Things I admire about protestants

[Reuben_J]

I admire the Protestant denominations that allow women to more fully utilize their gifts and talents than in the Catholic Church.

Maybe you start with wrong premises here. The Catholic Church allows women to fully utilize their gifts and talents.

Women are only not allowed to be priests but they can become religous.

 

[Free_Radical]

Maybe you start with wrong premises here. The Catholic Church allows women to fully utilize their gifts and talents.

Women are only not allowed to be priests but they can become religous.

Respectfully, I disagree.:compcoff:

 

[CWBetts]

Respectfully, I disagree.:compcoff:

Fine. You disagree. Why? You should let us know so we can fully debunk your misconceptions.

 

[Cinette]

We live in a very secularised world and I am often comforted when i think of our separated brothers and sisters and the fact that they too believe in the Trinity, the Ressurection, the Incarnation (some do) They love Jesus and they do good.

I am comforted by that. I do also wish we could be closer because it doesn’t make sense that we should be separated. Jesus did say that we would one day be one flock with one shepherd.

I wish we could collaborate more on important issues: pro-life, education, human rights, etc.

 

[1holycatholic]

Maybe you start with wrong premises here. The Catholic Church allows women to fully utilize their gifts and talents.

Women are only not allowed to be priests but they can become religous.

“Not allowed” is misleading. It is not possible for women to become priests.

 

[George14]

When God created the world, it actually took him a couple more than “six days.” More like 13 billion years… It is the very nature and essence of life in this universe of ours that creating and becoming are A PROCESS - a growth, from seed to seedling to sprout to shrub to small tree to large tree.

I pull weeds from my garden bed and I discovered how incredibly tiny they are at the beginning…(which is, of course, the best time to pull them since they haven’t gotten so deeply embedded that you have to pull up the soil with them). My own religious experience started with a seed (a conversion in 1953) and over 55 years it has grown - it simply was not a fully grown adult faith by any means when it started. It was a good seed, but I am amazed at how naive I was early on, and in reflection, in another ten years I’ll look back to how naive I am RIGHT NOW as compared with my perspective at that future time.

My point is that ALL OF US ARE IN PROCESS. Smoldering wicks, mustard seeds, small shrubs, etc. You can’t get to B unless you’ve been to A, and we all come to our own fulfillment from MANY different origins. ALL of us are in process; all of us are learning; all of us are growing; all of us know SOME things and do NOT know other things. As far as I know, our Most Holy Mother is the only person “full of grace” from the outset, and even SHE “grew” and processed and came to a fuller personhood by what she experienced in life. (SO DID JESUS, of whom scripture reports that very fact. (I came recently to believe that Mary’s death was probably due to love-exhaustion, much like the final word of Our Lord on the cross, “It is finished” as He gave forth the very last of his self in love and self surrender, “Into your hands I commend my soul.”) We are all “surrendering” bit by bit, hopefully with full and generous heart every moment of our lives. So growth and progress and becoming are all a process that unfolds in time: God could easily have made all things perfect and finished if He had wanted to: but it made infinitely more sense that we should “get credit” as part of our eternal existence for our part in that progress and growth.

 

[mariyka]

George,

Thank you for that. It was beautiful and true.

Peace to you and yours.

 

[O.S.Luke]

One does not “convert” from Baptist to Methodist, or from Methodist to non-denominational. For a Protestant, deciding to belong to a different church is as casual as deciding to shop at Meijer’s instead of Wal-Mart, or or leaving one country club to join another, except that doing that requires less time and paperwork than Protestants changing churches; like country clubs, Protestant “churches” are essentially social contracts.

That is patently false. Vows and allegiance to the Church Catholic, the Communion, and the local church are taken seriously and with solemnity. And it takes more than “paper work” - it takes study, discernment, and time to prevent hasty decisions and to encourage and culture belief, allegiance, and faithfulness.

I knew this thread would go this way.

 

[Cinette]

That is patently false. Vows and allegiance to the Church Catholic, the Communion, and the local church are taken seriously and with solemnity. And it takes more than “paper work” - it takes study, discernment, and time to prevent hasty decisions and to encourage and culture belief, allegiance, and faithfulness.

I knew this thread would go this way.

It also takes deep reflection and a good deal of courage because often when one converts to the Catholic Church there is criticism and rejection which results in hurt and separation.

It is not for us to judge.

