Protestantism is..... pitiful :(

[traillius]

I acknowledge doctrinal differences exist, and I hope Christ fixes them when he returns. In the meantime, we are all human, and protestants and catholics are both christians, despite what anyone claims. We all have the same one enemy. I suggest we worry about doctrinal differences after satan has been crushed. Until that happens, he and the sick world he ‘rules’ are far worse of a concern than doctrinal differences, even fundamental major differences.

 

[JustaServant]

I wouldn’t say angry and bitter… Just a bit energetic at times I’m rather quite happy. I’ve done a good job removing the plank from my eye my friend. I know that verse well. What I ask is this… Has anything I said been incorrect? Did Jesus himself create the catholic church? Yes… Does the catholic church continue the apostolic ministry in the forgiveness of sins? Yes… Where’s the problem? Are people that easily offended??? Apparantly

There is something called maturity and appropiatness. I would suggest you aquire both before you post again.

 

[aarontassin]

Never heard of this one before! Anyhows pity is a strong emotion and protestants should be thankfull for your care for our salvation!

Pity isn’t a strong emotion at all… It simply means “an unfortunate developement.” To feel pity means to feel sympathy for others misfortunes… Which I do. What I was trying to say before you got offended and quit listening was that a human being created the protestant religions by protesting and breaking off from the church that Jesus created when he appointed Peter the first pope. Since I hold Jesus in such high regard and respect, I figured that this was at least worth investigating. So I did… And it’s just a pity that the one church Jesus created before he left earth is being protested.

I vote we close the thread too. Apparantly my beliefs as a catholic and passion of a protestant do nothing but get me in all sorts of trouble. Oh that brings up another idea… If the mainstream catholic society “expressed”… I don’t know which words to pick to keep people from getting offended and seeing this as a personal attack. Ok I’ll try this instead. When I go to a protestant service, I see how passionate and excited people are about their faith in Jesus. When they leave the service, they seem to be jumping for joy and are filled with spirit. At the end of a catholic mass… I notice people walking glumly to their cars because mass is slow, quiet, and uncomfortable unless you truely understand what is going on. Now seeing that we are human, we see what is on the outside. So it would appear that protestants are more passionate about their faith and us catholics take it for granted. Notice I said appear! I wasn’t judging anything. It just simply looks that way. Protestants are passionate enough to protest the catholic church right in front of a catholic so why shouldn’t catholics openly protest their protesting. I’m not protesting the individual just the practice of protesting the church. What did you think the original post was about?

 

[aarontassin]

How can this be allowed?

What would happen to me if I came in here and did this sort of posting towards Catholics? Calling them ignorant? Pointing at them and decrying them sinners because I merely suspect it of them?

I am a new guy posting here with all sorts of questions about why this and why that in trying to understand the Catholic walk with Christ. If the Body and Blood of Christ are consumed by the OP, how can he be filled with such an attitude as displayed here? Where is the fruit from these graces of the Eucharist that the Catholics boldly claim to hold the patent on? If it is so encompassing to every Christian to receive the Eucharist as defined by the Roman Catholic Church, then why doesn’t it bring about good fruit? Show me love and I show you Christ. Where is He in the OP?

The most belligerent, prideful, and arrogant people I know are daily communicants in the Catholic Church. I can’t paint with a broad brush, but I can see what I see and I have my own experiences to draw from. What divine graces are derived from confessing to a priest if the person who has sinned against his brother doesn’t go to the brother he’s sinned against and provide reconciliation to him directly?

Why are some Protestants not Catholic? Because we see the fruit. And we don’t want any part of it.

Just two days ago I had an anti-catholic magazine stuck on my windshield at wal-mart. Every one in the parking lot had one. When I was in high-school my english teacher stood in front of the class and said that catholics used to sacrifice their children in order to prevent over population! Forgive me if I’m a bit bitter with protestant theology. I’ve listened to a clerk at Kroger bash catholics right in front of me. Saying how stupid catholics are for going to confession and thinking that the host turns into the body and blood of Jesus so forgive me if I seem bitter. Well I’m not bitter or angry at all. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone. I just know what I’ve seen and I’ve studied it and learned from it.
You are correct in thinking that we should ask our brother for forgiveness when we use mankind to sin. However, we confess to a priest when we haven’t used mankind to sin. If you have sinned against your body by smoking, drinking, fornicating, etc., then there is no brother to go confess to. That is were the apostolic ministry comes in. I believe if you came in here bashing catholics… no one would say anything because catholics are used to getting bashed. Why don’t you read my original post in context rather than take it out of context? I simply feel sorry for those who protest the teachings of the catholic church. I’m not bashing them I’m just curious as to why they went astray. You can’t judge the entire catholic faith based on what you see the majority of catholics doing outside of church. Theoretically we should be wise enough to see past the bad and see the truth behind the catholic church. It is evident that protestants do not do that.
I think people hate my post because it requires them to actually think for themselves. It requires that you think a step or two deeper than what’s right in front of you. Whether anyone agrees or disagrees I haven’t said anything that the bible doesn’t say.

