What are some questions I can ask my seminary teacher?

[BumpSetSpike]

If you get to see this, we will miss you while you are gone Bump. Pray lots. Study everything you can get your hands on. Ask questions about everything. The True Church founded by Jesus will withstand any and all questions. Blessings. You remain in my prayers.

Thank you

God bless!

 

[rmcmullan]

Instead of asking your seminary teacher stuff, maybe you should be asking the Priest you are meeting with these questions:

1. Ask him if Christ established the Catholic church with 12 Apostles and if nothing He set up was supposed to change (becasue all revelation was complete after Christ), where are the 12 apostles now? They replaced Judas.
2. Ask him if somehow the Catholic Church was to go astray, how would it reclaim its priestly Authority? Would Peter, James and John need to visit them as angels and restore that authority? Or is it impossible for them to loose their authority?
3. Ask them why Cathloics claim revelation ceased with Christ. Is there nothing new to reveal? Has he lost his power to reveal truth to man? Is he no longer concerned with his children?
4. Ask him to explain the Trinity.
5. Ask him about their missionary program. Is it every member a missionary or if it is a rare thing. Was missionary work common among the Apostles?
6. Ask him about a lay clergy. This is a big one. If their church is supported by its local members, doesn’t that make it hard for the local priest to call its members to repentance? Wouldn’t he be cutting his own throat if he did? Was there ever a tradition of a paid priesthood in either the Old or New Testament? Isn’t a priest ever supposed to call his flock to repentance?
7. Press him on Original Sin and Infant Baptism. Then read Moroni 8. Aw heck, go all the way and ask him about baptisim for the dead.
8. Ask him about Limbo and Purgatory.

 

[Lion_of_Narnia]

Instead of asking your seminary teacher stuff, maybe you should be asking the Priest you are meeting with these questions:

1. Ask him if Christ established the Catholic church with 12 Apostles and if nothing He set up was supposed to change (becasue all revelation was complete after Christ), where are the 12 apostles now? They replaced Judas.
2. Ask him if somehow the Catholic Church was to go astray, how would it reclaim its priestly Authority? Would Peter, James and John need to visit them as angels and restore that authority? Or is it impossible for them to loose their authority?
3. Ask them why Cathloics claim revelation ceased with Christ. Is there nothing new to reveal? Has he lost his power to reveal truth to man? Is he no longer concerned with his children?
4. Ask him to explain the Trinity.
5. Ask him about their missionary program. Is it every member a missionary or if it is a rare thing. Was missionary work common among the Apostles?
6. Ask him about a lay clergy. This is a big one. If their church is supported by its local members, doesn’t that make it hard for the local priest to call its members to repentance? Wouldn’t he be cutting his own throat if he did? Was there ever a tradition of a paid priesthood in either the Old or New Testament? Isn’t a priest ever supposed to call his flock to repentance?
7. Press him on Original Sin and Infant Baptism. Then read Moroni 8. Aw heck, go all the way and ask him about baptisim for the dead.
8. Ask him about Limbo and Purgatory.

My goodness, non sequitors, begging the questions–all under the assumption the Catholic Priest can’t do elementary apologetics of these BASIC questions, ALL which can be quite thouroughly defended on Catholic Answers and CAF. While possible the Priest might not be up to the job (considering the crisis in many Catholic Seminaries) it dosn’t mean there are no answers to your “stumpers” (in quote because that seems to be your intent).

On the otherhand, the stumpers we offer to the LDS are not so easily refutted–because we have Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Early Church Fathers, archaelogy, anthropology, textual criticism, linguistics, biology, zoology, paleontology, and plain old history on our side–as well as the giants of Augustine, Aquinas, etc…

 

[rmcmullan]

They weren’t meant to be stumpers, but I am very interested about the lay clergy thing. If you could point me to a URL or something, I’d appreciate it.

 

[Lion_of_Narnia]

…
6. Ask him about a lay clergy. This is a big one. If their church is supported by its local members, doesn’t that make it hard for the local priest to call its members to repentance? Wouldn’t he be cutting his own throat if he did?..

This is REALLY “begging the question”–it assumes the “answer” in it’s construction that a priest calling for repentence is going to find it hard and difficult and risk alienating and annoying his parish members, so he won’t do it. Uh, He does it every time in the Sacrament of Reconcilliation (“Confession”). Priests typicaly stress this need for repentence in homilies (sermons) throughout the year

… Was there ever a tradition of a paid priesthood in either the Old or New Testament? Isn’t a priest ever supposed to call his flock to repentance? …

The levitical priest is VERY Old Testament founded (see Leviticus for starters) Their livliihood WAS supported by the people, via tithes and offerings.

In the NT, Paul said “the worker is worthy of his wages”.

