To Protestants: why do you do this?

[Memaw]

I am a born again christian who was brought up Catholic. I did not know the truth of the Bible through the Catholic Church. I found the Lord through the preaching of the GOSPEL by Billy Graham and began to read the Bible for myself. There is where I found the TRUTH. Jesus said: “If you continue in MY WORD, then you will be my disciples, and the TRUTH will set you free.” The Catholic Church does not preach from the Bible. The Word of God is the TRUTH. The Truth is that JESUS PAID IT ALL on the cross and it is ours to receive (JESUS as the GIFT of Eternal Life). The Catholic Church tries to add things. There is nothing to add. There is only one SAVIOUR - The Lord Jesus Christ and HE is the second Adam. Just ask Catholics if they know if they are going to heaven and they have NO ASSURANCE of heaven. But the TRUTH - the Bible says you can KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE in where it says in the Epistle of John that says if you have the SON you have eternal life and if you do not have the Son you do not have eternal life.

All cults have believe with works. The true church is faith in JESUS CHRIST to be born again - born of God - New Creature in Christ. The Catholic Church is the largest cult there is but most people don’t know what they truly believe. They do not preach the GOSPEL OF THE BIBLE. So Paul said if they preach another Jesus let them be anathema.

I know Catholics love God but they do not know truly what JESUS did for them on the cross because it is not preached in the Catholic Church.

I pray that those in the Catholic Church who love JESUS would read the Bible for themselves and find the Truth that would set them free.

Preaching the TRUTH in Jesus name.

Sad to say you are spitting out more of that protestant nonsense. Please before you try to tell us Catholics what we believe, at least try to learn what the Catholic Church really does teach and where the Catholic Church gets the authority to teach!!!
Show me in the Bible where it says all you need is the Bible, & I can show you where Jesus established a CHURCH and said the "Gates of Hell"will NEVER prevail against it. You know soooooo little about the Church Jesus established and its teachings. We are MORE Biblical than you will ever be, but the Church does NOT expect us or want us to decide for ourselves what it really means. We need the guidance of the Church that Christ established. Proof that self interpretation is misleading can be found in the division of protestants into over 40,000 different denominations that disagree with each other on that point. The proof is in the pudding and History shows that the Catholic Church has stood the test of time. It teaches the same Doctrine today that it was given at the beginning from Jesus Christ himself. We have all seven Sacraments, true Apostolic Succession, and the Holy Eucharist in its TRUE meaning. The 2,000 year History of the Catholic Church, proves it is Guided by the HOLY SPIRIT, or it would have been destroyed long ago. Christ promised that would never happen and that HIS Church would NEVER teach ERROR. If you are sincerely seeking the TRUTH, then you should learn more about the Catholic Faith in its truth. Catholic Answers can help you do that.

 

[clmowry]

I am a born again christian who was brought up Catholic. I did not know the truth of the Bible through the Catholic Church. I found the Lord through the preaching of the GOSPEL by Billy Graham and began to read the Bible for myself. There is where I found the TRUTH. Jesus said: “If you continue in MY WORD, then you will be my disciples, and the TRUTH will set you free.” The Catholic Church does not preach from the Bible. The Word of God is the TRUTH.

So what’s that thing we do with the 3 readings every sunday and the homily all about? Proclaiming and teaching from essentially the whole bible every 3 years would count as what? Hiding from scripture?

The Truth is that JESUS PAID IT ALL on the cross and it is ours to receive (JESUS as the GIFT of Eternal Life). The Catholic Church tries to add things. There is nothing to add. There is only one SAVIOUR - The Lord Jesus Christ and HE is the second Adam. Just ask Catholics if they know if they are going to heaven and they have NO ASSURANCE of heaven. But the TRUTH - the Bible says you can KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE in where it says in the Epistle of John that says if you have the SON you have eternal life and if you do not have the Son you do not have eternal life.