 

[Zundrah]

Your approach is all wrong and you sound like Mr. T.

 

[Lizziebel]

I give thanks for the many charitable comments here in the midst of this thread.

Sharing the faith can be done in love and charity. I think the OP’s enthusiasm is wonderful, but when people call something pitiful or ignorant, it really doesn’t share the faith in a respectful way that leads to useful dialogue. It doesn’t share the faith in the way that represents the faith well as an example of Christ’s love. I hope the efforts of the OP and others who have responded in this manner will be successful in the future.

Prayer For Charity
O my Jesus, Thou who art very Love,
enkindle in my heart that Divine Fire
which consumes the Saints and transforms them into Thee.

O Lord our God,
we offer Thee our hearts
united in the strongest and most sincere love of brotherhood;
we pray that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
may be the daily food of our souls and bodies;
that Jesus may be established as the center of our affections,
even as He was for Mary and Joseph.
Finally, O Lord, may sin never disturb our union on earth;
and may we be eternally united in heaven with Thee
and Mary and Joseph and with all Thy Saints.

Amen.

Love and peace to all!

 

[sambos671]

I wouldn’t say angry and bitter… Just a bit energetic at times I’m rather quite happy. I’ve done a good job removing the plank from my eye my friend. I know that verse well. What I ask is this… Has anything I said been incorrect? Did Jesus himself create the catholic church? Yes… Does the catholic church continue the apostolic ministry in the forgiveness of sins? Yes… Where’s the problem? Are people that easily offended??? Apparantly

I’ll break it down a little so that you can see how your post looks to me and probably to the protestants at whom its directed.

I pity those who believe that faith alone will guarantee your salvation

The term “pity” here implies a condesendance. Keep in mind Faith is the motivator which leads people to do good works. So with out faith good works mean nothing to salvation or God. So faith is the starting place in our faith and in the protestant faith. They are wrong that it alone with out action is sufficient. But its a good starting place. However, in the context of your statement we have you saying you have sympathetic sorrow. Do you honestly have sympathy? Are they suffering are you feeling it? Many were worse sinners as Catholics and less so now they are protestant. Or are you saying, as it sounds, condesending. “poor protestants are stupid” Not entirely true. Many are more educated in scriptures than many catholics.

I have noticed that these poor lost souls pick the scripture that conveniences their sinfull nature. It’s almost as if they believe that once they are “saved” they have a free pass to do whatever they want and sin however they please and because they are saved they are guaranteed a ticked to heaven simply because they believe

This is a broad generalization. I can just as easily say that I’ve noticed Catholics that have no faith believe they are “saved” because they’re counting on saying confession and recieving last rites just before they die but are free to live what ever way they want before then. Though there are people in both camps its not true for the entire body of Catholics or Protestants.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Do you know what an iniquity is? It is an unjust act. If I had a dollar for every protestant who told me they were “saved” and were guaranteed a place in heaven on the day of their death, then went home and committed what us “stupid catholics” consider a mortal sin, I would have a lot of dollars

Again this can be applied both ways. How many catholics have been documented to participate in the sacraments then commit crimes? Yet, they believe they are doing good works. I wonder in judgement day how many will say to the Lord I gave such and such amount of money to the church and I did all the stuff I was supposed to do?

What does PROTESTant mean? You are protesting that very church!

