What are the reasons I should (or shouldn't) become Catholic?

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I find it hard to accept the belief that people will go to hell if they don’t believe Jesus is our Savior or if they mess up in life. No one deserves eternal torture, I don’t care what you did in life.

I also find it very restricting and other people tell you what to believe instead of you forming your own opinion.

There are a few good things, though. 😉 I’m not Catholic, though.

But, ultimatrely, it is your choice. If you feel that Catholicism is right for you, then it is. It is your own spirituality that matters, not what anyone else thinks of it.

Many blessings on you whatever you choose!
 
AgnosTheist said:
I know, white catholics are diminishing fast and being replaced by asians, blacks & latinos. People from the 3rd world countries with ‘limited education’, where religion can still have a lot of meaning in life.

I am looking forward for the first non-white pope. 👍
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We came pretty close to getting one at the last election. I, myself, would have been thrilled to have Cardinal Arinze in the Chair of Peter!
 
Sixtus said:
I find that amazing. If each gospel was a mirror image of the others, then the New Testament would be dismissed as a fraud and the Gospels collusion. The fact there is that good old human element known as ‘interpretation’ or ‘personal experience’ of what an event meant to one person which differs to another, proves for me its authenticity.
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For me the only thing that can authentify a book that claims the supernatural is a supernatural evidence. Like what some people call a ‘Science Miracle’? A series of detailed prophecies that came true?

Instead what you find in it are contradictions like those inconsistencies concerning the crucifixion and resurrection, from the opposing colors of the robe to the conflicting accounts of what happened on the morning of the resurrection.
 
mercygate said:
Cardinal Arinze in the Chair of Peter!
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Ratzinger’s election proves that God does have a sense of humor. Like how often do you get a former nazi who just happen to have a lot of resemblance with Emperor Palpatine the Sith Lord of Star Wars? The looks, the power, the religious leadership. That really spiced things up. 😃

yeah yeah i know, i know, he wasnt really a nazi, that he tried to escape, etc etc etc. whatever.
 
mercygate said:
We came pretty close to getting one at the last election. I, myself, would have been thrilled to have Cardinal Arinze in the Chair of Peter!
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The funny thing is that many liberals were pushing hard for him because he was black which in their minds meant he would be a very liberal pope. We may get him yet-and boy are they in for a big surprise
 
AgnosTheist said:
Ratzinger’s election proves that God does have a sense of humor. Like how often do you get a former nazi who just happen to have a lot of resemblance with Emperor Palpatine the Sith Lord of Star Wars? The looks, the power, the religious leadership. That really spiced things up. 😃
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Agnos, it is irresponsible to refer to Benedict XVI as a “former Nazi.” He was not a member of the Nazi party. His affiliation with the Hitler Youth was compulsory. He was conscripted into an antiaircraft unit guarding a BMW plant outside Munich. Later he was sent to erect tank traps on Austria’s Hungarian border. After being shipped back to Bavaria, he deserted.
 
mercygate said:
Agnos, it is irresponsible to refer to Benedict XVI as a “former Nazi.” He was not a member of the Nazi party.
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Yeah I understand. I was just playing. Its just sooooo tempting to make that connection, especially that he looks like you know who. 😉
 
AgnosTheist said:
What would a brown skinned asian filipino guy like me know about that guy? We are required to read the works of Jose Rizal, not some Chesterton dude. 😃
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And what makes you think I’m not a brown-skinned person, too?

Skin colour isn’t a good enough excuse not to get properly educated - there are even extra grants available for persons of minority races - you don’t even have to spend your own money, and you can still go to school! 😉
 
jmcrae said:
And what makes you think I’m not a brown-skinned person, too?

Skin colour isn’t a good enough excuse not to get properly educated - there are even extra grants available for persons of minority races - you don’t even have to spend your own money, and you can still go to school! 😉
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Actually to use skin color as an excuse is racist.
 
AgnosTheist said:
The problem is the New Testament itself. There is no way to know for certain how faithful it was to the original, if there was indeed an original authorship. Rather there are a number of contradictions & inconsistencies that puts to question its credibilitiy.
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What are the contradictions and inconsistencies? Could you give me a few examples?
 