All cults have believe with works. The true church is faith in JESUS CHRIST to be born again - born of God - New Creature in Christ. The Catholic Church is the largest cult there is but most people don’t know what they truly believe. They do not preach the GOSPEL OF THE BIBLE. So Paul said if they preach another Jesus let them be anathema.

I know Catholics love God but they do not know truly what JESUS did for them on the cross because it is not preached in the Catholic Church.

I pray that those in the Catholic Church who love JESUS would read the Bible for themselves and find the Truth that would set them free.

Preaching the TRUTH in Jesus name.

I am sorry to see you were so poorly catechized. How old were you when you left the church?

Chuck

 

[Mystic_Warrior]

First a brief background. I was evangelical Protestant from childhood until age 47. I grew up in a Conference Baptist church under some of the most famous evangelicals in the U.S. (Evelyn Christenson, Gary Smalley, Irwin Lutzer, Bill Bright, etc.–these people were either on staff at our church or frequent guest speakers at our church).

I was extremely active in my churches, usually involved in something involving my church at least 5-6 days/nights per week.

So I know evangelical Protestantism well. That means, of course, that I know my Bible well. I’ve not only read and studied through the entire Bible many times, but also been involved in Bible studies all of my life, usually at least two-three per week.

Yet in spite of all this, I and my husband converted to Catholicism on April 10, 2004.

We are extremely joyful in our Church and love being Catholic Christians.

What I want to know is why Protestants try to convince Catholics that our “religion” is false and that we need to “become Christians?”

When I was Protestant, I never did this. I accepted Catholics as true Christians.

I read Jack T. Chick’s tracts about Catholicism and realized that they were fiction. I still liked a lot of the other Jack T. Chick tracts (Somebody Loves You is excellent.) But I didn’t go along with everything JTC said or wrote.

I read other Protestant apologies against Catholicism, and I never believed them. I knew Catholics and I knew that the stuff in those apologies wasn’t true.

I didn’t go after Catholics. If someone told me they were a Catholic, I would ask, “So you’re a Christian?” and if they said “yes,” I was cool with that. I didn’t try to talk them out of Catholicism and explain the “truth” of Protestantism.

If a Catholic didn’t know Jesus, THEN I would try to talk to them about their faith. But I didn’t try to persuade them to give up Catholicism, I just tried to persuade them to embrace the Jesus their Church proclaims.

From what I understand, the Rev. Billy Graham never tried to talk Catholics out of their church. Neither did Dr. Bill Bright (I know this from personal experience–when the “I Found It!” campaign was done in our city, three Catholic churches were part of it! Isn’t that nifty?!)

So why do YOU feel it is necessary to try to persuade Catholics that their Church is in error? Are you getting some kind of reward in heaven for this? Can’t you just accept Catholics as fellow Christians who practice their faith differently than you do and rejoice with them?

I personally think the devil must be laughing his head off. He is convincing Christians to witness to Catholics, who are fellow Christians, instead of pagans who are lost in their sins and don’t know Jesus. Tragic.

I don’t feel it’s necessary to try to persuade Catholics. I don’t do it. I never have - never. You are painting too broad a brush. They are my brothers and sisters as far as I’m concerned.

Peace…

MW

 

[RCIA2008]

It is my belief that the Church is fractured…that Our Father allowed this for some reason, perhaps a form of what happened with the tower of Babel. I do not know. I think that most of the major pieces of the church…the one universal church…have a piece of the truth. The charismatics have the praise and worship and the enthusiasm. The Baptists have a love for individual study and the Word. Catholics have the proper awe of the majisty of God and a holiness that I have not always seen. (All of this is majorly oversimplified, but I think you can see the point) When Our Blessed Savior comes back to get us, then all the pieces will be put back together and we will be whole.

At least I HOPE this is right.