If you had studied you reformation history protestants were not necissarily protesting the Church itself but the abuses of the Church. And when I say that, I mean some of the Clergy and men in Power using the Church as a front to embezel, ilicitly raise funds from people already taxed into poverty, to kill Jews to take their property as in Spain, to give a misrepresentation of ingulgences and pergatory (Just read Dante), preventing the populas for reading scritpures for themselves, etc… They were saying if the Church is teaching this and they are doing this then something is wrong. Many of the reformers went to an extreme but they had a point. The Church acknowledges this. People who’ve been abuse often go to the extreme. I was discriminated so much when I lived in Tenessee while I lived their I vowed never to return and to this day if I hear a similar southern accent, my guard goes up. Am I’m not african american! Imagine how you felt if you saw a family member carted off to jail and tortured how you would respond.

If you wanted to help yourselves out you could embrace his church rather than… PROTEST

If you truelly want this then stop the generalizations and the accusations. Try Charity. You can still speak truth. Just in a charitable way. I don’t pity protestants. I congragulate them on their devotion to Jesus and encourage them to study their history and scriptures and see that the Catholic church has been right all along.

 

[aarontassin]

Sorry I didn’t realize you could hear my voice. I think you are hearing your own thoughts and they sound like Mr. T.

 

[Karen1960]

I wouldn’t say angry and bitter… Just a bit energetic at times I’m rather quite happy. I’ve done a good job removing the plank from my eye my friend. I know that verse well. What I ask is this… Has anything I said been incorrect? Did Jesus himself create the catholic church? Yes… Does the catholic church continue the apostolic ministry in the forgiveness of sins? Yes… Where’s the problem? Are people that easily offended??? Apparantly

My mother has a saying, “It is not what you say, but how you say it”

You are correct, but using words like “Methead the Methodist” or “are screwed up” are not showing the love and kindness that Our Lord commands us to do.

I been on the otherside, as the Catholic, that the Protestants are trying “to save” and yes, some do it with kindness, and I have to admit, I have learned a thing or two from them and I thank them for it, (not that I would ever convert, but some have a great knowlegde of the Bible, that I do respect) but unfortunately too many use your approach and YES, it is offensive.

 

[aarontassin]

I’ll break it down a little so that you can see how your post looks to me and probably to the protestants at whom its directed.

The term “pity” here implies a condesendance. Keep in mind Faith is the motivator which leads people to do good works. So with out faith good works mean nothing to salvation or God. So faith is the starting place in our faith and in the protestant faith. They are wrong that it alone with out action is sufficient. But its a good starting place. However, in the context of your statement we have you saying you have sympathetic sorrow. Do you honestly have sympathy? Are they suffering are you feeling it? Many were worse sinners as Catholics and less so now they are protestant. Or are you saying, as it sounds, condesending. “poor protestants are stupid” Not entirely true. Many are more educated in scriptures than many catholics. This is a broad generalization. I can just as easily say that I’ve noticed Catholics that have no faith believe they are “saved” because they’re counting on saying confession and recieving last rites just before they die but are free to live what ever way they want before then. Though there are people in both camps its not true for the entire body of Catholics or Protestants. Again this can be applied both ways. How many catholics have been documented to participate in the sacraments then commit crimes? Yet, they believe they are doing good works. I wonder in judgement day how many will say to the Lord I gave such and such amount of money to the church and I did all the stuff I was supposed to do? If you had studied you reformation history protestants were not necissarily protesting the Church itself but the abuses of the Church. And when I say that, I mean some of the Clergy and men in Power using the Church as a front to embezel, ilicitly raise funds from people already taxed into poverty, to kill Jews to take their property as in Spain, to give a misrepresentation of ingulgences and pergatory (Just read Dante), preventing the populas for reading scritpures for themselves, etc… They were saying if the Church is teaching this and they are doing this then something is wrong. Many of the reformers went to an extreme but they had a point. The Church acknowledges this. People who’ve been abuse often go to the extreme. I was discriminated so much when I lived in Tenessee while I lived their I vowed never to return and to this day if I hear a similar southern accent, my guard goes up. Am I’m not african american! Imagine how you felt if you saw a family member carted off to jail and tortured how you would respond. If you truelly want this then stop the generalizations and the accusations. Try Charity. You can still speak truth. Just in a charitable way. I don’t pity protestants. I congragulate them on their devotion to Jesus and encourage them to study their history and scriptures and see that the Catholic church has been right all along.

