Was considering the Catholic Church

[yellowbird]

I know a married couple, she is a devout Catholic, he a Baptist. They attend seperate churches and get along quite nicely.

Do they have children? I think it’s all well and good until children are added to the mix. That’s when things tend to get tricky.

 

[Bill_Pick]

Do they have children? I think it’s all well and good until children are added to the mix. That’s when things tend to get tricky.

I was married to a Baptist for 17 years and right after the Kids it was all down hill…Thats just my luck

 

[PJM]

=scooter469;4959250]I have been following along in this blog to see if I should turn to the Catholic Church. But after reading how some of the Catholics are on this blog , I am now not so sure.

I have been going to Church of Christ Church, not Universal, just COC and have been disappointed on how smug they can be towards others Faiths. They think that they are the only ones going to heaven and that the rest of the world is going to hell. I felt that they were a tad judgmental and just did not seem right to me.

Dear Laura,

The Catholic Church does not teach that "one has to be a Catholic: in order to get to heaven! We do teach that there are many good reasons one ought to seriously consider being a Catholic. And this is the OFFICIAL position of the RCC!

For example:

One can “find” god and even God in many places. Certainly one can know of God by and through His Creation for example. And certainly one can find God in many Christian Churches.

However if it’s a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you seek, **there is no better place than the only Church He actually founded (Mt. 16:18-20) because Jesus left His catholic Church the Seven Sacraments, all which are biblically supported as be authored by Jesus Himself.

The most signifiant of these is the GIFT from God, of God (Jesus) Himself. Really, trurly and substanually Present in Catholic Holy Communion. Not a mere sign, not a simple symbol, but REALLY JESUS! (John Chapter 6:40-60 and also written about by Mt., Lk, Mk. and St. Paul. **

Lura, we can come of smug! But sometimes, in expressing a truth, or truths available nowhere else, just sharijng these truths can appear to be smung.

On matter of Faith and or Morals, God give the death of His Son and sends the Holy Spirit as sureity, for the validity of this statement.

But now I see that there are Catholics here on this blog that are the same way. I tend to lean more towards the Lutherans, Baptists, on this blog. They tend to be kind hearted and knowledgable.

I for one think that reading the Bible is very important.

laura, I am deeply sadened by this comment. Not your fault! but clearly this is very far from the truth.

First the bible is a Catholic book! The entire New Testament was written by Catholics.
Second, the Catholic Bible was the ONLY bible for about the 1st 1500 years, one-thousand, five-hundred years, after Christ!

If a person would attend daily Mass every day for a perioed of three years, one would hear the entire bible read to them! we ahve bible study classes just like everyone else.

I will use the bible in sharing what and why we belief what we do, so you can verify it for yourself.

The Bible I have is a Catholic Bible, New American Bible, picked out for me by Monsignor Gerald Lefebve. He is the family Priest since I was 10yrs of age.

The New American Bible is the version that the Catholic Church uses for Mass

I also have a NIV bible and King James. The only difference is that my Catholic Bible has more books. But the books that my NIV has says the same thing that my NAB says.

No Lura, that is only the easiest to see difference. Luther and others have taken liberities beyond the nimber of books and ahve changed passages to “meet and match” their own phylosophy and theology. Still, the KJV is about 90% the same! Why, because the bible is a CATHOLIC BOOK!

also have the New Living Translation which I enjoy reading also…

All bibles are worthy of reading. But only the Catholic Bible has the whole truth and nuttin but the truth, because God Himself has given assureance of it. 2 Tim. 3:16 "16 All scripture is inspired by God and * profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. "

Lura, note this was written Before Luthers and others changes!

I wish this blog was more interested in sharing Bible Studies instead of debating on who’s Church was here first. I always thought Church meant people that were Christians.

Thanks for reading this

Confused Lura

Lura if you want to discuss the bible go to the directory, and look for “scripture” post any questions you may have. You’ll get a responce and I’ll try to keep my eyes open for your questions.

Love and prayers,
Pat

 

[BareKnuckler]

God wouldn’t unjustly judge someone at the end of one’s life if he knew the motivations behind him leaving Christianity.

I doubt any motivation would be good enough to not believen him, at leas thats my idea.

Even the Devil “believes” in God.

According to the bible, he would have to, cause well, God was the one that banished him. If he didn’t he’d be in some kind of denial beyond me.

Bare Knucker,
I’m interested in your quote… we are the author of our own disease. So a young child battling cancer… did she somehow bring that on herself? Is that what you believe?

