The "born again" argument

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I don’t get it. she was going to a protestant camp? what’d you think they did there? would it have been better if she told you that your daughter learned nothing about Christ the entire weekend?
The family probably just thought that it was going to be a regular summer camp, except that the kids would all be encouraged to be kind to one another. They were probably not aware of the role of Christian camps.

If they had been asking my advice before the fact, I would have recommended that they send their child to a Catholic summer camp, rather than to a Protestant camp.
 
There is no problem with the phrase “accepting jesus in your heart” just as there is no problem with the idea of the trinity. yours is an arguement without substinance.
Before I can comment more, please define ‘accepting Jesus’. What is it and what it entails and how it is done?
 
Sigh. Being evangelical doesn’t depend on a recipient’s willingness. If it did, the OP would have no leg to stand on as his daughter wasn’t interested.
If no one had approached his daughter, it wouldn’t have been seen an an “evangelical” thing. No one goes up to non-Catholic kids and tells them to convert to the Catholic faith (and in fact they go a little further out of their way than I’m comfortable with, to not “offend” them, which means that Religion classes and school Masses tend to be quite badly watered-down).
 
If I am the mother of the girl, anything that can lead her daughter away from the Catholic Church, is a heresy.

We must be concerned of unwelcome effort to bring a child into deeper belief unto someting that may contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church…
Heresy even if she might have a deeper relationship with God outside the Catholic Church?

It begs the question, would you rather have a luke-warm Catholic child, or an on-fire Protestant one? (Not that this is always the case, but you have to agree it can be the case) Is the Catholic church so wonderful that even if a child is languishing there, it is still better than a protestant alternative?
 
If no one had approached his daughter, it wouldn’t have been seen an an “evangelical” thing. No one goes up to non-Catholic kids and tells them to convert to the Catholic faith (and in fact they go a little further out of their way than I’m comfortable with, to not “offend” them, which means that Religion classes and school Masses tend to be quite badly watered-down).
I think this lack of evangelicism is a relatively new thing for the CC and seen as a problem by the Catholic church. (Not as the good thing many here seem to think). Certainly, as a Catholic you cherish Cathlic tradition? Do you see this lack of evangelism as historically-based, or a modern trend?
 
Before I can comment more, please define ‘accepting Jesus’. What is it and what it entails and how it is done?
This is a typical non-denominational accepting Jesus into you heart prayer:

“Lord Jesus…I’m a sinner. I have sinned and I fall short of Your standard of sinless perfection. I don’t want to make excuses for my sin, or somehow justify my sin, I just confess it, I agree with You about it and I want to turn from it. So, I’m asking You to come into my heart, to cleanse me of my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Lord make Yourself real to me, make Your Word real to me, and help me to lead my life, all the days of my life from this day forward for You. Thank You for placing my name in Your book of life… Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray, amen.”
 
I love hearing this from a Catholic. You don’t have any problem accepting the multitude of Mary dogmas, and other wildly non-biblical (that is not based on the bible) catholic teachings, Traditions, etc. , yet the Prot. teaching of “accepting Jesus into your heart” is problematic.

How could this idea possibly be offensive to a christ-follower?
So you realize that “accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior” is not in the Bible and is in fact a tradition? Good.

Now tell me: how do you know that anything the Catholic Church teaches is not biblical? Have you looked in the Bible to see what it says about Mary?
 
Heresy even if she might have a deeper relationship with God outside the Catholic Church?
She might have more powerful emotional experiences, but she won’t be closer to God. God resides in the Church, and the further away you move from the Church, the further away from God you become.
 
This is a typical non-denominational accepting Jesus into you heart prayer:

“Lord Jesus…I’m a sinner. I have sinned and I fall short of Your standard of sinless perfection. I don’t want to make excuses for my sin, or somehow justify my sin, I just confess it, I agree with You about it and I want to turn from it. So, I’m asking You to come into my heart, to cleanse me of my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Lord make Yourself real to me, make Your Word real to me, and help me to lead my life, all the days of my life from this day forward for You. Thank You for placing my name in Your book of life… Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray, amen.”
Again, where is this in the Bible?
 
