The Invention of Catholicism?

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That’s easy enough. If I get a statue of Mary blessed and then I urinate on it then I am profaning a (blessed) symbol.
Then i would make you lick it clean.
How can one profane something by eating it?don’t tell us what comes to your sickened mind.
 
Then i would make you lick it clean.
How can one profane something by eating it?don’t tell us what comes to your sickened mind.
Paul is saying that treating the breaking of bread like an all you can eat buffet instead of in serious contemplation profanes.

I don’t see how that requires Real Presence in the Catholic sense or even in Codebilly’s Shekhinah sense.
 
That’s one of the questions we’ve been tossing back and forth in this thread. But note that I didn’t invent the line. And Protestants didn’t invent the line. The CC Church did when they decided that Paul and Luke’s writings were Holy Scripture and Ignatius’ were not.
My “arbitrary line” question referrenced your decision that if the doctrine of the Real Presence was not clearly stated in writing at the time of the drafting of scripture it cannot be considered a binding doctrine of the Church. The hypostatic union was not clearly stated either, but you have no problem declaring that as christian doctrine. Similarly, the doctrine of the trinity was not clearly stated, yet I’m assuming that you would concur that such a belief is a non-negotiable article of the christian faith. It seems there is a double standard. Those doctrines we (protestants and catholics) agree on are okay even if not expressly stated in the scriptures or appearing as clearly established universally accepted doctrines by the death of the last apostle. However, where a “unique” catholic doctrine is at issue - suddenly there is insufficient support for the doctrine. So, I ask again… why the arbitrary line? Please answer honestly.
Bubba Switzler:
Obviously the CC thought less of them than it did Paul’s writings.
The Church thought highly enough of Ignatius to make him a saint and proclaim him a early church father. His writings should be given the weight they deserve and not dismissed as “out of hand” as you attempt here.
Bubba Switzler:
So where does Ignatius claim that Real Presence was a belief in Paul’s day?
He’s stating the doctrine as the belief of the universal Church. One can presume that he’s not foisting novel doctrine on anyone, but defending the orthodox position from the heretical denial of the real presence. Do you really need such a pedantic exposition before you acknowledge at least some weight should be given to the statement by Ignatius as a declaration of orthodox catholic doctrine as it existed in 107 A.D.?
Bubba Switzler:
The “drafting” of the NT documents is when they were committed to paper. And obviously that does not include Paul’s letters. The Gospels, for example, were oral tradition long before that time.
OK. So, lets assume for the sake of argument that the NT was established oral tradition for a period of time before they were committed to writing in 70-90 A.D. Assuming that the Church existed from roughly 32 A.D. onward… and immediately began proclaiming the fullness of the gospel, that leaves only about 75 years for there to be a complete suppression of the “true” doctrine regarding the eucharist among the faithful, and its replacement by “false” real presence doctrine, so that by 107 A.D. St. Ignatius could declare the “real presence” as orthodox belief in his defense of the faith against heretics. Even in today’s world, such a universal suppression of doctrine would be unworkable IMO.
Bubba Switzler:
Sorry, I know you mean well by this but it just doesn’t pass the smell test. We don’t need to believe in apostolic succession to recognize that the CC made a very reasonable choice as to which Gospels were most relaible. You are presenting a false dichotomy between submission to CC authority and rejecting everything that the CC declares as dogma.
I’m not presenting a false dichotomy. I’m saying that you accept the authority of the CC when it comes to the canon of the NT, which contradicts your assumption when approaching the NT as the final authority on doctrine. Your assumption is not only not taught by the bible, but the scriptures depend on outside authority for their constitution. If “reasonableness” alone is the basis for accepting the books of the NT, then certainly one who reasonably disagrees with your NT canon (like Martin Luther, perhaps) can expunge or dismiss certain books from their personal canon. And, if reasonably disposed, one could choose to add the writings of St. Ignatius to their NT canon. What authority forbids such action? Only the Church that you reject as an authority, but otherwise think did a passable job at promulgating your personal authoritative writings.
Bubba Switzler:
If, for example, the CC Church decided sometime around 100AD that the eucharist was the Real Presence of the Body of Jesus it may only be that before then there was no unified opinion on the matter and for Protestants to decide otherwise is not to invent a conspiracy of the CC clergy.
So, what you seem to be saying is that the doctrine of the Real Presence may or may not be true, but you’re not compelled to accept it as a matter of doctrine because, pursuant to your own arbitrary standard, you think the early Church did not teach the Real Presence.

If that’s the case, then there’s also no reason to accept the trinity as a matter of doctrine, or the hypostatic union, or the divinity of Christ.

Peace,
Robert
 
Paul is saying that treating the breaking of bread like an all you can eat buffet instead of in serious contemplation profanes.