Yea you make a good point. I didn’t even go back and read what I wrote before I posted it. However, I didn’t mean for pity to be condescending. I really feel that way because what if we need the eucharist and we need confession? What if when we die we have never taken the eucharist which is only available at your local catholic church? What if we NEED the sacraments of the catholic church? What if you die and you don’t have them simply because you were raised protestant? I’m not saying you’ll go to hell if you dont have them but what if you die and Jesus says that you needed the sacraments of his church and you needed to take the eucharist… And you didn’t. I’d honestly rather believe and do my whole life and find out in the end that I was wasting my time than protest the sacraments and on the last day be told that I needed them. I pity those who think it’s a waste of time.

 

[Anna_Scott]

I am a Christian in the Protestant sector. I do think the title of this Thread is not the best choice. There is a Thread with a more respectful title, “What do you think is the biggest obstacle to unity between Catholic Christians and non–Catholic Christians?”

I enjoy the Catholic Forums. I often use the Catholic Encyclopedia in my studies; and I prefer the New Jerusalem Bible, which is a Catholic translation–I find that it is a very honest translation.

I believe that Protestants and Catholics can come to a better understanding of one another through discussions conducted in a respectful manner.

There are many Protestants who do believe “once saved, always saved.”

Though I am Protestant, I do not believe the Scriptures support this view. I think we have to look at the New Testament as a whole, rather than pulling one verse to support a belief.

The Bible clearly states that we must have both faith and works, and we can actually lose our salvation.

John 5:25-29 (NASB): **
25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
29 and will come forth;* those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment***.

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV):
4*** It is impossible for those*** who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,
6*** if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.***

Hebrews 12:14-16 (NIV):
14 ***Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ***
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

James 2:14-18(ESV):
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Footnotes: a. James 2:16 Or benefit

James 2:21-26 (ESV):
21 Was not*** Abraham our father justified by works*** when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
24*** You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.***
25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also** faith apart from works is dead.**

2 Peter 3:16-18 (NIV):
16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and** fall from your secure position**. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

1 John 2:4-6 (NIV):
4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. **
5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.**

 

[happilycatholic]

I pity those who believe that faith alone will guarantee your salvation. I pity those who live their lives according to one small piece of scripture. I have noticed that these poor lost souls pick the scripture that conveniences their sinfull nature. It’s almost as if they believe that once they are “saved” they have a free pass to do whatever they want and sin however they please and because they are saved they are guaranteed a ticked to heaven simply because they believe. Yes there are a few verses that lean that way and can easily be tailored to say whatever you want them to, as long as they make life easy. Right… I fear for your souls. Take this scripture you ignorant people that believe that faith alone will “save” you. It starts at Matthew 7:21… “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Do you know what an iniquity is? It is an unjust act. If I had a dollar for every protestant who told me they were “saved” and were guaranteed a place in heaven on the day of their death, then went home and committed what us “stupid catholics” consider a mortal sin, I would have a lot of dollars. A LOT. 1Co 6:9 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” I know a lot of “saved” protestants that practice a lot of these horrible lifestyles. I know a lot of catholics who do as well. I want to know what the heck people are thinking. How did it come to this? How did everyone become so deceived. Catholics have it tough but protestants apparantly are screwing themselves. Mat 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Get an ALMANAC you ignorant protestants. Or an encycolpedia. You can literally trace the lineage of all the popes ALL THE WAY TO PETER! From the pope we have now all the way back to that guy Jesus said he would build HIS church. Not Martin Luthers… Not Bob the baptist. Not Methead the methodist. Peter the pope, the rock, the foundation for the ONE AND ONLY church that Jesus himself gave us in order to continue the apostolic ministry. It is an apostle’s job to minister to the saints. “Paul said that” Only the saints go STRAIGHT to heaven because to be a saint you have to do the will of God in it’s entirity. “Jesus said that” Everyone else has to wait until the last day or until all of your sins have been consumed by fire.
As for confessing to a priest… Jesus said to do it! Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." The catholic church is a continuance of the apostolic ministry. DUH! Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins. Obviously. Look at the gospel. How did you protestants miss that part? It’s in the same book as John 3:16… OH i forgot those apostles are all dead… my bad. Are you calling Jesus a fool? Don’t you think he had enough common sense to know that men will sin until the end of time? Yes he did, so why should the ministry of forgiveness of sins stop with the death of the last apostle? It shouldn’t! That’s why he created the catholic church! To continue that ministry. From Peter to Benedict we are the same church with the same ministry. To withstand the gates of hell. The catholic church will withstand the gates of hell. What does PROTESTant mean? You are protesting that very church! Good luck protestants. You apparantly need it. I will pray for you everyday hoping that Jesus will overlook your ignorance when he comes back to raise the dead. If you wanted to help yourselves out you could embrace his church rather than… PROTEST

Welcome and calm down…

This was sort of my first reaction to being on this forum as well. You’re going to have to grow a thicker skin and softer heart my friend to survive here. I know some of the things you’ll read here will be insulting and downright painful, but pace yourself. It only gets worse.