Or how about my dear friend Brad, father of two who, at age 42, has only months at best to live after painfully enduring every single thing medical science suggested. It would literally take a miracle for him to live to see his next birthday. Did he somehow author or create the tragic situation he finds himself in?

I believen Karma, so maybe so.

I do not know Brad, and I wish him a good life for what remains of it, but I do not know his life, and doubt I ever will unless their is a biography or autobiography on him, which even then would not contain all the information of his life, cause that would take another lifetime to right since everyone does so much in their lives.

I’m sorry you left Christianity partly as a result of the people on these forums. Let me assure you that as a Catholic myself, I was pretty turned off by the negativity in these forums and disgusted by many of the things I came across. The people here are not representative of the 1.131 billion Catholics in the world.

At least I hope you still believe in God, and that’s the only thing that matters.

I never said this forum was a reason, I did not like the people on here, and would gladly smash a lot of them, but they did not cause my lack of faith, I lost my faith on other reasons.

Sorry, don’t believen a one god.

I’m not judging anyone… I’m just saying that “belief” in God doesn’t necessarily mean someone is right with God… the Bible says the demons believe in God and we all know the location of their eternal home.

God is both merciful and just - you are so right. However I would not want to be the person standing before Him explaining why I rejected His Son. Good reasons? I can’t honestly think of one. Certainly nothing along the lines of… "Well you see, there was this Catholic internet forum… and some of the people who posted things were really jerks so that’s sort of why I decided I no longer cared about Jesus at all… "

lol, since this is about me, even though I never said this forum was a reason, but anyways, ya I know, if God is real, which I do not believe so, he would probably put me in your hell, but personally, I don’t care if someone believes I should be in a place of torture, cause thats illegal in the U.S., and I can defend myself pretty well.

~EDIT~ I made the parts that were my reply green so you could read them more easily out of all the text.

 

[OneTrueCathApos]

Do they have children? I think it’s all well and good until children are added to the mix. That’s when things tend to get tricky.

Yes, they are grown, yet they were baptized as babies as in the Catholic faith (thank God), but the husband has no problem with this. the secret I feel is to let each other do what you feel and just agree if it makes each other happy. I once asked her how do you get along? she said simply, they don’t talk about it.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

Dear Laura,
All bibles are worthy of reading. But only the Catholic Bible has the whole truth and nuttin but the truth, because God Himself has given assureance of it. 2 Tim. 3:16 "16 All scripture is inspired by God and * profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. "

Pat

Just a minor point here PJM. The verse quoted in 2Tim. 3:16 is not properly translated. It should read "all scripture THAT IS INSPIRED is profitable for teaching, etc.It does not assume that all scripture is necessarily inspired. This is from biblical experts. And moreover at the time that Timothy was written by whomever wrote it, likely after Paul’s death or near to it, there was no “scripture” as such but the OT, so that doesn’t take us very far.

 

[GraceDK]

I have been following along in this blog to see if I should turn to the Catholic Church. But after reading how some of the Catholics are on this blog , I am now not so sure.

I have been going to Church of Christ Church, not Universal, just COC and have been disappointed on how smug they can be towards others Faiths. They think that they are the only ones going to heaven and that the rest of the world is going to hell. I felt that they were a tad judgmental and just did not seem right to me.

But now I see that there are Catholics here on this blog that are the same way. I tend to lean more towards the Lutherans, Baptists, on this blog. They tend to be kind hearted and knowledgable. I for one think that reading the Bible is very important.

The Bible I have is a Catholic Bible, New American Bible, picked out for me by Monsignor Gerald Lefebve. He is the family Priest since I was 10yrs of age.

I also have a NIV bible and King James. The only difference is that my Catholic Bible has more books. But the books that my NIV has says the same thing that my NAB says.

I also have the New Living Translation which I enjoy reading also…

I wish this blog was more interested in sharing Bible Studies instead of debating on who’s Church was here first. I always thought Church meant people that were Christians.

Thanks for reading this

Confused Lura

Dear Lura.
I think you are right. The Catholic Church might not be the right place for you to be at this time. I mean… if you go to join any church for any other reason than Christ and what you perceive to be His will then you need to stop and pray hard.

I am a convert to the Catholic Church.
I have seen sinful behaviour and uncharity from all kinds of Christians, Catholics, Lutherans, Seventh Day Adventists, Messianic Jews, free churches, non-den, Pentecostals… etc… I am in the Catholic Church because of Christ and the Bible… yes, the Bible is the heart of the Church and the work and main guideline of the Church. I perceive the Bible to be pointing to the Catholic Church more than any other later church that has formed itself.

