Please help... I'm being attacked

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Here is an e-mail from a Mennonite friend of mine and our discussion on purgatory and the Catholic faith.
How should I respond ?

Jesus did not once mention Purgatory.
“No man can come to the Father except through me.” Was what he said.
That is why FORGIVENESS is such an important aspect of being saved. You are forgiven and the sin cast into the “deepest parts of the ocean”. Purgatory was invented to keep the vast unwashed under control ie “You may not suffer for your sins now but, OH BOY are you gonna suffer later.” The people that believed that were kept in line by fear…now we know better because we can delve into and understand the word of God ourselves. These orthodox religions sprang out of the darkest times, things needed to be put in simple terms. **
** Frankly the Catholic “our way or no way” mentality and over emphasis on making rules and human involvement in forgiveness (confession) not to mention the supposed deity of the pope (yes he is just a man ), annoys me and frustrates me. You go on about these ancient religions…Jews ? Purgatory must be right because they do it and other “old” religions? Does Jesus say it? Did he say pray to Mary? Did he say “Say these phrases over three or four times and you will be forgiven.” ? NO he didn’t…man said that to keep the role of the priest current and necessary. You do not need a priest to be forgiven or pray with your beads or whatever…just ask and TRULY repent on your own…no fancy box, no hail mary 10 times just “I’m sorry.” God knows your heart and will forgive the repentant man.

Look at what you have to do, the rituals you have to perform on a Sunday morning and then go read the New Testament from front to back and show me where the beads come in or whatever…
 
Dear Latin.

You know what to do. Go to the CA home page and look for articles on these subjects. Start your reply with the words, “Dear Mennonite, your points are common objections to the Catholic faith. All of them are easily answered.” Then post links to the articles dealing with his questions.

One does grow weary of responding to the same objections again and again – but that’s why we’re here. :yawn:
 
You may want to gently point out that the things she’s objecting to aren’t things that the Church teaches. Her message shows that, probably through no fault of her own, she knows only a grotesque caricature of the true teachings.

The hinge on which my conversion turned was the question of authority. Once I was shown that sola scriptura is unbiblical, it was all over.
 
I just finished reading a great discussion on this very thing in the Novenber 2004 issue of This Rock magazine. I just checked but it’s not published on the website yet. But have your friend check out

Rev. 21:27, Nothing unclean shall enter it".

1 Corinthians 3:15, where Paul says that on Judgement Day every man’s work will be tested and rewarded: “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” Can a person suffering loss be in Heaven? No. And he can’t be suffering in hell because it says that “he himself will be saved.” This can only refer to a middle state where a man suffers temporary loss, through a purifying fire, so that he may gain Heaven.

In 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Paul prays for his dead friend, Onesiphorus, which makes sense only if he can be saved by prayer.

You could also mention 2 Maccabees 12:43-45, Judas Maccabeus took up a collection to make a sin offering for his dead soldiers. “In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, as he had the ressurection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.”

I hope this helps.
 
Intrigued Latin:
Here is an e-mail from a Mennonite friend of mine and our discussion on purgatory and the Catholic faith.
How should I respond ?

Jesus did not once mention Purgatory.
“No man can come to the Father except through me.” Was what he said.
That is why FORGIVENESS is such an important aspect of being saved. You are forgiven and the sin cast into the “deepest parts of the ocean”. Purgatory was invented to keep the vast unwashed under control ie “You may not suffer for your sins now but, OH BOY are you gonna suffer later.” The people that believed that were kept in line by fear…now we know better because we can delve into and understand the word of God ourselves. These orthodox religions sprang out of the darkest times, things needed to be put in simple terms.
** Frankly the Catholic “our way or no way” mentality and over emphasis on making rules and human involvement in forgiveness (confession) not to mention the supposed deity of the pope (yes he is just a man ), annoys me and frustrates me. You go on about these ancient religions…Jews ? Purgatory must be right because they do it and other “old” religions? Does Jesus say it? Did he say pray to Mary? Did he say “Say these phrases over three or four times and you will be forgiven.” ? NO he didn’t…man said that to keep the role of the priest current and necessary. You do not need a priest to be forgiven or pray with your beads or whatever…just ask and TRULY repent on your own…no fancy box, no hail mary 10 times just “I’m sorry.” God knows your heart and will forgive the repentant man.**

Look at what you have to do, the rituals you have to perform on a Sunday morning and then go read the New Testament from front to back and show me where the beads come in or whatever…
Click to expand...
Wow! That is one pile of objections! This is an example of what I call death-by-a-thousand-difficulties. It is an attempt to overwhelm you by cramming them all together at once. Don’t worry about it. Take it one objection at a time. You might start with this: How to Explain Purgatory to Protestants.

I knew many Mennonites when I grew up. I don’t remember any of them baiting Catholics. It’s kinda strange to me.

Scott
 
Have your friend read the book *Purgatory *by Fr. Schouppe. I think it will settle any doubts.
  • Joe
 
Scott Waddell:
Wow! That is one pile of objections! This is an example of what I call death-by-a-thousand-difficulties. It is an attempt to overwhelm you by cramming them all together at once. Don’t worry about it. Take it one objection at a time. You might start with this: How to Explain Purgatory to Protestants.

I knew many Mennonites when I grew up. I don’t remember any of them baiting Catholics. It’s kinda strange to me.

Scott
Click to expand...
Hello Scott,

Thanks so much for your link above. I just read the whole think and even though I am Catholic it has definitely helped me to more deeply understand Catholic teaching on purgatory.

I couldn’t agree more with the end part regarding keeping the doctrine in perspective.

God Bless,
RS
 
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