God Bless

 

[sambos671]

Yea you make a good point. I didn’t even go back and read what I wrote before I posted it. However, I didn’t mean for pity to be condescending. I really feel that way because what if we need the eucharist and we need confession? What if when we die we have never taken the eucharist which is only available at your local catholic church? What if we NEED the sacraments of the catholic church? What if you die and you don’t have them simply because you were raised protestant? I’m not saying you’ll go to hell if you dont have them but what if you die and Jesus says that you needed the sacraments of his church and you needed to take the eucharist… And you didn’t. I’d honestly rather believe and do my whole life and find out in the end that I was wasting my time than protest the sacraments and on the last day be told that I needed them. I pity those who think it’s a waste of time.

Its not what if. We do need the sacraments. But God judges the hearts of men. We are blessed to be able to have these sacraments they are missing out. But its our job to inform them in charity and accusatory. Honest protestants will study and see the church is right and return all ready we see many are. I honestly believe that if all catholics knew and lived their faith we would see more protestants returning home.

 

[aarontassin]

I didn’t expect anyone to understand anything I said. I expected to get criticised and prodded. I honestly don’t know how anyone could disagree with the whole “confession thing.” It seemed like common sense to me. I don’t know how anyone could have disagreed with the whole Jesus created the catholic church idea. It seems like common sense too. Just google the lineage of the popes. See who the first one was. I don’t understand why anyone would want to go to a protestant church when it is so obvious that Jesus founded the catholic church. I’m not boasting catholicism that is just how it happened. I don’t know why anyone would have wanted to break away from it. Oh yea I do. They didn’t want to take the time to edify the church they would rather just start a new one that’s exactly how they want it. He’ll disregard what Jesus created and he’ll create his own. That would be the easy way out. I’ve noticed that protestants believe in the “easy way out.” I know your gonna get offended but I can’t help it. That’s just how it is. Protestanism was founded on the easy way out and it’ll continue to be the easy way out. To say that we don’t need the sacraments of the church and to live conveniently according to such a principle IS the easy way out. Jesus promised that the catholic church would be the pilar of truth. He didn’t promise Martin Luther’s would. What if Martin Luther was wrong? What if we find out that we needed to live according to the teachings of the catholic church but we find out too late?

 

[Publisher]

Yea you make a good point. I didn’t even go back and read what I wrote before I posted it. However, I didn’t mean for pity to be condescending. I really feel that way because what if we need the eucharist and we need confession? What if when we die we have never taken the eucharist which is only available at your local catholic church? What if we NEED the sacraments of the catholic church? What if you die and you don’t have them simply because you were raised protestant? I’m not saying you’ll go to hell if you dont have them but what if you die and Jesus says that you needed the sacraments of his church and you needed to take the eucharist… And you didn’t. I’d honestly rather believe and do my whole life and find out in the end that I was wasting my time than protest the sacraments and on the last day be told that I needed them. I pity those who think it’s a waste of time.

I don’t worry about “what if”…I don’t base my life on doing things because “what might happen when I die”. I seek to live my life in the Holy Present. When I die I will be in Good Hands. Like Job, I pray the call of my heart will be “Though He slay me, still will I trust in Him.”

I have placed myself in the Hands of loving and merciful God…I trust Him to do what is right, good, just, I am in His Hands and that is the best place to be. I do not believe I am “wasting my time” by seeking “what is good…to do justly, and to love mercy and to to walk humbly with thy God.”…I may fail in many of those attributes…but when I do…there is grace…astounding amazing wonderful grace…something of which I am in most need of and He is in abundant supply of.

 

[happilycatholic]

I honestly believe that if all catholics knew and lived their faith we would see more protestants returning home.

From time to time someone will say something that sticks with you…

 

[IowaJay]

It’s not bigotry to call Protestant beliefs ignorant, they are.