The Catholic Church is a hospital for sinners. If you are a sinner you will fit in. If you are perfect you wont fit in anywhere in humanity. Catholics mess up all the time. I do too.

Ps. tell me if you find a church where there are no sinners… Stop looking at people and start looking at Christ, okay, then you wont go wrong. God bless your honest quest for Truth sister.

Gracie:thumbsup:

 

[PJM]

Just a minor point here PJM. The verse quoted in 2Tim. 3:16 is not properly translated. It should read "all scripture THAT IS INSPIRED is profitable for teaching, etc.It does not assume that all scripture is necessarily inspired. This is from biblical experts. And moreover at the time that Timothy was written by whomever wrote it, likely after Paul’s death or near to it, there was no “scripture” as such but the OT, so that doesn’t take us very far.

So my friend your saying “the bible isn’t true?” Or are you saying only what you choose to believe is true?

1 Thess. 1:" 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit;"

2 Tim.3: 16 "**16 All scripture is inspired by God and * profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. **

John 14:25 "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

Luke 11" “3 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

John 17: 15 I “do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. * 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. 18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Friend it’s nice of you to share your persoanl opinion, but it is antibiblicalThere is more I could quote but why?

Either one believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, or one does not:thumbsup:I do!

 

[SpiritMeadow]

So my friend your saying “the bible isn’t true?” Or are you saying only what you choose to believe is true?

1 Thess. 1:" 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit;"

2 Tim.3: 16 "**16 All **scripture is inspired by God and * profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

John 14:25 "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

Luke 11" “3 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

John 17: 15 I “do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. * 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. 18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Friend it’s nice of you to share your persoanl opinion, but it is antibiblicalThere is more I could quote but why?

Either one believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, or one does not:thumbsup:I do!

I don’t know what the point is of all your verses. Apparently I did not make myself clear. I said that the translation is faulty. You must know that each and every bible has translated some parts differently? You must know that we know a good deal more about the ancient languages now than when we made the first of hundreds of translations? In fact thousands at this point.

I am saying that simply the translation is faulty and the most original text that we have in fact says All scripture that is inspired is profitable…" I am sure you see the difference. It has nothing to do with whether the bible is inspired or not, nothing what so ever.

And of course my second point is that whatever Timothy said, he said it when the only thing that was scripture was the OT, he does not and could not be speaking of the NT since it was hundreds of years away from being declared scripture.

Hope this clears it up for you.

 

[Little_Dove]

I don’t know what the point is of all your verses. Apparently I did not make myself clear. I said that the translation is faulty. You must know that each and every bible has translated some parts differently? You must know that we know a good deal more about the ancient languages now than when we made the first of hundreds of translations? In fact thousands at this point.

I am saying that simply the translation is faulty and the most original text that we have in fact says All scripture that is inspired is profitable…" I am sure you see the difference. It has nothing to do with whether the bible is inspired or not, nothing what so ever.

And of course my second point is that whatever Timothy said, he said it when the only thing that was scripture was the OT, he does not and could not be speaking of the NT since it was hundreds of years away from being declared scripture.

Hope this clears it up for you.

Dear Spirit…
I don’t think I quite understand the point you are trying to make with the verse in Timothy. You are correct in saying that at the time of its writing, Paul’s Letter to Timothy, and in fact the entire New Testament, was not included in the canon of Sacred Scripture because the canon of Scripture was not closed, by the Church, until the 4th century. But why are you making this point here? To confirm that the Magesterium of the Church is the body which defined the canon of the Bible…or for some other reason?

**If it is to confirm the authority of the Magesterium of the Catholic Church to set the canon of Scripture, then I heartily agree with your point! ** Without the inerrant authority of the Catholic Church, given to Her by the Holy Spirit, how can we know that what we accept as the inspired Word of God really is?

God Bless!
To Jesus, through Mary

 

[PJM]

=SpiritMeadow;4980558]I don’t know what the point is of all your verses. Apparently I did not make myself clear. I said that the translation is faulty. You must know that each and every bible has translated some parts differently? You must know that we know a good deal more about the ancient languages now than when we made the first of hundreds of translations? In fact thousands at this point.

I am saying that simply the translation is faulty and the most original text that we have in fact says All scripture that is inspired is profitable…" I am sure you see the difference. It has nothing to do with whether the bible is inspired or not, nothing what so ever.