 

[Memaw]

It is my belief that the Church is fractured…that Our Father allowed this for some reason, perhaps a form of what happened with the tower of Babel. I do not know. I think that most of the major pieces of the church…the one universal church…have a piece of the truth. The charismatics have the praise and worship and the enthusiasm. The Baptists have a love for individual study and the Word. Catholics have the proper awe of the majisty of God and a holiness that I have not always seen. (All of this is majorly oversimplified, but I think you can see the point) When Our Blessed Savior comes back to get us, then all the pieces will be put back together and we will be whole.

At least I HOPE this is right.

By your name, I am assuming you are in the RCIA Class. I surely hope this is NOT what they are teaching you, because if it is then its WAY off base. The Church founded by Jesus Christ can never be fractured. If you read the Bible correctly, you will see that HIS Church will be here till the end of time, the “gates of Hell” shall NOT prevail against it, The Holy Spirit will be with it, to protect it and guide it and His Church CANNOT teach error. All this you will find in the Bible, if you read it correctly. The ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC Church founded by Jesus Christ still teaches the same Doctrine today that HE taught the Apostles 2,000 years ago. The only thing that has been fractured are the denominations that broke away from the Catholic Church, took the Bible and ran with it and started interpreting it to suit themselves. They have fractured into over 40,000 different denominations that disagree with each other. All you have to do is study Church History, the Early Church Fathers and the Bible and seek the TRUTH.

 

[Mystic_Warrior]

I am a born again christian who was brought up Catholic. I did not know the truth of the Bible through the Catholic Church. I found the Lord through the preaching of the GOSPEL by Billy Graham and began to read the Bible for myself. There is where I found the TRUTH. Jesus said: “If you continue in MY WORD, then you will be my disciples, and the TRUTH will set you free.” The Catholic Church does not preach from the Bible. The Word of God is the TRUTH. The Truth is that JESUS PAID IT ALL on the cross and it is ours to receive (JESUS as the GIFT of Eternal Life). The Catholic Church tries to add things. There is nothing to add. There is only one SAVIOUR - The Lord Jesus Christ and HE is the second Adam. Just ask Catholics if they know if they are going to heaven and they have NO ASSURANCE of heaven. But the TRUTH - the Bible says you can KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE in where it says in the Epistle of John that says if you have the SON you have eternal life and if you do not have the Son you do not have eternal life.

All cults have believe with works. The true church is faith in JESUS CHRIST to be born again - born of God - New Creature in Christ. The Catholic Church is the largest cult there is but most people don’t know what they truly believe. They do not preach the GOSPEL OF THE BIBLE. So Paul said if they preach another Jesus let them be anathema.

I know Catholics love God but they do not know truly what JESUS did for them on the cross because it is not preached in the Catholic Church.

I pray that those in the Catholic Church who love JESUS would read the Bible for themselves and find the Truth that would set them free.

Preaching the TRUTH in Jesus name.

boy oh boy. You are feeding right into this thread with this post. You are sitting in judgment, where the place of the Lord Jesus is. Calling the Catholic Church the largest cult there is does a great disservice to our brothers and sisters.

There are Bible readings said at every mass and homilies taught from the Bible. Maybe you missed that. We owe a huge debt to the Catholic Church, including the compilation of the Bible that we have.

Go to the lost in the world who have never heard the gospel and fulfill the will of God through preaching love, not division. Ask the Father to give you the mission He has destined you for.

Peace…

MW

 

[sapamarogi]

So what’s that thing we do with the 3 readings every sunday and the homily all about? Proclaiming and teaching from essentially the whole bible every 3 years would count as what? Hiding from scripture?

I never heard the TRUE GOSPEL in the Catholic Church.

I am sorry to see you were so poorly catechized. How old were you when you left the church?

Chuck

I was 26 years old. I had received Jesus Christ into my life through hearing Billy Graham preach the gospel that Jesus Christ died for me in my place and took my punishment so that I could have eternal life through HIM. I received Jesus into my life and was born again that night. I began to read the Bible and began to understand more of what I had just done and what Jesus had done for me. I was a new creature in Christ Jesus like it says in the Bible.