OK, go to here: christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/ccc.html

Search under “Laity” (897-913) and “Sacraments of Holy Orders” 1536-onward

 

[LittleDeb]

1. Ask him about a lay clergy. This is a big one. If their church is supported by its local members, doesn’t that make it hard for the local priest to call its members to repentance? Wouldn’t he be cutting his own throat if he did? Was there ever a tradition of a paid priesthood in either the Old or New Testament? Isn’t a priest ever supposed to call his flock to repentance?

Actually the way the Catholic Church is set up it prevents the kind of trouble you might be inferring here. Our priests live on a stipend. This means that they are given a set amount of money by the diocese. They are also appointed by the bishop of the diocese. This means they have no fear of calling the faithful to repentance. Their parishoners can have no real monetary effect on the priest. If donations dropped severely a bishop may investigate, but if all he finds is that some people are mad for being called to repent then he would commend his priest, not remove him. The laity can complain to the bishop, but only the bishop can actually remove a priest.

The real problem here is that the OP is not allowed to have discussions with a priest. When I was a teen-aged Catholic, completely surrounded by LDS mind you, I was allowed to seek out any information I wanted. The rules were I had to always fulfill my Sunday obligation for Mass and go to religious ed classes. Beyond that, I could go to church with my friends and seek out anything I wanted. Open discussions were welcome in our home. My parents were very devout and knew the Catholic Church could stand up to the scrutiny.

What is the fear here for some LDS parents? As long as their young person fulfills the basics of the LDS teachings, their youth should be allowed to discuss and research other religions. Why does non-LDS mean anti-LDS to many devout LDS? I was further taught to learn everything I could about my own beliefs. My struggles with the Catholic Church came from not understanding Her teachings. If I had never explored other beliefs, I would never have understood the teachings the were uniquely Catholic. As I said before. The True Church founded by Jesus will withstand any and ALL questions.

The LDS still fall back on the old pat answer…“That is not important to my salvation…”

 

[rmcmullan]

The real problem here is that the OP is not allowed to have discussions with a priest.

I don’t know what you mean by that.

 

[rmcmullan]

The levitical priest is VERY Old Testament founded (see Leviticus for starters) Their livliihood WAS supported by the people, via tithes and offerings.

Okay, good point. I did think about it after I posted it and realized the same thing.

I tried to follow that link but couldn’t find the Laity sections.

 

[majick275]

allow me to comment

Instead of asking your seminary teacher stuff, maybe you should be asking the Priest you are meeting with these questions:

1. Ask him if Christ established the Catholic church with 12 Apostles and if nothing He set up was supposed to change (becasue all revelation was complete after Christ), where are the 12 apostles now? They replaced Judas.

you have two questions here that don’t need to be linked to the same answer. Yes Christ established the Catholic church. Where did anyone say nothing was supposed to change? just because the revelation was complete doesn’t mean STASIS! you can have ushers or not, you can have Eucharistic ministers or not without new public revelation. The Bible shows us the special role of apostles and defines them as only those who personally witnessed the ministry of Christ on earth.

1. Ask him if somehow the Catholic Church was to go astray, how would it reclaim its priestly Authority? Would Peter, James and John need to visit them as angels and restore that authority? Or is it impossible for them to loose their authority?

people in the church can and do go astray. The Church itself cannot, Christ promised that. there is no need for “restoration” nor has there ever been.

1. Ask them why Cathloics claim revelation ceased with Christ. Is there nothing new to reveal? Has he lost his power to reveal truth to man? Is he no longer concerned with his children?

once again you ask multiple questions that don’t link to the same answer. PUBLIC revelation was COMPLETED by Christ. Read Hebrews it explains this well. CHRIST was perfect and so was his message, it gives us everything. PERSONAL revelation continues, so while there is NO new thing under the sun it may APPEAR new to us as individuals. Of course GOD hasn’t “lost power” nor has ceased to be concerned with us. That’s why he would NEVER allow his church to be taken from the earth nor would he ever cease to speak to us through prayer, scripture, the Holy Spirit, etc.

 

[majick275]

(continued)

1. Ask him to explain the Trinity.

why is that so hard for you? One God is a comon theme in the Bible and is even repeated in the earlier parts of the BoM. Look at the statement by the 3 witnesses in the beginning And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen. there is the trinity right there. makes much more sense than an endless series of mortals being exalted and begetting spirit children who become mortal, reach exaltation, beget spirit children, etc.

1. Ask him about their missionary program. Is it every member a missionary or if it is a rare thing. Was missionary work common among the Apostles?

are you serious? do you really not know about the Catholics spreading the gospel of Christ? how exactly do you think there came to be over a billion catholics in the world? we have RCIA classes going on all over. We have full time missionaries all over the world. We have built numerous actual MISSIONS. We just don’t go knocking on doors at random. Do you think the Jehovah’s witnesses have the answer? I’,m evangelizing right here as a member and many other catholics promote the gospel and the Church through their words and their deeds.