And of course my second point is that whatever Timothy said, he said it when the only thing that was scripture was the OT, he does not and could not be speaking of the NT since it was hundreds of years away from being declared scripture.

Hope this clears it up for you.

Friend, I understood what you were saying. I just don’t but into it!

Language does not change when it is viewed in the vernacular of the time of it’s authorship.

This is not a Bill Clinton’s “what is …'is”?

Your reaching for a straw friend, and that’s all you can expect to get from it.

Your analysis is antibiblical and while your intitled to your opinion, keep in mind that Christ loves you and will lead you to HIS truth, if you allow Him to.

I have cut and pasted for you edification 2 Tim. 3:16 from the ***Douay Rheims Bible

---

"16 All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, 17 That the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work. "

16 “All scripture,”… Every part of divine scripture is certainly profitable for all these ends. But, if we would have the whole rule of Christian faith and practice, we must not be content with those Scriptures, which Timothy knew from his infancy, that is, with the Old Testament alone: nor yet with the New Testament, without taking along with it the traditions of the apostles, and the interpretation of the church, to which the apostles delivered both the book, and the true meaning of it."

As you might know my friend this is the Orginal bible translated by St. Jerome in about 350A.D… Jerome spoke and wrote Greek, Latin, and Amermaic. It is the “go to reference book” for bible translations.

Also keep in mind friend that the bible is a CATHOLIC BOOK. The entire New Testament was written by Catholics, and we had the ONLY bible for nearly one thousand-five-hundred-years! So please do not expect me to buy into your “more enlightened understanding.” You and others can choose to believe what you want. But there is only One Truth, and on all Matters of Faith and or Morals, that TRUTH resides in and with the RCC! God Himself assures it!

Love and prayers friend,

 

[josie_L]

“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I** will shew thee my faith by my works**” James 2:18.
James 2:24 doesn’t mean that works justify us with God.
Man say’s, ‘‘show me the reality of your faith.’’ The only way to do this is by good works.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Christ is the only way, he did it all.
Good works are to back up a persons testemony, to show they are really saved.
If you are relying on your good works and not wholly on Christ, you will fail.
When people rely on works to save them, they are saying what Jesus Christ did was not enough, but it was and is enough.

You forgot to type in the rest of Ephesians 2. Had you done so, you would have realized that the works mentioned above are the works of Mosaic law, and not the good works which is a necessary part of our faith (as understood in Ephesians 2:10).

 

[distracted]

Thank You. I was baptised Catholic at the age of 10. At 19 I got married and started going to non denominations, baptists, etc. Now in 2006 my husband moves us from Louisiana to rural Arkansas in the Ozarks of Ark. We live in a very remote area that only has baptist and coc denominations. We went to baptist for awhile then coc. The rest is history.

I miss my family back home, gone into a depression, and stopped going to church at all. Read my Bible and blog. Listen to Christian Radio, and Christian TV…

i feel for you, living in an area where you can’t just go to any Church you want… which i guess is what you are saying…

whne is the last time you were in a Catholic Church? Why were you baptized at 10 and not earlier (or later)?

sorry, don’t mean to be nosey… just want to understand where you are coming from better… it helps to know so i can answer accordingly…

I’m very thankful to a priest who once told me about spending time at the Blessed Sacrament… I go There and spend time in total silence… Many things are revealed to me about my life, my circumstances, relationships, etc…The truth about these things is revealed to me…well, the truth about myself, actually, and how these things impact me… plus… .well… other things… so hard to explain… but anyway… Seems that when we are “out in the world” we can meditate & focus on God and we should…(I like to do that out in nature, alone) but there seems to be something missing with that… something that can be found @ the Real Presence… hard (very) to put inot words… but, well, Jesus expects certain things from us… and at the RP, He… . Again, very hard to put into words… but anyway… i guess it can be said best by the words “Real Presence”…

***Jesus is SO much more than people realize… people who do not spend time with Him… this way… ***

God bless…

 

[scooter469]

I don’t think you are being nosey. Just trying to understand. I don’t remember as a young child going to any kind of church. My mom was very young, 15 when she was pregnant with me. She turned 16 one month after I was born. I think she had a very bad experience with the church she grew up in. She was raised by her grandmother and not sure if they were baptist or what. I only know that my mom did not go to church until she met and married my stepfather. I was in elementary school. don’t remember what age i was. I remember being in the 5th grade and going to catechism classes. Boy it has been so long ago. So truly I don’t really know why or how mom was introduced to the Catholic Church because she married a Baptist from Mississippi. It is confusing to me.