 

[sapamarogi]

What makes you think I don’t understand that? Is it because I said it was a sin to be presumptuous?

sapamorogi, the whole of scripture is full of how to be saved. We don’t just carve out a few verses and ignore the rest.

Do you mean to tell me that you believe you no longer have a sin nature?

When you receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life - He comes in and you are born of God. We were lost without God. when Adam sinned he lost the spirit God had put into him. We were in the family of Satan with out sin nature but when Jesus comes in - we have a new nature - the nature of God. It does not mean we cannot sin but it means we can listen to the new nature of God in us and follow Him. I do not think the way I used to. I was blind but now I see - spiritually.

 

[Marsha_Adams]

I was 26 years old. I had received Jesus Christ into my life through hearing Billy Graham preach the gospel that Jesus Christ died for me in my place and took my punishment so that I could have eternal life through HIM. I received Jesus into my life and was born again that night. I began to read the Bible and began to understand more of what I had just done and what Jesus had done for me. I was a new creature in Christ Jesus like it says in the Bible.

Sapamarogi:

Jesus Christ died for me in my place and took my punishment so that I could have eternal life through HIM. I received Jesus into my life and was born again

This is what happens every day at Mass - 24/7/365. How did you get to be a 26 year old Catholic and not know that? It is deeply grieving to me that you were not better instructed in your faith as a child.

 

[Memaw]

I was 26 years old. I had received Jesus Christ into my life through hearing Billy Graham preach the gospel that Jesus Christ died for me in my place and took my punishment so that I could have eternal life through HIM. I received Jesus into my life and was born again that night. I began to read the Bible and began to understand more of what I had just done and what Jesus had done for me. I was a new creature in Christ Jesus like it says in the Bible.

You became a new creature the moment you were Baptized. Thats when you were “born again.”. I am sorry that you were not properly taught as you grew up to Know and LOVE your Catholic Faith, but it is NOT to late to start now. You received Jesus into your life when you made your First Holy Communion. And you can continue to receive HIM in the Eucharist every time you go to a Catholic Mass if you are reconciled to the Faith. You will NEVER find that in a protestant denomination. No preacher, preaching the Gospel according to his own interpretation, no matter how good he is at it, can replace the Catholic Mass. There are sooo many ways you can learn about your Catholic Faith, even right here with Catholic Answers. If you are wise, you will give it a try!!, God Bless, Memaw.

 

[myfavoritmartin]

Salvation is not a “passive” process where God does all the work. “Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.” 2 Cor 6:1-2

verse 2 ends “now is the day of salvation”
It happens and its done you are born again.
Then the sanctification begins, it something HE does in you. Catholicism can not seperate justification from sanctification and that is directly tied into why evangelics evangelise catholics.

 

[JoeyWarren]

It is deeply grieving to me that you were not better instructed in your faith as a child.

Marsha, my own wife was poorly catechized. To put it bluntly, she did not know jack from jill. It seems to be a very prevalent wind that is causing this. I have taken a look at our own CCD books. What a pathetic shame they are. Even today there are many many many young catholics not be properly catechized. Too many old school cradle catholics are teaching ( actually not teaching )… There is not an emphasis on why we do the things we do.

 

[Subrosa]

However I don’t see much of a difference except perhaps in nuance between Protestants calling Catholics the whore of Babylon and Catholics calling Protestants heretics. Didn’t they use to burn heretics?

We shouldn’t be using inflammatory language!

Sub

 

[JTBT]

Didn’t they use to burn heretics?

are you suggesting that Catholics should start killing Protestants? if that is the case I would like to remind you of this.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Tertullian

my point being it doesn’t work, and it is an evil think to do.
perhaps if Mary Tudor (a.k.a. Bloody Mary) had not burned about 370 everyday people in public for having a protestant idea we would not be so divided today.

 

[JoeyWarren]

are you suggesting that Catholics should start killing Protestants? if that is the case I would like to remind you of this.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Tertullian

my point being it doesn’t work, and it is an evil think to do.
perhaps if Mary Tudor (a.k.a. Bloody Mary) had not burned about 370 everyday people in public for having a protestant idea we would not be so divided today.

