendar of Saints, or are they thinking of things like Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day, etc.?)
When you go to Confession, who hears your Confession?
It sounds like this group has one foot through the door of the Catholic Church already. I suspect that within the next 10-15 years, the majority of that congregation will have joined the Catholic Church.
By the way, it’s “Confirmation,” (sealing of the Holy Spirit) not “conformation.”
Well lets revist the Bible to make our point. Baptism is the new circumcision the new testament declares thus no need for baby dedications anymore they are to be replaced by Baptism. Also when baby dedications were done in the old covenant they were not simply prayed for their was animal sacrifices involved, I beleive the options were doves for the poor and lambs for those well off, you needed the shedding of blood for the baby dedication to be effacacious in baptism the shedding of blood is Jesus which brings us to the point the new testament also brings us to that baptism buries us into the death and redemption of Christ.