But anyway, I remember how I did not enjoy going to Church or Catechism. Mass was only in Latin back then, and Catechism was just boring to me. But she would litterally pull me out of bed by my hair on my head and forced me to go to Church. When I turned 19, I got married, Had 2Kids, and stopped going.

So, I can honestly say that I never really understood anything about the Catholic Church. I did not understand Latin, and mom was never one to explain things to me. She is still the same way now.
But, She is very very dedicated to her Faith in the Catholic Religion…If I even ask her a question about what I may have read in the Bible, she just clams up on me and changes the subject.
I did not read the Bible at all until I moved to the Ozarks of Arkansas. When we first moved here 3yrs ago, I asked if there was a Catholic Church around and was told that if you aren’t a Baptist, coc, or Aethist, I was out of look.

I hope I havent made you go blind reading all of this but I tried to sum up my whole life as simply as I could.

thanks for listening
scooter:shrug:

 

[SpiritMeadow]

Dear Spirit…
I don’t think I quite understand the point you are trying to make with the verse in Timothy. You are correct in saying that at the time of its writing, Paul’s Letter to Timothy, and in fact the entire New Testament, was not included in the canon of Sacred Scripture because the canon of Scripture was not closed, by the Church, until the 4th century. But why are you making this point here? To confirm that the Magesterium of the Church is the body which defined the canon of the Bible…or for some other reason?

**If it is to confirm the authority of the Magesterium of the Catholic Church to set the canon of Scripture, then I heartily agree with your point! ** Without the inerrant authority of the Catholic Church, given to Her by the Holy Spirit, how can we know that what we accept as the inspired Word of God really is?

God Bless!
To Jesus, through Mary

No Mary, it has nothing to do with the Magisterium at all. It was a minor point about a translation of a piece of scripture.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

Friend, I understood what you were saying. I just don’t but into it!

Language does not change when it is viewed in the vernacular of the time of it’s authorship.

This is not a Bill Clinton’s “what is …'is”?

Your reaching for a straw friend, and that’s all you can expect to get from it.

Your analysis is antibiblical and while your intitled to your opinion, keep in mind that Christ loves you and will lead you to HIS truth, if you allow Him to.

I have cut and pasted for you edification 2 Tim. 3:16 from the ***Douay Rheims Bible

---

"16 All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, 17 That the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work. "

16 “All scripture,”… Every part of divine scripture is certainly profitable for all these ends. But, if we would have the whole rule of Christian faith and practice, we must not be content with those Scriptures, which Timothy knew from his infancy, that is, with the Old Testament alone: nor yet with the New Testament, without taking along with it the traditions of the apostles, and the interpretation of the church, to which the apostles delivered both the book, and the true meaning of it."

As you might know my friend this is the Orginal bible translated by St. Jerome in about 350A.D… Jerome spoke and wrote Greek, Latin, and Amermaic. It is the “go to reference book” for bible translations.

Also keep in mind friend that the bible is a CATHOLIC BOOK. The entire New Testament was written by Catholics, and we had the ONLY bible for nearly one thousand-five-hundred-years! So please do not expect me to buy into your “more enlightened understanding.” You and others can choose to believe what you want. But there is only One Truth, and on all Matters of Faith and or Morals, that TRUTH resides in and with the RCC! God Himself assures it!

Love and prayers friend,

You don’t buy into the fact that translations vary because we learn more about ancient languages and how words were used? Then “friend” you are not in agreement with your own church which does this sort of thing constantly.

Language does indeed change, as any expert would tell you. We don’t speak the same English today that that we inherited from England, nor the same that we used in early colonial America.

That we learn more about languages is indeed also true. People actually make their living learning about the roots of language and determining how words were used and what their meaning was every day.

My analysis is not in the least unbiblical. It just doesn’t agree with your ultra orthodox translation. You choose your translation for a reason, because it says what you are accustomed to having it say. That doesn’t make it right, and as you well know that is not the official bible used by your church.

As I may know Friend, the douay translation is not the “go to translation”. I see why you like it thought since you declare it the “original”. If it were the perfect translation of course there would be no others.

We’ll skip all the self serving stuff about your bible being RCC and all that. It’s an old tired argument and its sad to see that some require this kind of remark to feel good about their own faith. Close your ears, friend, lest you might learn something new, and be condemned by your own belief.