Marcus Grodi who has had The Journey Home program on EWTN for the past 11 years whereby he interview a good percentage of converts who were formerly Protestant Pastors and has a ministry where he assists pastors who wish to convert. These men are very brave. They have financial commitments and families to support and give up their entire career. I remember a Southern Baptist Minister who converted and worked as a truck driver. Some get into teaching positions but some struggle. No, these are brave and wonderful people who love God deeply and are prepared to make sacrifices and do whatever it takes.

How can we not love and admire them?

They are treasures to the Catholic Church. They contribute much to the Church.

 

[Free_Radical]

Fine. You disagree. Why? You should let us know so we can fully debunk your misconceptions.

My opinion is heartfelt, from personal experience, and to discuss it in this forum would be like banging my head against the wall.:banghead: This is the forum where people have a problem with girl altar servers, women lectors, and women EMHCs. I don’t have the time or energy to argue with that mindset. Besides, I’ve heard all the tired arguments. :yawn:

 

[kell0618]

I don’t! Any Protestant, no matter how ignorant and unlearned, thinks he can interpret Scripture on his own and is guided by the Holy Spirit in doing so. Their “love” for Scripture is precisely the reason they have splintered into 33,000+ sects and growing. Catholics revere and love Scripture just as much–even more, rather–as Protestants. We just don’t think literacy or reading the Bible is essential to living a holy life, though it is certainly a help.

LOL. You carry a big stick and walk thunderously. I did not say I love the way the interpret Scripture. I admire their love for Sacred Scripture. I know plenty of Catholics who never crack a Bible. Perhaps you need to use a bit of your fire and brimstone method with them? Easy there, fella.

 

[MarkBrown]

My opinion is heartfelt, from personal experience, and to discuss it in this forum would be like banging my head against the wall.:banghead: This is the forum where people have a problem with girl altar servers, women lectors, and women EMHCs. I don’t have the time or energy to argue with that mindset. Besides, I’ve heard all the tired arguments. :yawn:

Then why post? Why pontificate to us lowly simpletons?

You maybe tired of the arguments, but you still bring up the issue, but the reasons I see the church give are based in scripture. The opposing view point is opinion. I am not Roman Catholic though I agree more than disagree. Turning opinion no matter how heartfelt into doctrine is dangerous. Look at all the problems within all the churches…opinion is the foundation of the problems. Not scripture or tradition.

 

[Free_Radical]

My original intent was to join the OP in saying something nice about “our separated brethen” on what looked like a happy thread. My response was that “I admire the Protestant denominations that allow women to more fully utilize their gifts and talents than in the Catholic Church.” A couple posters disagreed, and I respect their opinions. I agree to disagree and am satisfied with that.

 

[manualman]

Yes! Protestant churches always seem more welcoming. Of course, there is always exceptions on both sides.
…
I sometimes wonder if there are more Protestants in Heaven than Catholics.

Nah. Haven’t you heard? Absolutely everyone in heaven is catholic.

Of course evryone in hell is catholic too. There ain’t no hiding from the Truth after judgement day.

Oh, the compliments:

1. Protestant converts to catholicism make the best catholics. None of that pesky innoculation against the real catholicism us cradle catholics got from 70’s and 80’s “religious ed” programs.
2. Evangelicals sure do sing loud and well. Your average catholic in the pew sings like it’s his grandma’s funeral.
3. They make more and better contemporary musicians than us.
4. Their seminary curricullums don’t seem to put a premium on injecting “irrelevence and boring sidetracks” into every homily / sermon they way ours must be doing.

 

[tGette]

Nah. Haven’t you heard? Absolutely everyone in heaven is catholic.

Of course evryone in hell is catholic too. There ain’t no hiding from the Truth after judgement day.

This a very interesting and thought-provoking point!

Oh, the compliments:

1. Protestant converts to catholicism make the best catholics. None of that pesky innoculation against the real catholicism us cradle catholics got from 70’s and 80’s “religious ed” programs.
2. Evangelicals sure do sing loud and well. Your average catholic in the pew sings like it’s his grandma’s funeral.
3. They make more and better contemporary musicians than us.
4. Their seminary curricullums don’t seem to put a premium on injecting “irrelevence and boring sidetracks” into every homily / sermon they way ours must be doing.

I like how you had to edit this post and add this in! Funny stuff . . .

Regardless of our differences, Protestants do love the Lord Jesus Christ! I think people tend to forget that!