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fermat
Guest
1 Peter 3:15-16:
Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence…
I would charitably suggest that this is not the best way in engage our brothers and sisters in Christ. We always have to be careful not to come across sounding combative. Most Protestant believe what they do because they sincerely believe they are following Jesus in the best way they can. We have a duty to share with them and show them fullness of what Jesus taught, but we also must not sound like they are somehow defective because they don’t believe what we do. I would encourage you to re-post *one *of your questions and address that. You will find that most Protestants are open to these discussions if they are presented with gentleness and reverence.
Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence…
I would charitably suggest that this is not the best way in engage our brothers and sisters in Christ. We always have to be careful not to come across sounding combative. Most Protestant believe what they do because they sincerely believe they are following Jesus in the best way they can. We have a duty to share with them and show them fullness of what Jesus taught, but we also must not sound like they are somehow defective because they don’t believe what we do. I would encourage you to re-post *one *of your questions and address that. You will find that most Protestants are open to these discussions if they are presented with gentleness and reverence.
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benjohnson
Guest
For me, the most interesting and sincere question is this:
Is God’s revelation to man over, or is it ongoing?
That’s a hard one for us Lutherans, I think. It seems we’ve remained static and haven’t added doctrine for the last 500 years. I shudder to think if Christ came back to us to rule - I wonder if I would be given enough of the Holy Sprit to acknowledge my Lord, or would it be an intellectual exercise involving the Bible.
Is God’s revelation to man over, or is it ongoing?
That’s a hard one for us Lutherans, I think. It seems we’ve remained static and haven’t added doctrine for the last 500 years. I shudder to think if Christ came back to us to rule - I wonder if I would be given enough of the Holy Sprit to acknowledge my Lord, or would it be an intellectual exercise involving the Bible.
Ok, Got it to open. Way too many questions for one thread, but…
It doesn’t. What do you think scripture leaves out?
Yes, of course we need to love. Galatians describes a saving faith as a faith that works through love.
Confession to a pastor/confessor is scriptural.
Is there any good work - good in God’s eyes - outside of faith?
According to scripture, it is the Church, which, of course, is subject to scripture.
God is revealed to me everytime I hear the word and receive the sacraments.
If one has a true, saving faith, and not a dead faith, why would choose to not labor for the food that leads to eternal life?
Indeed. For God so loved the world… Not part of it.
Your understanding of sola fide is incorrect. Please find me a source that says that sola fide means we don’t have to be obedient to Christ’s commands.
It doesn’t. truth can come from other sources. The creeds are an excellent example.
It doesn’t, because what you’ve said here is unscriptural.
It doesn’t. However, even Catholics can interpret scripture in areas not dogmatically defined. Correct?
It doesn’t, and Lutherans don’t, but where does it say you can’t?
Don’t most Catholic parishes have a mass on Wednesday?
It doesn’t.
:coolinoff: Hope I answered all your questions.
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Isaiah45_9
Guest
Like always, JonNC pops in composed and patient and gives an educated response… I don’t know how you do it brother, God Bless you.
We need to stop (pun intended
) posting ignorant threads with the title “Protestants” answer this, or answer that, etc. It shows a higher degree of… lack of charity and education and it doesn’t help the rest of us… thanks.Peace.
Jose,
Like always, JonNC pops in composed and patient and gives an educated response… I don’t know how you do it brother, God Bless you.
We need to stop (pun intended
Peace.
Not hard, most of the time, when one is regularly met by charity, as expressed here by you and fermat.
Jon
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Conor7
Guest
I’ve seen something similar that seeks to embarrass Catholics. In my humble opinion, these sort of exercises do nothing in the way of fostering reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics. It’s nothing more than a modern-day holy war of words and only proves to be more divisive.
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Nicea325
Guest
I agree. I used to respond to those “Tough questions for Catholics” threads,propositions or whatever one wants to call them. It proves nothing on either side and only makes matters worse. While we may not agree on many matters,friendly dialogue and charity goes a lot further than attacks and put-downs.
God Bless
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lna419
Guest
Would it be better to say catholics answer this? If its a questions for non catholics or protestants, then it would make sense to ask a question titled as protestants if thats who the question is for. Not all catholics know what or why protestants believe what they believe. I think it’s ignorant to think that the idea about ‘‘posting ignorant threads with the title “Protestants” answer this’’ is wrong. How will you know the question is for you if we don’t title it that way. Don’t feel bad, just answer the questions the best way you know how. We are all here to learn from each other.
Like always, JonNC pops in composed and patient and gives an educated response… I don’t know how you do it brother, God Bless you.
We need to stop (pun intended
Peace.
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lna419
Guest
I don’t think it was a combative question. Just too many questions at once.
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FabiusMaximus
Guest
But this is a Catholic forum.
And there isn’t much charity to Protestants. A lot of these questions, for instance, are quite silly and meant only to elicit frustration and annoyance than anything else.
