CENTRALFLJAMES
Hi. Gosh, I don’t want to offend you, but you’re the sort of Christian I mean.
I might take offense if I thought you had the capacity to form any rational and intentional premeditated malice. But you have so many contradictions here its clear that you lack this capacity so I can’t hold you accountable for whatever offense might have been taken had it been seen as deliberate rather than just a “care-less” attitude .
I can say that it is certainly interesting how you can so easily mix Catholic and Protestant beliefs together into one common potpourri as if each was just convenient variations of textures and tastes to add to the stock of opinions to be digested. But why arbitrarily reject some others as unsavory (the Early Church Fathers and mine for example?). Do you or don’t you relish opinions as you say you do?
As for me I can’t say that I think you have a very discerning or consistent taste. Taking in your potpourri the bologna together with the caviar while rejecting the integrative consensus of those who actually knew the disciples of Christ while biting the hand that took such efforts to spoon feed you those collective works seems irrational, inconsistent and undiscerning; or is it just mean? Admit it, you are no gourmet - but you do have your favorite flavors.
I am sure there are “well-meaning” hypocrites out there who are clueless that they contradict themselves when they say they like all opinions but when put to the test really prove that they esteem their own opinions over all all others. Do you imagine that the church of “Self” can get in the way of truth as much as “The Church” does? What principal do you point to that says one is better than the other; especially when you say you value all opinions? Sure I can see by your consistency how you have such great respect for opinions here.

Sorry you lost the soup bowl when you went non-linear on us. Your world is indeed flat afterall but its skewed on a tilt from the horizontal and everything slides your way to land in your lap under gravity.
If you want to bring up your family’s personal suffering caused by the wars associated with the Protestant Revolution and associate it with Catholics then I suggest you blame it first on Luther or on the shameful loins of Henry the VIII (that could not bear to be girdled by divine laws of The Church). How many Catholic monks had their guts ripped from their bowels and seared on hot spits before their eyes by Cromwell and his torturers for failing to acknowledge The King as head of the English Church (
The Carthusian Martyrs)? How many died during the Protestant Revolution from both sides - 100s of thousands? How many Protestants fled the tyranny of the head of the Protestant Church (England’s King) to colonize America? Your family was not the only to suffer.
You may believe that there are different paths to God and you might prefer your path and you may give a lip-service respect to The Church’s path and that of others - but how can you reconcile this with the truth that Jesus tells us plainly there is only one path? Jesus tells us explicitly that Peter is to be the rock of the Church and to shepherd His Flock along that path? I did not see any plurality in that did you?
*“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6 *
"He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” John 21:16
I am sorry that you are “not happy with those who consider their faith right and all the others wrong” but you must not be happy with Christ because he told us there is only one Church - “MY CHURCH”.
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18
So Roy5, it seems scripture plainly tells us that there is only one path afterall in spite of your personal opinions. Yes? Or are you implying Jesus was just giving an opinion rather than an objective truth? Do you even accept that there is such a thing as objective truth Roy5?
I am saddened to see that you could not resist getting personal here and made a personal judgement about me. I now must point out that you contradicted yourself when you said: “I know you don’t have the same respect for individual opinions in the way that I do, but fortunately we have separation of church and state.” Then you disregarded the Church Fathers opinions and have not only disregarded my opinion you used it to judge me.
Well “Gosh” Roy5 - where is the “That’s interesting. Tell me more” part that you were boasting about in your prior self-righteous opinion of yourself?
You know what I really think of your opinion Roy5? With all the contradictions you have already shown I’d say your opinion is worth about as much as a tinker’s damn. Given inflation and all, that means it would not even buy you a “Thank You - God Bless” from a beggar looking for a free handout - much less 2 cent Parliament soup. And by the way - separation of Church and State is a myth. If you believe that then you believe that a person must leave all their values at home when they go to work for the government. Nor does that mean leave your common sense at home (no matter how frugal or modest of means) when you speak in public either to self proclaim your own self-righteous enlightenment.
Allow me at least to be polite ans say “thanks for your 2 cents”. But I will not be insincere and say I respect it any more than you respected mine. Sadly, it does not buy me anything to listen to your contradictions and this exchange is a waste of time.
James