I don’t see how that requires Real Presence in the Catholic sense or even in Codebilly’s Shekhinah sense.
Just what would be the problem with eating one’s fill:confused:
Your interpitation leads one to think that the breaking of the bread was a simple meal offered to the people,
 
Just what would be the problem with eating one’s fill:confused:
Your interpitation leads one to think that the breaking of the bread was a simple meal offered to the people,
If it were intended to be a fellowship meal, then there would be even less wrong with eating one’s fill, and the blame would go to those who did not provide enough bread and wine for everyone in the gathering to receive their fill, rather than to those who were treating the Body and Blood as if it were ordinary bread and ordinary wine, by eating and drinking their fill of it.
 
So, what you seem to be saying is that the doctrine of the Real Presence may or may not be true, but you’re not compelled to accept it as a matter of doctrine because, pursuant to your own arbitrary standard, you think the early Church did not teach the Real Presence.

If that’s the case, then there’s also no reason to accept the trinity as a matter of doctrine, or the hypostatic union, or the divinity of Christ.

Peace,
Robert
The Catholic Church is the church Christ started but the early church was not Roman Catholic. They had no Roman Catholic doctrine. Nothing about purgatory, communion of saints, eucharist or the trinity They were believers in the resurrected Christ.That’s all you had to confess to get baptised and that’s all you had to confess to be a candidate for persecution. It is still a requirement today for those who have been chosen by God to be His own. There will never be 100% doctrinal agreement. The Pope now agrees with Luther on salvation by faith alone.
 
The Real Presence is a correct teaching, in my opinion, but John 6 needs to be seen more in the light of a prophetic statement by Jesus rather than a literal one at the time He was speaking it.
Of course it was prophetic 👍 . As a flesh-and-blood man, he could not give his Body and Blood so that men could eat it “for the salvation of the world at that time.” But it is also “literal” in the sense that after the Resurrection, he CAN give His Body, truly, on all the altars of the world until the end of time for the salvation of the world.

Don’tcha LOVE it?.
 
The Pope now agrees with Luther on salvation by faith alone.
No he doesn’t. If you read what the Pope says, he hedges the term (which he acknowledges is useful) on every side with the plenitude of Catholic meaning.
 
My “arbitrary line” question referrenced your decision that if the doctrine of the Real Presence was not clearly stated in writing at the time of the drafting of scripture it cannot be considered a binding doctrine of the Church.
I never said that. I don’t think I even implied it.

What I said was that the Catholic Church, itself, made a distinction between the wiring of Paul (Word of God) and the writings of Ignatius (not).
The hypostatic union was not clearly stated either, but you have no problem declaring that as christian doctrine.
Severaltimes now I have made the simple distinction between rejecting Church teaching authority and rejecting Church teaching. I know there is a long list of Catholic teaching that Protestants accept, for example.
So, I ask again… why the arbitrary line? Please answer honestly.
As I’ve noted several times, I didn’t and don’t draw that line. If I was to draw a line it would be between the sayings of Jesus (and prophets speaking on behalf of God) and the sayings of the apostles and the sayings of theologeons. I would lump Paul and Ignatious together as early Church theologeons. But that is a very crude approach.
Do you really need such a pedantic exposition before you acknowledge at least some weight should be given to the statement by Ignatius as a declaration of orthodox catholic doctrine as it existed in 107 A.D.?
That is not the point of debate. The point of debate is what happened between 65AD and 107AD.
OK. So, lets assume for the sake of argument that the NT was established oral tradition for a period of time before they were committed to writing in 70-90 A.D. Assuming that the Church existed from roughly 32 A.D. onward… and immediately began proclaiming the fullness of the gospel, that leaves only about 75 years for there to be a complete suppression of the “true” doctrine regarding the eucharist among the faithful, and its replacement by “false” real presence doctrine, so that by 107 A.D. St. Ignatius could declare the “real presence” as orthodox belief in his defense of the faith against heretics. Even in today’s world, such a universal suppression of doctrine would be unworkable IMO.
Sigh. I am not claiming that Ignatius reversed a prior Christian belief about the Real Presence.
And, if reasonably disposed, one could choose to add the writings of St. Ignatius to their NT canon. What authority forbids such action? Only the Church that you reject as an authority, but otherwise think did a passable job at promulgating your personal authoritative writings.
I suppose you could add the writings of Karl Marx too while you’re at it.
So, what you seem to be saying is that the doctrine of the Real Presence may or may not be true, but you’re not compelled to accept it as a matter of doctrine because, pursuant to your own arbitrary standard, you think the early Church did not teach the Real Presence.
If preference is given to the views apostles then the views of the apostles become an important criteria. If the apostles are just early theologeans then why not consider the opinions of later theologeans like NT Wright?
 