AgnosTheist said:
ok.

Matthew 27:28
And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

Mark 15:17
And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head."

That’s what you call an inconsistency? The color of his robe? What possible difference could that make? Maybe it was a scarlet purple robe. Give an example of a significant inconsistency. The discussion of believing in Jesus isn’t inconsistent. I believe Jesus comes to everyone at the last few moments of their lives. He is not bound by the laws of time. Please read “Get us Out of Here” by Maria Simma. for more information on this. You can get it as thecatholicgiftstore.com
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AgnosTheist said:
ok.

Matthew 27:28
And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

Mark 15:17
And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head."

another is being discussed here…

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=179834

and of course many more can be found circling the net.
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So, if someone said that the accident victim’s hair was light brown, and someone else said it was dirty blonde, would you conclude that there was no accident victim, and no accident had ever actually occurred? These inconsistencies in eye-witness reports are very common. What would be astounding is if both people described the colour in exactly the same way - usually when that happens, the police investigate further to see why the two witnesses are collaborating on their reports.
 
Olivermax said:
AgnosTheist;2650851:
ok.

Matthew 27:28
And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

Mark 15:17
And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head."

That’s what you call an inconsistency? The color of his robe? What possible difference could that make? Maybe it was a scarlet purple robe. Give an example of a significant inconsistency. The discussion of believing in Jesus isn’t inconsistent. I believe Jesus comes to everyone at the last few moments of their lives. He is not bound by the laws of time. Please read “Get us Out of Here” by Maria Simma. for more information on this. You can get it as thecatholicgiftstore.com
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Purple and scarlet are two different words describing the same color. What we think of as “purple” was really more like red.
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jmcrae said:
So, if someone said that the accident victim’s hair was light brown, and someone else said it was dirty blonde, would you conclude that there was no accident victim, and no accident had ever actually occurred?
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No, I will conclude that one or both made a mistake in their observation.
jmcrae said:
These inconsistencies in eye-witness reports are very common.
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indeed. normally its ok, but on something that is promoted as inspired by God? nah. its not ok.
 
AgnosTheist said:
No, I will conclude that one or both made a mistake in their observation.

indeed. normally its ok, but on something that is promoted as inspired by God? nah. its not ok.
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It’s inspired by God; not dictated by God.

The Apostles were writing down what they remembered of Jesus - His sayings, and the miracles that He did. But they weren’t sitting there taking dictation from God, or having their hand and mind taken over and possessed by God - they were just writing down their own thoughts and memories about Jesus.
 
AgnosTheist said:
hmmm…

PURPLE

SCARLET

doesnt look the same to me.

How is that?
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Look at Roman art. The trim on a senator’s toga was called “purple” it’s kind of brownish red. When it comes to color, scarlet, crimson, red, purple would all have been similar in those days of natural dies. C’mon. Pick something really hard.
 
jmcrae said:
It’s inspired by God; not dictated by God.

The Apostles were writing down what they remembered of Jesus - His sayings, and the miracles that He did. But they weren’t sitting there taking dictation from God, or having their hand and mind taken over and possessed by God - they were just writing down their own thoughts and memories about Jesus.
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Hey we are talking about God here, the ultra powerful electro magnetic perfecto big boss who killed somebody for making the mistake of trying to catch the Ark as it almost tumbled down the side of the road. And all you got to show is some stuff that was inaccurately remembered? C’mon! Arent you underestimating the concept of being ‘inspired’ by SUPREEEEME Being??? If the inspiration came from Buddha, I would understand the slight imperfections.
 
AgnosTheist said:
No, I will conclude that one or both made a mistake in their observation.
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Not only that, but because of the similarity between the two descriptions, you would also have clues about the person’s race and age, since the person who saw it as “light brown” would be noticing that the person was young, and thinking subconsciously that their hair is getting darker as they get older, and the person who saw it as “dirty blonde” was seeing that it seemed like a natural colour of hair, rather than a dye job.

It’s the same with the two descriptions of Jesus’ robe - the observers both noticed that it was an expensive-looking material from the dark red section of the colour wheel (since both purple and scarlet are very expensive colours to make, due to the amount of labour involved), and that the soldiers were trying to make Jesus look like a King.
 
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