Oh please. 370 a day?

Here’s and excerpt from Brittania:

Following the disarray created by Edward VI’s passing of the succession to Lady Jane Grey (Jane lasted only nine days), Mary’s first act was to repeal the Protestant legislation of her brother, Edward VI, hurling England into a phase of severe religious persecution. Her major goal was the re-establishment of Catholicism in England, a goal to which she was totally committed. Persecution came more from a desire for purity in faith than from vengeance, yet the fact remains that nearly 300 people (including former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer and many of the most prominent members of society) were burned at the stake for heresy, earning Mary the nickname, “Bloody Mary.”

You should be ashamed of yourself for propagating such lies.

 

[Memaw]

Marsha, my own wife was poorly catechized. To put it bluntly, she did not know jack from jill. It seems to be a very prevalent wind that is causing this. I have taken a look at our own CCD books. What a pathetic shame they are. Even today there are many many many young catholics not be properly catechized. Too many old school cradle catholics are teaching ( actually not teaching )… There is not an emphasis on why we do the things we do.

What do you mean by “old school cradle” Catholics??? I am one of those and I would like to know to what your are referring!
The teachings of the Catholic Church are the same today as they were 2,000 year ago. Doctrine cannot change. It can only be understood better. If they are not being taught properly, then its up to the parents to see that it is. They have a lot more to say in the schools and CCD programs than they realize. Parents are now and always have been the primary teachers of the Faith to their children. Its time they take that responsibility seriously.

 

[JTBT]

Oh please. 370 a day?

“everyday people” or I should have said just common people not the leaders of the Protestant movement. I did not mean she burned 370 people per day

 

[JoeyWarren]

What do you mean by “old school cradle” Catholics??? I am one of those and I would like to know to what your are referring!
The teachings of the Catholic Church are the same today as they were 2,000 year ago. Doctrine cannot change. It can only be understood better. If they are not being taught properly, then its up to the parents to see that it is. They have a lot more to say in the schools and CCD programs than they realize. Parents are now and always have been the primary teachers of the Faith to their children. Its time they take that responsibility seriously.

Most of the Old School Catholics I know are not very well catechized themselves. The blind are leading the blind. The Old School Catholics don’t have a Biblical Knowledge of their faith. For the most part, we as a whole are not teachings the “WHYs”

 

[JoeyWarren]

What do you mean by “old school cradle” Catholics??? I am one of those and I would like to know to what your are referring!
The teachings of the Catholic Church are the same today as they were 2,000 year ago. Doctrine cannot change. It can only be understood better. If they are not being taught properly, then its up to the parents to see that it is. They have a lot more to say in the schools and CCD programs than they realize. Parents are now and always have been the primary teachers of the Faith to their children. Its time they take that responsibility seriously.

Yes the teachings are the same today as they were 2000 years ago. No argument there. But we are not doing a thourough job. We live in the real world, not the ideal world. The ideal world would be for the parents to teach the young just as the Jews teach their young. But alas, we are in a world where materialism prevails and time is short and wasted on television, music, internet and other idols that take us away from our responsibilities. Soccer moms and baseball Dads contribute to this as well. Like I’ve said before many times before on this forum. The apologists on this forum does not reflect the average Catholic. We here only represent a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of Catholic collective whole.

My kids are thoroughly trained to defend their faith against anti-catholics. Can the same be said about the vast majority of Catholic Children and young adults? A simple yes or no will suffice.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

are you suggesting that Catholics should start killing Protestants? if that is the case I would like to remind you of this.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Tertullian

my point being it doesn’t work, and it is an evil think to do.
perhaps if Mary Tudor (a.k.a. Bloody Mary) had not burned about 370 everyday people in public for having a protestant idea we would not be so divided today.

Mary’s mistake was executing people as heretics. Henry, Edward and Elizabeth are heroes because they executed far more, but were wise enough to call them traitors.