Why Do Catholics Minimize Christ?

[Church_Militant]

Why Do Catholics Minimize Christ?

Maybe you should actually read authentic Catholic material before trying to allege something like this. Here are some excellent suggestions to get you started.

• Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Today`s Reading and Psalm
• The Divine Mercy Chaplet

Have you ever even been to a Mass? If not, I suggest that do so and you’ll discover that it is Christ centered from beginning to end.

Why do Catholics claim there can’t be any Christianity without the Catholic Church

Since it is the same church that Our Lord founded in Matthew 16 and that same church has been verifiably documented to hold distinctively Catholic beliefs about salvation, the Eucharist, baptism, and most everything else it taught as having received directly from the apostles, it stands to reason that every Christian sect derived from it owes its Christiainity to that same early church.

and why do they claim it’s impossible to understand anything

in the Bible unless it’s interpreted through Church authorities?Where does the Church say that? The fact is that with regard to doctrine and morals that is true, but the church also encourages us to read the Word of God and allows that some parts of it are straightforward enough that what you see is what you get. (The 6th chapter of St. John’s Gospel for instance) In matters of correct doctrine and morals she is the Holy Spirit guided final authority. If you read the New Testament, you see that that was the case even then. Look at what one of the earliest bishops of Antioch wrote to the church at Smryna, Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans

Why do they believe it’s impossible for God to act or for His word to be available to all His children unless they allow it?

Must have missed that one somehow…The fact is that the Catholic Church says no such thing. It teaches that God can do anything He pleases with regard to anyone He chooses to. That’s why one so often sees the words, “in ways known to himself God” in Catholic teaching.

As to the authority to offer translations of scripture…are you qualified to produce one? Do you have all the manuscripts and the language skills to translate Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek so that it would be an accurate version? Do you even know anyone who would be so qualified?

Now carry on with that logic. The Catholic Church has been Christianity for some 2,000 years and during that time has paid in blood for protecting texts and discerning what was authentic and what was not, especially in the first 4 centuries of Christianity’s existence when persecution was pretty much the norm. After finally discerning what was inspired canon, do you really think that the authentic Christian church would just sit back and allow mistranslations and heresies to be circulated unopposed to believers? That is precisely what the Church was/is dealing with over the last 500 years or so, and it’s crazy to attack it for actually doing its job.

I think you need to do some more serious personal research into Catholicism’s authentic teachings and history alongside some serious New Testament reading before you try to pursue this line of discussion.

 

[Janet1983]

BECAUSE we are Christ-centered, we have crucifixes. They come out of Christ-centeredness. IOW, they are the result, not the cause. You seem to imply that we put them up (if at all) to ‘make us think of Christ’ which is just the wrong way around. The ‘thinking of Christ’ comes first, not the crucifixes to ‘make us think’ of Christ.

I’m sure you did not mean at ALL, Janet, to imply that Catholics are simply out to present themselves as ‘pious’ and get all sorts of satisfaction from their crucifixes and statues etc. while never REALLY believing in Christ at all.

No, all I was implying that the outer attire does not let us easily conclude on the inner attitude…
In as much as pious behavior and decorations are not a proof for the right attitude they are also not a proof for hypocrisy… We cannot look into anybody and therefore the exterior does not leave room for conclusions as to whether a worship is truly Christ-centered or not… only the Lord Himself knows and we are all to examine ourselves…

 

[Zooey]

Why do Catholics claim there can’t be any Christianity without the Catholic Church and why do they claim it’s impossible to understand anything in the Bible unless it’s interpreted through Church authorities?

They don’t. Sheesh.
You need, IMNSHO, to improve your:whacky: reading material.

Why do they believe it’s impossible for God to act or for His word to be available to all His children unless they allow it?

And its not even the full moon…
Like I said: Read some better books. Listen to some more sensible teachers.
Ye dinnae ken whereof ye speak, lassie.

 

[Soutane]

Hit 'n run.

 

[Zooey]

I think this may be the new world record: “Poster responsible for Zooey’s fastest lapse into Scots-Irish”.

 

[Fidelis_Unus]

What could possibly be more Chrsit-centerd than the Eucharist?

and do we not call fellow Christians our separated brethen? Yes, they are still Christian, just not fully particpating in the Body of Christ.

Just my humble thoughts.
Maggie

 

[Christian_Sr]

Everything about the Catholic church point to Christ. There is nothing about the church that minimizes Christ in any way. Sounds like another attack through a lack of understanding.

 

[youngsaint]

Why didn’t Peter get a greeting from Paul, who knew Peter, in the book of Romans? Matter of fact, why was Paul writing to the sheep being personally seen to by the Rock on which the Church is built on theological matters? Did Peter have trouble doing his job?

Just because Peters in charge doesn’t mean Paul can’t offer an opinion. Its up to the Pope to filter the opinions to make sure they are theologically well-founded (or in other words go inline with the Catholic church).

Just to clarify, it isn’t just theological ideas the that the pope is in charge of. His job is to ultimately get souls to heaven. Which means being the visible leader of the church, the Invisible being Christ himself.

 

[LilyM]

Just because there is a crucifix in the room does not make a mass Christ-centered… Decoration does not change anybody’s attitude… I could plaster my house with crucifixes and crosses and then I could muster up the most pious behavior and secretly love the admiration I get through that and put all my goodies out on the front lawn and it would not make me Christ-centered…

I suppose you’d think it was fine if I surrounded your with pictures of pornography instead, or something - after all, looking at such images for extended lengths of time isn’t going to make you any more likely to go out and sin sexually, is it? Those pictures aren’t going to influence how you think and behave at all, are they?