So you realize that “accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior” is not in the Bible and is in fact a tradition? Good.

Now tell me: how do you know that anything the Catholic Church teaches is not biblical? Have you looked in the Bible to see what it says about Mary?
The “trinity” is also not biblical by your definition.

I’ve been over this Mary thing backwards and forwards. Yes, there is a few quotes from the bible regarding Mary from which the CC has somehow distilled a mountain of information.

and no, i don’t wish to discuss it here and derail this thread. thank you.
 
Again, where is this in the Bible?
if you can’t find that basic sentiment in the bible you’re not reading the bible. and no, Protestants arn’t confined to only pray prayers that are verbatim in the bible. But again, let’s not derail this thread.
 
She might have more powerful emotional experiences, but she won’t be closer to God. God resides in the Church, and the further away you move from the Church, the further away from God you become.
I guess I’ll just have to disagree. Can the catholic church not recognize saints outside of the catholic church? do they not also recognize greek orthodox saints? how can this be if what you say is true?
 
The “trinity” is also not biblical by your definition.
The concept of the Trinity is clearly in Scripture. The concept of altar calls, the Sinner’s Prayer, and “personal Lord and Savior” are not.
 
if you can’t find that basic sentiment in the bible you’re not reading the bible.
Show me where the Bible says that a prayer that does not involve either confession of sins or a material object (oil, water, bread or wine) results in forgiveness of sins.

This is a given, but a promise that “you will be saved” followed or preceded by baptism or a reference to baptism doesn’t count.
 
I guess I’ll just have to disagree. Can the catholic church not recognize saints outside of the catholic church? do they not also recognize greek orthodox saints? how can this be if what you say is true?
Two words:

Subsistit in

If you are baptized in the name of the Triune God, you are a Catholic albeit not formally.
 
The concept of the Trinity is clearly in Scripture. The concept of altar calls, the Sinner’s Prayer, and “personal Lord and Savior” are not.
okey- dokey.
you find the prayer I quoted as somehow unbiblical? You think God would frown at such a prayer?

you don’t believe that Jesus died for your sins, personally? (i.e. personal Lord and Savior)

I don’t personally like alter calls, but what exactly offends you about them? You think God dislikes people coming forward and devoting their lives to Him?

I don’t know what to say except “okey-dokey”.

You seem to take comfort in saying these things are not in scripture, as if you’re debating sola-scriptura. That is not the debate we’re having here. Not all Protestants believe sola-scriptura. We do however believe that all Christian beliefs cannot be contrary to scripture.

Now tell me, why does God consider the alter call, Sinner’s Prayer, or the idea of “personal Lord and Savior” offensive?
 
Two words:

Subsistit in

If you are baptized in the name of the Triune God, you are a Catholic albeit not formally.
This renders his point moot. If all baptized Christians are “catholic” than clearly there are instances inwhich it is better to be a “on-fire” non-Catholic (catholic church attender) than a luke warm Catholic.
 
This renders his point moot. If all baptized Christians are “catholic” than clearly there are instances inwhich it is better to be a “on-fire” non-Catholic (catholic church attender) than a luke warm Catholic.
One must receive the Eucharist to be “on fire” and the Blessed Sacrament is unavailable outside the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

[BIBLEDRB]John 6:53-54[/BIBLEDRB]

And if (God forbid) a non-Catholic commits a mortal sin, the only way out is conversion to the Catholic Church so as to receive Penance or else perfect contrition.
 
okey- dokey.
you find the prayer I quoted as somehow unbiblical? You think God would frown at such a prayer?
[BIBLEDRB]Matthew 7:21[/BIBLEDRB]
you don’t believe that Jesus died for your sins, personally? (i.e. personal Lord and Savior)
I do but I recognize that Jesus asked for more than simple intellectual faith alone and an incantation.
 
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