Just what would be the problem with eating one’s fill:confused: Your interpitation leads one to think that the breaking of the bread was a simple meal offered to the people,
Forget for the moment that this is a religious ceremony. Imagine that you were invited to a solemn secular occassion with a snack buffet and some of the guests skipped eating for a week and spent the entire time focusing on consuming the food. You don’t think that would reflect poorly on them?
 
Forget for the moment that this is a religious ceremony. Imagine that you were invited to a solemn secular occassion with a snack buffet and some of the guests skipped eating for a week and spent the entire time focusing on consuming the food. You don’t think that would reflect poorly on them?
Still can’t understand how that makes one guilty of the body and blood of the Lord or how they would be judged by what they have eaten.:confused:
 
Still can’t understand how that makes one guilty of the body and blood of the Lord or how they would be judged by what they have eaten.:confused:
I’m just pointing out that it is not only at mass that one does not eat one’s fill when food is presented.
 
My “arbitrary line” question referrenced your decision that if the doctrine of the Real Presence was not clearly stated in writing at the time of the drafting of scripture it cannot be considered a binding doctrine of the Church.
Bubba Switzler;4805314:
I never said that. I don’t think I even implied it.
That is not the point of debate. The point of debate is what happened between 65AD and 107AD.
 
Then you are simply seeking to change the subject to a debate that you would prefer to have. If you prefer to discuss different questions than those I have raised here you are free to start a new thread.
Your point in starting this thread was to prove the Catholic Church invented the belief in the Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and hierarchy. In your first post you propose these were invented in the second century after the end of Acts. But when the Bishop of Antioch was quoted, suddenly these events had to happen during the life of the Apostles (the first century.) This is when I starting suspecting you just wanted to play a game of ‘What if.” When it became clear that the Bishop of Antioch was a first century man and it was only his writings that probably were second century, the “inventions” had to have happened after 65AD. The game target has now moved twice.
When asked why there were no writings condemning the belief in the real presence, you suggest the Apostles never thought about it one way or the other. After the discourse told in the sixth chapter of John’s gospel and Christ telling them that this bread is my body at the last supper, according to Paul, you want us to believe the Apostles never thought about it one way or the other.
I don’t mind games, just be honest and declare it a game. I think it would be fun to get some folks together, grab our favorite beverage, and see if we could reconstruct the Battle of Yorktown by only using Martha Washington’s Diary, and pretending that George was never born. That would be a fun game; just don’t tell us we are on a journey to discover the truth of what happened.
 
Your point in starting this thread was to prove the Catholic Church invented the belief in the Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and hierarchy. In your first post you propose these were invented in the second century after the end of Acts.
I stand corrected on my initial sloppiness. Acts does not end in 99AD but sometime before 65AD. Otherwise, I have been very consistent about focusing on the line that Catholics and Protestants draw between what is Biblical and what post-Biblical.
After the discourse told in the sixth chapter of John’s gospel and Christ telling them that this bread is my body at the last supper, according to Paul, you want us to believe the Apostles never thought about it one way or the other.
I repeatedly and consistently pointed out that I was not claiming that the Catholic belief was without foundation and that the issue was what the Biblical Church believed, not whether later theologeans could find a basis for Real Presence in Jesus words.

Protestants, like Catholics, go to the Bible to find justification for their theology.
 
What do you mean by ‘prophetic statement?’
I mean Jesus is speaking about something that doesn’t actually have its fulfillment at the time He says it even though it’s spoken as though it is current.

Such as Matthew 16, where Peter only burst through the gates of Hell with his confession of Jesus as Messiah and saved souls on the Day of Pentecost.

Likewise in John 20 where Jesus speaks of the coming of the Spirit and the remission of sins which is also fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.

There was no literal fulfillment on the day the words in John 6 were spoken-no one ate His body that day.

All of these statements were set in motion when spoken, but didn’t reach their fulfillment until later-prophetic statements.
 
I mean Jesus is speaking about something that doesn’t actually have its fulfillment at the time He says it even though it’s spoken as though it is current.
I asked because the word ‘prophetic’ can mean so many things, I just wanted to make sure. I’ve thought of John 6 the same way. Thanks. Preparing the troops for future events.
 
Yo, codebilly! I had to read your post twice, and still I’m not entirely sure I understand what you are trying to say! Of course we non-denominationals and Protestants reject the "authority of the catholic church! And we also reject the pope as the evangelical leader of the world! He is just another man of God, anointed and ordained to lead his flock! If I could find some kind of Biblical directive for recognizing, and submitting to the "authority of the catholic church, then I may submit! And here’ something to ponder; what if Jesus was talking about Himself in Matthew 16:18?:confused:
 
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