 

[nsper7]

Well if there is no Christianity without the Catholic Church how come there are so many Christians outside of the Catholic Church?
I am a former Catholic and I am a Christian. Most of my friends have never been Catholic and they are Christians too…

There are no Christians outside the Catholic Church. Any Protestant who is validly Baptized (in Trinitarian formula and with water and intent to Baptize) or has a valid implicit desire for Baptism, is connected, albeit imperfectly, to the Catholic Church. They may reject the Church’s authority, they may reject full communion with the Bishop of Rome, they may reject various Church teachings, but if a Protestant is validly Baptized, then they are part of the Catholic Church.

 

[bjryman]

Again, if we read the Vatican II documents we will find that Christ is the center of the Catholic religion and that the Council urges us to take up Bible study and learn for ourselves about THE WORD.

Vatican II threw out the old rules like not reading the bible once there was an understanding that the general public could, in fact, understand and interpret the readings. The Church hierarchy then took up the role of teacher, and counselor.

I personally am involved in bible study at my parish in three different groups.

 

[nsper7]

Again, if we read the Vatican II documents we will find that Christ is the center of the Catholic religion and that the Council urges us to take up Bible study and learn for ourselves about THE WORD.

Vatican II threw out the old rules like not reading the bible once there was an understanding that the general public could, in fact, understand and interpret the readings. The Church hierarchy then took up the role of teacher, and counselor.

I personally am involved in bible study at my parish in three different groups.

Let’s not get into a Vatican 2 debate…

Suffice it to say, all lay Catholics can and should read Scripture (I admit this is a failing of mine these day), as well as seek to understand/interpret Scripture as long as their understanding is within the framework of the Catholic Church. If a person’s interpretation contradicts a doctrine of the Church, take a gander at who is wrong.

 

[jmcrae]

Why didn’t Peter get a greeting from Paul, who knew Peter, in the book of Romans? Matter of fact, why was Paul writing to the sheep being personally seen to by the Rock on which the Church is built on theological matters? Did Peter have trouble doing his job?

Because Peter was Bishop of Antioch at that time - someone else was the Bishop of Rome.

It is because Peter died in Rome (and thus left the Papacy there) that the Papacy began to reside in Rome. The Papacy was in the person of Peter, and went with him where ever he went. When he died in Rome, he passed it to the nearest Bishop to where he was, which was the Bishop of Rome (Linus). Linus also died in Rome and passed it to the next Bishop of Rome (Cletus) who in his turn also died in Rome and passed it to the next Bishop of Rome (Clement) and so on, all the way down to Pope John Paul II, who died in Rome and passed the Papacy to the next Bishop of Rome, who is Pope Benedict XVI.

But if each church was its own thing, with no outside authority, then how could St. Paul have been writing to anyone and telling them what to do? Since if each one was self-directed with no need of any other, then St. Paul would have had no business sticking his nose into their affairs at all.

 

[Newbie2]

So, you are claiming that the selection of Bishops is done by the Holy Spirit and is thus infallible?

Through the Holy Spirit.

There are no Christians outside the Catholic Church. Any Protestant who is validly Baptized (in Trinitarian formula and with water and intent to Baptize) or has a valid implicit desire for Baptism, is connected, albeit imperfectly, to the Catholic Church. They may reject the Church’s authority, they may reject full communion with the Bishop of Rome, they may reject various Church teachings, but if a Protestant is validly Baptized, then they are part of the Catholic Church.

If someone is part of the Catholic Church, although imperfectly, how can they NOT be a Christian?

 

[LilyM]

If someone is part of the Catholic Church, although imperfectly, how can they NOT be a Christian?

That’s the point. The other poster was asserting that there were Christians outside the Catholic Church. To that we are responding that no-one who is a Christian is outside the Catholic Church. Ergo the other poster is wrong.

 

[BigDave31]

Why do Catholics claim there can’t be any Christianity without the Catholic Church and why do they claim it’s impossible to understand anything in the Bible unless it’s interpreted through Church authorities?

Why do they believe it’s impossible for God to act or for His word to be available to all His children unless they allow it?

Catholics do not minimize Christ. They maxamize Him. I was an evangelical christian for over 70 years. Then at age 73 I became catholic. Why? Because Christ is more evident in the catholic church than he ever was in all the churches I ever attended. The entire mass is all about Christ!! Christ is the c enter of all of our devotion and praise. The Gospel is read and preached at every mass. In a lot of protestant churches you hear more of what St. Paul said than what Jesus tought…I praise God and the Holy Spirit for leading me to the fullness of the Truth.

 

[youngsaint]

Catholics do not minimize Christ. They maxamize Him. I was an evangelical christian for over 70 years. Then at age 73 I became catholic. Why? Because Christ is more evident in the catholic church than he ever was in all the churches I ever attended. The entire mass is all about Christ!! Christ is the c enter of all of our devotion and praise. The Gospel is read and preached at every mass. In a lot of protestant churches you hear more of what St. Paul said than what Jesus tought…I praise God and the Holy Spirit for leading me to the fullness of the Truth.

Thats extremely interesting, especially since the protestants took out the Corinthians, which is focused on Paul, and the Eucharist.

 

[regression]

Thats extremely interesting, especially since the protestants took out the Corinthians, which is focused on Paul, and the Eucharist.

Sorry, but I’m not sure what you are referring to.

 

[youngsaint]

Sorry, but I’m not sure what you are referring to.

The First and Second Corinthians, they clearly define that the early catholics believed in the true presence of the Eucharist. Especially in 2 Corinthians Chapter… 10 I think, verse 26, I’m not sure, and the nearest bible is a hole 30ft away. (I need a servant )

 

[nsper7]

If someone is part of the Catholic Church, although imperfectly, how can they NOT be a Christian?

Because they are part of the Catholic Church, just their connection is imperfect.