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Isaiah45_9
Guest
Because the term Protestant is not the same as the term Catholic. Even though there are different rites in Catholicism, there are basic tenants and doctrines that are universally accepted and all rites are under the School of Cardinals and the Pope.
Protestants on the other hand have different doctrinal practices and are not under a universal doctrinal statement. For example, a Lutheran is not the same as a Presbyterian, a Pentecostal is not the same as an Anglican, etc. So when you ask a question in the general sense of Protestant, you give the impression that:
- You are under the impression that they are all the same
- You understand each individual denomination and are prepared to engage with each individual denomination.
Well, a wrong answer is still an answer, so for all purposes… yes I am sure the questions can be answered.
So a more educated question would be to specifically name the denomination you wish to engage, or if you feel that you can engage them all
eek then at least have the courtesy to specify that you understand that not all denomination have the same doctrine but that you are interested in knowing what their understanding of the questions are. At that point you can find a middle ground.But going off saying: Protestants can you answer these questions?
It looks like you are sitting at lunch with a buddy and you tell him, “hey I’m going to bug these Protestants with these things, let’s see what they say, hehe hehe”. Or something like that…
So if you say: Catholics can you answer these questions?, is just as childish and divisive. Only that as Catholics there should be a more uniformity in the responses.
Peace.
I think you touched on it for me. There are so many questions, and the way they are phrased leads one to infer a challenge. So, for example, the OP asks,
*“Where in scripture does it say that you are to have alter calls?” *
A better pheasing to get a positive response might be
“What is an altar call, and if you do them, why? What scriptural evidence do you see for them?”
Most of the questions start out with a veiled challenge to sola scriptura, or more correctly, the OP’s perception of sola scriptura: *“Where in scripture does it say…” *
Now to be sure, it is a mimicking of the same challenge phrases often from protestants to Catholics. Example: “Where in scripture does it say to worship Mary?”
Questions such as these tend to do two things, in my view, 1) minimize the chance for positive, constructive dialogue that leads to understanding, if not unity., 2) exposes a lack of understanding on the questioner’s part about those he/she is questioning, as evidenced by some of the OP’s questions, as well as the hypothetical protestant one I posed.
In honesty, I do want the OP to respond back to my answers. And I don’t want Needtostop to feel like we are judging him/her. Being new to the forum, these may be honest questions poorly phrased.
Jon
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Sixpence
Guest
Who put these questions together?
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Needtostop
Guest
I did not mean to sound rude or combative posting this thread. I apologize if people took it that way.Because the term Protestant is not the same as the term Catholic. Even though there are different rites in Catholicism, there are basic tenants and doctrines that are universally accepted and all rites are under the School of Cardinals and the Pope.
Protestants on the other hand have different doctrinal practices and are not under a universal doctrinal statement. For example, a Lutheran is not the same as a Presbyterian, a Pentecostal is not the same as an Anglican, etc. So when you ask a question in the general sense of Protestant, you give the impression that:
Also, the question is form as a challenge. Can you answer these questions?
- You are under the impression that they are all the same
- You understand each individual denomination and are prepared to engage with each individual denomination.
Well, a wrong answer is still an answer, so for all purposes… yes I am sure the questions can be answered.
So a more educated question would be to specifically name the denomination you wish to engage, or if you feel that you can engage them all
But going off saying: Protestants can you answer these questions?
It looks like you are sitting at lunch with a buddy and you tell him, “hey I’m going to bug these Protestants with these things, let’s see what they say, hehe hehe”. Or something like that…
So if you say: Catholics can you answer these questions?, is just as childish and divisive. Only that as Catholics there should be a more uniformity in the responses.
Peace.
No problem. Its good you are here at CAF. Did I answer your questions in my previous post?
Jon
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Needtostop
Guest
They are from a talk by John Martinnoni. He runs biblechristiansociety.com
This is how he phrased them, so that’s how I put them. I didn’t realized that they way that are asked upsets people and I apologize.
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Reuben_J
Guest
Hi. I think it is more of a matter of how to use this Forum effectively. You have attached a file which is filled with lots of questions. Thus it appears combative, as if you are not really interested in answers. I am sure you don’t mean it that way.
Topics like by faith alone, Baptism and altar call (a Protestant belief) are huge topics by themselves that you can start a thread each on them, for example. Perhaps you can do that.
There are many non-Catholic posters here who have been participating in the Forum for quite a while already, and some of them are able to give good (name removed by moderator)ut to your questions. Not to mention that they have carried themselves quite respectably too. It would be really a disservice for us Catholics if we come up and appear to be lacking in patience and scholarly finesse in posing our argument with them.
Probably it is in this aspect that your naming of the thread is not very appropriate. I would not hold it against you but like I said, you could have compartmentalized your questions more specifically and you’ll probably get more fruitful discussion.
Just my two cents.
God bless.
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