1. Ask him about a lay clergy. This is a big one. If their church is supported by its local members, doesn’t that make it hard for the local priest to call its members to repentance? Wouldn’t he be cutting his own throat if he did? Was there ever a tradition of a paid priesthood in either the Old or New Testament? Isn’t a priest ever supposed to call his flock to repentance?

once again with the many questions that don’t link to a single answer. lay ministry we have. Where was there ever a need for lay clergy? the church is centralized and the religious are provided for by the church and many take vows of poverty as well so there isn’t much concern with wealth to begin with. Paid ministry is common in the Bible (both testaments) and is NOT foreign to the LDS church. Why do you think they are so concerned with tithes and offerings knowing that local LDS leaders aren’t paid? look at the history of the LDS church. What happened to paid custodians? why did the LDS lay them off? some of the positions in the TEMPLE are paid. Bishops used to receive stipends as do seminary teachers still today. Modest but still pay. If you go back further, patriarchs used to charge per blessing and bishops and stake presidents used to get a cut of the tithing money. general authorities draw a “living allowance” still today that while not “obscene” in the sense of televangelists is NOT quite a vow of poverty either. Go look at Boyd K. Packers house and think how a teacher who worked most of his life as a church employee afforded that. (assuming you can get far enough down the private street to see it) look at the LDS church by his house and see how different it is to other LDS wards.

 

[Megatron]

1. Ask him to explain the Trinity.

Ok, I’ll play this game, too. Let’s ask faithful LDS to define “their gods”. While the LDS church continually teaches that their faith, doctrine and version of deity is “without confusion” ask any bishop, EQ president, seminary teacher, etc. this:

1. What is more confusing that a god (Heavenly Father) who was a mortal once up a time on another planet, who may have potentially sinned during his mortal existence, participated in physical death, was exalted thereafter, had/s spirit wives, etc. Who is the first “god” in this chain of exalted beings which seems to extend ad infinitum into the past.
2. The LDS version of “Jesus Christ” was an intelligence (cf. D&C 93:21) but importantly not a god from the get-go. This was a status he EARNED through his faithfulness in the pre-existence prior to attaining a physical body. Why is it then do I need to come to earth and take on a physical body (my second estate) in my trip to eternal progression? It makes no sense why the gods would create the earth and its inhabitants if deification was attainable in the pre-existence.
3. How is the Holy Ghost a “god”? He doesn’t have a body, right? I know that the traditional Mormon apologist argument is that spirit is a degree of matter, just a refined form. Be that as it may, why did Joseph Smith teach that if the Holy Ghost was faithful in his office, he/it would attain a physical body in the end? (This is a direct quote from the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, which I unfortunately do not have in my office at the moment…I’ll get back w/ you guys on the exact quote).
4. If matter is co-eternal w/ deity and if deity is confined and limited by the laws of nature that it has created, there must be some force in the universe that governs both matter and deity - would this be the priesthood? According to Skousen’s (an LDS General Authority from the early/mid-1950) “The First 2000 Years” it is. Especially read his ending section on why it was necessary that Christ physically suffer in the LDS version of the atonement. Just ask about the “first cause” regarding what the heck governs both deity and matter in the universe.

Just some preliminary food for thought.

 

[LittleDeb]

I don’t know what you mean by that.

BumpSetSpike is currently LDS. She would like to know more about the Catholic Church. She has not been allowed by family to seek out a priest to talk to. The only people she is allowed to talk to are LDS, like her high school seminary teacher. I was pointing out that as a Catholic teen, I had been allowed to seek out any information I wanted as long as I fulfilled my Catholic obligations. Even during my years when I was “angry at the Catholic Church” that had made a difference. The Truth of the Catholic Church can withstand any scrutiny.

Are some LDS afraid that the LDS church can’t handle being put under a microscope? The LDS teens I remember who asked questions like these of their seminary teachers were branded apostate. Their questions weren’t answered and they ended up leaving the LDS church. How is denying information, as long as it comes from reliable sources, helpful? She should be able to go to her teachers and get her questions answered. And with supervision she should be allowed to ask questions from non-LDS sources.

 

[rmcmullan]

I am assuming that the this proscription is being paced on her by her parents? If so, I will grant them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are doing what’s they believe is right for their daughter. I wouldn’t want want to incite her against her parents, even if I don’t agree.

My parents prohibiting me from meeting with the Mormons when I was a teenager and they weren’t too happy when I joined them out of college. My Mom especially! But when all is said & done, family is more important. Although I get my share of flack for saying so, the Mormons and Catholics are not that different in so many respects.

 

[Karin]

I am assuming that the this proscription is being paced on her by her parents? If so, I will grant them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are doing what’s they believe is right for their daughter. I wouldn’t want want to incite her against her parents, even if I don’t agree.

My parents prohibiting me from meeting with the Mormons when I was a teenager and they weren’t too happy when I joined them out of college. My Mom especially! But when all is said & done, family is more important. Although I get my share of flack for saying so, the Mormons and Catholics are not that different in so many respects.

Mormon and Catholics are on opposite ends of the spectrum my dear…please stop saying that we are simialr WE ARE NOT!!!