After listening to Dr. Peter Kreeft’s new talk “7 Reasons to be Catholic” (Available at: catholicaudio.blogspot.com/search/label/SPEAKER%3A%20Peter%20Kreeft ), I’ve changed my mind about what I think and how I talk to Protestants.

As Dr. Kreeft says:

“It was a very stupid mistake to think that you could deal with heresy by burning heretics. It’s the very same the mistake that modernist Catholics are making today in reverse. They think you can love heretics by loving heresies. We have to hate the sin and love the sinner. That’s a hard distinction to make and we’ve been rather bad at it. But the principals are there, the truth is there, what we should do is there, its just that we just haven’t acted on it very well.”

When asked if Protestant scholars are merely victims of poor teaching, Dr. Kreeft responded:

"I think most of them are victims of poor teaching. There’s one book that did more harm then any other by Loraine Boettner called ‘Roman Catholicism’ which Fundamentalist always quote even though its been refuted time and time again. So I think its ignorance.

Give the talk a listen. I learned a lot.

Peter Kreeft also pointed out that Catholics need to know what they are talking about before they talk to Protestants. Here’s a few choice quotes:

“The Protestant Reformation began when a Catholic monk rediscovered a Catholic doctrine in a Catholic book. The monk, of course, was Luther; the doctrine was justification by faith; and the book was the Bible.”

“But many Catholics to this day have not learned the Catholic and biblical doctrine.”

“Until we Catholics know the foundation, Protestants are not going to listen to us when we try to teach them about the upper stories of the building. Perhaps God allows the Protestant/Catholic division to persist not only because Protestants have abandoned many precious truths taught by the Church but also because many Catholics have never been taught the most precious truth of all, that salvation is a free gift of grace, accepted by faith.”

“The split of the Protestant Reformation began when a Catholic discovered a Catholic doctrine in a Catholic book. It can end only when both Protestants and Catholics do the same thing today and understand what they are doing: discovering a Catholic doctrine in a Catholic book.”

catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0027.html

So, look in the mirror and take care to make sure you understand your own belief system before coming to talk to us and calling us ignorant.

 

[Karen1960]

I didn’t expect anyone to understand anything I said. I expected to get criticised and prodded. I honestly don’t know how anyone could disagree with the whole “confession thing.” It seemed like common sense to me. I don’t know how anyone could have disagreed with the whole Jesus created the catholic church idea. It seems like common sense too. Just google the lineage of the popes. See who the first one was. I don’t understand why anyone would want to go to a protestant church when it is so obvious that Jesus founded the catholic church. I’m not boasting catholicism that is just how it happened. I don’t know why anyone would have wanted to break away from it. Oh yea I do. They didn’t want to take the time to edify the church they would rather just start a new one that’s exactly how they want it. He’ll disregard what Jesus created and he’ll create his own. That would be the easy way out. I’ve noticed that protestants believe in the “easy way out.” I know your gonna get offended but I can’t help it. That’s just how it is. Protestanism was founded on the easy way out and it’ll continue to be the easy way out. To say that we don’t need the sacraments of the church and to live conveniently according to such a principle IS the easy way out. Jesus promised that the catholic church would be the pilar of truth. He didn’t promise Martin Luther’s would. What if Martin Luther was wrong? What if we find out that we needed to live according to the teachings of the catholic church but we find out too late?

I truly understand,. and agree with you
If one reads Scriptures are a whole instead of picking verse by verse they would understand The True Teachings of Catholic Church.

it was just your first post-that came on a little to strong

 

[BernadetteM]

As another poster reminded us, this poster had admitted that he has a serious problem. He said that he is bi-polar. I am very familiar with this disease and understand what they go through in life. He will not respond kindly to my post I am sure.

Instead of judging him for what he said we must understand that with certain illnesses perspective on life whether relilgious, comments made by others or incidents that happen to them causes them to have a very different outlook on life in general.

Please just pray for him, that God will be with him. I know that many who posted replies had no idea of the background of the OP so responded out of anger. Let us all now that we are aware of the circumstances of what was said be charitable and hopefully this post will be closed.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[JonNC]

I post this simply in contrast to the OP.
scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p3.htm

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276

Thanks to everyone who has shown charity on this thread. Come here often enough and one finds that the hearts of good Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox are filled with love and charity, not pity.

Jon